# Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=787 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 788 --- ## [You wanna buy a duck?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-wanna-buy-a-duck/705718)
**Author:** [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [December 5, 2014, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-wanna-buy-a-duck/705718 "2014-12-05T00:58:13Z")
I need to know the origin of this phrase, and please let’s not get into the mystique of Joe Penner–it’s not his line. It’s not. OK? The query is ancient and deeply rooted in long-forgotten societies. While I was perus… --- ## [How many of your coworkers have died?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-coworkers-have-died/705356)
**Author:** [@ArztWolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArztWolf)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-of-your-coworkers-have-died/705356 "2014-12-04T23:57:36Z")
I have worked for the same company for 6 years now and here is the tally: A lady in another department from cancer, her son worked in mine. 2010 An older (70+) man from liver cancer. 2012 A manager (30s) from cancer. … --- ## [What people are thankful for in every state](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-people-are-thankful-for-in-every-state/705856)
**Author:** [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-people-are-thankful-for-in-every-state/705856 "2014-12-04T22:54:15Z")
I’m a little shocked people in NJ did not respond with good pizza but the living near the beach is far a better answer than country music, salvation or yoga. If I lived in Hawaii I would have gone with living in Hawaii… --- ## [It blows my mind that humankind went from Sputnik to Apollo 11 in 12 years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-blows-my-mind-that-humankind-went-from-sputnik-to-apollo-11-in-12-years/705937)
**Author:** [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-blows-my-mind-that-humankind-went-from-sputnik-to-apollo-11-in-12-years/705937 "2014-12-04T22:42:17Z")
Seems about comparable to going from Kitty Hawk to the Concorde that fast. If there really are thousands or millions of other advanced civilizations out there across the universe, I really have to wonder if any of them … --- ## [Oh Fu! China bans puns?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-fu-china-bans-puns/706202)
**Author:** [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-fu-china-bans-puns/706202 "2014-12-04T22:28:17Z")
Hot off the Daily Show presses. --- ## [Christmas alone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-alone/706246)
**Author:** [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-alone/706246 "2014-12-04T20:56:41Z")
So I’m going to be by myself for Christmas for the first time in…I think ever. My Ex has our son that day, so I won’t be spending it with him. I don’t have anything lined up with friends (and post-divorce I have few fri… --- ## [No Severance pay for Officer Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-severance-pay-for-officer-wilson/706002)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-severance-pay-for-officer-wilson/706002 "2014-12-04T20:25:52Z")
That’ll teach the guy a lesson for killing one of Ferguson’s upstanding citizens. :stuck\_out\_tongue: Oh wait, by law they have to pay him any overtime and vacation hours on the books. COBRA benefits are automatic. He’s… --- ## [What is the predicted life expectancy for someone in this situation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predicted-life-expectancy-for-someone-in-this-situation/706172)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-predicted-life-expectancy-for-someone-in-this-situation/706172 "2014-12-04T00:50:28Z")
I will list the positive and negative attributes this person has (healthwise) which should add to or subtract life expectancy. This person is a white female and 66 years old Pros: \[ol\] \[li\]White\[/li\]\[li\]Female\[/li\]\[li… --- ## [It's war, I tells ya, war](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722)
**Author:** [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-war-i-tells-ya-war/705722 "2014-12-03T21:07:18Z")
I was rummaging around in my wreck room, looking for the fake grass mat I use with my dollhouses. Found it, tipped the tube to get the mat out, and ended up with a large pile of sunflower seeds, white and brown rice.:ee… --- ## [12 years clean & sober today](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-clean-sober-today/706007)
**Author:** [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-years-clean-sober-today/706007 "2014-12-03T20:35:47Z")
I wanted to kick myself this morning for almost completely forgetting it! But at any rate, just thought I’d share that today - November 30th, 2014 - marks 12 whole years since I’ve had a drink, a smoke, a toke, a snort o… --- ## [Trader Joe's (response to the Whole Foods thread)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes-response-to-the-whole-foods-thread/706051)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trader-joes-response-to-the-whole-foods-thread/706051 "2014-12-03T20:22:18Z")
