concerned neighbor

I need to replace the ignition key on a 1993 Buick Riviera and have no paperwork to refer to. Where is the VIN plate located?

I have a Hercules Tray brain teaser and have lost the solution. Can anyone explain how the pieces fit into the tray?

I can't stand the thought of traveling coach on the 11 hour trip from Los Angeles to London and am thinking of buying a first class seat (round trip) Virgin Atlantic.

Is it most economical to buy the first class ticket a couple of months in advance, or buy a business class ticket, in the hopes of getting a better deal on an upgrade at check-in on the day of travel?

If you have experience of this, I would welcome suggestions.

I can open my account, but the text is all corrupted. I can read the e-mails but there's no reply or send buttons to allow me to respond to e-mails. Friends are having similar issues. What's going on?

Does anyone have any recommendations for freelance writing work available online. I'm aware of Demand Studios and ODesk, are there any other places where writers can find consistent work?

Can someone tell me the approximate journey time from the airport to the Arch, and what the easiest form of transportation are? if it's taxi, how much is that likely to cost?

Can someone please explain in a simple manner how a wave generator model can easily be made to show reflection and refraction of waves and show how groins, jetties, and breakwaters affect these patterns.

Due to the economy, my full-time employment work hours have been reduced. I have started freelance writing for an online company, which I do a couple of hours each evening in my home office. What types of things can I include in my tax deductions for next year? Could I claim new computer, new office furniture, high speed Internet access?

I would like to interview some military aviators from WWII, Vietman, Korea and any other conflicts 40 or more years ago. I am based in Los Angeles, where might I locate veteran aviators? Are there clubs or publications I might try?

Can anyone recommend a specific model of recumbent bike?

I've heard the Schwinn 231 is good.

Additionally, does anyone have a bike that they're not happy with? If, so what are the negatives?

We recently viewed a show home on a new housing development, and they had used a hardwood floor tile approximately, 8"x8", which featured cross cut sections of wood, showing the rings of the tree. It looked beautiful, but we can't find a sililar flooring anywhere.

We asked the builders of the homes, but they would not tell us.

Anyone have any ideas where we can source such a tile?

Our offer on a property was accepted, and due to the seller's hurry to have matters finalised, we paid $400 for the home inspection during the escrow period. Our offer to buy was contingent upon the buyer finding a new home within seven days. Nine days later, we were advised that the sellers had decided not to move.

We are now out of pocket for the cost of the home inspection. Can we reasonably expect the sellers to reimburse us for this?

We are in the state of California.

A friend of mine has recently had a rollercoaster of emotions to deal with - the birth of her first grandchild and the death of her teenage son in a shooting incident.

It's her 50th birthday next week, and I'd like recommendations for either outrageously hilarious books or something inspirational.

She's a career-minded Latina, with a wonderful sense of humor and great love of life, and loves to read.

I live in Southern California and bougainvilla thrives here, but mine is not doing so well.

I planted one in a ceramic container, about a year ago, and am training it up a wire support. It's around 6' high, but is very twiggy and puts on few green leaves. What do appear, soon dry and fall off. It is currently displaying a beautiful riot of color, but when that drops, I'll be back to just a twiggy mass, that does not appear to be putting on much new growth.

I water sparingly, about once a week, and have not fed the plant, at all.

It gets plenty of heat and sunlight, too.

I drive along and see neglected plants in varying locations that seem to be thriving like crazy.

Would mine be better planted in the ground as opposed to a container?

Any advice.

We have recently been looking for a newly built home in the Los Angeles area. When we've visited new developments, and asked questions about home owner's association fees and other costs, the sales people have muttered something under their breaths about an annual fee that must be paid to the builder for the lifetime of the property. When questioned further, they couldn't be specific.

Is this fee, of which they speak, different to the Mello-Roos fees that some new developments charge?

There are so many different fees and charges, we want to be clear on what they all mean, before entering into any contractual agreement, and finding ourselves with monthly payments we had not bargained for.

California's passage in 2006 of Proposition 83, more commonly known as Jessica's Law, banned registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park.

Does this apply to communal areas, such as swimming pools, in condos with Homeowners' Associations?

I ask, since reviewing the Sex Offender Registry has highlighted a convicted rapist living within plain sight of one of the pools in our condos.

Specific answers only please. I don't want this question to turn into everyone's rants and raves or otherwise.

My fiance and I reside in the state of California and will be married in July.

We agreed that we would get a pre-nuptual agreement prior to our marriage, and my fiance consulted an attorney who drew up the agreement.

The attorney now tells us that, by law, I must retain another attorney to review the agreement on my behalf.

Is this true, and what section of the CA Civil Code states that both parties must retain separate attorneys.

I saw a Wii game ad on television that showed tennis, boxing and other activities. Which game is that, and what other games do you recommend.

Has anyone signed up for their staging course, completed it, and been offered work with them?

I'm worried that it's like a lot of those work from home scams, where you complete the project and then haven't done well enough to get hired.

Please be specific with your comments.

We are hiring the banquet room at a hotel chain in California, for an event for seniors and disabled persons. We requested a set of steps with handrails to access the stage area. The hotel advises that the only steps they have do not have handrails.

Is this covered under the ADA and shouldn't they be required to provide steps with a handrail?

If anyone can assist with specific code that would be very helpful.