The tab on the left side (of the bottom left picture) doesn't swing down and open up the whole thing, does it?

Wish I could help more. Our similar Graco product has an obvious screw you have to take out to get the batteries, but it's a different design.

Weird their webpage doesn't have a manual. I can't even find this model listed there.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 8:33 PM on July 25, 2008

I can't think of anything in the Old Testament that would advocate some kind of moral police. Most of the sexual sins listed involve a crime against someone who would bring his complaint to the priests when the violation was discovered. In that era, adultery was a crime against the husband of the wife who was having an affair, and rape of an unmarried woman would be an offense against her father, who was charged with her protection. (Yeah, I know, but we're talking about 1200 BC here.) So... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:51 AM on July 25, 2008

It's been a while since I kept a journal, but when I was a teen, I created my own alphabet for just this reason. I'm the only one who can read it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:01 PM on July 22, 2008

My two year old just started Music Together and really likes it. There are plenty of Boston locations.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 1:36 PM on July 22, 2008

My kid just turned two. I think she's hilarious. I laugh with her all the time.

I know everyone's experiences differ, but so far, my daughter is the only person that I never get tired of being with. Most days are fun, and even when she's grumpy and fussy I still love being around her. I guess it's a cliche, but it's a different sort of love than anything I've ever experienced. She's a delight. I'm a pretty big introvert, so days/weeks away from my wife or friends... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 1:27 PM on July 22, 2008

STEWART: You know, the interesting thing I have is, you have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

CARLSON: You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.

STEWART: You need to go to one.

The thing that I want to say is, when you have people on for just knee-jerk, reactionary talk...

CARLSON: Wait. I thought you were going to be funny. Come on. Be funny.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 11:18 AM on July 22, 2008 marked best answer

I doubt that Americans talk any louder in other countries than they do at home. Many people just don't adjust to their new environment. For than matter, many people who visit America don't adopt American ways of interacting. Typical American interaction seems loud in other contexts. Typical, say, New Zealander interaction seems unusually quiet in America.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:16 PM on July 18, 2008

The villain of Buffy season five was treated as a goddess, and was named Glorificus. She did have some substantial powers, though, so she could actually have been a goddess, depending on how you define terms.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:22 AM on July 18, 2008

Doing premarital counseling and performing wedding services is part of my job. Because I'm a minister, and not an agent of the state, I always tell the couples I work with that I reserve the right to decide not to perform the ceremony, or to ask them to postpone it if issues arise in our premarital discussions that make it clear that their relationship needs more work, or that they are not well-matched.

If someone told me in person exactly what you have written here, I... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:39 PM on July 14, 2008

Also, it may not seem this way, but the sympathy and support you are probably going to get when you call off the weddings will be overwhelming. As in FlyByDay's example, lots of people will respect you enormously for doing the right thing, and will be there to help you through it. Some might even tell you they had concerns that they didn't know how to bring up, and are relieved that you didn't go through with it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:48 PM on July 14, 2008

15 years ago there was a decent barbecue stand in Centerville. No idea if it's still there now.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:24 PM on July 13, 2008

Take a look at EverBank and see if they will do what you want. Especially here.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 9:07 PM on July 12, 2008 marked best answer

Lots of great stuff here so far! Thanks. I'm sure I'll get a lot of these, especially Pete Seeger. And I love the albums by Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton. Finding them is worth the price of the question!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 1:14 PM on July 8, 2008

As a kid in north central Texas in the late 70's, I knew them as submarine sandwiches, but I would have known what you meant if you called it a hero. When I moved to NC this year, I called my brother (who lived in Ohio for a time) to ask him if he knew what a grinder was. I had no idea.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:03 AM on July 8, 2008

I have never heard of such a thing. And except for three glorious months, I've spent my whole life in the US.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:16 PM on July 3, 2008

The Kids Are Alright: What the Latest Daycare Study Really Found
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:32 PM on June 28, 2008

