A coworker was robbed this week, and a box of very sentimental items was taken. Can anyone offer some advice for possibly having them returned or found? [more inside]
posted by snapped on Oct 1, 2009 - 17 answers

I need to pick a seminar/conference/class/training/whatever for work to attend within the next 6 months or so, I have until 10PM to choose, and I have no idea where or what the cool stuff is. It should be at least tangentially related to my job as a Unix Systems Engineer/Python Guy, and preferably within the Northeast (NYC is where I'm located), although feel free to recommend anywhere in the US. [more inside]
posted by Mach5 on Aug 7, 2009 - 3 answers

i am almost 30 and I have no future! help me convince myself I am wrong. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 15, 2009 - 32 answers

"All you need is love." I need to find an empathetic rebuttal/clarification to this. [more inside]
posted by twins named Lugubrious and Salubrious on Apr 5, 2009 - 41 answers

What to send a friend in rehab? [more inside]
posted by MPnonot3 on Mar 31, 2009 - 11 answers

Any interesting, meaningful readings for a liberal Passover Seder on the theme of hope? [more inside]
posted by aquafortis on Mar 7, 2009 - 2 answers

In the article regarding the AP demanding compensation for Shepherd Fairy's appropriation of a photograph of Obama for the "Hope" poster, it says:

"I donated an image to them, which they used. It was the one that said "Change" underneath it. And then later on I did another one that said "Vote" underneath it, that had Obama smiling," he said in a December 2008 interview with an underground photography Web site.

Which underground photography website would that be? Googling the quote, or variations of, only brings me this news article.
posted by Jimbob on Feb 5, 2009 - 5 answers

"Is the hope for profound change misdirected in a country where almost 50% of the population voted for the incumbent party?" (Historical perspectives on this question, please) [more inside]
posted by omnigut on Nov 30, 2008 - 17 answers

Seeking advice about a quote from Hebrews 10:23, which states "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful." This is from one of the books of the New Testament (Epistle to the Hebrews). [more inside]
posted by iamkimiam on Nov 29, 2008 - 9 answers

I have fucked up yet another academic semester. This is the third time--I fucked up as a freshman, took time off, came back, fucked up again, took more time off, and came back and have repeated the cycle. Only now, now that I've realized I've shot myself in the foot again, I desperately want to recover my academic career somehow. Is it possible? Is it over? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Nov 19, 2008 - 34 answers

Does anyone know where I can get a button with Shepard Fairey's Obama design? [more inside]
posted by shakespeherian on Oct 15, 2008 - 4 answers

She might be leaving for good in one month, or not leaving at all. We find out in one month. How do I not ruin the next month for myself and her by being miserable about it? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 20, 2008 - 10 answers

I would like to sense God in my life. I go to church regularly, pray, and read the Bible to understand Him better but I still have such deep bouts of depression where I either don't trust or sense his presence. There is a wide gap between what I believe with my heart and what I understand in my head. For example, I understand and believe in the sovereignty in God but when hard times come or extremely difficult emotions (despair) arise, that is the first thing I question. I am not looking for an easy life or a perfect life, just one that is able to trust God more. Any opinions on how to do this? I feel a great tension between trying harder, and just letting go but my letting go resembles more closely giving up than "letting God" if you know what i mean. To summarize, I want a stronger faith. Any ideas? Thanks so much for input.
posted by snap_dragon on May 8, 2008 - 58 answers

Background: I am 41 years old. I am 16 credits shy of graduating with a BS in Mathemathics. my GPA is 2.79, I have over 250 hours of attempted coursework, 144 of that is being counted towards my degree. I program and design software systems for a living. The Problem: I really love math and computer science but I am lousy at learning. when I say lousy I mean slow. [more inside]
posted by WannaBeAPhD on Apr 13, 2008 - 24 answers

I'm in the bottom the stereotypical bleak pit of a crushing depression. I'm doing the therapy. I'm doing the medications. But what do you do with your brain meanwhile? How do you keep going on? [more inside]
posted by beautifulcheese on Mar 5, 2008 - 58 answers

With the coquihalla closed, what is the best way to get from Vancouver to Kamloops? [more inside]
posted by vernondalhart on Feb 12, 2008 - 11 answers

I remember seeing about 2 years ago a clip where Anna Deavere Smith was doing a piece on Cornel West. Channeling him saying that he uses the "language of despair" because you must despair before you can hope. Something like that. It was quite moving...and I've thought about it many times in the interim. [more inside]
posted by sully75 on Feb 7, 2008 - 8 answers

Sandman Fans: I need a quotation, but I don't have the graphic novel. It's from the first volume. He's leaving Hell after retrieving one of his toys, and Morpheus says something about how the worst thing you can do to the condemned in Hell is give them hope. What's the actual quote?
posted by scaryblackdeath on Apr 8, 2007 - 6 answers

How do you convince a part of your brain that seems unaccessible by cognitive function, yet holds beliefs that are affecting your life poorly? The combination of two such "unalterable" opinions has me currently locked into a course that will exacerbate, not solve, some very long-lasting problems. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Mar 20, 2007 - 29 answers

How does an eternal pessimist find a ray of sunshine in a gloomy world? [more inside]
posted by nightengine on Aug 8, 2005 - 30 answers