Are there any organizations I can donate to or help with that are devoted to cleaning up the messes we made in Afghanistan and Iraq? I keep seeing news of American and allied bombings accidentally killing children and civilians, and it seems like all these require something more than just an "oopsie!" or indifferent silence.
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posted by Sleeper
on Apr 24, 2013 -
6 answers
Hello all, I'm looking for the name of the tool that would be used to punch letters into paper.
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posted by Sreiny
on Apr 17, 2013 -
10 answers
Hi everyone. I recently visited an online map where people who share a very unusual niche hobby place a pin where they live, voluntarily including an address or name if they'd like, and I found to my pleasant shock that a fellow enthusiast lives only a few blocks from me. He/she left a contact address but not a name, and I'd really love to write to this person, but I have no idea what the normal etiquette is for addressing a personal envelope to an unnamed recipient (to be clear, I don't mean the letter itself, but the envelope).
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posted by Buddy-Rey
on Apr 14, 2013 -
17 answers
I first came across this about 20 years ago in a Calvin & Hobbes strip where Hobbes taunts his friend: "Calvin and Susie, sitting in a tree. Kay-Eye-Ess-Ess-Eye-En-Gee!" I never understood why Hobbes was making "words" out of letters; I assumed it was something unique to comics (or tigers). Then today, a
poem linked to in
this FPP reminded me of that old comic strip and got me thinking: Why is there an
entire parallel alphabet to spell out the letters of the alphabet?
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posted by andromache
on Apr 14, 2013 -
29 answers
Rather than rely on our usual email correspondence, I would like to write some letters by hand to someone very important to me who lives very far away.
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posted by Callicvol
on Jan 26, 2013 -
5 answers
How do I gently ask my professors to send in the letters of rec they agreed to write? They are past the deadline I gave them . And, I am freaking out bc my applications cannot be reviewed by grad schools until the letters are sent in. What makes things more complicated for me is the fact that I just asked my profs in Jan for these letters, and I did ask them to save the letters. Well, I did not receive generous aid packages, so I am reapplying to another school which could fully fund me. so this is a huge deal! So I asked them again in October to resubmit the letters, and it makes me feel bad like I am burdening and bothering them, but now i am anxious that i don't have the letters.
This is very worrisome to me because I do not want my application to not be submitted in time, and there are early application deadlines that I need to meet in order to be considered for merit awards
posted by TRUELOTUS
on Dec 4, 2012 -
24 answers
I need to provide supervisor references for a job opportunity, but I do not have many people I can ask. Need help figuring out my options. Details inside:
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posted by mdn31
on Jul 30, 2012 -
11 answers
My little brother is currently in jail, and will likely be staying there or in a similar facility for quite a while. He is only allowed to receive postcards, and softcover books mailed from Amazon or B&N. If either of these items violate the byzantine regulations (details contained within), they will not reach him. What are some creative things
that are basically just pieces of paper (no paint, stickers, double layers, etc) I can send as postcards? What are some books
that won’t be taken away for sex, drug, gang, etc content you’d recommend for a 23 year old male who never really read for pleasure, recently earned his GED, and likes Hunter S. Thompson?
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posted by Juliet Banana
on Jun 28, 2012 -
100 answers
I love writing letters to people - handwritten, with a fountain pen. Help me find a good paper for this purpose.
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posted by gmb
on Jun 24, 2012 -
7 answers
Where can I legally get/buy people's printed family photographs, entire photo albums, letters and personal ephemera? I might need hundreds of these and they must be originals. If the items were somewhat dated, say at least 20 years, that would be nice.
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posted by Foci for Analysis
on Jun 16, 2012 -
10 answers
My bosses misuse words in very official, very important documents. Can I do anything about this?
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posted by anonymous
on Mar 26, 2012 -
31 answers
I'm tired of closing my emails with, "Regards", "Cheers", or, "Yours sincerely". Can you give me good alternatives for all occasions, from the formal to the semi-formal to the completely casual or hilarious?
posted by KLF
on Jan 8, 2012 -
122 answers
Why is there more variation in the shapes of lower case letters than in upper case? Both a and g have distinctly different forms, but also f, q, and t show some variation. While in upper case only G and the tail on Q ever vary much. Yes, I know there are myriad different fonts out there. I have even made fonts myself. But the essential shape of the letters seems to vary more in lower case than in upper. Why is that?
posted by squaregear
on Jan 6, 2012 -
9 answers
I need ideas! I have two love letters that I would like to display, or archive in an attractive way, and give as a gift to the letter writers.
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 20, 2011 -
5 answers
Help me catalog my youthful correspondence so that when I grow old and wither I may smile at a time well-spent but long-gone with those I love -- 21st CENTURY STYLE!!!11!!
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posted by Chipmazing
on Nov 25, 2011 -
5 answers
What are some interesting/exciting ways to present a card/letter/postcard that is going through the mail.
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posted by twinight
on Sep 16, 2011 -
9 answers
I haven't lost the ability to correspond at a level higher than most ten-year-olds. I never had it to begin with.