I never thought about tipping at Sonic unless my brother recently looked at me aghast for not giving anything to the carhop. So I've started tipping a dollar, which is somewhere between 12 and 20%, considering what I usually order.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:34 PM on June 25, 2008

argh until my brother....
I should point out that my brother doesn't have any particular expertise in this area, and I am open to being convinced to go back to my old stingy ways.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:36 PM on June 25, 2008

Autumn, by George Winston
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 5:30 AM on June 25, 2008

As has been said, who decides is either "the Pope," "our church council," "our founding pastor" or "the individual believer" depending on what denomination you are in. This question is too big to answer well, and even something like "how do Methodists decide" is still a huge question.

I wouldn't mind writing paragraphs and paragraphs on this if I thought the end result would be helpful, but I don't think it would. Short... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 2:40 PM on June 24, 2008

A couple of years ago, I bought a used Pontiac Vibe on ebay. It was a 2 year old model with 31k on it, and I paid $11,200. As was said above, the Vibe has the same engine as a Toyota Matrix. I'm sure you could the same sort of thing that's three years old with 50k on it for under $10,000.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 2:08 PM on June 22, 2008

My brother's a cop. From what I've seen, in his medium sized city, a lot of the folks he works with are happy to spend their whole career without taking an officer's exam. They became cops because they liked driving around, pulling folks over, and responding to calls. If moving on to corporal or sergeant brings with it a lot of hassles and a small salary bump, they'll just keep doing what they're doing. And if it means more desk time and less street time, that might be a deal-breaker, too.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:58 PM on June 11, 2008

I would ask the pastor to have that conversation with the guests (and I'm saying this as a pastor). It shouldn't be that hard for a small-church preacher to drop by as part of his ongoing pastoral work, see how the displaced family is doing, and then say: "Because it's going to take a while longer for your home to be livable, we've set up a rotation of homes you will stay in. You all will move to the Honecker's house this Friday, and they'll come by here to pick you up, so you need to be... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:50 AM on June 10, 2008 marked best answer

My wife and I often give I'm a Big Brother (or Sister) to the older sibling.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:16 PM on June 9, 2008

Yeah, that's the way we did it. Gave the money straight to the employer. I think that's standard.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 8:02 PM on June 2, 2008

I had an account through State Farm's bank a couple of years ago when I went traveling, and I'm pretty sure there were no ATM fees for them.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:29 AM on June 2, 2008

The first two Harry Potter movies (which is why I didn't like them as much as the later ones--the pacing was all wrong for a film. They were too faithful to the books.)
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 5:52 PM on June 1, 2008

Thanks to everyone!
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:51 PM on May 31, 2008

It's nice that she wants the blessing of the church, but she's not going to get it if she marries a non-believer and the people who give the blessing are aware of your status. You are going to have to lie either explicitly or implicitly to make this happen. You are either going to lie about being baptized, or lie in order to become baptized, and then you'll have to lie again when the Orthodox priest inevitably asks you about your faith before the wedding. In some other denomination, you might... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:46 AM on May 31, 2008

What about Dominica?
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 8:12 PM on May 23, 2008

This is written for therapists, but it would be worthwhile for you to read. This guy has it exactly write--a good therapeutic relationship is far more important than any particular style or technique. That's what you are looking for.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 3:36 PM on May 20, 2008

The Cicero quote is from the Tusculan Disputations, book II, section X. (Scroll to page 73 as indicated on the left margin.)

Let us see what Æschylus says, who was not only a poet but a Pythagorean philosopher also, for that is the account which you have received of him; how doth he make Prometheus bear the pain he suffered for the Lemnian theft, when he clandestinely stole away the celestial fire, and bestowed it on men, and was severely punished by Jupiter... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:03 PM on May 18, 2008

According to this book, "If Aeschylus was a Pythagorean, tradition has, except for this remark of Cicero's, been silent on the point."
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:07 PM on May 18, 2008

If you haven't seen La Orfanata (The Orphanage) rent it soon. Brilliant, IMHO. You might also check out the After Dark Horrorfest films. The only one I saw was the Deaths of Ian Stone, but I thought it was worthwhile. Didn't change my life, but I enjoyed it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 4:05 PM on May 13, 2008

Nedra Pickler didn't have anything to do with that headline. She wrote the article for the AP, and various newspapers/blogs can put it under whatever headline they write. In USA Today, it had an entirely different, appropriate headline. So don't blame Nedra.

