Is it common to keep the salary of a position under wraps until the job is offered to a candidate?
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posted by harujion
on May 14, 2013 -
27 answers
Help! My foolproof plans for Eurovision party food have come to nothing.
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posted by Wylla
on May 14, 2013 -
5 answers
I'm planning to move from one NYC neighborhood to another at the end of the summer. Though I'm 99% sure I'll be able to cover all potential expenses (movers, security deposit, first/last month's rent, broker's fee), I was wondering if there's a
reputable company that advances small loans to help cover these costs.
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posted by incomple
on May 14, 2013 -
11 answers
It seems (could just be confirmation bias) that book cover/dust jacket materials have changed over the years. I find a lot of trade paperbacks and hardcover dust jackets now have a "soapy" feel to them rather than the previous plastic feel. What is this material? Is it new? What drives choices of materials?
posted by Jahaza
on May 14, 2013 -
5 answers
I lost my keys, and then I lost my landlord's keys. I'm baffled, embarassed, and trapped inside my apartment.
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posted by windykites
on May 14, 2013 -
64 answers
I remember reading a DC comic book in which was explained why Gotham City has so many abandoned amusement parks, carnivals, and toy factories. I don't remember all the details, but the upshot was that in the 1920's, there had been a big entertainment boom with two entrepreneurs trying to outdo each other by building more theme parks, arcades, and novelty factories than the other. Then the Great Depression hit and they all went out of business. But now I can't remember what comic this was from. I want to say it was a Paul Dini comic, maybe
Gotham City Sirens or
Batman: Streets of Gotham.
Anyone remember which comic this was?
posted by ErWenn
on May 13, 2013 -
5 answers
Identify this book. Literary novel, probably a first novel, published between 1994 and 1997, written by a guy who had taught writing at Harvard. The only thing I remember in it is an obsessive character in the desert who has welded multiple trailers or mobile homes in a circle so he can obsessively walk in circles inside them.
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posted by Unified Theory
on May 13, 2013 -
7 answers
I'm moving to Germany in a couple of months and have a few questions about using various 110V US-purchased appliances on the local 220V power. Specifically the 50Hz/60Hz issue - how big of a deal is it? My understanding is that anything with a motor may have a shorter lifespan and run somewhat less efficiently (and of course anything that uses AC for timing will run slow), but any other issues?
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posted by photo guy
on May 13, 2013 -
10 answers
I'm going to be selling stuff at a table at a convention where I won't have access to a wall outlet. I'd like to keep my phone and laptop charged throughout the day. I need some kind of battery. I searched Amazon and mostly what I found was devices for starting cars. Some of them did have AC and even USB outputs. So they might work, but I'm not sure. Most of them had very mixed reviews. Does anyone know of a good product for this pupose?
posted by trevor_case
on May 13, 2013 -
23 answers
I am having trouble getting my insurance company to issue an SR-22 to the Oregon DMV so my license isn't suspended.
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posted by mokin
on May 13, 2013 -
14 answers
I'm trying to identify two separate growths I'm unfamiliar with, just for curiosity's sake. The first is a tight, cauliflower-like dome found on the base of a cut tree trunk. The second formed tiny red "spears" on a weed leaf. Pics within.
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posted by cocoagirl
on May 13, 2013 -
6 answers
Not sure what to say to my M.S. thesis adviser (formerly my Ph.D advisor) or prospective interviewers on when I can leave academia and start a real job.
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posted by permiechickie
on May 13, 2013 -
10 answers
Hi MeFi,
I want to buy an uninterruptible power supply for my personal desktop. I don't need a lot of performance, just something to ride out brief blips in the power. I was thinking about getting
this one{APC Back-UPS ES BE550G 550 VA 330 Watts (4) NEMA 5-15R (Battery Backup) (4) NEMA 5-15R (Surge Protection) Outlets UPS}
This is a good idea? Do you need more information about my setup?
Thanks,
zscore
posted by zscore
on May 13, 2013 -
15 answers
This seems petty, but I am sincerely and exorbitantly bummed out (with some jealousy and hurt feelings to boot) that MY best friend didn't choose me to be her maid of honor. I'm clearly the next-in-line bridesmaid, but I haven't as of yet achieved many positive feelings about the honor I've received, but would like to, and as quickly as possible.
