Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with peace

How do I get my brother out of the Marines?

Anonymous — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 10:40:34 -0800

How do I help my little brother get out of the Marines? My little brother (well, not so little anymore) recently graduated from Marines' boot camp and is now in infantry training (I think, I'm woefully ignorant of military terminology). He recently expressed to me online that he's basically had enough with the Marines and wants to go home. Is there any way he can do that simply and legally? Would he have to get a dishonorable discharge. Seriously, I know nothing about the military having come from a long line of cowards. Can he just leave or is there some special process? Is there some kind of hotline or something he can call to be counseled on this stuff? Some more info: He's 18 years old, but he signed up when he was 17 with our mother's permission. He's stationed in South Carolina (again, I forget the name of the base... I'm a terrible older brother) somewhere. Our family lives in New Jersey, but I'm in California. If he needs to hide out from the military I have absolutely no problem taking him in (too dramatic?)

I'll also say that I feel more than a little guilty that I didn't protest more before he left for boot camp and that trying to help him get out of the Marines is probably my way of trying to make up for that. Maybe it's too little too late.

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal.”

allkindsoftime — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:50:21 -0800

I want to become more of a peacemaker. So I have this friend, let's call him Andrew. Andrew is awesome for a lot of reasons, but he has one quality in particular that I admire more than most: Andrew wants everyone to get along with each other, more than anything else.

Example: we're drunkenly playing board-games at the end of a long day of fun and games at the lake-house. Bill and I get into a semi-heated (but mostly harmless) argument over an ambiguous rule, the outcome of which will determine which team is the game's winner. Andrew invents a side-game, on the spot, based on another rule, to distract us and get us to agree that the winner will determine the outcome of the current argument. 3 minutes later we're all laughing and on to the next game, even though Andrew's team lost the previous game.

Example 2: we're at our weekly ultimate frisbee game and in the middle of a match neither team can remember nor agree on the score. I'm pretty sure we're up at least 5-2, when Andrew, who knows the same to be true, yells to the other side of the field "OK ZERO-ZERO GAME TO 3" and everyone nods and off we go. This happens regularly.

Andrew is always the one who wants everyone to be at ease with each other, even if its at some detriment to himself. He has no pride or personal stake to guard, he simply wants the group to get along, focus on the positives and commonalities, and laugh at life. Simply put, Andrew creates an atmosphere of peace in any circle that he is a part of.

I'm blessed to have a friend like Andrew, but he's also inspired me - I want to be more like that, and I know I'm not, at least naturally. But I still would like to work on changing that - I'd like to be less competitive, more positive and encouraging, and thinking more about how I can make others more at peace - with each other and the group at large.

I'm interested in any mental hacks / tips / tricks, habits to try to practice, or even physical reminders or anything else I'm not even thinking of that can help me see opportunities for bringing peace amongst those I interact with. What have you done to look out less for yourself and more for peace amongst others?

I am a Christian so please feel free to comment from that perspective - as I am aware that peacemaking is one of Christ's foci in his message. But I'm open to and particularly interested in ideas from any / all perspectives, be they other religions or those who swear the idea of religion off altogether, if yall might be so kinds as to share.

Single man on vacation not seeking wife

evil_esto — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 03:15:01 -0800

I have a week to spend in Queensland (or Nthrn NSW) (I live in Brisbane). I want to chill out and be near beach and rainforest. Dont need nightlife, perfect cafe lattes or room service. Trying to keep the cost down... any ideas from aussie mefites? The amount of info on the web is well... overwhelming. I'm looking for recommendations. I have several weeks to make my reservation. I have no car and cant drive but would like to hire a bike. And I will be alone. The obvious option is camping but I have no camping equipment. Whale watching could be good

I'm 34, fit, need a break and will be doing this after 5 days living it up in Melbourne. Need to chill out. Please help.

Grad school vs Peace Corps?

pdx87 — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:50:35 -0800

Graduate school vs Peace Corps? I have about 6 months to decide what I am going to do after graduation...Grad school or Peace Corps? Graduate schoolers, do you wish you started right after undergrad or do you wish you had more life experience before you started? How much more difficult was your life if you had to pay for your own graduate school?

I've always wanted to be in the Peace Corps. I also want/need to go to grad school.

Pros to going to grad school next fall...

1. Parents have agreed to pay for grad school, but it's a now or never type deal. I am on my own if I don't start next year.

