SuperN

I have blackened the bottom of my enameled cast dutch oven. Noodles stuck and burned there. So far I have soaked, and then scrubbed with a nylon brush, repeat. Except I've repeated about eight thousand times, and can't get it all off. I know it's stuck-on stuff vs. staining because wherever I HAVE managed to scrub some off, it's white. I just can't get it all, and I don't know what else to do. Abrasives, steel wool, etc. are obviously out of the question. Ideas?

I'm getting ready to order some chicks for my back yard coop. I have a caged run area (with top) of 6x10 ft, and a raised (insulated) coop with nesting boxes 6x4x5-ish. I'm getting Buff Orpingtons, which are a larger breed chicken. They will eventually provide eggs for my family of 5, the overflow easily donated to friends, family members, neighbors, food bank, etc.

My question is, how many do I get? I don't want to be shorted on eggs, but then again I'd rather not be drowning in them! Any other suggestions for my first Urban Chicken experience? They will be kept inside until larger and feathered enough to handle our Iowa winter.

I homeschool, and must file a form with the local district office every year for each of my children. One box is designated for listing a supervising teacher and his/her information. The form instructions for this box say:

"if item 6 is left blank, and the child is between the ages of 7 and 15, inclusive, during the current school year, the child is subject to the baseline testing/annual assessment requirement."

What does the word "inclusive" mean in this sentence? My youngest child is now 6, and I was told I wouldn't have to hire a supervising teacher for her until next year, when she will be 7 at the start of the school year. But she will *turn* 7 before this school year is over, and I'm confused about whether I should be having her tested, hiring a teacher, or waiting until next year.

When we were shopping for a new ferret, I chatted a lot with the attendant at the pet store about his ferrets, common behaviors, etc. When I mentioned biting and nipping, he told me, "It's really easy to break them. You just push your finger in the back of their mouth, and they don't like that. I have most of them broken of it by the time they're sold here."

Does this hurt the ferret at all? Is this a common way to deal with nipping, as in, does every ferret owner do this? I've never cared if a ferret nipped during play - my cats do it all the time too, and I figure as long as it doesn't hurt or draw blood or anything, it's fine with me. I guess I'm more upset at the idea that the pet store attendant thought it was his place to do this. How a person chooses to discipline their pet is sort of a personal choice isn't it?

Should I call someone about this, or is it not a big deal? Would it even matter if I called?

We just got a new 4 month old ferret, and she is WILD most of the time. Our other ferret came from the shelter and was marked "older" on the age info -as in, they had no idea how old she was, and that was a year ago. She's pretty mellow and sleeps a lot but is very sweet. The kit wants very badly to play with the older ferret, but the older seems so annoyed by her. She just walks around trying to get away while the crazy little monster attacks and bites at her ears, chortling all the time. The older ferret doesn't seem to be hurt at all in this playing, but she's obviously not amused. She has shown no signs of aggression other than some occasional low hissing. (the kit hisses almost constantly while playing with people) They do sleep together and seem to get along fine otherwise.

Are there any precautions I should be taking here? Is it possible for one of them to hurt the other, either through playing or aggressively trying to *stop* the playing? I have no experience with kits, as all our other ferrets have come from the shelter as adults.

.. as compared to water?

This was a question that came up in a discussion about moviemaking and research.

Is blood by itself more or less dense than water? Would a human body be more likely to float or sink in water if devoid of blood? Are there other factors to consider, like the size of the body (so higher muscle mass and larger bones), or a higher percentage of body fat?

A covenant, by definition, is a firm and solid promise. In the bible, the word "covenant" is used to describe God's promise to Abraham regarding his descendants; and later in the sacrifice of Jesus as a promise to all people for forgiveness of sin. But why are the commandments also considered a covenant?

It would make sense if it were something God or the people had promised, but really it was a lists of God's demands on His people. Agreeing to those demands isn't the same thing as making that promise for yourself, is it? Even if it is, promising to follow God's Law on the pretext of, "Do this or burn in Hell," sounds like a promise made under duress.

Joking aside, is there a reason the commandments are considered a covenant? Is there an issue in translation I'm missing here? Thanks in advance for serious, thoughful answers.