I think they’re overrated, but maybe that’s just my own personal experience. The stores I’ve been in had very limited selection. Anyone else? --- ## [Hilarious - Surviving Whole Foods](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hilarious-surviving-whole-foods/705820)
**Author:** [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hilarious-surviving-whole-foods/705820 "2014-12-03T19:48:38Z")
I realize this blog is over a year old but as we have a Whole Foods store opening up down the street and I hadn’t heard of them, I decided to google them. That’s when I stumbled on this blog on the Huffington Post…Hilar… --- ## [Heeey, that skin tag tie off really works! (TMI ensues)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeey-that-skin-tag-tie-off-really-works-tmi-ensues/705947)
**Author:** [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/heeey-that-skin-tag-tie-off-really-works-tmi-ensues/705947 "2014-12-03T15:51:31Z")
I had a real honker on my leg. Diameter of a dime and starting to get in the way and getting caught on stuff. Ew. I tied it off with floss and whattayaknow? It turned purple (days 1-3), then black (days 4-5), then became… --- ## [Giant Goat Erection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-goat-erection/675346)
**Author:** [@MetroGnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetroGnome)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giant-goat-erection/675346 "2014-12-03T05:04:26Z")
The Gavle Goat is up! From the Wiki: Anyone want to place bets on when/if the arsonist will succeed this year? I don’t really celebrate the holidays in any way, but watching the Gavle Goat has become a favorite winte… --- ## [OkCupid: I signed up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okcupid-i-signed-up/682106)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okcupid-i-signed-up/682106 "2014-12-03T04:33:44Z")
I’m going to relate my stories of OkCupid here. I signed up an hour ago – hey what the hell – and am starting to get some hits. I’m a 51 year old white guy. Why is a 30 year old black woman in Washington DC messaging … --- ## [yay, I'm happy about this \[SAS vs. ISIS\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-im-happy-about-this-sas-vs-isis/705407)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yay-im-happy-about-this-sas-vs-isis/705407 "2014-12-03T04:16:11Z")
SAS squads are killing tons of ISIS soldiers. They use drones to spot them, then helicopter in teams on 4 wheelers to kill them with sniper rifles at night (probably using night or thermal vision). They are killing hun… --- ## [... and nobody know why - a myth-ful thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-nobody-know-why-a-myth-ful-thread/705663)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-nobody-know-why-a-myth-ful-thread/705663 "2014-12-03T02:16:44Z")
This morning, my sister posted on FB that the half-moon under your fingernail is an air pocket, and nobody knows why. :confused: Just like a duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and nobody knows why. :rolleyes: Yep, despite hav… --- ## [Important UK Government e-petition - let's make a difference this Christmas, folks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-uk-government-e-petition-lets-make-a-difference-this-christmas-folks/706108)
**Author:** [@Malden\_Capell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malden_Capell)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2014, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-uk-government-e-petition-lets-make-a-difference-this-christmas-folks/706108 "2014-12-03T01:49:31Z")
Linky “Make wrongly describing a casserole with a pastry lid as a pie a criminal offence.” I can get behind this :slight\_smile: --- ## [Exercises in futility, home repair edition.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exercises-in-futility-home-repair-edition/704477)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exercises-in-futility-home-repair-edition/704477 "2014-12-02T21:30:55Z")
The other day, the big fluorescent light in our garage stopped working. So, being the problem solver that I am, I started looking for the cause. First things first: had a breaker popped? No. Since it’s a fixture with t… --- ## [Great Royal Scandals: Lady Frances Howard and the Sulfuric Acid Enema of Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010)
**Author:** [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010 "2014-12-02T18:29:55Z")
Just read about a Stewart Scandal I had not heard of before - namely, the various trials of the Lady Frances Howard, Countess of Somerset. This one has it all: exposed genitals, Satanism, poisioning, sex both straight a… --- ## [New family member!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-family-member/706042)