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posted by lovingkindness
on May 13, 2013 -
54 answers
I'm writing an essay/blog post about the portrayal of prison and prisoners in games. Part of this involves explaining to the reader that the US prison system is pretty nightmarish. Can you suggest links that support/underline this?
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posted by Zarkonnen
on May 13, 2013 -
16 answers
Its a 2005 vw jetta TDI. That's a diesel. My radiator light was on. The fluid kept getting low. But the temperature never registered high. Still, I should have known better. The car stalled after a 6 hour trip and won't start. It stalled after coming to a stop while trying to accelerate away from the stop. There was no smoke or flames, but when I checked the coolant reservoir it was dry, and when I added water it boiled. The mechanic said the starter burnt up, and that the starter and the broken coolant pipe must be replaced just to test the engine. That will run me $900. He gave me a 50/50 that the engine is screwed, which means he just doesn't know.
Is it worth it? Is my car dead, and I need to accept it and move on?
posted by earley.rose
on May 13, 2013 -
27 answers
Is there a device that just controls and buffers fetched NAS files and online radio, allowing the user to select among sources, meant to provide exclusively digital output?
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posted by jet_silver
on May 12, 2013 -
3 answers
Tuesday morning I need to get from a hotel near the Peachtree Center MARTA stop to the ChocoLate coffee shop in the Shallowford Plaza shopping center. Can I do this on public transit without getting sweaty or stressed out?
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posted by lakeroon
on May 12, 2013 -
8 answers
I have read posts about different epilators and have heard good reviews about Braun, but it seemed like lower to mid price epilators were recommended. I am new to epilating and I want to use it for legs, under-arms and chin. I am looking for the best epilator that is easy, efficient and has high techiness that makes general use of it easy such as wet/dry. What are some of the good epilators to use and does higher cost equate to it being better?
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posted by Jaelma24
on May 12, 2013 -
11 answers
Since yesterday I can't send emails from thunderbird. Every time it says "Login to server mail.mydomain.co.uk failed".
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posted by missmagenta
on May 12, 2013 -
8 answers
I was looking around for information on long-term investment planning and I ran across
this page, which says that after adjusting for inflation, long-term stock market returns are only 1.9% before taxes. The whole site seems to advocate this sort of really creepy gold fetishism that's been popping up lately, so my natural reaction is to dismiss it. But I still have doubts, and this plays into my anxieties about whether retirement savings is worthwhile at all.
Help me debunk this? (Existential crisis inside.)
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posted by aw_yiss
on May 12, 2013 -
28 answers
This one has been driving me nuts for years, and I'm going to turn to the hive mind. When I was a kid, around 10 or 11 (making it around 1992-1993), I got a book that was something akin to the Babysitters' Club books: targeted at young girls, about a group of young girls all doing something together. The first of a potential series, although I don't know if I read any more. I remember very few details of this book other than the fact that it was mentioned that the main character/narrator's mother had had A LOBOTOMY. She had been depressed or had some other mental problem before, so she had a voluntary lobotomy and was now fun and freewheeling and wore cowboy hats in the kitchen. This wasn't an important plot point, just a throwaway character detail. If anyone has any memory or clue to what this book or book series could have been, I'd be thrilled. I'd just like to know that I'm not just making it up, for one thing.
posted by whitneyarner
on May 11, 2013 -
8 answers
I found this wet sponge-like thing in my air conditioning unit. What is it?
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posted by jcatus
on May 11, 2013 -
4 answers
I saw a post on tumblr, about why some larger bills have little stamps on them. The reason they gave is that drug dealers will stamp the bills to keep track of them. This makes absolutely no sense to me.
So question one is, does this sound accurate? Does anyone have any way of saying if this is or isn't true?
Question two, why the heck are these stamps on bills?
Here's a
picture of a purported drug dealer stamped bill.
posted by trogdole
on May 11, 2013 -
8 answers
This a framing/curation/decoration AskMe.
I have an adorable set of (very lightweight) wooden french curves that I would like to mount in a display, but not permanently.
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posted by Glomar response
on May 11, 2013 -
14 answers
When is the company formally known as RIM releasing the Q10 model (that's the one with the physical keyboard as opposed to the Z10 which is their touchscreen phone and is currently available) ? I don't understand why the company-formally-known-as-RIM is being so coy about it. It was originally called the X10, then when they announced the existence of it they changed the name to the Q10 and all I can find is vague speculation that it may be May or June.
posted by jdaura
on May 10, 2013 -
1 answer
We may have made our already-ruined wood floor worse. How can we fix this, at least temporarily?
