Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with community

Hitting the basics.

kaibutsu — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 01:58:32 -0800

Suppose you live in an area where everyone has a cell phone and almost nobody uses the internet. What kinds of tech would help lots of small and medium businesses in your area? I'm working with some people to help start a tech-hub in Kisumu, the third-largest city in Kenya. One of our big priorities is finding ways to connect the many IT graduates of the local universities with businesses that haven't been using technology in their business plans. One stupidly easy example we thought of: Only about half of the local hotels have websites, which is important for connecting with travelling tourists. But what kinds of tech uptake could be useful to small businesses that aren't as reliant on an internet-friendly clientèle?

I have a few ideas of relatively easy stuff, like keeping track of payroll and sales information, customer tracking, and sms updates. What else can you think of?

Town wide family listserve/activity calender suggestion?

alball — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:14:31 -0800

We currently have a number of different list serves, google groups, yahoo groups, and meetup groups in our town, all involving family activities and community events. The different groups cover different neighborhoods, and there is a lot of overlap. I am wondering if there is some kind of service or tool that could be an giant umbrella for all of our groups, with subgroups according to interest, age of kids, neighborhoods, schools etc. I am wondering if some kind of tag based system exists that we could use, maybe age tags, neighborhood tags, school tags, activity tags.... this tag granularity could determines the hierarchy in which one receives posts, so that posts near me for activities which match my kids age would have higher importance than other posts.

It would be nice if it was free, or inexpensive, and easy to administer.

A calendar view would be great along with discussion board type viewing.

thoughts?

Community theatre for amateurs in Toronto

The Thnikkaman — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 21:07:35 -0800

I'd like to get into community theatre, but I haven't done any kind of drama since high school. Are there community theatres in Toronto that encourage amateur participation?

Building a community homepage - Noob edition

travelwithcats — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:36:33 -0800

Looking for knowledge/ideas on how to build a homepage that brings a community together. The community does not yet exist, it concerns one thing that folks have in common and the homepage would help to bring people together locally. No money is involved.

I have a ton of questions, those for example:

1. I have never built a homepage – can I do it on my own? How? It needs to be bilingual, allow members to post and me to create events. (Just setting up a group on another platform seems not enough).

2. Should it be a subscription based email service or an open website? Pros/Cons?

3. What do I need to do in terms of the name? ("Secure" it with meetup, facebook, linkedin, twitter etc. ?)

4. Design. Can I just make up my own logo & design? Have no professional knowledge, but creativity. Do I have to protect a logo / design?

5. Cool guerrilla strategies to help reach people & bring them to participate in the community?

6. Should I work on this until it is more “professional looking” so people are more inclined to join or can changes be made later on (like adding functions / changing design)?

Please pardon this unstructured thoughts, I have some time and this idea. Any help greatly appreciated. Many thanks!

Can't forgive or forget

Anonymous — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 11:21:11 -0800

I'm involved in a hobby that is very specialized and even in my large city the community is very small and tight knit. Outside of work and family most of my friends are in this hobby. I had a falling out with a "leader" in the community, and I can't seem to get over it. A few months ago I left the facility where I practice this hobby, a small business owned by a "friend," because that person was being emotionally abusive to me, which culminated in probably the worst things that have ever been said to me (sexist insults, needless and cruel attacks on my character, etc -- this person finally admitted, "if I wanted you to leave, I wouldn't tell you, I would just treat you badly until you left of your own accord"). I explained why I was hurt and gave him an opportunity to apologize, which he refused to do. He got his wish and I left and never looked back.

Except that isn't true, I'm looking back all the time. Most of my friends are still there on a regular basis. A couple of my friends who experienced similar behaviors also left the facility, but for the most part, even people who are aware of what happened and agree that the way I was treated was reprehensible, are still there, still paying customers, and still posting shit on Facebook about how much they love this guy and his store. It honestly makes me sick. I don't think people need to take a stand on my behalf -- I'm old enough to know that friends aren't obligated to do that -- but it hurts me nonetheless. It makes me feel like a) they value their relationship with this man more than they value their relationships with me, and/or b) they "yes" me to my face but actually believe that I am fabricating or exaggerating the treatment (I am not), and/or c) they "yes" me to my face but actually condone the way I was treated.