**Author:** [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-family-member/706042 "2014-12-02T16:35:09Z")
Meet Rocco, the newest member of our family. Rocco was hatched in April of 2009. His sex is not known, but “Rocco” sure sounds like a male, and there is no history of egg laying, so we assume. Rocco’s favorite foods ar… --- ## [Only one at church not invited to a birthday party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-at-church-not-invited-to-a-birthday-party/706128)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/only-one-at-church-not-invited-to-a-birthday-party/706128 "2014-12-02T16:09:16Z")
I am so upset, I am never invited to birthday parties or weddings of people at my church and I am the only one not invited. Once again a girl at my church had a birthday party at a restaurant last night and invited every… --- ## [Canadian woman, Jewish, former Israeli soldier: captured by ISIS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-woman-jewish-former-israeli-soldier-captured-by-isis/705965)
**Author:** [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-woman-jewish-former-israeli-soldier-captured-by-isis/705965 "2014-12-02T15:30:37Z")
Although I admired her courage and conviction, when I heard that Gill Rosenberg had gone off to join Kurdish forces fighting ISIS, I thought she might be getting into something . . . that would end badly. Alas, multiple … --- ## [Link discovered between children being nearsighted & not getting enough sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-discovered-between-children-being-nearsighted-not-getting-enough-sunshine/706052)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/link-discovered-between-children-being-nearsighted-not-getting-enough-sunshine/706052 "2014-12-02T13:43:23Z")
Interesting new relationship. Eyes on the sun: Child sunshine exposure and eye development --- ## [Most embarrassing thing your parents have ever done to you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarrassing-thing-your-parents-have-ever-done-to-you/30475)
**Author:** [@fierra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fierra)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2001, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-embarrassing-thing-your-parents-have-ever-done-to-you/30475 "2001-02-14T04:30:59Z")
In honour of my off topic post in this thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=679118#post679118 what is your most embarrassing memory of time with your parents? For those of you with children… --- ## [Fitness update: Kettlebells and Yoga](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fitness-update-kettlebells-and-yoga/705996)
**Author:** [@Quasimodal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodal)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fitness-update-kettlebells-and-yoga/705996 "2014-12-02T07:11:26Z")
I’m trying more and more to get into a “functional / minimalistic” fitness plan. All the exercise activities I do must be simple, and have a minimal amount of equipment. Ideally all I want to use is my body. So hence I h… --- ## [Back from our cruise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-from-our-cruise/705988)
**Author:** [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-from-our-cruise/705988 "2014-12-02T02:53:57Z")
Library1900 and I are back home in the wilds of PA after spending 5 days cruising around the Caribbean. We sailed on the Carnival Victory, a behemoth of a boat, and had a pretty good time. The weather was mostly wonderfu… --- ## [First day back at work](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-day-back-at-work/706034)
**Author:** [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [December 2, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/first-day-back-at-work/706034 "2014-12-02T02:11:34Z")
A year after being laid off, I’m back in the workforce starting today. Good thing I had some savings to get through this! It’s not my ideal job but at least it’s an income. --- ## [Why don't they put tracking devices inside ATMs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-put-tracking-devices-inside-atms/705868)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-put-tracking-devices-inside-atms/705868 "2014-12-01T22:15:42Z")
This is my brilliant idea of the day. It is fairly common to hear of ATMs being hauled away by thieves. Seems to me a GPS tracking device hidden within would be a relatively inexpensive tool to easily lead the police to… --- ## [We're having a pretty amazing thunder/hail storm](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-having-a-pretty-amazing-thunder-hail-storm/705933)
**Author:** [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-having-a-pretty-amazing-thunder-hail-storm/705933 "2014-12-01T21:33:00Z")
Heavy rain, lightning, thunder, large hailstones…it’s all happening. I’m sitting on a country railway station under a corrugated iron roof and the noise is deafening. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=786) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/miscellaneous-and-personal-stuff-i-must-share/10.md?page=788)