Someone at HuffPo messed up, or is intentionally jerking people around. Unless some Mefite works for HuffPo, I don't we'll be able to resolve which it is.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 5:51 AM on May 8, 2008

When I was in high school we used to call that being "simpled out," but I haven't heard that in years now. Haven't stayed up all night in years, either, so I guess it wouldn't have come up.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:56 AM on April 30, 2008

You might want to look at this thread about the Giant Negro motif. Jokes like this are connected to a long running white American fear/ myth regarding large black men. They are big and uncivilized, and they might do things like rape you in the bathroom just for kicks. The reason it wouldn't be funny if Turner were white is because white men are able to keep their desires in check, of course. And if the races were just reversed, it would make no sense at all. A white man raping a black man?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 3:36 AM on April 29, 2008

I don't think I helped with a clear and simple explanation. I'd just suggest that your daughter try an experiment. The the joke to a group of people who haven't heard it before, and switch the races. "So, this black guy goes in the bathroom, and there's a HUGE white guy there." See how people react. If it's as funny as before, then keep telling it that way, no harm, no foul. If it's not, figure out why. That's the racist component.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 3:43 AM on April 29, 2008

"Tell the joke...." I meant.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 3:43 AM on April 29, 2008

I received none at all. But my High School did offer an optional "Money Math" class that was generally used as a remedial course for freshmen who weren't ready for Algebra. So only the slowest students received any financial instruction at all.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 7:00 AM on April 28, 2008

Kicking and Screaming
Seconding Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. Great films.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:51 PM on April 27, 2008

I never learned about to do anything regarding home repair and I love the Black and Decker Complete Home Repair. Anyone can follow the directions, and there are photos for every step. It really is the only book you need. They have a Home Improvement book that is just as good.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:05 PM on April 25, 2008

I think you are remembering The Not So Wild Wild West.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 6:03 AM on April 25, 2008

It's been a while since I've seen it, but I think the scene in Apollo 13 where they are improvising a way to make the air filters fit might work for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 8:27 PM on April 20, 2008

Here's the start of another Apollo 13 scene that fits.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 8:31 PM on April 20, 2008

I don't think I've ever seen a movie I thought was funnier than The Philadelphia Story.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:59 AM on April 20, 2008

If you want to get in good shape to buy a house, one thing that would help is to not buy a brand new car with $500 down and 15% interest. It might not hurt your credit score, but you are paying a lot of interest for an item that will be worth much less when its paid for than when you bought it. Given the likely direction of the housing market for a while, you may be throwing more money away on the car than you are losing money on rent. If you are thinking about trading it in before five years... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 12:33 PM on April 19, 2008

Two cows are standing in a field. One cow says "say, are you worried about getting mad cow disease?" The other cow says "holy crap! A talking cow!"

I prefer the version where the second cow says "Why should I be worried? I'm a helicopter!"
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 10:48 AM on April 17, 2008

I use ImToo DVD Ripper for that sort of thing. It works well--once you it out. It's not completely intuitive, and whoever makes it doesn't have English as a native language, but now I can get it to so exactly what I want. To save a clip, you'll need to know the start time and how many minutes and seconds you want to record after that. I usually save it as an mpeg file and use the clip through my computer, although if you have DVD burning software, I suppose you could make DVD's, too.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 2:22 PM on April 15, 2008

Probably the best books are the ones marketed to youth ministers. They do this stuff all the time. Something like this would probably help you, or any of these.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Pater Aletheias at 1:19 PM on April 14, 2008