I believe that a major reason for why this happened is that not only am I a woman in this male dominated community, but more importantly, I have been practicing this hobby for a long time and neither consider myself a beginner nor humble myself before other [male] practitioners. This person has developed a reputation for being inclusive of and helpful to women, when really he has pushed out all of the other expert women (myself and a few friends) while nurturing women who are beginners and who, essentially, act submissive and unquestioning of him. Even as I write this I fear that MeFites will be dismissive and assume that we were being "difficult women" and got what we deserved for "interfering" with the community.

Apart from the sadness I feel that my friends aren't "on my side" in this, I also have surprisingly strong feelings of wanting revenge. I can't even work up the nerve to write a negative Yelp review so I know I will never do anything, but basically I want to see this person fail and feel crestfallen when I have evidence that they aren't.

I know I'm never going to "get satisfaction" in this. I need to flag it and move on, so to speak. I am in therapy already. I would like to hear MeFites opinions and advice as well. Thanks.

Recommendations for books on communtity building

Bunny Ultramod — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:59:00 -0800

What are the best general books or other resources on the subject of community building? They can also be very specific if the lessons from the book can be applied generally.

Help me either leave my urban tribe, or accept my place in it

htid — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:20:10 -0800

This past year I got involved in a local community of people. I have mixed feelings and am looking for your relevant experiences with close-knit urban tribes. I won't say exactly what community this is, but picture a community of geeks, artists, and regular folks, along the lines of community theater, burners, makers, the body mod community, juggalos, [insert your alternative community here]. In the city where I live, there is some overlap among all the fringe communities anyway and the particular one I'm in is irrelevant. There are common local events and parties as well as national events. I am in a major US city. The group includes people ages 22-40ish.

I first got involved via someone I dated, and I was drawn to the friendship, activities and a culture that felt consistent with my interests since I was a yougin. I remember the first party I went to and thought, "This feels like home!" The romantic relationship may or may not have ended as a trainwreck. I say it may not have, because through the shared community, there has been some ongoing relationship/friendship/drama, though the dating ended painfully last year. I've always been out of contact with exes, but it seemed near impossible in this case because I was so strongly drawn to the friendship group as a whole.

I like the closeness in this local community, but I also dislike the inclusivity and cultural mixing for other reasons. Sociopaths and douchebags are not typically turned away, and there is a fair amount of mental illness and irresponsibility. There is relational drama with everyone having dated everyone else. E.g., seeing many of a person's prior, and subsequent, partners can be awkward or painful.

My alternative is to stick with people who are closer to my own culture, young professionals bordering on "the 1%," people with top notch educations, etc. In my social group outside of the urban tribe, there are more one-on-one relationships and less group cohesion. I feel like there is more safety, healthy behavior, and predictability, but also less closeness and creativity. There are fewer big parties and opportunities to socialize. That being said, the urban tribe does have a feeling of staleness to it sometimes. And, I do have hobbies outside of it.

There were times in the past year that I actually cried from happiness at the thought of having stumbled upon this excellent community. On the contrary, there were times I was frustrated to the eyeballs from drama, and other times when I saw some really despicable people and thought that I didn't want to be within a degree of separation from them.

TLDR: I am a bit conflicted about whether to keep participating in my urban tribe, for lack of a better phrase. I'm looking for advice, anecdotes from your own life, or links to resources that could help me understand this a bit more.

Community/resources for the religious-but-not-churchy?

honey wheat — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:58:32 -0800

I’ve become a person of (some) faith in the past year, and my life has been better for it. But it feels lonely not to fit into either the secular or religious communities—I'm not far enough along the spectrum one way or the other. Is there any way I can meet other people in a similar place? (Sorry, a little long and snowflake-y.) Over the past year or so, I’ve made some profound positive changes in my life, including dealing with longtime depression, in part by getting back in touch with my religion/spirituality. (YMMV. IANAD. Or a priest.) I don’t quite identify with the popular label “spiritual-but-not-religious”—I actually do feel connected to a specific religion (Catholic/Christian), even if I don’t adhere to all of its tenets*.

