Emily Rugburn

Hello everybody! I want to play online board games/cards with friends overseas. Not interested in playing with strangers. Preference for games like Carcassone (ie, strategy, thinking) rather than mindless stuff like Monopoly. Cheers!

We are moving interstate and after seeing the price of renting a van ($700 AUD plus), wondered if we might be better off to buy a used one and re-sell it after the move. We have only 11 days before the move, so we don't have much time to research our options. Presuming we buy a Toyota Hiace, 10-15 years old, reasonable condition, for an average price for that type of van, private sale, our questions are:

Will it be hard to re-sell (in Melbourne)?

What is the quickest and cheapest way to get the van professionally checked (so we know we're not buying a lemon)?

I'm not trying to stir, I'm actually asking. I take it that farming honey isn't an acceptable vegan food because it involves animal products, and can be considered to be exploiting bees. But I was wondering about all the insects that die when a cane field is burned. Doesn't that make cane sugar as unacceptable as honey?

Talking to the landlord of our apartment block, I just discovered she intends to spend what little spare money she has to tile the floor of the storage room (full of junk like mattresses and bike tires) and pave the area out the back, when no-one uses the area that is already paved anyway. Sounds like a huge waste of money to me, especially looking at our apartment, which has a cockroach infestation, water running behind the tiles in the shower, a stovetop that half works, no security locks on the windows, and cupboards that smell like they're rotting!

I am not usually the most tactful person in these situations. I guess there is probably a nice way of asking her to do something about the apartment, but I am so annoyed that she cares more about the junk room than the state of our apartment that I don't think I will do a very good job of asking politely. Any pointers for approaching this situation, and others like it?

... and similar names/titles, like "Our Lady as the Star of the Sea" or "Our Lady of Sorrows"?

...isn't spit-roasting more like grilling/broiling than roasting? It's not done in a closed oven, and as far as I can see, it's exactly like grilling except that the food is on a spit rather than the bars of a grill.

I used not have any problem seeing my own blood when I got a little cut, but lately it's becoming a problem. Even a tiny scrape and a few drops of blood makes me feel nauseous, dizzy and panicked. How can I stop this before it turns into a full-on phobia?

It was out of the fridge for a few hours after I caught it (on a warm day). Since then it has been in the fridge.

What's the approximate cost of getting braces on your teeth in Australia (top and bottom, including orthodontist fees)?

My application form for an Indian tourist visa wants me to list my occupation. Why do they care? And will it be listed on the visa placed in my passport?

Say I'm writing a novel, or a script for a show that could potentially appear on TV. What are the laws (generally - I know they vary from country to country) about depicting real people, real situations, and directly quoting things that real people (still alive today) have said? I don't intend to be defamatory, but I am being humorous and not exactly kind about the strange things people do.

I have the choice of buying a travel adapter that is earthed or unearthed. They're made by the same company. I know that earthed appliances are more safe, but what's the difference between these two products?

If putting a small/medium sized lock (say, 3cm/1.25 inch) on a locker, is a padlock or a combination lock more secure? Presuming they are the same price.

I'm making cornish pasties. Should I use floury or waxy potatoes?

If you eat a piece of fruit before bed, how does that compare with eating a lolly or two?

Unless you've got the fortune (or misfortune?) of having Gordon Ramsay on hand, how would you know if you have a good palate?

I thought it should be fine to hem my skirt with fabric glue. I applied the absolute minimum amount of glue in small dots, but it soaked through to the right side of the skirt, and dried as very visible dark spots. Shouldn't it be thicker and not soak through and ruin the way the fabric looks? Is this normal or should I return it to the store and try a new one?

A specialty. Something I can't get anywhere else.

...from a polyester skirt?

I once made an ok Moroccan lamb stew, but apart from that... what's up with African food? Everything African I've been served has been inedible! Bland... gristly, greasy, squashy... after 3 tries, should I go back for more? Have you had good African food? Do tell.