# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=645 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 646 --- ## [Is "chef" a meaningful title anymore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chef-a-meaningful-title-anymore/781116)
**Author:** [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-chef-a-meaningful-title-anymore/781116 "2017-03-03T05:46:10Z")
I seem to recall back in the day that you weren’t allowed to call yourself Chef unless you met certain requirements. I have no idea what those requirements were or if this was an actual thing. Nowadays, it seems like t… --- ## [Billing notices: When does it become harassment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billing-notices-when-does-it-become-harassment/781048)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2017, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billing-notices-when-does-it-become-harassment/781048 "2017-03-03T03:35:48Z")
I just got off the phone with an agency called Metro Express Lanes in Los Angeles; this agency manages the “carpool” lanes on a few freeways; these lanes are essentially toll lanes and drivers must have transponders whic… --- ## [Why does Sirius "blank out" for a few seconds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-sirius-blank-out-for-a-few-seconds/781230)
**Author:** [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-sirius-blank-out-for-a-few-seconds/781230 "2017-03-03T02:08:42Z")
This is more a curiosity about the science of satellite radio, as I only lose my Sirius connection for one or two seconds – but it’s always in the same spot on my way to work. Gremlins? Entering a brief space/time warp? … --- ## [Body fat scale question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-fat-scale-question/124972)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-fat-scale-question/124972 "2017-03-02T19:39:23Z")
I have convinced myself that one of the keys to health is not the BMI, as some nutritionists would have us use, but percentage of body fat. Having said that, do any of you Dopers have any experience with scales or other… --- ## [F\>M transgender HS wrestler forced to wrestle girls & dominates - Would he be competitive vs boys](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-m-transgender-hs-wrestler-forced-to-wrestle-girls-dominates-would-he-be-competitive-vs-boys/780809)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 151\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/f-m-transgender-hs-wrestler-forced-to-wrestle-girls-dominates-would-he-be-competitive-vs-boys/780809 "2017-03-02T18:09:19Z")
An unusual story here \[Meet the Texas wrestler who won a girls’ state title in the 110 lb class. His name is Mack.\](Meet the Texas wrestler who won a girls’ state title. His name is Mack.) Obviously it’s not just about h… --- ## [Plantar Fasciitis night brace-recommendations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plantar-fasciitis-night-brace-recommendations/781192)
**Author:** [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plantar-fasciitis-night-brace-recommendations/781192 "2017-03-02T16:38:49Z")
I’ve been through a couple and it seems I only get a couple of months before the Velcro straps are useless and I’m just not going to go to the trouble to replace the Velcro. Maybe I’m not spending enough, I dunno. Anyone… --- ## [I want to live in a hut](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-live-in-a-hut/780838)
**Author:** [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-live-in-a-hut/780838 "2017-03-02T14:16:40Z")
As the prospect of retirement looms not too many years down the road, I am considering living arrangements in whatever congenial clime Mrs. J. and I wind up in. It’d be a shame if our happy domestic life was altered by … --- ## [Tell me about your experiences with cortisone meds!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-experiences-with-cortisone-meds/781093)
**Author:** [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-experiences-with-cortisone-meds/781093 "2017-03-02T10:34:14Z")
Cortisone (in all it’s forms) can be a wonder drug or a curse. Previously for me (17 yrs ago) it sent me to a psych ward. TODAY it has eased my backpain to the point where I can move again…and that was via eyedrops for… --- ## [Replacing Hot Water Heater. Experiences? Suggestions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-hot-water-heater-experiences-suggestions/780833)
**Author:** [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-hot-water-heater-experiences-suggestions/780833 "2017-03-02T05:46:06Z")
The size is fixed, at 40 gallons and it is natural gas. I expect to be here awhile and I live in a condo where the heater is in a large closet just off the living space, so durability is paramount. I don’t want to come … --- ## [Do I still buy an anniversary card?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-still-buy-an-anniversary-card/781047)