My problem is that although I’m far enough along the spiritual/religious continuum to identify as a believer, I’m still not far enough toward the seriously-faithful end that I feel very comfortable going to mass/church. I’ve tried several, Catholic and otherwise, and although first I thought I just hadn’t found the right fit (this one’s too politically conservative, that one’s too liturgically liberal, etc.), now I’m starting to think there might not be a right church for me, or at least not where I currently live (not a very big city). Instead of unifying, it feels sort of alienating when I try it—so many strangers, and I worry that we aren't on the same wavelength and that they would judge me if they knew about my less-than-ironclad religious convictions.

So far I’ve rekindled my spirituality mostly through solitary pursuits—music, books, contemplation and prayer. But I’m starting to feel the need for some kind of, if not community, at least companionship or friendship in my spiritual life—people I can talk to about this stuff.

I did read this thread, but didn’t find it to be quite what I was looking for, since I’m not a Secular Humanist; I’m just a not-very-good believer. But I was struck by the last comment in the thread, in which somebody mentioned Alcoholics Anonymous. I’m really worried about this sounding naïve and tone-deaf, so I hope anyone who’s in AA will forgive me if I’m being an idiot, but recently after happening upon a few novels involving AA I found myself sort of wishing for that kind of community—one where people with different levels of faith in their Higher Power might talk openly with each other, and where there’s a practical, almost down-to-earth approach to faith and prayer. That’s the kind of spirituality I’m interested in. But not struggling with alcoholism (and I know I’m lucky to be able to say that and I truly don’t mean to trivialize it), I don’t know where I would meet people like that.

So my question is: if not at a church, is there anywhere I can meet people like me, who believe but are maybe only semi-practicing in their religion? Is there a place where I can talk to kind, smart, practical people about God ‘N’ Stuff without feeling ashamed for not being as religiously faithful as other people? Could there be a community for me out there? (For reference, closest major metro area is the Twin Cities, though it's a ways away.) Thank you so much for reading all this—I feel less alone already just by putting this out there.

*I know some people might say that Catholicism is a religion where you’re all in or you're all out. I guess all I can say is that Catholic spirituality feels the most real to me, and it’s not really something I can explain. The Church probably does not actually want me. It’s hard.

Can my atheist family find community as Elks or Masons?

DirtyOldTown — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:14:53 -0800

I have a pretty terrific wife and kid, but we have a kind of hole in our lives socially. We don't have a support network locally and since moving to the 'burbs we've struggled to make new friends. I envy the sense of community my dad got from his "church family." We're atheists, but isn't there some avenue besides church that could provide my family with a similar real world social network? Could joining a fraternal organization be the answer? My grandfather found a balance and camaraderie in his life from his membership in a fraternal order that served him much like my dad's devotion to his church. It makes me wonder if this is something I should explore myself.

The idea of an extended surrogate family for socializing sounds fantastic, even more so if there was room for my wife and kid. Rituals and speechifying don't hold any great appeal to me, but the idea of getting to know other families through dinners, activities, and community service--in a manner more or less parallel to how church congregations bond--is intensely appealing. And I sure wouldn't mind a friendly lodge where I could tipple a bit from time to time.

As has been discussed before here and here there is also the whole "belief in a higher power" requirement that virtually all of these organizations share. Not sure about that.

Here are my questions:
1) Should I look into my local Masonic Lodge? Or do my preferences point me more toward groups like the Elks?
2) Any atheists in a fraternal order who can relate their experiences? I'd rather not lie about my atheism, but I could choke it down if it was only once. If every spaghetti dinner started with an endless prayer and our charity was petitioning to post the Ten Commandments or some such, I would definitely not be okay with that.
3) Are there other similar organizations I should consider?

Can't take the cold Northeast and wonder if Charleston would work?

privatechef — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 05:22:12 -0800

Can't take the cold Northeast and wonder if Charleston would work? My husband and I recently moved from Los Angeles to the Eastern shore of Ct. for a variety of reasons mainly cost of living and seeking a closer knit community. Now that we have experienced a cold winter ( it's just starting!) we see that it isn't for us. Weather is a big deal and we thought we could handle it but the being stuck indoors, the layers of clothes, the desire to hibernate are all getting to us pretty quick. I am from here so we wanted to come back East for the beauty of the place and to be near some good friends. Unfortunately we don't see them much as they are in NYC and we are two hours away so that has not been a factor.