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posted by jsturgill
on Aug 8, 2011 -
5 answers
I would like to know how often one letter is followed by all the other letters. For example: A is followed by R 20% of the time, while A is followed by Q only .1% of the time.
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posted by 47triple2
on May 21, 2011 -
15 answers
My social anxiety is backwards. I love talking to people in person and speaking in front of crowds, I'm pretty good with phones, but emails, online forums, and paper correspondence are things I approach with extreme reluctance. Does anyone else have this problem? How can I cope?
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posted by fermion
on May 12, 2011 -
14 answers
I'm interested in novel recreational uses of snail mail, both historically and currently. Aside from pen-palling and exchanging goods, what kind of games or similar activities take place via old fashioned letters and postcards?
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posted by iamisaid
on May 5, 2011 -
26 answers
I am looking for the text of a letter that I wrote to The Guardian in January 2008.
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posted by crazylegs
on Apr 11, 2011 -
4 answers
Odd 'writing' on a stained glass panel - can you work out what, if anything, it says?
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posted by Catseye
on Mar 23, 2011 -
6 answers
Is it possible to find pen pals in todays modern world? I find that I can go weeks without speaking to anyone in a meaningful way and my social anxiety is going through the roof. I think a pen pal would be a good way to start interacting with people again without having to worry about the social fears I have. Is there a site or place I could go to find pen pals? Especially ones gentle to shy people who would like to open up to others but take time to do so?
posted by kanata
on Feb 22, 2011 -
14 answers
I'm looking for a translation of the following (presumably) Japanese sign(s) as displayed
here
Is there any correlation between the name written in English and the sign?
It could also be helpful if anyone could point me towards a web resources where i can look up further Japanese letters etc.
Thanks
posted by kampken
on Jan 3, 2011 -
9 answers
As stated in a recent previous question, a good 365 to-do-per-day project is writing a letter a day.... so beyond the obvious, who should I write letters to?
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posted by DisreputableDog
on Jan 1, 2011 -
27 answers
I'm looking for
fiction that's written in the form of letters and other forms of correspondence.
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posted by bookmammal
on Dec 19, 2010 -
59 answers
In writing formal letters or e-mail, how do I address someone whose sex is not apparent from his/her name?
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posted by hayvac
on Jul 18, 2010 -
23 answers
I'm looking for either a font that simulates the logo of the CRUNK!!! energy drink, or a way to fiddle with an existing font in such a way as to emulate it. For reference
here is the logo. It'd need the whole alphabet, but punctuation and lower case isn't required.
posted by Samineru
on Feb 25, 2010 -
5 answers
My mum wants a large letter (an E) for her kitchen wall. Any ideas where I can get one to the UK?
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posted by mippy
on Feb 3, 2010 -
18 answers
Guys, what is that website or blog that is posting an old letter every day? I think they're all letters from famous or notable people. It's been mentioned in various media and around the web (though not, it seems, on MeFi), but I didn't note the name of it at the time, and Googling is not getting me anywhere. Ring any bells? I would love to be able to cite it for a research project.
posted by Beckminster
on Jan 29, 2010 -
6 answers
Mission of Mercy Filter: How can I find sources of cheery personal mail for my lonely elder Alzheimer's patient?
I live with my mother-in-law who has middle stage Alzheimer's. She does a lot of sitting and staring. She has no attention span for books or magazines or TV. She lights up for visitors, dessert, church... and personal mail.
I am looking for a service that arranges (basically, one-directional) "pen-pals" for elder shut-ins. She has just enough means to assure her basic care, but not much for extras. This would have to be a volunteer service like a charity or ministry.
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posted by cross_impact
on Dec 26, 2009 -
53 answers
How can people in the U.S. prison system communicate with the outside world? I understand that this varies depending on the type of prison, and possibly the state, but I have found no information.
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posted by daboo
on Dec 17, 2009 -
11 answers
Bill Gates wrote a letter to the editor that was published in The Economist within the past year or two. Can you track down what issue it was in?
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posted by disillusioned
on Sep 17, 2009 -
4 answers
Movie ID help please: 18th century England, noblewoman looking for husband, writes letters with rich American who made fortune in slave trade, she befriends a slave who works in the house, they fall in love, later there is a childbirth scene. Movie made in the early 90s, low-budget look, could be made-for-TV.
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posted by jocelmeow
on Sep 9, 2009 -
2 answers
Help me put together a unique letter writing kit for a friend going away to college! Details appreciated.
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posted by newtux
on Aug 3, 2009 -
10 answers
I want to write my U.S. Congressman on at least one delicate topic. But, I'm kind of paranoid that my letter will become public record that is subject to a FOIA request. I have a very distinctive name that when Googled, I pop up immediately in the form of my professional profile. I don't want what I write to my Congressman to be available to anyone to read and who then pops my name into a search engine and they find me on the internet.
Am I disenfranchised from making my opinion known or can I write without fear?
FYI - there is nothing I can do about my name or my profile being on the internet.
posted by Leezie
on Jun 22, 2009 -
12 answers