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posted by arcticwoman
on May 10, 2013 -
10 answers
My wife is pregnant with our first child, she is 22 weeks along. She is slim but has quite large legs, which have always had some prominent veins on her calf. At our first meeting with the midwife she told us to get support tights, and keep an eye on it.
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posted by Cannon Fodder
on May 10, 2013 -
11 answers
I've been running since 2007, and since then I've run three half marathons and several 10 milers/10k/5ks and what have you. Over the years my speed and abilities have increased, but boredom has set in and my motivation is lacking, especially when it comes to long distance running. I think I want to transition to doing short distances and speedwork, but I'm not sure what I should focus on.
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posted by cristinacristinacristina
on May 9, 2013 -
8 answers
A friend needs an HR/Employment specialty lawyer in LA, preferably in the SGV, but no further west than downtown. Difficulty: Friend works at a law firm.
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posted by ApathyGirl
on May 9, 2013 -
1 answer
Hi CT mefites. I'm looking for help locating sunflowers in grocery/box stores between Windsor Locks and Storrs before I travel there next week.
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posted by ovenmitt
on May 9, 2013 -
5 answers
I recently received an unexpected amount of money, and after doing grown-up things with it, I want to treat myself with a new purse.
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posted by Ruki
on May 9, 2013 -
34 answers
Dimmable LED light bulbs seem more economical than halogens. But they're really expensive. Will they quickly come down in price, so I should wait? Or will they come down slowly, so I might as well start saving?
Also, how good is the dimming? I tried dimmable CFL's, but they don't seem to dim past 50%.
posted by musofire
on May 9, 2013 -
13 answers
Summary: Is it legal in New Mexico to require an employee to come into work early for training, and then deny that worker the overtime pay?
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posted by endotoxin
on May 9, 2013 -
10 answers
I need help identifying a band that played Iceland Airwaves in 2012. Bonus question within.
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posted by msali
on May 9, 2013 -
8 answers
I'm road trippin' with friends. They are driving from Boston to Deleware. I'm in NYC.
I need to meet them somewhere along the 1-95 route in the NYC area, So they don't have to go out of their way to pick me up.
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posted by thatgirld
on May 9, 2013 -
10 answers
I work in a house that has been designated as a group home for 5 disabled adults. The program/company is funded for by the state. I am an hourly employee who works a full 40 hours (plus up to 10-15 hours of overtime @ time and a half many weeks). My checks include deductions in all the proper taxes and stuff that any job would withdraw from. It's a full on legit job.
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posted by TwilightKid
on May 9, 2013 -
37 answers
My father used to quote a few lines from a poem that was about an older man (a king maybe?) sailing away for one final adventure. I thought I remembered a line about 'once more across the sundering seas', but when I search on that phrase all I find is stuff related to Tolkien. The poem would be the kind of thing a classically educated person would know, and I think it's pretty famous. Any of this ringing any bells for anyone?
posted by StephenF
on May 9, 2013 -
13 answers
I used to play a FPS on my PC back in the 90's. I can't remember the title of it, however I remember one of the weapons.
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posted by madcow20
on May 9, 2013 -
11 answers
You are not my doctor, I'm just looking for personal experiences here (and yes, I understand anything medical will vary a lot between individuals). I had surgery a week ago and stayed in hospital overnight. I've been recovering well but still feel quite dizzy, usually when I bend over/stand up but also when walking slowly on a level surface.
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posted by Athanassiel
on May 9, 2013 -
7 answers
The home my wife and I are possibly about to purchase was built in 1900 and we have a few questions about aged systems and family safety. Lead water pipes and asbestos tape, oh my!
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posted by Wrongshanks
on May 9, 2013 -
14 answers
A fairly wealthy client has invited me and my boss over for dinner. I'd like to take a gift to say thank you. The catch is, he doesn't drink booze and can't eat sugary foods.
Any ideas what I could bring? Food and non-food ideas welcomed. Looking to spend not more than $30.
posted by Conductor71
on May 8, 2013 -
28 answers
How can I determine the hidden fees associated with my employee 401k through Prudential?
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posted by taltalim
on May 8, 2013 -
6 answers