I like the area but find it is limited in a few areas that are important. What we seek is a place with great food, lots of fitness options ( we both enjoy all kinds of outdoor and indoor exercise activities) ethnic mix, affordable real estate, decent weather- seasons are ok but not the dramatic swing of the North East it turns out- a smaller city and a sense of community.

We are thinking of Charleston now as an option as it seems to fit some of what we have on the list and would like to be near the water. He enjoys sailing and I like to swim a lot so those are two things that appeal to us about that area.

Oh and by the way, I am a chef and culinary instructor and he is in the yachting/ sailing business. We are both self employed and would be looking to start over. We are in our mid 50's so don't care much about hanging out but enjoy good food, music, outdoor stuff.

Any input into what area in the Carolina's or elsewhere on the East coast that might work? We don't have any interest in the West coast, been there, done that!

How did you make intentional community work for you?

Snarl Furillo — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:16:30 -0800

I'm living in an intentional community similar to the ones described in this link. It is way harder than I expected. Can you tell me how you made a similar year work for you? I am half-way through my volunteer/service year, and it is not at all what I expected. I feel constantly stressed out and all of my stress/panic reactions are in full swing what feels like ALL DAY, EVERY DAY, but especially when dealing with my fellow community members*.

I gave up a decent-ish but not wonderful job to come here and left behind my elderly grandmother, who I was living with and is the light of my life. I felt like this would be a good enough personal and professional opportunity to make the move, but now I feel like I gave up my nice life to be unhappy all the time and get nothing in return. I would really like to quit and go the hell home and forget this ever happened.

But! Apparently EVERYONE wants to quit at some point, or so all the intentional community literature tells me. And apparently most people DON'T quit and afterwards feel that the year was valuable. So if you lived in intentional community and struggled with it but were ultimately happy with your experience, how did that change for you? What resources are there for when you are totally burned out but have to keep going? Are there books I'm not reading? Songs I'm not singing? Something?

*Definitely relevant: I really don't do well in groups.

One last economics class to take. What are my online options?

just.good.enough — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 23:43:51 -0800

My friend has one last class to take. Economics 10B at UC Santa Cruz. She's already clarified with the dean that she can take this lower division class at an accredited institution. Where can she get this done as quickly and painlessly as possible? BYU Online? This is the course description for Econ 10B at UCSC:
Managerial accounting emphasizing analysis and control; accounting for corporations; introduction to taxation, budgeting, and equity/debt financing; management decision making.
UCSC Site

So essentially, Managerial economics/accounting. I've found what I believe to be equivalent at BYU Online: BYU Online Course

1) Has anyone had experience with online universities and transferring credits?
2) Has anyone had any experience with using BYU online? Was it difficult to find a testing center to take the exams?
3) What other online options are there? Is University of Phoenix any good?
4) Are there any community colleges that offer online classes like this?

Self-paced would be ideal but a scheduled online class wouldn't be bad either. She's not looking for an amazing educational experience, she just wants to get this over with as quickly as possible.

Sharing a car with roommates. What's the right price?

chrysanthemum — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:26:24 -0800

I bought a new car. What is a reasonable and fair way to split car usage expenses with roommates? I've looked at past discussions of car sharing, but these have involved much older cars and I'm not sure about the insurance. Any suggestions for my circumstances?

I live with 3 other people in Chicago. We share rent, utilities, food, chores, pets and other household things. Earlier this year we thought about buying a used car together because we would all appreciate having one available from time to time. After much searching and not much success on the used car market, I decided to buy new with a financing plan.

I bought a new 2012 manual little car with great gas mileage to commute to work just outside the city. I, as the owner, am the primary driver. I drive about 250 miles per week. My 3 roommates are all listed on the car insurance and we all split that fairly. Roommate #1 is a 20 yo male, so his rates are higher. This insurance policy covers us as drivers of other uninsured or underinsured cars, which some of my roommates wanted regardless of whether I bought a car or not.

I have an arrangement with roommates #1 and #2 that they take the car one day per week to work (I carpool that day), they drive at least 40 miles, sometimes more. I taught #1 to drive stick on this car and will be teaching #2 soon. Roommate #2 also uses the car most weekends when I don't need it, for variable distances. Roommate #3 uses the car less often, maybe once or twice a month. Occasionally the car gets taken on longer weekend road trips by all of us, together or separately.