2. Will help me get a better job.

3. I'll be done with school FOREVER in 2 years.

4. Learn more about what I am passionate about and get more expierience in the field.

Cons to going to grad school next fall...

1. I have great non-profit work experience for my age, but I don't have any legit experience in the field I am going into. I will be working in the field at least part-time through grad school though.

2. No fun time if I go right away. I'm 21 I've worked A LOT through college and never really had down time. I've never had the typical college experience so I would be going straight into the real world. People generally think I am 10 years older by the way I act...this is the only chance I have to be young and not worry so much about the future.

3. I want to learn Spanish in the Peace Corps, learn about myself, become a better person, and have more life experiences before I become an "adult"

4. If I go to grad school right away I may never go into the Peace Corps...but maybe that's okay?

I just don't know what the hell I am doing. I know that I want to do one or both of these things. I just don't know which is the right thing to do now. The thing that sticks out is that my parents will pay for school right now...that's about $35,000 that I will never have to worry about.

I'd love some advice from people who went to grad school right away, paid for their own grad school, or were in the peace corps and/or went to grad school. Oh, and of course I've thought about the possibility of not being accepted by either-but let's pretend that isn't possible ;)

Gracias!

How to get in the way of people with guns

KingoftheWhales — Wed, 06 May 2009 21:21:49 -0800

Peace groups that don't require religion I'm looking at ways to spend some of my youthful years (i.e. peace corps, earthwatch, habitat for humanity, vso), and one that struck my interest is Christian Peacemaker Teams. The only problem is that they demand that I be a deeply rooted christian; I assume that they'd look past that, but I wouldn't want to work with an organization that had intolerance written into its requirements. What other groups involve achieving peace by 'getting in the way', but don't ask me to be aligned to any faith?
I'm not looking for fundraising work or tech support; I'm trying to go somewhere to do something, but I have none of the qualifications for say a Peace Corps volunteer. Thanks in advance.

How does selling weapons promote peace?

knapah — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 09:06:44 -0800

How do its proponents argue that the arms trade contributes to peace/stability? I'm pretty conscious of the arguments against the arms trade, and I understand the general economic arguments about maintaining a national defence industrial base (and how it keeps workers in jobs etc). But I have heard it claimed that the arms trade contributes to peace and stability which I am struggling to get my head around.

If you have recommendations of websites or articles (I have wide journal access through my university) that deal with this subject I'd love to know about them.

How to help a cranky cat get used to the dog?

cuddles.mcsnuggy — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:16:35 -0800

(Pet harmony filter) A little over 3 months ago, we adopted Phoebe, an 18-month old poodle/bichon cross. She's a fantastic dog, very well behaved, perfectly lovable and playful and awesome in every way, and we adore her. We also have 4 cats, 3 of which have settled down and seem to have gotten used her. But not Phil. Phil hates Phoebe with white-hot kitty hate. And it's breaking my heart. So the gist of things is that Phoebe's a very playful dog. She's completely non-aggressive and does not bark, bite, growl, or jump. However, she just LOVES to run. When we first brought the dog home, none of the cats wanted anything to do with her and they'd all dash away to hide, which the dog saw as "Oh boy!! We're playing chase! Hooray!! Fun fun fun!" and she'd bound after them. But things settled down eventually and most of the cats have figured out that if they walk around the house and go about their business normally, and don't speed around in a mad panic, Phoebe leaves them alone and everything's fine.

Phil, however, has not figured this out and relations seem to be getting worse and worse between him and the dog. He either runs in abject terror away from Phoebe (which causes the dog's chase impulse to kick in); or if the dog walks anywhere within Phil's eyesight then it's nonstop hissing, growling, ears-back, hackles up aggression on the part of the cat. Phil has advanced on Phoebe and bitten her at least twice (that I was there for) -- not enough to break the skin but enough that she yiped. The dog is now afraid of the cat. The cat's terrified of the dog. And the cat just seems to be getting more aggressive.

Last night the dog was following me around the house and we passed a room where Phil was. The dog didn't even know he was in there and walked right by him.... but when the cat saw us from his perch, he lunged across the room, out the door, and tried to attack the dog with a bite; which he would've done if I hadn't stepped in his way and yelled at him. He tried it again this morning in the kitchen. Phil has had the dog pinned in corners, as he stood growling menacingly at her (scaring the dog enough that she was shivering), multiple times. So now I'm faced with a very aggressive unhappy cat who is actively terrorizing the dog. I'm very concerned that either the cat will cause serious injury to the dog; or the dog will say "enough is enough" and bring tragic retribution back on Phil.

