# In My Humble Opinion **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=710 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 711 --- ## [Has any doper done the Alcatraz swim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559)
**Author:** [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2016, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-any-doper-done-the-alcatraz-swim/737559 "2016-08-24T03:51:15Z")
Just curious if anybody here has actually done the swim that are occasionally done from Alcatraz or a boat just off shore to the bay. I’m asking because I was watching this TV show (What could possibly go wrong) where a … --- ## [YOUR unOFFICIAL Ryan Lochte phony/not phony Olympic robbery thread!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-unofficial-ryan-lochte-phony-not-phony-olympic-robbery-thread/763153)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2016, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-unofficial-ryan-lochte-phony-not-phony-olympic-robbery-thread/763153 "2016-08-24T00:54:54Z")
Might be the biggest story of the Olympic games by the time you read this: http://www.si.com/olympics/2016/08/18/ryan-lochte-jimmy-feigen-jack-conger-gunnar-bentz-us-swimming-mugging-rio-olympics So many layers: Gold … --- ## [After PayPal, how profitable have Elon Musk's businesses been?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-paypal-how-profitable-have-elon-musks-businesses-been/763269)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/after-paypal-how-profitable-have-elon-musks-businesses-been/763269 "2016-08-23T21:59:22Z")
There’s no question that PayPal was a good idea and has a good profit margin. I’ve had issues finding net income data on Musk’s ventures and the data I’ve found, like the financials of Tesla Motors, don’t look good even … --- ## [What is the actual meaning of factual or fact?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-actual-meaning-of-factual-or-fact/762803)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-actual-meaning-of-factual-or-fact/762803 "2016-08-23T21:19:34Z")
Throughout my mid 20s and early 30s there has been an extremely fine line between what ‘fact’ really means. A definition on Dictionary dot com is “something known to be true.” Isn’t it known to be true that a woman lik… --- ## [Central Europe trip](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/central-europe-trip/763690)
**Author:** [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/central-europe-trip/763690 "2016-08-23T19:42:10Z")
This September/October my wife & I are taking a trip to Central Europe – more specifically, to Vienna, Graz, Ljubljana, Zagreb, Hévíz, Budapest and Bratislava (which were all in the Austrian-Hungarian dual monarchy 100 y… --- ## [Should I go ahead and replace a potentially compromised credit card?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-ahead-and-replace-a-potentially-compromised-credit-card/763555)
**Author:** [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-go-ahead-and-replace-a-potentially-compromised-credit-card/763555 "2016-08-23T15:13:54Z")
I managed to leave my credit card in my car, the full number and my name visible to anyone looking in the window, for several hours this morning. :smack: This was on a residential street and not a busy parking lot or a… --- ## [Random pet(ty) peeve thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-pet-ty-peeve-thread/721708)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 154\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-pet-ty-peeve-thread/721708 "2016-08-23T14:13:45Z")
No peeve is too petty to be your pet. Post early and often. Where I work, by the coffee pot there’s a basket of those little half & half coffee creamer mini-cups with the sealed tops. Someone in the office opens one of … --- ## [Largest racial/religious/etc. group to not have members claiming oppression](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-racial-religious-etc-group-to-not-have-members-claiming-oppression/763694)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-racial-religious-etc-group-to-not-have-members-claiming-oppression/763694 "2016-08-23T00:48:14Z")
Almost every sizable racial/ethnic/religious/etc. group seems to have had a significant number of members who claimed to have been oppressed on the basis of that identity (how much is needed to be “significant” is debata… --- ## [Hiring a nanny for a newborn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiring-a-nanny-for-a-newborn/763523)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiring-a-nanny-for-a-newborn/763523 "2016-08-23T00:24:19Z")
If a couple has a newborn and for various reasons wants help a few hours a day, a few days a week, where do they go to find it? There are a lot of sites for ‘hire a nanny’ but many want you to join, and I have no idea i… --- ## [Suggestions for part of a woodworking project](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-part-of-a-woodworking-project/763665)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suggestions-for-part-of-a-woodworking-project/763665 "2016-08-22T23:39:27Z")
I’m restoring a game table that I found at a church bazaar. Nice piece, French provincial legs, reversible game top for checkers/backgammon. It’s clearly something that falls under the category of old folk art, as it’s c… --- ## [Gawker to shut down next week](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gawker-to-shut-down-next-week/763192)
