living_in_a_bell_jar

My sister and her husband are having a baby, and I want to get them a gift. Here's the thing: They're Jewish. I'm not. Other than the obvious "don't get anything hazardous," is there anything I *shouldn't* get for them or the baby, or, conversely, something special to Jewish culture that I could purchase?

Somebody asked about starting a separate community. So: if I were to start a moderated community on LiveJournal, who would join? Any bashers who happened to get in could promptly be removed via the wonderful power of MODERATION and BANNING.

I just heard someone paying someone else to do their homework . . . I'm in college, so have no idea what class they're talking about and so on . . . but should I do something? Because that's definitely cheating.

I'm an officer for an on-campus GLBTS group, and for awhile, I was dating another officer in the group, "Stacey." While I was with her, I didn't feel like we were in a real relationship at all - if I wanted to go out, I had to ask. She never gave me her phone number, and I felt like I'd be putting her out by visiting her dorm room. When I finally asked after four months if she really wanted to be just friends because that was the vibe I was getting, she said yes - and I breathed a mental sigh of relief. In four months she never once hugged me, kissed me, or even held my hand - and the one time I tried to kiss her, before Christmas break, she pulled away from me. You can probably see why I didn't feel wanted.

Skip ahead to last week. A mutual friend, "Anne," said that Stacey felt very hurt and really was interested in me. Anne is now pushing for Stacey and I to get back together - but I'm not sure I could be happy with someone who's so undemonstrative.

How do I determine if another girl is possibly interested in me? And in a same-sex relationship, who makes the first move? I'm afraid of online dating sites, but I'm also tired of being the only one in my group of friends who's never been in some kind of relationship.

I have a set of heirloom china that I'm trying to date. It was an anniversary gift to my late grandmother, and my mother is pretty sure it's well over 100 years old (according to the stories my grandmother told her, that's a fair estimate). The pieces have a pattern of blue, pink, and yellow flowers intermixed with goldish-brown-colored (but NOT metallic) scrolls, and the edges of the pieces are painted with gold metallic rims. The china's color is slightly off-white, and there is a green-colored logo (manufacturing mark?) on the back/bottom of each piece. It looks a lot like the back of an old wheat-head penny, with the words "TAYLOR SMITH TAYLOR U.S.A." written one beneath the other inside the wheat-heads. "SMITH" is larger than the rest of the writing, but it's all in capitals. Beneath that is the number "2 42 1." I have a scan of one of the sandwich plates, and while it's not fantastic, it does show the pattern. I can email it to anyone who thinks they can place it.

I don't want to wait 2-3 days for PayPal to answer my question so I'm asking here . . .

I'm opening a PayPal account so I can shop online. I read the User Agreement, but I'm confused about the wording in regard to using a PayPal account with a bank account. Can I use my PayPal account in direct conjunction with my bank account (i.e. I make a $5 purchase on eBay using PayPal, and the $5 is deducted from my bank account)?

I don't need to know HOW to do this until after I sign up, I just need to know if it's possible.

Thanks!

Should I put butter and syrup on it, or will it eventually soak through the ceilings and drip on my head?

Also, if it rains, will it get soggy? I've tried Googling this with no luck, although one site suggested putting a card house inside the Waffle House for added support.

Should I put butter and syrup on it, or will it eventually soak through the ceilings and drip on my head?

A fashion-challenged Yahoo!er needs help . . .

Today, I wore a short, pleated skirt to school. It was pretty windy out, so I kept having to hold the skirt down lest I show all a la Marilyn Monroe. One of my friends advised me to buy "spankies" to wear with the skirt so I wouldn't have that problem.

Here's where my problem comes in: I've never heard of spankies! Does anyone know what they are, and where I would get them? If so, please tell me!

Right, so - I'm running for PA state office in a few years, when I get old enough to actually join the legislature (in the meantime, I'm working on local campaigns and things like that, and going to college for Political Science). However, I want to be different from other pols - that's to say, I want to know what people actually think about what's going on. So:

How would you like to improve the government? What do you think are the biggest issues we face today? Why? What do you think would be a possible solution?

Answers from PA are great, but I'll take suggestions from anyone (eventually I hope to work my way up into federal gov't). I'm trying to get the people's opinion here, so please don't try to be "correct." Even if I don't agree with your opinion, I'll still consider it.

Thanks!

Okay, I'm not quite sure how to explain this . . . I'm an almost-18 year old girl, and usually, I'm happy with that - I like wearing skirts and makeup, I enjoy talking to my friends about the "hot" guys we've seen here, there, and everywhere else, and so on - but sometimes, and a lot more frequently lately, I'm NOT happy with that - and have found myself wondering what my life would be like if I were male. I've bought guys' clothes at secondhand stores without telling my parents what I'm wearing (I try to find stuff that looks unisex), and I've even had dreams about being a guy.

Now this is where it gets seriously weird - I've never been able to imagine being a straight guy. On top of that, all the guys I've ever liked have turned out to be VERY gay. I've liked a few girls, and they've all been straight. I joke with my friends about having "reverse gaydar," but I'm starting to seriously wonder. Are there any GBLT'ers out there who can explain this or offer advice?

I'm looking for good reasons here - not "I like so-and-so because he/she's hot." (You can think your favorite is hot, but if you do, give me another reason, too.) So, who's your favorite celebrity, and why?

Yes, I have a Rottweiler who likes to run and jump in circles. She will also sit down and then use her front feet to turn in a circle, creating a "dust bowl" where her rump digs in.

These actions serve no apparent purpose. Therefore, I ask you . . .

WHY?

I've never understood why some rich folks have two toilets in their bathroom. Anybody know?

I'm writing a paper for my American Media class on why Bush should be impeached. Right now I have whitehouse.gov and projectcensored.org open in other windows as sources, and a copy of the Constitution sitting open on my desk, but I'm looking for more sources if I can get them. Does anyone have any good sites for information on the Bush administration, or suggestions on other sources?

Thanks!