It doesn't sound like credit cards are at the root of your difficulties. Your real problem is inadequate income. $22,000 for two people isn't even minimum wage. If you don't fix your income problem, bankruptcy will only be a temporary solution. Your husband needs to get a job -- any job -- and two jobs if necessary. Even with your disability it would help if you could do some part time work at home.
posted to Ask Metafilter by JackFlash at 10:40 PM on September 4, 2008

I not only have but in fact feel a very acute need for a television - but I almost never actually watch it. I categorically refuse to watch any sort of news program, which thankfully includes all convention / political coverage. I watch about 15 minutes of Sports Center while I'm cooling down from my daily run, and I watch the occasional sporting event when it piques my interest on a lazy Sunday afternoon. That's about it. But still I feel this need to have the thing around.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by allkindsoftime at 9:48 AM on September 4, 2008

No, it's not ethical.

Hint hint: it doesn't matter what excuse you use.
posted to Ask Metafilter by gjc at 8:08 PM on August 31, 2008

Not really related, but some banks will send agents to negotiate for you. I'm lucky to be a USAA member and when (if!!!) I buy a new car i'm planning on asking an agent to go in my place - at that point it's one professional to another, I understand that the savings can be pretty substantial if you have a professrional to cut through the 'special offers' for you.
posted to Ask Metafilter by prettyboyfloyd at 9:44 AM on January 15, 2005

If a car dealer asked me to put down money up front for the privilege of allowing him to try to sell me a car, I'd never stop laughing at him. I'd still be laughing as I walked out the door. That's ludicrous.

Edmunds.com has a long but very worthwhile article called "Confessions of a Car Salesman" - one of their writers went undercover and worked at a couple of car dealerships for a month. A real eye-opener (and I'm reasonably sure that I first saw this... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by enrevanche at 9:50 AM on January 15, 2005

There are two ways:

One: Verizon now prorates their early termination fee (ETF), from $175 and deducting $5 for each month you had service with them. So if you fulfilled 19 out of 24 months of your contract, then your ETF would be $175 - 19 * $5 = $80. Pricey, but better than hnothing.

Two: Get out via a clause in the contract.

1) Many people change contracts if you don't have sufficient Verizon service. I'm assuming... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by suedehead at 8:27 AM on August 27, 2008

Incorporate deep, full breath into your self-pleasuring, and end by taking three deep breaths.

With the last inhale, clench all the muscles in your body and hold your breath. Especially clench your PC muscle, your abs, your leg muscles to the point that you lift your pelvis up off the bed.

Hold this for at least 30 seconds. When you release your breath, relax all the muscles in your body.

This technique (called the... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ottereroticist at 9:22 AM on August 26, 2008

Never heard it before, but it sounds like stock production music to me. It could almost be scene-linking music for Grace & Favour or The Good Life.

There are libraries and libraries of this stuff, the aural equivalent of clip-art. It's often used, as here, for links and segues, for playing performers on and off stage for chat and variety shows and so on. Typically heard in productions where the budget allows... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Herodios at 3:29 PM on August 25, 2008

Um, just to give the other side here:

-- You both didn't skip the trip to your home country early on because of her. You skipped it because of you -- you got a job in the US and wanted to take it.
-- She already moved once solely for you, to the United States, which she didn't want to do. Now you are asking her to move again, solely for you, when she is happy where she is.
-- While you did visit her country early... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by onlyconnect at 3:52 PM on August 20, 2008

Hey, what about something like this??
posted to Ask Metafilter by Hellafiles at 4:26 PM on August 18, 2008 marked best answer

I'm surprised by some of the comments. Maybe it's a testament to the fact we use the term "depression" so loosely. It's not a bad day that you can "suck it up" and move on and that, in itself, make you feel better. In fact, it is the inability to do that which helps confirm a diagnosis. At home doing nothing for two weeks means one is "capitulating" to depression? I disagree. i have seen people at home and doing nothing for... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Gerard Sorme at 2:06 PM on August 17, 2008

Yeh, the good folks over at The US Dept of Labour can help.