**Author:** [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gawker-to-shut-down-next-week/763192 "2016-08-22T23:24:50Z")
That’s pretty much it - they’re shutting down following the sale of properties to Univision to pay for the Hulk Hogan case. --- ## [Yikes -- FLEAS!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yikes-fleas/760992)
**Author:** [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yikes-fleas/760992 "2016-08-22T21:53:51Z")
Well, we do have a dog, but we’re pretty sure they came in on our adult daughter, who spent some time in a flea-infested apartment (long and boring story). Anyway, they quickly showed up on the dog, who promptly got a b… --- ## [I just noticed a bald spot on my 18yo son.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-noticed-a-bald-spot-on-my-18yo-son/763350)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-noticed-a-bald-spot-on-my-18yo-son/763350 "2016-08-22T21:23:09Z")
I was walking behind my son who was sitting in a chair when I noticed he had a bald spot the size of a silver dollar pancake on the top of his head. 18 is awful young to have a bald spot. Is this something his doctor ne… --- ## [Would you buy a montage sequence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-montage-sequence/763600)
**Author:** [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-buy-a-montage-sequence/763600 "2016-08-22T20:02:15Z")
So I been working hard the past couple of weekends and I’ve come up with a new business plan and figured out all the kinks and I’m ready to launch it: Magnificent Montages And works just like it does in the movies. You… --- ## [Any strong opinions for or against particular crowdfunding sites?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-strong-opinions-for-or-against-particular-crowdfunding-sites/763628)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-strong-opinions-for-or-against-particular-crowdfunding-sites/763628 "2016-08-22T18:01:34Z")
I’m on the planning committee for a local arts festival. It’s been in existence for several years and is well attended and an incorporated 501c3, but due to a decrease in grants this is the first year they’ve considered … --- ## [Swallowing a small speck of glass, then getting sent home from the emergency. Weird or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowing-a-small-speck-of-glass-then-getting-sent-home-from-the-emergency-weird-or-not/568140)
**Author:** [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swallowing-a-small-speck-of-glass-then-getting-sent-home-from-the-emergency-weird-or-not/568140 "2016-08-22T16:12:30Z")
NOT SEEKING MEDICAL ADVICE BTW One of the weirdest things just happened: I took a friend who had broken his Bodem \[french press\] to the emergency room because he was freaking out that he cracked it and because the crack… --- ## [A "what if" question about Gorbachev and George W.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-what-if-question-about-gorbachev-and-george-w/763446)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-what-if-question-about-gorbachev-and-george-w/763446 "2016-08-22T15:56:08Z")
I was still in the Canadian navy when the Berlin Wall fell and, for the next few years, we all naively thought that we were on the cusp of some fantastic, better world. There were numerous articles and much talk of the … --- ## [Seattle or Portland: Which city should I move to?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seattle-or-portland-which-city-should-i-move-to/648584)
**Author:** [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seattle-or-portland-which-city-should-i-move-to/648584 "2016-08-22T15:11:13Z")
So this is my situation: my wife and I have wanted to move for a long time. We are currently in Chicago. I am drawn to the North Pacific region, specifically to two of its biggest cities, Seattle and Portland. A quick su… --- ## [Windows 10: Should I uninstall my virus program and use Windows Defender?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-should-i-uninstall-my-virus-program-and-use-windows-defender/763516)
**Author:** [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-10-should-i-uninstall-my-virus-program-and-use-windows-defender/763516 "2016-08-22T13:06:25Z")
No idea if this is new in the update, but Windows Defender is now a full virus protection program. This literally could have been true since Windows 7 for all I know, but didn’t realize it until today. I tried to turn i… --- ## [Why keep pregnancy 'secret' for the first trimester?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-pregnancy-secret-for-the-first-trimester/763311)
**Author:** [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 22, 2016, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-keep-pregnancy-secret-for-the-first-trimester/763311 "2016-08-22T01:54:34Z")
Hi all A few months ago my wife had a miscarriage at 11 weeks. (This sad story is mitigated by the fact that she is now pregnant again with a - so far - healthy baby). Not many of those around us ever got to hear about … --- ## [Question for Hawaii Dopers: Aloha Market](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-hawaii-dopers-aloha-market/727965)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2016, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-hawaii-dopers-aloha-market/727965 "2016-08-21T22:33:33Z")