Some more background:
- The dog's access to the upstairs is blocked off but the cats have free reign of the whole house. I have been careful to give the cats lots of quiet, comfy, safe space to call their own.
- Phil has pretty much sequestered himself to the upstairs and rarely comes down to the main living area with us any more. The other cats are back to their normal routines.
- The dog is crated for 4-6 hours a day while we're at work, and the cats can move freely anywhere they want all day. The dog also sleeps in the bedroom with us (with the door shut), so the cats have run of the house every night.
- All cats still receive tons of affection & attention (well, for Phil, it's at least when he chills out enough to come down & say hello)
- The dog leaves the cats' stuff alone: she doesn't eat their food, try to steal their toys, or use their furniture.
- They're all indoor cats & everyone is spayed/neutered
- The dog is about 16-17 lbs. Phil is about 15-16 lbs (similar size)
- I've tried anti-anxiety meds (diazepam) on Phil, but it made no difference. He stilled hissed & growled, drowsily.
- The vet had no constructive suggestions
- I understand the reasons the cat is behaving this way (feeling threatened, upheaval in his home, his territory has changed, etc.), so I'm not looking for opinions on WHY we're having the problem, but how to fix it.
- I've tried talking to Phil and reasoning with him, but unfortunately he doesn't speak English.

So is there any hope that Phil & Phoebe will come to a truce? How? My husband seems to think they'll eventually work it out. I'm not so sure. Phil is (was?) my favorite cat, and I admit I even had dreams of him & the dog being good friends. And though I hate to think about it, I'm afraid that it will come down to re-homing Phil. (My husband thinks if anyone needs to go, it's the dog because the "cats were here first." My perspective is that the dog is perfectly happy, but it's Phil who's miserable so he may best be served by another home.) But let me reiterate, I really, really don't want to re-home anyone. Has anyone gone through this? Does it just take time? Will an animal behaviorist help? Other resources?

To A Near-Disabling Extent, I Wear the Opposite of Rose-Colored Glasses

Anonymous — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 13:51:26 -0800

I see the world, and all in it, as something vicious and ready to attack me, and that influences far too much stuff in my life. Help. As a pre-adolescent and young adolescent, I was badly bullied; one bully was so out of control he went away for a few weeks to a mental health facility; in another case, older Scouts in my Scout troop did such things as shitting in my sleeping bag, as well as worse things I just can't remember. As an older adolescent, my family saw bankruptcy and foreclosure thanks to unethical actions by people my father worked with. I remember feeling so helpless to stop the world's attack of my family, trying to do small ineffective shit to try to help my family (dishes, vacuum, etc.), trying to talk Mom down from her sobs. At college, I was stuck on a geographically remote campus (30 minutes from even a diner) and while there they destroyed any confidence I had in myself.

The problem is that I expect the worst from everyone I ever interact with, and from Fate. It colors everything everyday. If we have a pleasant conversation, you're merely tolerating me. I can't rustle up the desire to form new friendships, because if we become friends, something will happen. If you're a girl, you certainly won't think I'm funny, or interesting, or cute. Ask me whether I really believe I'll ever reach any of my Major Goals, or when I last had fun. If something bad can happen, it will. When the worst happens, I take it as confirmation. When it doesn't happen, it doesn't really penetrate; I simply grimly prepare for the next shot. My rational mind can and does counterargument, but it's not a match for the feeling, it just lessens it. Occasionally.

This issue's been so stubborn it's made therapy last years: perhaps because when something bad happens in my life, big or small, that part of me seizes upon it as "evidence" it's right, reinforcing itself.

What do I ask? Well, how can I go about really disabling this thing, since it's so well-planted in my head, coming from so early in my life? It's not part of the back-and-forth thoughts I hear myself think; it seems to be part of the inherent, automatic assumptions I make about everything around me (on the same level as "the sky is blue," just assumed). Others got help breaking their lifelong self-delusions here; I'm hoping to get the same kind of advice.

I want to start assuming the best of people, and view new possibilities with freshness and the desire to explore, not thinking everything is predisposed to end badly. I'd like to be as confident in others' friendship (or maybe love) as I am in my cat's affection: feel that same peaceful security in others.

I'm at UtterlyAnonymousEmailAddress [at] gmail dot com, if needed. Thanks in advance.

