Questions about Hong Kong Chinese people renaming themselves with more "American" sounding first names. [more inside]
posted by Jacqueline on Sep 29, 2009 - 62 answers

How can I be a better writer? My value at work would increase if my ability to write formally improves. I'm an admin in the IT department and don't realy understand the technology or procedures that I have to write about. I think that part of the problem is that I am just not that great at communicating in general. I don't talk a lot, hate leaving vm's. And even writing an email can leave me frozen, constantly worrying saying the wrong thing and/or not being understood. [more inside]
posted by mokeydraws on Sep 23, 2009 - 17 answers

Help me help him . . . be a better boyfriend. Specifically, looking for book recommendations to help him understand his 'role' as boyfriend. [more inside]
posted by lblair on Apr 12, 2009 - 59 answers

How can I stop thinking about my father's bigotry, hatred, and intolerance? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 10, 2008 - 42 answers

Is there a word or a phrase, other than the too-broad "understand," for when a listener understands what someone else is trying to convey even when the speaker doesn't express it clearly and/or correctly? [more inside]
posted by amyms on Apr 28, 2008 - 31 answers

How has our understanding of Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, etc. changed in the last five years? [more inside]
posted by Orange Pamplemousse on Mar 24, 2008 - 15 answers

Some new neighbors just moved into the flat above us. How do I reduce the noise of their constant stomping? Would asking them nicely render a solution? And more importantly, is there some stomping disorder in modern psychology that I should know about? Because their flat is the same size and layout as ours, which isn't that big at all (you can walk across the hall to the door in about 10 steps) and I am genuinely baffled at how much stomping can indeed be done in such a capacity.
posted by bondgirl53001 on Jan 16, 2008 - 33 answers

I'm learning a new language (Italian), and as with other languages I've learned, I have no trouble with the written form. But, as with the others, the spoken variety gives me trouble. [more inside]
posted by SuperNova on Aug 29, 2007 - 15 answers

I'd like to read about the beliefs and lifestyles of denominations in the US that teach about Christ. Basically, their beliefs, history, and organization in the US, focusing on who they are today and how they got there. [more inside]
posted by freddymungo on Dec 31, 2006 - 15 answers

Boys! And their manifestation of physical energy + why do they have a love/hate relationship with trying to kill each other? [more inside]
posted by LadyBonita on May 23, 2006 - 27 answers

Inspired by this post, I want to either create or find a repository of links to sites facilitating asking possibly insensitive questions of a member(s) of a group. Thus, I'm looking for links to such sites. [more inside]
posted by Gnatcho on Apr 24, 2006 - 10 answers

A friend of mine recently told me that she can't read comic books. She doesn't have problems with understanding text or visual information. She's been a voracious book reader since a very early age and she's a dedicated film watcher. I didn't entirely understand her explanation but she says that she never learn to decode the tight coupling of textual and visual information in comic books. Has anyone heard about or experienced something similar? [more inside]
posted by rdr on Mar 20, 2006 - 23 answers

I'm a man in his thirties who has gone on very few dates in his life, and I'm having trouble getting a good read on the behavior of a woman who I've been interacting with. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Feb 2, 2006 - 70 answers

I really want to understand: Why did you vote for Bush? Not snark at all -- a sincere question. I voted for Kerry. 51% of the people in this country think differently than I do and I'd like to try to get past my usual filters and biases and hear your point of view. If you voted for Bush/Cheney I'd appreciate you taking the time to explain to me what issues, beliefs, hopes, and fears motivated you voted the way you did, if you're willing.
posted by papercake on Nov 6, 2004 - 62 answers

I'm looking for book recomendations about the quest for understanding. An exploration and acquisition of knowledge for knowledge's sake. A sort of unbounded curiosity about the world that shows up in the sketchbooks of Da Vinci for instance. [more inside]
posted by jeffhoward on Apr 18, 2004 - 16 answers