# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1871 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1872 --- ## ["I'm new here" A great idea for this store and new employees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-new-here-a-great-idea-for-this-store-and-new-employees/555828)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2010, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-new-here-a-great-idea-for-this-store-and-new-employees/555828 "2010-10-06T02:19:26Z")
I went to the grocery store tonight after a very long ten hour day at work. I didn’t remember that the 1st day of the month is a bad day to go to the store. It is also payday Friday, so that added to the large number of … --- ## [How would you answer this question if your boss asks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-answer-this-question-if-your-boss-asks/556034)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-answer-this-question-if-your-boss-asks/556034 "2010-10-05T23:41:52Z")
Inspired by the thread, Ok, has anyone here actually “Spoke Truth to Power”? Once, after a conversation with my boss about what I saw as some unpleasant truths about our employer, she said. “You’re on of those people wh… --- ## [Recommend a Wood-Burning Stove](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-wood-burning-stove/556174)
**Author:** [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-wood-burning-stove/556174 "2010-10-05T23:41:09Z")
Here’s the issue: my dad has a cottage in the wilds of Northern Quebec - actually, he owns it together with his sisters. It is far, far off the grid, so no electricity etc. (it is on an island on lake Kippawa). This cot… --- ## [What's a good screen recorder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-screen-recorder/556102)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-good-screen-recorder/556102 "2010-10-05T23:22:22Z")
I’m looking for a good (and preferably free) program to record both what’s on my computer screen and the accompanying audio. What’s your favorite one? --- ## [Rise in the use of "it is what it is"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119)
**Author:** [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rise-in-the-use-of-it-is-what-it-is/556119 "2010-10-05T21:55:52Z")
Is it just me, or is the use of the phrase “it is what it is” on the upswing? I find myself using it - as in “no use complaining, let’s figure out how to move on.” But I feel like I am hearing it more in conversations … --- ## [A child support question, wondering my options. (not legal advice)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-child-support-question-wondering-my-options-not-legal-advice/556060)
**Author:** [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-child-support-question-wondering-my-options-not-legal-advice/556060 "2010-10-05T20:44:27Z")
I have 2 kids with my first wife. One of them lives with me, in Pennsylvania, and the other lives with her in California. I have been paying child support from the moment I moved out, and have never missed a payment. … --- ## [Opinions on Wheelock's Latin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-wheelocks-latin/556051)
**Author:** [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-on-wheelocks-latin/556051 "2010-10-05T20:11:11Z")
I’m taking Latin 101 to meet the third language requirements for my M.A. I’m thrilled, been waiting FOREVER to do it, but it never meshed with my undergraduate schedule. For the most part, Wheelock’s Latin is a really g… --- ## [Is it illegal to touch a mail carrier's cart?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-touch-a-mail-carriers-cart/556082)
**Author:** [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-illegal-to-touch-a-mail-carriers-cart/556082 "2010-10-05T20:10:51Z")
Today before work I needed to pick up something from a storage unit and I did not have all day to do that. This storage unit has only one elevator and no stairs. A mail carrier was using her mail cart to hold the eleva… --- ## [I'm thinking of dabbling in software development](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-dabbling-in-software-development/555988)
**Author:** [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-dabbling-in-software-development/555988 "2010-10-05T19:36:32Z")
… and since I’ll never get paid for it as a full time job, of course I’m going to (pretend) to be a games developer. :smiley: I’ve somehow gotten it into my head that programming a game would be a nice hobby. And if I c… --- ## [A small ethical dilema](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-small-ethical-dilema/555750)
**Author:** [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-small-ethical-dilema/555750 "2010-10-05T19:12:51Z")
O.K., I’ve gone back to school to add a nursing degree to my resume. I got a scholarship that is paying tuition for this year, but this year only. I have also been accepted into the WIA (Workforce Investment Act) progr… --- ## [Pacifist's boyfriend kills someone in self-defense. Is breaking up a reasonable response?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacifists-boyfriend-kills-someone-in-self-defense-is-breaking-up-a-reasonable-response/555913)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pacifists-boyfriend-kills-someone-in-self-defense-is-breaking-up-a-reasonable-response/555913 "2010-10-05T18:34:46Z")