I selected All Urban Consumers (Current Series) (Consumer Price Index - CPI) , then performed the following steps ( -> means I selected) :

1) Select an area -> 'Chicago'
2) Select one of more items -> 'All items'
3) Select seasonal adjustment -> 'Not seasonally Adjusted' (only possible option for this data set)
4) Get... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mutant at 8:01 AM on August 14, 2008 marked best answer

If the coasters were important to the 4-year-old, I think you should gently suggest to your wife that she get over herself, and make a big show of unwrapping this present for her daughter's sake.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Leon at 8:55 AM on August 11, 2008 marked best answer

No help here - just want to say that that picture is adorable.
posted to Ask Metafilter by you're a kitty! at 7:52 PM on August 10, 2008

greenie2600 this might be obvious, but you need capital. Your own capital.

Without capital of your own, you'll always be one step behind, chasing the next big thing to sell or make or whatever it takes to pay the bills.

You're relatively young, probably a higher earner and it seems like you've got your head on straight based upon this statement -- "I'm willing to tighten... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Mutant at 5:59 PM on August 9, 2008

When you say things like:

I would be leaving behind some people I care very much about and who I might not see again (including a long-term relationship that I'd pretty much have to give up on), I would need to graduate college a term late (and miss a whole year of watching my friends grow up), and I don't know how the job market is

Even things like visas, memory cards, or plane tickets might be more than I could handle.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by mdonley at 1:58 AM on August 7, 2008 marked best answer

I'm sorry to sound harsh, but I'm really worried about your boyfriend's health.

You had 42 people tell you to go straight to the ER, and you listen to the one person who said to try sticking drugs up the wazoo? Your friend is in critical condition and you wasted 3 hours scoring allergy pills? You are on standby thinking you can act once it's too late?

Phernergan is NOT the right thing. There is no right treatment because the diagnosis is... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by ebellicosa at 11:25 PM on August 3, 2008

Guinness Cupcakes - these are pretty fantastic, they stay very moist. I wasn't too sure about the icing though, I ignored the instructions somewhat and mine turned out far too sweet.
posted to Ask Metafilter by kg at 3:37 AM on August 3, 2008

Israel was part of the British Mandate for Palestine, established by the League of Nations after World War I from part of the former Ottoman Empire. The November 1947 United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine called for establishing a Jewish and an Arab state in Palestine. A civil war started almost immediately, sparked by Palestinian Arabs' perception of the partition plan as unfair. (Ironically, the proposed partition would have resulted in more land for the Palestinians than any likely... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by kirkaracha at 1:00 PM on June 6, 2008

What's the history behind the U.S. Israel relationship?

It's quite complex (see below, or kirkaracha's awesome comment), but I'd suggest that it boils down to the fact that it's human nature to regard conflicts as being between "good guys" and "bad guys," and that in the US, the Israelis are still mostly regarded as being the "good guys" (in particular because of the 1948, 1967, and 1973 wars). In the US political system,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by russilwvong at 2:04 PM on June 6, 2008

If it hurts you a lot to hear that she's having sex with others, having sex with her yourself isn't going to help.
posted to Ask Metafilter by me & my monkey at 7:27 PM on July 26, 2008

I point you to this chart: "Viewing distance when resolution becomes important".

At 46" it appears that you have to be closer than 9 feet for 1080p to look any better than 720p. As far as "future-proofing" goes, this will never change.
posted to Ask Metafilter by krisjohn at 11:44 PM on July 23, 2008

Also, a recipe.
posted to MetaFilter by AceRock at 5:01 AM on July 16, 2008

it's her boobs, her decision
posted to Ask Metafilter by matteo at 11:19 AM on July 13, 2008

According to the current issue of Allure, when the two were married at New York City Hall in November 2007, the bride wore Hermes Osmanthe Yunnan and the groom wore L'Air du Desert Marocain by Tauer Perfumes. Why yes, I am a big fat perfume geek.
posted to MetaFilter by ottereroticist at 4:33 PM on April 10, 2008

Free Hugs.
The video, the song, the story move me to tears every time. A brilliant and beautiful lesson in how to attract affection. It's the old old story - to get it, you gotta give it.
posted to Ask Metafilter by Kerasia at 5:09 AM on July 11, 2008

Sir John Templeton's 16 Rules for Investment Success
Rule No. 12: BEGIN WITH A PRAYER
If you begin with a prayer you can think more clearly and make fewer mistakes

Dear Lord,

Just a quickie. I was skimming through your biography the other night and was a bit surprised by the whole 'eye of a needle' and 'serving two masters' thing in the chapter you titled 'Matthew'. You didn't... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by boosh at 5:29 AM on July 9, 2008

But I'm still an outsider; I can feel it.

