# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1480 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1481 --- ## [15 yr vs 30 yr mortgage advise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-yr-vs-30-yr-mortgage-advise/940484)
**Author:** [@cncdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cncdad)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/15-yr-vs-30-yr-mortgage-advise/940484 "2021-04-23T19:36:41Z")
Finances are not my strong point so looking for some advise. Buying a new house and the loan will be for $90,000. We will likely be able to pay that off in 7 years. Question is should we go for the 15 yr at 2.7% or the 3… --- ## [NY Covid Vax Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-covid-vax-q/940637)
**Author:** [@FelixF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FelixF)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ny-covid-vax-q/940637 "2021-04-23T19:35:22Z")
Does anyone know if there’s a process to double check NY State vax schedule? I have a weird thing where my PDF confirmation shows a different time than the email. Not a big deal, one is the AM, the other is noon, I can s… --- ## [Appropriate thank-you gift for a family practitioner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-thank-you-gift-for-a-family-practitioner/940486)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/appropriate-thank-you-gift-for-a-family-practitioner/940486 "2021-04-23T19:32:02Z")
We just went thru a bit of a fiasco with my husband’s neurologist (specifically, his office staff) and our regular doc went above and beyond to straighten things out for us. Short and sweet - my husband was having troub… --- ## [Question about Chinese food](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-chinese-food/940556)
**Author:** [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-chinese-food/940556 "2021-04-23T18:58:49Z")
When I was growing up in Minnesota, whenever my family went to a Chinese restaurant we always had chow mein that was basically mushy green vegetables with gobs of pork served over rice and crispy noodles, and sprinkled w… --- ## [Infection or inoculation: Which is more effective?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infection-or-inoculation-which-is-more-effective/940565)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infection-or-inoculation-which-is-more-effective/940565 "2021-04-23T18:47:44Z")
Not specific to COVID-19 so not in that forum. And this in not an anti-vax thread either. Which is more effective towards preventing a disease, having the disease and recovering (so preventing a second infection) or ge… --- ## [Are you part of the 26% of US workforce that plans to look for new work once the threat of the pandemic subsides?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-part-of-the-26-of-us-workforce-that-plans-to-look-for-new-work-once-the-threat-of-the-pandemic-subsides/940555)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-you-part-of-the-26-of-us-workforce-that-plans-to-look-for-new-work-once-the-threat-of-the-pandemic-subsides/940555 "2021-04-23T17:14:45Z")
Article here: Link to survey results here: Apparently 26% of the US workforce plans to look for new work soon. Of that, 34% of millennials in the US workforce plan to look for new work soon. Of those planning on lo… --- ## [Horrible AND fascinating catastrophic workplace accident videos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-and-fascinating-catastrophic-workplace-accident-videos/932548)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horrible-and-fascinating-catastrophic-workplace-accident-videos/932548 "2021-04-23T17:04:55Z")
I figure it’s an opinion issue Regarding how fascinating it is… I recently saw a collection of CCTV videos which each captured some catastrophic deadly accident in some manufacturing workplace. There were about half a d… --- ## [Netflix / Redbox / Blockbuster Video Cases \[Plastic recycling\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-redbox-blockbuster-video-cases-plastic-recycling/940568)
**Author:** [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-redbox-blockbuster-video-cases-plastic-recycling/940568 "2021-04-23T16:43:16Z")
So I was reading this thread over in GD: Why did blockbuster video fail For some reason, during the discussion of clamshells, the question popped into my mind: When a company like Blockbuster, Netflix, RedBox or the li… --- ## ["These white supremacists make some good points." -The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-white-supremacists-make-some-good-points-the-other-waldo-pepper/940307)
**Author:** [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/these-white-supremacists-make-some-good-points-the-other-waldo-pepper/940307 "2021-04-23T16:07:45Z")
Everyone: That leaked America First Caucus document is super fucking racist. @The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper: He goes on to make at least 70 posts over the course of the weekend defending this racist screed. This includes mo… --- ## [How difficult are you to live with?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-are-you-to-live-with/940471)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-difficult-are-you-to-live-with/940471 "2021-04-23T15:49:58Z")
On a scale from 1-10, how difficult are you to live with? poll --- ## [Wet iPhone question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wet-iphone-question/940460)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wet-iphone-question/940460 "2021-04-23T15:35:58Z")
No, I didn’t drop my iPhone in the water. I don’t own an iPhone even! But I’ve been seeing a lot of ‘fail’ type videos where people fall into bodies of water not infrequently. Of course, their first concern is always to … --- ## [Help me pick some basic cocktails to try](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-some-basic-cocktails-to-try/594598)