The wife and I are starting to plan our eventual move back to Hawaii more seriously. One idea we’ve been kicking around for something to do is renting space at Aloha Market. At least, we thought we remembered it being ca… --- ## [Do people really change personalities over the course of their lives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-change-personalities-over-the-course-of-their-lives/763196)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [August 21, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-really-change-personalities-over-the-course-of-their-lives/763196 "2016-08-21T17:07:20Z")
Or, if I suspect, barring physical brain injury if you are a basically decent person you’ll stay that way, and vice versa, a jerk will remain a jerk. Does anyone have any examples to the contrary? --- ## [Has this happened to anyone else? (eye infection aftermath)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-happened-to-anyone-else-eye-infection-aftermath/761257)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-this-happened-to-anyone-else-eye-infection-aftermath/761257 "2016-08-20T22:35:56Z")
Earlier this week, my right upper eyelid swelled up enormously and became very painful, and I eventually realized that I had a small abscess several millimeters above the lid margin, on the inside surface. Because it wa… --- ## [Italian translation: skyooneetz](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-translation-skyooneetz/763344)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/italian-translation-skyooneetz/763344 "2016-08-20T21:15:55Z")
My late wife was of Italian heritage, 3 generations removed from the Old Country (Naples, IIRC). She didn’t speak a word of the language, but her vocabulary was peppered with words and phrases she picked up from her fat… --- ## [How important is Creativity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-creativity/763419)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-important-is-creativity/763419 "2016-08-20T21:03:28Z")
I am defining creativity as any kind of problem solving dealing with any kind of problem. How important is this in our personnal development, emotional well being, social standing, attractiveness to the opposite sex, et… --- ## [Uber Driver vs. Unmoving Passenger: what do you think?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-driver-vs-unmoving-passenger-what-do-you-think/763274)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uber-driver-vs-unmoving-passenger-what-do-you-think/763274 "2016-08-20T21:01:02Z")
This happened last month: a lady passenger filmed an Uber driver screaming at her to get out of his car while she sat in his car’s right rear seat and asks many times “where is my destination” and admonishing him for ye… --- ## [Finally, the end of for profit prisons in the USA !](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-the-end-of-for-profit-prisons-in-the-usa/763326)
**Author:** [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-the-end-of-for-profit-prisons-in-the-usa/763326 "2016-08-20T20:45:25Z")
Yesterday, August 18, the Justice Department announced that it will no longer contract with private prisons, which currently hold thousands of federal inmates—a massive policy shift. The decison may have been influenced… --- ## [Heroin overdose epidemic: drug cartels are behind this, aren't they?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-overdose-epidemic-drug-cartels-are-behind-this-arent-they/763390)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heroin-overdose-epidemic-drug-cartels-are-behind-this-arent-they/763390 "2016-08-20T19:42:35Z")
What a better way to stop dead in its tracks any notion of legalizing hard drugs and thus putting the Drug Cartels in Mexico out of business, right? The Cartels have already lost billions from legalized hippie lettuce… --- ## [It's 2016. This isn't a zombie thread. Would you attend a toga party?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-2016-this-isnt-a-zombie-thread-would-you-attend-a-toga-party/761710)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-2016-this-isnt-a-zombie-thread-would-you-attend-a-toga-party/761710 "2016-08-20T18:40:45Z")
In a couple of weeks I’m invited to a toga party for a 50th birthday party. It’s for a casual acquaintance, but it’s within walking distance and … well what the hell? I know him well enough that he would feel a bit sli… --- ## [Throwaway comment in a specialist visit or harbinger of bad news to come?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwaway-comment-in-a-specialist-visit-or-harbinger-of-bad-news-to-come/763137)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/throwaway-comment-in-a-specialist-visit-or-harbinger-of-bad-news-to-come/763137 "2016-08-20T17:36:32Z")
(Medical advice question) Okay, background: kaylasmom was diagnosed with Type II diabetes in 1994. Except for during her 1995-1996 pregnancy, she has attempted to maintain her blood sugars using oral meds. Some have bee… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=709) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/in-my-humble-opinion/14.md?page=711)