Another Rhymer hypothetical, obviously. Here’s the sitch: Today’s story stars Robert and Avery and is set, oh, sometime in the last decade, during the height of opposition to the Iraq War. Both Robert & Avery are very a… --- ## [Any reason I should keep my Capital One account?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-i-should-keep-my-capital-one-account/556113)
**Author:** [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-reason-i-should-keep-my-capital-one-account/556113 "2010-10-05T18:30:38Z")
I am a longtime member of Chevy Chase Bank, and I enjoyed their service for quite a while, until they hit me with $650 in NSF fees for a simple mistake (they refunded about $300 after an angry letter to their CEO). Chev… --- ## [What to do in Costa Rica?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-costa-rica/552142)
**Author:** [@cblackhand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cblackhand)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-in-costa-rica/552142 "2010-10-05T18:25:36Z")
In a couple weeks my family will be traveling to Costa Rica for a week. We will be flying into San Jose then driving to Arenal and then to Guanacasta (Jaco to be precise) So what should we see and do in those areas? We… --- ## [What should we do in and around Salt Lake City?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-in-and-around-salt-lake-city/529382)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-should-we-do-in-and-around-salt-lake-city/529382 "2010-10-05T17:14:09Z")
This seems to not have posted before, so I apologize if I accidentally doubled. I’m getting dragged to my dad’s ship reunion in SLC sometime this fall. I’ve been tasked to find us stuff to do there besides memorialize … --- ## [Have you ever accidentally used the wrong bathroom?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-accidentally-used-the-wrong-bathroom/555819)
**Author:** [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-accidentally-used-the-wrong-bathroom/555819 "2010-10-05T16:41:16Z")
Last week I was on vacation in Paris, and I spent much of a day at the Louvre. Anyway, I had to use the bathroom while I was there, so I wandered into a bathroom and entered a stall. After a few minutes, I noticed that… --- ## [Death and Credit Card Debt](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-credit-card-debt/555606)
**Author:** [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/death-and-credit-card-debt/555606 "2010-10-05T16:04:59Z")
A friend’s husband just died leaving some credit card debt behind. These were his cards alone, his wife’s name was not on them. The lawyer handling the will told her that the debts would be discharged and she was not r… --- ## [Things your parents did or said to you that really stuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-parents-did-or-said-to-you-that-really-stuck/554605)
**Author:** [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-your-parents-did-or-said-to-you-that-really-stuck/554605 "2010-10-05T15:43:59Z")
What do you remember your parents saying or doing or teaching you that shapes you even now? Some thing you do or thing you think? Maybe it sticks out in your mind even though they wouldn’t remember, or maybe they worked … --- ## [Recommendations for child-proofing software](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-child-proofing-software/555837)
**Author:** [@Zakalwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zakalwe)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-child-proofing-software/555837 "2010-10-05T13:46:34Z")
So, I just got my wife a new laptop which means her old one is now the kid’s laptop (4 and 3 respectively). I want to strip it down to the basics and lock it down so that they can’t inadvertently wander off the little fl… --- ## [Sister with newborn baby is getting divorced--shoud she put jerk father's name on the birth cert?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sister-with-newborn-baby-is-getting-divorced-shoud-she-put-jerk-fathers-name-on-the-birth-cert/555772)
**Author:** [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sister-with-newborn-baby-is-getting-divorced-shoud-she-put-jerk-fathers-name-on-the-birth-cert/555772 "2010-10-05T13:28:16Z")
So, my sister married a guy who turned out to be a huge asshole, and she was pregnant before she realized the extent of his nastiness. She just had the baby, and isn’t sure whether to put his name on the birth certificat… --- ## [Trade Places with Chris Rock?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624)
**Author:** [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trade-places-with-chris-rock/555624 "2010-10-05T12:18:52Z")
On a recent podcast with Adam Carolla, Ken Burns made the statement that he does not think any white people would be willing to trade places with Chris Rock because he is black. Rock is a comedian and hyperbole is part o… --- ## [A mother is dying. Who will get the kids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mother-is-dying-who-will-get-the-kids/555954)