Currently #1 and #2 pay me $100 per month (total, arbitrarily determined) for use of the car. I fill up the gas because it's cheaper where I work and they reimburse me based on mileage. The price we set for use of the car should reflect depreciation, maintenance, and gas, but not insurance since we pay that separately. Because we wouldn't include insurance, the IRS rate of 55.5 cents per mile would be an overestimate and not useful for our calculations.

What is a good way to fairly charge for car usage? This isn't the initial situation we planned on, of buying a beater to use for a few years that we would all contribute to more or less equally. I made the decision to go new because I was suddenly driving more and I will also take the car with me after moving out, if that happens. My roommates do appreciate having a car to use and want to contribute, but we don't know how to set an amount. Help!

Please help me find a thrash version of Six White Boomers.

h00py — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:57:19 -0800

Can you help me find a thrash/garage version of Six White Boomers? Ages ago I heard a thrash version of 'Six White Boomers' probably on 4ZZZ, an alternative community radio station in Brisbane, Australia and I've been trying to find it again ever since.

It would have been the mid-80's to early 90's when I heard it and The Dickies version of The Banana Splits theme is very similar to the sound I'm thinking of.

I found a live cover on YouTube a couple of years ago but my searching skills continue to suck and I can't even find that anymore.

All help gratefully received!

Internship 2.0

nikayla_luv — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 07:42:47 -0800

How do I go about creating the best internship ever? I've recently became the internship coordinator at my job. Last year, my logistics company designed a paid internship program in hopes of recruiting students to smart cities. My community is on the verge of creating more efficient use of its resources, including a reduced carbon footprint plus real-time public transportation updates. I want to attract computer-savvy interns with programming backgrounds, but I also want to encourage creativity and spark innovation. Think of this as a design/engineering camp, like IDEO Labs, or BDW. One project that comes to mind is a multimedia video projection on the public library building. The ultimate goal is to garner more publicity for the Southeast and, possibly, attract the best and brightest entrepreneurs. Additionally, I hope to:

-foster community inclusion (i.e. public speaker series)
-transform creative ideas into workable prototypes
-emphasize each project's long-term sustainability

I'm unsure whether students will work on one, large project, or collaborate with mentors/ community members on individual projects.

I'd love suggestions on how to execute this. And, please, creative ideas are welcome! Thank you in advance and happy Black Friday!

social worker vs. elementary school teacher

elephantsvanish — Thu, 22 Nov 2012 08:34:55 -0800

How would you compare a career in social work with elementary school teaching? Given that underlying values overlap so much, how might you decide which would spark more passion, happiness, and success? (Not that any career is perfect.) I have been aspiring to be a social worker for the last half year or so. I really enjoy working in a supportive interpersonal context, learning about people's needs, and being an advocate. That all said, I also enjoy teaching and more intellectual/learning exploration. The path I envisioned for myself is direct service practitioner now, professor/researcher much later on. This jives well with me, even though I'm a little apprehensive of being tied to an office context forever.

Over the last little while, I've started to work with kids (I coordinate a youth literacy program in an urban library) kind of for the first time. I'm the youngest in my immediate and extended family and the "kid question" has always loomed - would I get them? Would they get me? I've always been told I would be great with little ones because my energy is really kid friendly. Well, it turns out I really do enjoy kids, and not just in a you're-amusing way. I think they are curious littl people with so much to offer, and the idea of helping them become passionate about learning is exciting to me. I also like the idea of encouraging wellness and self respect in the classroom, as opposed to always catching up with folks already in some kind of social service system - but both are needed!

I've read a lot about social work and teaching, talked to folks in both fields, and still find myself hung up. I think I am more deeply drawn to teaching, in a sense. I know that I come alive in leadership/performance roles, but that the more I am distant from that, the more daunting it seems. In general, I'm afraid of being a mediocre teacher and not supporting the kiddos enough. I am not naturally an orderer of others, and fear I won't be able to get things going in the classroom. I am fine putting great effort into the craft of teaching, but I don't want it to be a foregone conclusion, you know?

Any insight would be very welcome! Thank you.