Do you believe in spirits/ghosts? Demonic possession? Psychic ability? Do you think believing in these things is akin to believing in God, or is it different somehow? Can things like this be approached from a scientific standpoint, as in energy movement, visual perception or brain function? Or is it all hocus pocus to you?

Does it have to be given to them by a monk? Do they just pick their own? Is it based on personality or something?

How does someone go about getting a Buddhist name?

Why do some churches insist homosexuality is wrong because the bible says so, yet ignore the part in the same section (Leviticus) about how eating shrimp is an "abomination"? Why tithe because God demands it, but not offer burnt sacrifices? Why lecture and rant about sin, without going all the way and stoning people to death?

Looking for serious, thoughtful answers here as I'm honestly not trying to be sarcastic. Why are some of God's laws ruthlessly followed while others are dismissed as outdated or irrelevant in current times?

I am considering getting a doberman, and while I'd rather go through the shelter to find one, I'd really like to have one that has not had its ears and tail cropped. I think the only way I'm going to find one this way is to get one from a breeder. I will still request that the dog has shots/papers. My questions are:

Are there any reasons a breeder may insist on cropping and refuse my request? How long in advance do I need to "preorder" a dog in order to avoid cropping? Do special requests like this alter the price? How willing will a breeder be to take special orders like this? Anything else I need to know?

My cousin had a horrible pregancy complication that required early delivery, and has kept her in the hospital for months. She's had two liver transplants and now faces months and months of physical therapy. Fortunately, there has been no brain damage, but she has a very long and wearisome recovery ahead of her.

Her mother is reading devotionals to her, to help comfort her and help her deal with the difficulties she is currently facing. I'm not a religious person, so I'm unfamiliar with devotions and am not entirely sure what they are, but I'd like to do a needlepoint pillow or framed picture with something short and inspiring to help give her strength and courage while she recovers over the next several months. Obviously, I won't be doing anything really long, because of the time it will take and the space allowed. I suppose a short inspirational bible verse would work too.

Any suggestions?

A spinoff of this question:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AuP3h...

If God has a Master Plan, and humans have free will in whether to follow it, is God then always revising His plan? If God has a plan for each individual person, do the actions of that person alter the course significantly, or is the Plan vague enough to leave room for free will?

Do hamsters gray with age? Our Dusty used to be a brown hamster, but lately is turning gray, mostly around her ears and neck. She's only about a year and a half old, that's not really "old" for a hamster is it?

A friend just gave me a bag of popcorn that he got from a friend of his at the grain elevator. This guy hauls truckloads of popcorn to various factories around the country. My friend told me I could pop this stuff, or plant it.

Does that mean I could plan any popcorn from the store? (Probably not the microwave stuff, but the regular popcorn-popper stuff.)

Are we making up for the extra .25 days of orbit over the last four years and getting back on schedule again, or are we planning ahead - being ahead of schedule to ofset the NEXT four years?

Opinions on what type of nose ring is good for different shaped noses? Maybe a website with suggestions? Rings/ studs/ pins... and which looks best on those with small/ big/ pointy/ thin/ noses?

I'm agnostic (on a good day), and my parents are Christian. I support them in their faith, even though I don't agree. They're big readers, and I'd love to get them some books about Christianity, biblical interpretations for modern times, spiritually inspiring, etc. My mother is very liberal in her beliefs, while my father is pretty conservative.

Any ideas? Any great books you've read lately that might be a good pick?

Or the other way around?

I'm in Iowa. Tonight I got a campaign call (gotta love those!) about Obama, and the lady asked if I would be attending his speech this evening. I told her we were Libertarians. "Oh," she said, "Will you be attending the caucus tomorrow?" Iowa caucuses are for Democratic and Republican candidates, and I told her so. You can't even attend the caucuses unless you're registered as one or the other. She was surprised at this knowledge, even insisted it "couldn't legally be that exclusive." Before November, you couldn't even officially register as Libertarian in Iowa, and the new forms aren't even available yet. This was all news to the campaign caller, who kept insisting that wasn't legal.

Can any Joe Shmoe Idiot sign up to work in a candidate's campaign? Don't they have to have some knowledge details like what other candidates will be there, and what party they represent? Are there any requirements at all?