EVERYBODY FEELS THIS WAY.
posted to Ask Metafilter by The corpse in the library at 3:27 PM on July 5, 2008

Google should deliver the data on floppies.

I was thinking paper.

Punchcards!

I was actually discussing this with my Dad a while back (he worked for IBM back in the day.) We were trying to figure out how many punchcards it would take to convey a terabyte of data.

According to his calculations: 1TByte = 8Tbits
1 punch card =960 possible holes(bits), 12 rows X 80... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fungible at 8:21 AM on July 3, 2008

Thanks for the link, spock. I was annoyed by all the sloppy work on this project, and by the misinformation that was present in so many popular accounts. DeConick's webpage is worth a look for more info and links.
posted to MetaFilter by Pater Aletheias at 9:16 AM on June 30, 2008

A little background on this Sethian Group that is supposed to be the originators of the Gospel of Judas.

The Sethians are a gnostic group whose cosmology was largely based on a series of Midrash's on the Genesis story: The Hypostasis of the Archons is a good example of this. A midrash is a Jewish tradition of exegesis whereby a story is retold to better illuminate it. In Hellenstic Alexandria, Egypt, much of the city was Jewish, and Jewish and Greek scholars shared... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by whimsicalnymph at 1:45 PM on June 30, 2008

If I had $10k to invest short term right now, I'd buy TIPS -- Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. If inflation goes up, their value goes up. It's not a sure thing, but it's a good way to hedge against inflation, which could reduce the buying power of that $10k significantly over the next few years, depending on how bad food and energy prices get. Vanguard also has a low-fee TIPS Fund if that's more your style.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by junkbox at 7:08 PM on June 30, 2008

I must say, I don't really care for this fellow.
Of course, I am a timid woman. And psychologically abnormal. I may even have been abused as a child. I leave it up to some worthier elegante to reel in this catch.

now THAT'S a chicago accent. I can actually hear his bushy cop 'stache.
posted to MetaFilter by maryh at 12:11 AM on June 27, 2008

I have been using Quicken for about ten years (on Windows, but I think my experience is relevant). I heartily discrecommend it. While its basic features are easy to use, Intuit is one vendor you don't want to be locked into.

They have removed the feature to import data automatically from most bank web sites using an openly understood format, and replaced it with a new format that can only be supported through proprietary cooperation with Intuit. I presume this costs... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by grouse at 2:12 AM on June 25, 2008

This is a red herring. If you honestly believed that we need to safely store wastes for as long as they are toxic, you would believe we would need to shut down all of the coal plants in the world immediately as they produce heavy-metal wastes that will be toxic for, at minimum, billions of years.

This is playing fast and loose with the effects each substance's toxicity has. Yucca Mountain and the WIPP are not planning warning monuments that will last... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by mobunited at 6:10 PM on June 13, 2008

The husband and I get away to Galveston with some frequency. We prefer the winter months - hotels are cheaper, it's not as hot, less people. The Greyhound Station is at 38th and Broadway. One of our favorite places to stay, The Commodore, is on 37th and the beach (it is a 17 block walk to the water from the bus station or you can take a cab). It's NOT fancy, but they have free wifi, cable tv, it's quiet, close to things and has a nice pool. It's one of those hotels that's begging for a mid... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by dog food sugar at 7:47 AM on June 15, 2008 marked best answer

Uh huh. While another older, better qualified woman gets tossed to the sidelines. Yep. For the ages, that.
posted to MetaTalk by jokeefe at 5:44 PM on June 3, 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

PC Mag had an old article about this . Some of it may still be relevant.

More recently, Lifehacker had a great post entitled Give an old laptop new life with cheap (or free) projects. In addition to the picture frame idea, they have some others that sound like fun and useful projects.
posted to Ask Metafilter by D Wiz at 9:58 AM on May 30, 2008 marked best answer

Pathetic? Yeah.

Useless? Not at all.

It's not about this particular charge -- that Obama made up shit to look good to veterans/Jews, as I learned last night watching my favorite comedy channel, Fox News, where Charles Krauthammer explained exactly that -- but it's about building, of all things, a narrative. A narrative.

