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I have taken on a year long project as an Americorps VISTA. My goal is to create a food policy council/coalition. What should its name be? More inside. [more inside]
posted by Bistyfrass at 11:06 AM - 12 answers

I am part of a trivia team (nominally the captain) and I feel a sad lack in my knowledge of geography (among other things). Despite looking at maps and (children's) atlases and writing country names on preprinted maps, nothing is sticking. Online quizzes don't help because I don't know what country is in between Swaziland and Nigeria. How do I become a geographic hero?
posted by b33j at 4:55 AM - 26 answers

Let's say I have to give a lecture and my career depends on this, for reals. It has to be not just good enough, but fabulous. Let's say further I may not get much notice on the topic and audience or date. I would like to hire whatever the public-speaking equivalent is of a cross between a ghost-writer, an editor, and a coach. I cannot be visibly hiring such a person (i.e. I can't just post on craigslist or something). How do I find and hire this person? How much might it cost? [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 4:44 AM - 13 answers

What can parents do to better prepare a highschool senior for college? [more inside]
posted by loveandhappiness at 12:55 PM - 48 answers

Hello AskMe! Are you a fiendishly organized person who applies the same level of intensity to organizing IDEAS? Tell me your tips and tricks! [more inside]
posted by capricorn at 1:31 PM - 17 answers

Did you struggle for years with a particular problem, only to suddenly find a solution that made the problem essentially go away? Tell me about it! [more inside]
posted by peacheater at 9:37 AM - 35 answers

I’d like to add more structure to my life and I’m looking for ideas for little rituals or small structured practices I can start doing. Specifically I am looking for rituals related to introspection, self-care, mental health, stress reduction, relationships and new experiences. So: tell me your rituals, routines, habits and practices related to those things. [more inside]
posted by aka burlap at 7:07 AM - 29 answers

I have 33,000 photos on my laptop. That is too many photos. I need to go through and delete vast amounts of them. Any suggestions about how to do it? [more inside]
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:53 AM - 17 answers

Bar Mitzvah gifts, broke edition: I have a Bar Mitzvah coming up, and I'm flummoxed as to what to get. I am close to his mother- we see each other every few months- but I have barely spent any time with him and really don't know him at all. [more inside]
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 8:36 AM - 8 answers

Looking for a project in which I can visit all of the things in a category. For instance, all the libraries in my local area. I'd like to find out a bit about them, take pictures, maybe review them in some way. So far I can only think of libraries (fine, but would like some other ideas) and listed buildings, churches, and blue plaques, of all of which there are too many to make it practicable in the sort of timescale I'm thinking of (around a year). [more inside]
posted by paduasoy at 5:20 AM - 26 answers

Calling all Rangers or maybe Army folks, hard to say. What are roughs? I need to pack 5 pair and the Navy doesn't use this term. [more inside]
posted by stormygrey at 12:24 AM - 2 answers

Out of all the dozens of simple cotton receiving blankets we had, my son made this one his "lovey". Now, years later, it's threadbare and disintegrated. I'd love to have another. (note: the white animal-pattern one in the photo; the green one is another layer we added in an attempt to save the lovey). Does anyone know (a) what this particular one is or where to get it, or (b) the right niche internet community where I should post this question? [more inside]
posted by secretseasons at 6:42 PM - 5 answers

The 5-five-year-old has been telling, in various permutations, the interrupting cow knock-knock joke for a couple months. I've been trying to introduce more into their repertoire, with little success -- in part, I suspect, because mine are a little high-level and haven't really clicked as jokes. I think I need simpler examples, especially ones that don't require cultural context. Help? [more inside]
posted by Quasirandom at 3:59 PM - 44 answers

The Eiffel Tower wouldn't exist without Gustave Eiffel, but it also wouldn't exist without the hundreds of people who build the thing. I want to read inspirational stories about those types of people, the people who maybe weren't so important on their own but were part of building something great or renowned. [more inside]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 12:52 PM - 12 answers

Every notebook I've bought recently has both an elastic band and a fabric bookmark, like in this picture of a Moleskine. Why? I always just end up using the elastic band to keep my place. Is there any reason why I'd need two place markers?
posted by capricorn at 1:52 PM - 13 answers

The short version: I'm curious about how to represent the largest possible number in an arbitrarily-limited physical space (think, say, a sheet of paper with room for only so many legible characters), using only standard, commonly-recognized numbers and mathematical symbols. [more inside]
posted by the phlegmatic king at 11:08 AM - 15 answers

How can I learn how to pay attention to detail? [more inside]
posted by aclevername at 7:38 AM - 22 answers

I’m in Seattle for the week, which has got me constructing a gift box/bag of sorts full of coffee and chocolate. But I need a tote bag to put everything into. Details inside... [more inside]
posted by un petit cadeau at 4:38 PM - 6 answers

Recommendations for fun/funny but mostly work-appropriate party favors for grown ups. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee at 12:52 PM - 16 answers

All of the data I can find on US housing sizes are for newly-built single-family homes only (for example, this census data). Are there any data series showing housing size (especially over time) for all housing types, including apartments and older houses? [more inside]
posted by enn at 11:24 AM - 3 answers