Safe Places to live/stay for the coming New World Order.

Nillocsoc — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 10:44:21 -0800

Safe Places to live/stay for the coming New World Order. I am looking for countries, regions around the world that are relative safe-havens for what is occuring. Food shortages, disease, police state, chemtrails, etc...

or where the rockafellers might be staying during this chaos?

I'm directing a play based on this (rather old) script for television by Tom Stoppard. Help me find it on film.

eWesley — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:20:31 -0800

I'm directing a play based on this (rather old) script for television by Tom Stoppard. Help me find it on film. I'm an undergrad theatre student in the US. The teleplay is called "A Separate Peace," having no relation to the book of the same name. It's about a man that checks himself into a nursing home to live, though there is nothing wrong with him. I know that the script was aired as one-half of one episode of an old BBC 2 series called "Double Image" in 1966. I know Peter Jeffrey and Hannah Gordon were in it. The other half of the program was a documentary about chess. It has an IMDB entry. But I want to actually see the program. Is there any way I can do this? I've exhausted Google, Youtube, as well as the BBC's websites and am wondering if there is some archive of old TV that I don't know about. Is there any way I can find this?

How do I find a Research Experience in S.F. without starving…

elationfoundation — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:26:01 -0800

I am a recent graduate of a M.S. in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, an interdisciplinary degree, and have just returned to San Francisco to try and get some research experience (in social science research) but because I don’t have any real background I am having trouble getting anything… HELP! I didn’t realize that I wanted to pursue high level academia (sociology or social psychology) until my senior year of undergrad and because I went to a state school without any funding I never even saw research assistantships. At my grad program I got passed over consistently because of my lack of experience and because I was not a PhD student. I got rejected form my PhD program choices for a lower than normal undergrad GPA (3.2 grad was 3.8) not high enough GRE scores, and a lack of research experience. I am working on improving my GRE scores but I can’t seem to get any research positions. I am applying to anything that is non clinical and have not gotten anything. While I have been working on selling the skills I have and taught myself SPSS so that I could have that under my belt I cannot find anything. My passion does not seem to be able to get me any opportunities. So my broad question is how does one go about finding research positions without the background experience. While I would be open to volunteering as a research assistant so that I can get the experience I would rather get paid so that I don’t have to take on a night or morning job to pay for housing.
Secondarily… are there (free) ways to get help with my research acumen (like study groups) so that I can improve my understanding of research methodologies. I find research one of the most interesting and rewarding experiences but it is difficult to grasp the methodologies without an ability to have someone to talk to about them. My family and friends are done listening to me talk about research.

Sorry for the length… Any help would be positive!

Peace Negotiator

yulka13 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 08:48:21 -0800

I would like to become a peace negotiator. I live in NY and my background is finance. I would appreciate any ideas on how to get started. I am planning on taking Harvard Negotiation and Dispute Resolution course in the fall, meeting people in the industry and going from there. I would appreciate any suggestions on organizations, jobs in NY or any other info you might have. Thank you! :)

A Certain Kind of Beauty

divabat — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:25:39 -0800

I'm trying to cultivate a certain kind of beauty in life - something exemplified by the likes of Dumbo feather, pass it on and Keri Smith's blog. Where else can I find such beauty? This would be a hard thing to put into words, but essentially I found that I'm tired of the rat-race, having to promote myself every second, get to the top life that I've lived for the past few years. I want to take it slow. I'm also tired of having to define myself by what I do - I'd rather just be me, regardless of my job description.

I'm imagining this new state of mind in pictures - sunsets, blowing dandelion puffs, free and floating, soft and gently. Almost bohemian. Peaceful, somewhat magical, doing good for the world by sharing peaceful vibes.

I'm looking for people, media, resources, etc that inspire that sort of beauty.

Dumbo Feather is an Australian mook that interviews 5 people about their lives per issue - what I loved about it (aside from the great writing) was that while their interviewees did all sorts of interesting things, they weren't defined by their job. Rather, the interviews showcased how they saw and moved in the world. Similarly, this post from Keri Smith affected me deeply as it sums up how I feel, and I find her blog inspiring in the same way.

What else could I read, see, do? Does anyone understand the type of beauty I'm trying to reach out to? What else (or who else) exemplifies that beauty for you?