**Author:** [@Yodalicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yodalicious)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-still-buy-an-anniversary-card/781047 "2017-03-02T03:08:11Z")
This April would have been my parent’s 53rd wedding anniversary, but my father passed away last September. My brothers and I will be spending time with Mom that weekend. Do I still buy an anniversary card? It’s a litt… --- ## [Homeowners Insurance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-insurance/781020)
**Author:** [@anomalous1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anomalous1)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeowners-insurance/781020 "2017-03-02T01:13:32Z")
Couple questions, my mother has Allstate homeowners insurance, probably still under her deceased husband’s name, would an insurance company be stupid about this should she have to use it? Also what things do homeowners i… --- ## [Would you let a Doper stay at your house?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-let-a-doper-stay-at-your-house/780781)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-let-a-doper-stay-at-your-house/780781 "2017-03-02T01:09:36Z")
Need answer fast… OK, no, I don’t. I’m not looking for a place to stay, so feel free to answer honestly. Really. I’m good. :smiley: But my question is: Would you let someone you only know from this board, but neve… --- ## [GA Doper homeowners: any insurance co. recommendations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ga-doper-homeowners-any-insurance-co-recommendations/780987)
**Author:** [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2017, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ga-doper-homeowners-any-insurance-co-recommendations/780987 "2017-03-02T00:07:11Z")
A friend is shopping for homeowner’s insurance for a pending purchase in state of GA. Any GA Dopers have good experiences with a company who’s name you’d care to share? Anyone to avoid? --- ## [Just answer the question please!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-answer-the-question-please/781052)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/just-answer-the-question-please/781052 "2017-03-01T23:16:11Z")
I have noticed that both in social media and face to face conversations that the great majority of people will assume a problem exhists that they address while actualy ignoring a very specific question. In most cases the… --- ## [What makes a person a scientist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-person-a-scientist/781046)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-a-person-a-scientist/781046 "2017-03-01T23:14:37Z")
Do you need a degree? Are biologists scientists but doctors not? Engineers aren’t scientists but are chemical engineers scientists? Can you be a chemist and not be a scientist? Are psychologists scientists? Are people wh… --- ## [Explain heart surgery: stent vs bypass](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-heart-surgery-stent-vs-bypass/780665)
**Author:** [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-heart-surgery-stent-vs-bypass/780665 "2017-03-01T23:05:35Z")
My mom is currently in the hospital, had a minor heart attack. According to her doctor, this wasn’t her first. She had an angiogram this morning, discovered “a little” heart disease, she will have a viability test tomorr… --- ## [Domino's delivery charge not taxed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dominos-delivery-charge-not-taxed/781078)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dominos-delivery-charge-not-taxed/781078 "2017-03-01T22:05:41Z")
Domino’s places the following note on the bottom of my online receipt: “Any delivery charge is not a tip to your driver.” Where I live in NJ, the delivery charge is $2.50. The thing is, there is no sales tax applied to… --- ## [No one cares about Pilates + pros/cons of method](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-one-cares-about-pilates-pros-cons-of-method/780922)
**Author:** [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-one-cares-about-pilates-pros-cons-of-method/780922 "2017-03-01T20:57:01Z")
First off, I’m the rare guy who’s done a lot of Pilates. I did it very regularly, one may say intensely, from August 2012 to August 2015, and I did bit last year (2016) when I had “bucks” to spend at Lifetime Fitness. I … --- ## [Trump's designated survivor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-designated-survivor/781034)
**Author:** [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trumps-designated-survivor/781034 "2017-03-01T20:51:25Z")
So the tradition is that during the president’s State of the Union address to Congress, he selects one member of his cabinet to sit safely and securely in a bunker or Starbucks or something. It’s been done since 1981. He… --- ## [If an Atheist's parents are Muslim, is the Atheist also Muslim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-atheists-parents-are-muslim-is-the-atheist-also-muslim/781031)
**Author:** [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-atheists-parents-are-muslim-is-the-atheist-also-muslim/781031 "2017-03-01T20:41:54Z")
Note that we’re not in GQ. Bring to the discussion anything you may find relevant. This isn’t the first time the thought has crossed my mind, but I’ve considered it more and more as anti-Islamic rhetoric and acts increa… --- ## [Auto-Tune: Forgivable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-tune-forgivable/781035)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-tune-forgivable/781035 "2017-03-01T18:52:30Z")