Remember? Gore was a liar and a bore -- they built that narrative over months, not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by matteo at 11:31 AM on May 29, 2008

You're in what engineers sometimes call an over bounded problem. That's when a bolt is too weak for the load it must carry, there is no more money for a better grade bolt, there is no more room for a bigger bolt, and there is no way to relieve the load. Guess what gives (because something, always, has to give)? The bolt. Everytime. So, the whole art and science of mechanical engineering is finding things like overstressed bolts, and unbounding the situations that are overstressing them. An... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by paulsc at 1:56 AM on April 21, 2008

Looks to me like the Clintons paid a lot of tax - $33M, and donated $10M to charity. The Clintons contributed more in payback to the economy, and gave way more in charity than Barack and his wife. I wonder how many 10's of millions Barack will take down if he makes it all the way? Probably a lot more than Bill. I wonder then if all the holier than thou stuff I see on this thread re: the Clintons will still be in play.

If Obama is able to overcome the coming surge by... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by MetaMan at 11:30 PM on April 4, 2008

Last year I started boning up on specific presentation techniques that would allow me to declutter my charts and found a lot of excellent suggestions from the Excel users on the web (google Excel clean, for example) and, in particular, Edward Tufte. Many of the techniques suggested avoiding the "enhanced" features of Powerpoint (3D, gradients) so I won't go on about those since that's not what you asked. I will, however, give you the best advice I found.

Forget... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by urbanwhaleshark at 1:19 PM on March 31, 2008 marked best answer

What a kind thing you're doing!
Howzabout a Complete Package:

1) I like the idea of a wristwatch; engrave your cellphone number on the back of it with the words
"Time To Call Your Godfather!" so he'll always have it in case he needs you.

2) Then give him "The Godfather" on DVD, and watch it with him and discuss it. He'll get a big kick
out of it.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Dizzy at 6:17 AM on March 26, 2008

If you have several loans, start with those having the highest interest rate. Talk to a financial adviser before you start, just to make sure you're doing it in the most prudent way possible.

As someone who agonizes everyday over having to pay back student loans, it disgusts me to think there are people--not you, OP-- who are shameless about feeling no obligation to repay theirs. We signed a contract promising to repay our loans. Have some integrity, people.
posted to Ask Metafilter by HotPatatta at 8:41 PM on March 25, 2008

1974: Bob Fosse does every Michael Jackson move but the moonwalk. (Not knocking Michael Jackson. He never tried to conceal the fact that his dance style was largely influenced by Fosse.)
posted to MetaFilter by Atom Eyes at 2:12 PM on March 25, 2008

I could be wrong, but Keith sounds like he has the emotional maturity of a six year-old without the accompanying charm and potential to grow up someday. That to me screams personality disorder of some sort. He may very well have a physiological problem, as has been suggested. However, it seems to me like he has no core sense of self and that accounts for his maddeningly inconsistent behavior towards you and everyone else. I empathize, believe me.

Here are some... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by TryTheTilapia at 2:19 PM on March 23, 2008

I've built a number of paths like this at my landscaping job. What's going to be most important is having a good 3" of sand underneath the path in order to level the pavers so they don't rock or crack. Sand with also keep soil from moving into your gravel layer and mucking it up. I never used landscaping fabric or weedcloth; it's very hard to lay it perfectly (especially on a curving path), and weeds eventually grow in the gravel on top of the weedcloth or around the edges. It's pretty... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by oneirodynia at 10:00 AM on June 15, 2007 marked best answer

Read all of the posts from the last nine months about carrier planning and entrepreneurship from Marc Andreessen's blog. Twice. He is going to be a charter member of the Internet Startup Hall of Fame.
posted to Ask Metafilter by shothotbot at 12:10 PM on March 16, 2008 marked best answer

Beware that some supplemental maths books assume you are desperate, so offer bare formula with drill. Some attractive supplemental books conveniently skim the topics that are most troublesome.

Hence, I recommend you rummage for a used textbook, that catches your eye. Recent Glencoe mathematics books start every daily section with a page of "When am I ever going to use this?" McDougal Littel books have a continuing problem-based style,... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by gregoreo at 6:51 AM on March 3, 2008