Small town playground politics

lakersfan1222 — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 08:04:34 -0800

How do I maintain social boundaries in a small community? I live with my daughter in a small rural community. We were part of a small, close group of kids and moms who were the core of our family social life at a tiny community school before branching out into new small schools in the same system. Of course, relationships change, and I can accept that, but recently, a couple of moms excluded my daughter from a birthday party that every other kid in the group was invited to. The moms/girls in question went to a different community school in the same district this year, but the rest of the core group is in school with my daughter. They are all in elementary school. My daughter heard about the party at the lunch table at school, she was upset and embarrassed. We were both offended, considering the history that we had with these people. The exclusion was unexpected and thoughtless, and without going into gory details, I just want to say that I am not overreacting here. My daughter's relationship with one of the kids has always been a little rocky, but I made sure that that that this girl was included in every single group activity that I initiated. I did this because, hey, these kids are growing up together, will see each other often, and they should all grow up with the idea that everyone is okay and included, or at least learn how to get along with the people in your community. My daughter and I both felt betrayed. I didn't let on to my daughter how badly her exclusion had hurt me as well, and we just talked it out between us on the basis that these things are gonna happen, and it won't be the last time, and chin up and go get 'em and you have plenty of other friends, and let me know if you want to talk about anything. No big.

So, after a lot of reflection, I realized that well, I don't really like these women anyway, I would not be friends with them if our kids were not stuck in the same little school system together, and underneath it all, they obviously don't share my values. I am still angry about it and I feel like I don't know how to handle running into these people in the future. Because I have not expressed to either of them how I feel (and probably won't, I'm not sure that it's a good idea....I did write an email to one of them, then deleted it.) If anyone brings it up to me directly, I will definitely address it in a diplomatic way, but I am certainly not going to initiate a conversation about it. But, I don't know, maybe I should. The "right time" for that may or not ever come.

But here is where I am stuck. So far, I have pointedly ignored them or been cold when I see them. I feel like this is immature and I should be able to handle seeing them on a regular basis with more grace, yet without giving any indication that I am open to friendship. Every bit of me wants to hand them a passive aggressive fuck you every time I see them, but yeah, that's not an awesome long-term plan. I have self-esteem issues, so I struggle constantly with how and when to stand up for myself. I have been talking to my therapist about these moms for a while, regarding other issues related to promoting healthy group dynamics, and have always come to the conclusion that it is better to align with my values of inclusion and community rather than cut off the relationships because of what may be at stake for my daughter. But, the birthday party thing pushed this into totally different territory and I am at a loss. Do you any of you smart guys have any idears? I don't think it's positive for myself or my daughter to go all mom vs. mom, and yes, we have and are making more friends in the school system. I hope that I have been clear here, and also hope that it is clear that I am seeking a compassionate solution. I'm too close to this issue to be able to see it very clearly.

How do I make elections more efficient at one specific polling place?

valeries — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:25:05 -0800

The election process in my neighborhood is very inefficient. What can I do to make it better? This morning I waited in a very long line only to get to the front and find out that only one district had to wait in the line and the others had no lines (there are four districts at my polling place). I tried to inform others in the line of this, but was yelled at by an election official to refrain from doing his job. I have great respect for people who do this work - it's a thankless task and they deal with cranky people all day, but I can see 10 different ways that the lines could be handled more efficiently and the instructions made more clear. It seems like there are too few poll workers, too little space, and too little information.

I'm not sure how much influence I could have as a poll worker. They seem to follow orders and not have the authority to organize the whole process.

On the other hand, if I were to become someone in charge of the county or something, I would also not have much influence on the actual, transactional process of voting. I don't want to organize all voting places, I only want to organize mine. Actually, it doesn't need to be mine exactly, just one specific place, not every polling place in the area.

How far up in the process would one have to go to have an effect on the actual physical flow of the election process? Who is in charge of that? How do I become that person?

I live in Brooklyn, NY, so it's not a matter of inefficiencies for the purpose of intentionally suppressing the vote. In the last presidential election there were long lines but they moved quickly and efficiently. My immediate area was not directly affected by Sandy and there wasn't an excessive amount of people voting by affidavit.

How can I rebrand my neighbourhood?

creeky — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:41:49 -0800

What can I use as inspiration for cheap, creative ways to help change perceptions of my "bad" neighbourhood? My neighbourhood has a bad reputation for being unsafe and dirty, which has got worse in recent months in the media. It has its problems, but it is also a great place to live, and I don't want to see the atmosphere here take a turn for the worse. I am looking for creative ways an ordinary resident like me, not (yet) attached to any particular residents groups, can take action to make things better.