Would you be disappointed to learn that your favorite singer relies heavily on Auto-Tune? --- ## [When did you learn about the Japanese internment?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-learn-about-the-japanese-internment/780429)
**Author:** [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-learn-about-the-japanese-internment/780429 "2017-03-01T17:21:35Z")
Because the 75th anniversary of Executive Order 9066 has just passed…and I’m always surprised by how many people have never heard of it, or only learned about it later in life. --- ## [A hyphen is not a dash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hyphen-is-not-a-dash/780861)
**Author:** [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-hyphen-is-not-a-dash/780861 "2017-03-01T17:19:09Z")
I’m not overly bothered when someone writes Its now the time for the good party and it’s donkeys to come to the aid of there country. Most of my posts would look at least that bad if I didn’t proofread them. But these… --- ## [Saying “How is that relevant?” to dismiss something.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-how-is-that-relevant-to-dismiss-something/781059)
**Author:** [@freebird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freebird)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saying-how-is-that-relevant-to-dismiss-something/781059 "2017-03-01T15:49:27Z")
When we are talking to people, sometimes people say “How is that relevant?” which is fine they are probably trying to know how something is relevant. But I have noticed that people sometimes use that phrase to dismiss th… --- ## [Cleaning hardwood floors - vacuum/sweepers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-hardwood-floors-vacuum-sweepers/631275)
**Author:** [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleaning-hardwood-floors-vacuum-sweepers/631275 "2013-11-30T22:57:39Z")
I finally got rid of the nasty blue carpet in my living and dining rooms, and replaced it with gorgeous hardwood flooring. The difference is spectacular. You can see before and after photos here, if you’re interested. T… --- ## [How should I package collectible banknote for shipping?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-package-collectible-banknote-for-shipping/780982)
**Author:** [@amarone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarone)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-package-collectible-banknote-for-shipping/780982 "2017-03-01T03:50:54Z")
I believe we have some numismatists on the Dope. While clearing out an elderly relatives stuff we came across some silver certificates in pristine condition. They look to be worth $6 or so each, based on eBay auctions.… --- ## [Ladies' hosiery and terminology](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-hosiery-and-terminology/780827)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ladies-hosiery-and-terminology/780827 "2017-03-01T03:40:41Z")
There are several different terms for ladies’ hosiery in general–stockings, pantyhose, tights, etc. I guess those are the main ones. I’ve often seen those words in print in a way that I personally consider misused. I … --- ## [American society: Tougher on parents than other countries?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-society-tougher-on-parents-than-other-countries/781070)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2017, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-society-tougher-on-parents-than-other-countries/781070 "2017-02-28T22:32:28Z")
IMHO, American society is quicker to savage parents, and blast them hard, for any issues pertaining to their children than pretty much any other society in the world. In any YouTube video, Facebook post or online articl… --- ## [Someone explain this Scott Adams blog post about climate change to me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-explain-this-scott-adams-blog-post-about-climate-change-to-me/780936)
**Author:** [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-explain-this-scott-adams-blog-post-about-climate-change-to-me/780936 "2017-02-28T20:58:14Z")
I was going to put this in general questions, but thought it could get opinionated fast. Since Trump’s victory, Scott Adams has moved away from (not really, but really) admiring Trump and towards climate science. In th… --- ## [Law Firm needed on contingency](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-firm-needed-on-contingency/780938)
**Author:** [@Brooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brooky)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/law-firm-needed-on-contingency/780938 "2017-02-28T20:03:15Z")
Wells Fargo suit regarding, illegal foreclosure & 6 other laws they broke with me & my home mortgage & chapter 13~ I’m on disability, & they have 20,000 owed to me. 20,000 is all that is owed on my mortgage. Want to pay… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=644) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=646)