Help me fill my RSS reader

charmston — Fri, 30 May 2008 09:41:38 -0800

I've found myself with a little more time on my hands. I'd like to add a few useful, relevant blogs and podcasts to the ranks of my RSS reader. Any suggestions for me? I very much prefer quality to quantity. I'd much rather read 5 low-volume, high-quality blogs than sift through a single feed with 50 posts/day to find the ones of interest.
Interests include:

Some of my favorites are intelligent blogs without a true theme. Jason Kottke, I'm looking at you.
I'll be going into the Peace Corps in the next year. There are over 4000 blogs about it. Do you have any favorites?
I dig web design stuff, especially in the standards arena. Favorites: A List Apart, Freelance Switch, and Vitamin.
I also love product and packaging design blogs. Favorites: Yanko Design, The Dieline.
After the Peace Corps, I'll be going into graduate school in either justice and peace studies or some derivative of it (international development, conflict resolution, etc.) I read no related blogs. Suggestions?
Personal development blogs are among my favorites, especially Zen Habits, Urban Monk, and Lifehacker.
I love baseball and tend to be the sabermetric type. Baseball Prospectus, Roto Authority...?
Green Daily is the only environmental blog that I read. I'd like a few more.
I recently became a vegetarian. Any favorite veggie blogs?
I love politics but have trouble keeping up with Talking Points Memo and The Huffington Post.

I also welcome podcast recommendations. I currently listen to Boagworld, The Rissington Podcast, and a handful of ESPN podcasts. Any others that you think that I may like?
Thanks in advance everyone!

A Peace Corps that doesn't suck?

loquacious — Sat, 03 May 2008 17:39:56 -0800

I'm looking for a Peace Corps that doesn't suck. Does it exist? I recently applied to the Peace Corps because I heard they were looking for IT workers of a particular sort, which I am.

But I've been warned off by a handful of people that have either been in the Peace Corps or who have had relatives or close friends in it.

Their complaints describe an agency that's hindered by bureacracy, unsupportive of their volunteers and otherwise not all it claims to be through shiny advertisements.

What other options are there? I can do IT work, I can teach IT and general computing, I do graphic design and I can teach that, too - and I can do office work, construction work and grunt work.

I'm interested in two levels of volunteering:

1) Committed, destination-based engagements like the Peace Corps with nominal material and transportation support from the organization.

2) Local hands on volunteering in SF - hopefully as free of bureacracy as humanly possible, but more formal and less ad hoc than the sorts of things I'm used to. (Soup kitchens, clothing distribution, etc.)

In both cases, I want to stay away from government or religious organizations as much as possible. I don't want to volunteer my time to promote a religion, nor do I particularly wish for it to be in the name or authority of any given country.

Can you name this tiny little riff?

crazyray — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 22:53:52 -0800

I recently saw the "Beatles LOVE" show in Vegas and was absolutely blown away. I now have the DVDA disc but am trying to identify all the songs mashed into it by Sir George Martin. Here's a clip I am particularly interested in. Can someone please tell me exactly what song is mashed up at the 3:56 mark of the Beatles "LOVE" song here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waHWwZsjvCk

Bonus points if you can tell me where I can find what songs go into the entire soundtrack.

Middle East political theory question...

Afroblanco — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 12:37:21 -0800

Have any well-known Middle East scholars come out in favor of uniting Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank into one multi-ethnic, secular state, with the goal of making all residents equal citizens?

Tropics on the cheap?

greta simone — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:00:45 -0800

Where can I go with the stipulations and budget that I have? I will be available to travel from Dec. 9 to Dec. 22 and/or Dec. 28 to Jan 6. I would like to go somewhere warm, as winter now has a firm grasp on home. I have some parameters I have to work within:

1. I can only take a Delta flight that costs under $450 (I have vouchers) or not much over. I know the airline sucks, but that's all I have to work with.
2. I can maybe spend $800-$1000 total for the whole trip (excluding flight).
3. I would like to go for a the longest break possible within one of my two time frames.
4. I have no problems staying in a hostel or homestay situation, but it MUST be safe, as I will be a young female traveling alone.
5. I would like beach and sand and beauty and calm, with culture as well. No frat-tastic party cruise stop-over towns, please.
6. I would need to fly out of RDU, CLT, or ATL.
7. I prefer to be out of the lower 48 states. No Florida please.

I am not asking you to be my travel agent. I'm having trouble searching for flexible dates AS WELL AS flexible locations while not being able to be flexible with my airline. I have looked at Kayak Buzz which was not helpful, as I cannot search for these things under one airline. I have also looked at STA (student travel), which was not helpful. I perused Delta's website, but I have to search dates and locations.