I'm talking about cheap, creative ideas like an online campaign, viral videos, street art, posters, stickers for neighbourhood shop windows, this type of thing.

Are you aware of nice projects along these lines which have helped improve attitudes towards "bad" neighbourhoods in a city? Can you point me to websites which show how it was done?

Any homey bars in Boston or Cambridge?

FatRabbit — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:48:44 -0800

I'm a recent transplant and need a new local haunt. Does anyone know of any good homey bars in the Boston or Cambridge area? For the past four years I lived in Baltimore, my main hang out was The WindUp Space i really knew the people there and made a lot of friends. I have yet to be able to find a suitable landing pad in Boston or Cambridge. So far I like the Squealing Pig and the Druid. What are your favorite hangouts where you get to know the people around you and possibly also offer some zany events? Extra points for things in Brookline, Fenway, and Longwood or Inman, Central, and Harvard Squares.

A person cannot live on oatmeal alone...

peacrow — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 06:04:35 -0800

QuakerFilter: reading materials (books, blogs) on how the principles of S.P.I.C.E. could inform food/dietary choices? Tried Googling "quaker spice food", got a lot of hits for oatmeal, and a Thai restaurant in Perth.

I have had luck finding information about vegetarianism from a Quaker perspective stemming from the principle of non-violence, but I am interested in readng about a diet that also promotes simplicity, integrity, community and equality. Preferably from a Quaker/spiritual POV, but any perspective will be interesting and nformative.

Any books or blogs/website recommendations appreciated!

o espírito eo gringo

allymusiqua — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 03:10:06 -0800

Can I find a Unitarian Universalist-like church in Rio de Janeiro? I'm currently living in Rio and have recently been interested in rediscovering my spirituality. I'm really open to any suggestions but I am hoping for a congregation-like community (I've also started to do capoeira which is cool from a body-spirit perspective). This is a bit of a challenge in such a Catholic country, but do any MeFis know of UU (or UU-like) organizations/communities/etc. in Rio?

I'd totally run for International Ms Velvet. Or International Ms Fuzzy Fabric Of Any Sort.

divabat — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:34:08 -0800

How did leather, latex, and vinyl get to be the most popular and celebrated materials in the kink/BDSM world - as opposed to say velvet, silk, organza, lace, muslin? I get that other fabrics are also in use esp in subsections of the kink/BDSM world, but how did it become more common to have, say, International Ms Leather to represent kinkdom, rather than International Ms Velvet? Why was leather, more than other material, the most common shorthand for "kinky"? Is this a region-specific thing?

Online fantasy community

goosechasing — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 22:10:37 -0800

I want to discuss the (urban) fantasy genre in an active online community. NaNo is okay, but I'm looking for something a little more geared toward examining the tropes, the mechanics of creating a magic system, etc. AbsoluteWrite is cool, but its pace is a little slow for what I want. Am I best off combing through LiveJournal, or is something else out there? Things like Limyaael's rants make me ridiculously happy. I'm playing around with my ideas for NaNo, and want to connect to readers and writers of fantasy to get myself ~jazzed~.

how to resolve a diversity conflict

mmiddle — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 09:49:48 -0800

A man died near our condo 7 years ago, and anonymous neighbors maintain a memorial at the relevant telephone pole by attaching stuffed animals, artificial flowers, and other stuff to it, which weather eventually turns into trash. The city has occasionally (rarely) removed it, but the mourners pile more on right away. How can we best negotiate an end to this long-running custom? Ours is a diverse urban neighborhood, and this seems to be a custom among the urban poor. The vibe here is not unfriendly, but it's fair to say there is latent resentment of the "rich people" beginning to move in. We called the police this summer when a block party went on too loudly, too long into the night, and heard indirectly that there was anger among the partygoers about that. We would be willing to pay for installing a memorial plaque, but (a) it's against the law to attach stuff to a phone pole, and (b) it probably wouldn't speak to their needs anyway. The local mediation center charges each party. based on household income, from $20-$100/hour, which I'm sure the other, anonymous-so-far party will not agree to.

How can we find a "win-win" solution here?