**Author:** [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mother-is-dying-who-will-get-the-kids/555954 "2010-10-05T10:31:33Z")
My next door neighbor was diagnosed with breast cancer Thanksgiving of last year. She’s been fighting a helluva battle, but we were just told today that the cancer has metastasized to her brain and she will likely be go… --- ## [Advice Needed From Business Owners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-business-owners/555758)
**Author:** [@2Thankful](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Thankful)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advice-needed-from-business-owners/555758 "2010-10-05T08:27:37Z")
Hello, I am hoping some of you can please offer me some advice. Our family owns 48, 3 compartment bulk candy/gum machines. We’ve been in the business now for about 10 years. We have seen the good, the bad and the ugl… --- ## [traditional college students-not so traditional after all...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-college-students-not-so-traditional-after-all/555688)
**Author:** [@BayouHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BayouHazard)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traditional-college-students-not-so-traditional-after-all/555688 "2010-10-05T08:12:54Z")
Admittedly, this is an old article, but it’s new to me…and as a chronic, older, part-time student, I was really surprised to find that being a chronic, older, part-time student. From the article: So apparently the ma… --- ## [Men's Fragrances (For Both Genders)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-fragrances-for-both-genders/555626)
**Author:** [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-fragrances-for-both-genders/555626 "2010-10-05T06:10:10Z")
I would like to poll y’all and ask if you prefer smelling a scent on your male partner? For my “scent du jour” I use Joop, which my friend Peter in Germany sends me. I also use Royal Gopenhagen, Lagerfeld, English Leat… --- ## [How does one go about finding a psychiatrist/psychologist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-finding-a-psychiatrist-psychologist/556030)
**Author:** [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-go-about-finding-a-psychiatrist-psychologist/556030 "2010-10-05T05:32:47Z")
Corrolary to this thread. My wife thinks I’m depressed and that it would do me well to visit a psychologist/psychiatrist. So I’ve looked up the provider list offered by my health plan, and started calling people. But, … --- ## [What Do I Need to Know About FHA Mortgages?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fha-mortgages/555941)
**Author:** [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fha-mortgages/555941 "2010-10-05T05:00:37Z")
My husband and I are in the process of buying our first house. We have been qualified for an FHA mortgage with seemingly great terms: 4.75% fixed for 30 years and little money required as a down payment. The down payment… --- ## [Brazil: Is The Dream For Real Now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brazil-is-the-dream-for-real-now/555720)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brazil-is-the-dream-for-real-now/555720 "2010-10-05T01:56:58Z")
Brazil is a country that has always had great promise-it is physically huge, with fertile land, and enormous resources. Until recently, it had a huge problem with energy-but now it has discovered vast offshore oil deposi… --- ## [What are the good times of year to visit Japan?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-good-times-of-year-to-visit-japan/556038)
**Author:** [@E.Thorp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E.Thorp)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-good-times-of-year-to-visit-japan/556038 "2010-10-05T00:52:25Z")
Sometime in the next couple of years, I would like to make my first visit to Japan, as a tourist and/or language student. I think I’d go for a couple of weeks or (if I can swing it) a month. In your opinion, what are th… --- ## [Wedding Gift Ideas (for Bridesmaids) and Thank You Note Writing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-gift-ideas-for-bridesmaids-and-thank-you-note-writing/117295)
**Author:** [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2010, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wedding-gift-ideas-for-bridesmaids-and-thank-you-note-writing/117295 "2010-10-04T23:21:14Z")
Well, just like the title says, I’m looking for some gift ideas for my bridesmaids, as well as some tips on writing thank you notes for my wedding this August. I have two bridesmaids, we’re having a very small, only mar… --- ## [Roto Rooter "shock" treatment: $45/Gallon- cheaper alternatives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roto-rooter-shock-treatment-45-gallon-cheaper-alternatives/556022)
**Author:** [@Bootis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootis)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roto-rooter-shock-treatment-45-gallon-cheaper-alternatives/556022 "2010-10-04T21:54:05Z")
I just had to have my sewage line snaked by Roto-Rooter, the people that lived here before me apparently dumped a lot of grease down the drain over the years. He strongly recommended I flush a “shock” treatment down the… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1870) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=1872)