Is there a better place or way to search for these things? Do I need a travel agent? Do you have any specific suggestions? General ones?

Please do not suggest using a different airline. I would not be going if it weren't for the fact that I have vouchers in the first place.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Coming to terms with weird sexual fantasies

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 15:31:36 -0800

How does one come to peace with unfulfillable sexual fantasies? I've been blessed with a number of sexual fantasies involving loss of control that are either impossible to fulfill (that is, they involve things that don't, in fact, exist in real life, such as tentacles and mythical creatures and the like), or immoral (rape, slavery, bestiality, etc).

The question of why these things are in my head may only be addressed with a hefty amount of money and time spent at a good psychologist's office, but I'm not all that interested in the why of it all. I'm fairly convinced that these fantasies aren't likely to go away, and so I'm more concerned with what I should do about them now.

Without further ado: Have you managed to come to peace with sexual fantasies you either can't or won't act out? If so, how? If you are in a serious long-term relationship, how have you worked it all out with your SO? (By 'peace', I mean comfortable and confident with yourself and your sexuality)

Background: Male, engaged to fantastic girl, sex is excellent & fairly kink-free. We're starting to talk more about all of this, but are at a bit of a loss as to how to proceed [For example, dressing up in costumes to have sex seems kind of silly to me at this point]. I've stopped masturbating to porn online, as I was fairly addicted to it, and it was very emotionally draining.

Email at anonmefi10@gmail.com

I want to save the world ... with my pills.

Anonymous — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 21:07:06 -0800

Will the Peace Corps disqualify me if I have to keep taking my antidepressant during my assignment? I have completed the interview process, received a nomination, and have now moved onto the medical clearance stage.

I have recently begun treating a persistent, low-level depression with 10 mg of Lexapro. My prescribing physician is a psychiatrist, and he does not believe therapy is necessary (in me, the depression manifested itself as a kind of "emotional numbness" rather than sadness and feelings of worthlessness--now that I'm on the Lexapro, I feel much more engaged and take more pleasure in things). I feel great and am confident that my psychiatrist will clear me for service.

Lexapro is approved and available in the part of the world where I have been nominated, although I don't know if it's available in every country in that region.

Mefites, what are my odds?

If you were doing the Peace Corps, what reading material would you bring with you?

jordanian2 — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:46:51 -0800

Hypothetical Question: You're going to Africa for the Peace Corps, and your luggage space is extremely limited. What reading material would you bring with you to last you, oh, let's say a year? And remember that the Peace Corps is a very disorienting process and can probably get depressing and lonely, so your book or two would probably have to be comforting. Your reading material will probably have to be something that you could read over and over again, too, and not get tired with it.

So what reading material would you bring with you?

what if someone knew a phrase, but didn't know where it came from?

macinchik — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 10:11:10 -0800

What's the origin of the phrase: "What if we threw a war and no one came?" I've heard it a lot and it has been adapted for various uses. Google-fu is failing me!

Person Power?

CaptMcalister — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 19:36:22 -0800

What can one person (me) do to get US troops out of Iraq as soon as possible? I've given up marches as mostly useless. I don’t have a lot of money to give to politicians. I doubt writing my senator will have much effect. So what can I, or any other normal citizen, do that will help bring our troops home?

Where to work with a laptop?

Godbert — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 12:59:49 -0800

What are some good places for getting work done on a laptop? After several unproductive months in my new apartment, combined with past history of being notoriously unproductive in my dorm rooms through college, I've realized that I need to be somewhere else to get much work (personal and side-project stuff) done.

The thing is, I haven't the slightest clue what places are any good for this sort of thing. I used to work in the CS lab in college, and had a few quiet hours a day a few times a week in the lab.

The obvious place that comes to mind is the library, except that it closes at 9. By the time I get home from work and have dinner, that only leaves between two and three hours. It may seem like a lot, but after a day's work, it takes some time to get myself going again, and when I get on a roll, I would prefer not to be interrupted to pack up and go home.

Are there any places where someone could go for a few hours with a laptop, get a reasonably comfortable spot, and spend a few hours in a relatively quiet environment? I'm looking for general suggestions, or ones local to Long Island (particularly, Nassau County).

Christian Hypnosis Secrets Revealed

bigmusic — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 20:07:16 -0800

I understand what right wing christians are upset about, but how do I get them to understand and not dismiss my beliefs?