**Author:** [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [December 6, 2011, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-pick-some-basic-cocktails-to-try/594598 "2011-12-06T14:14:56Z")
At times, I like to grab a quick cocktail at a bar. I have time for just one drink. I’d like to try a different drink each time, but I’m not much of a drinker, so I don’t know what to ask for. I end up falling back on t… --- ## [So how does the body "Remember" what diseases it can fight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-the-body-remember-what-diseases-it-can-fight/940563)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-does-the-body-remember-what-diseases-it-can-fight/940563 "2021-04-23T14:54:41Z")
A common conspiracy theory is that the COVID vaccines (or vaccines in general) alter your DNA. The response of the entire scientific community is “no, really. They don’t.” But… how DOES your body store that informatio… --- ## [Abandoned formats making a significant comeback](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-formats-making-a-significant-comeback/929535)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 166\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abandoned-formats-making-a-significant-comeback/929535 "2021-04-23T13:33:39Z")
I was in the entertainment section of a Walmart and I saw something you never would have seen ten years ago: a section of vinyl record albums. I remember vinyl record albums from back in my youth. And I remember how we … --- ## [Title must be at least 10 characters, blast it!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/title-must-be-at-least-10-characters-blast-it/940613)
**Author:** [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/title-must-be-at-least-10-characters-blast-it/940613 "2021-04-23T13:07:00Z")
I recall from reading 60s-80s Marvel comics that “blast” was used as a substitute curse word frequently, as in “He got away, blast it!” Of course, I’ve heard many curse word substitutions such as “fudge,” “goshdarn it,”… --- ## [Dinner flower ID](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dinner-flower-id/940495)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dinner-flower-id/940495 "2021-04-23T12:59:18Z")
This flower was on my wife’s Asian pork platter today. What is it? (I said she should eat it. I would have. But she wanted to bring it home because it’s pretty.) --- ## [Smoking and Covid-19](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-and-covid-19/852439)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smoking-and-covid-19/852439 "2021-04-23T11:17:58Z")
A lot of people, including reputable sources, assume that smoking is negatively associated with Covid-19, particularly regarding survival rates. This was widely cited as an explanation for the gender discrepancy in China… --- ## [Can you bargain at a jewelry store?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-bargain-at-a-jewelry-store/89823)
**Author:** [@ging](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ging)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-bargain-at-a-jewelry-store/89823 "2021-04-22T07:00:48Z")
So my boyfriend and I are taking a big step and going shopping for an engagement ring this weekend. How much room is there to bargain on the price of jewelry and how does one go about bargaining in such a high class envi… --- ## ["Singing my life with his words" -- the lyrics you identify with](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-my-life-with-his-words-the-lyrics-you-identify-with/940449)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singing-my-life-with-his-words-the-lyrics-you-identify-with/940449 "2021-04-23T10:02:28Z")
While listening to a song, have you ever gotten the uncanny feeling that a lyric fits your own specific personal circumstances? Tell us about it. --- ## [Ruin a favorite song](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-a-favorite-song/937806)
**Author:** [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ruin-a-favorite-song/937806 "2021-04-23T09:48:32Z")
Rush Red Barchetta On Sunday… Commit my weekly crime… One-lane bridge… Jesus Christ! How lax is law enforcement that they haven’t caught this guy yet??? :wink: --- ## [Twenty-one Dead in Thailand. Minimal Press Coverage](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-one-dead-in-thailand-minimal-press-coverage/847657)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2020, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twenty-one-dead-in-thailand-minimal-press-coverage/847657 "2020-02-11T14:59:06Z")
There is press coverage of the massacre. I am not saying the story is being ignored. It just seems to me to not be getting the coverage it ought. Cnn.com The main story on the front page. BBC.com same New York Times o… --- ## [Home Windows computer: any reason to avoid solid state storage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-windows-computer-any-reason-to-avoid-solid-state-storage/940493)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-windows-computer-any-reason-to-avoid-solid-state-storage/940493 "2021-04-23T04:18:06Z")
About to break down and get a new computer. On the face of it, solid state data storage seems like a good idea, faster, not subject to physical degradation (not the same type, anyway, I gather there is a limit on the num… --- ## [No lotions or creams before colonscopy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-lotions-or-creams-before-colonscopy/940290)
**Author:** [@Newtosite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Newtosite)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-lotions-or-creams-before-colonscopy/940290 "2021-04-23T03:15:22Z")
We had this discussion about nail polish and colonoscopies: Colonoscopies & Cosmetics - Straight Dope Message Board But several sites say not to use deodorant, lotions, or creams. Can anyone figure out why? I guess suns… --- ## [How common is it to see armed people walking around in Israel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-see-armed-people-walking-around-in-israel/940230)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-is-it-to-see-armed-people-walking-around-in-israel/940230 "2021-04-23T03:09:19Z")
Someone elsewhere mentioned that in Israel that soldiers are required to carry their guns when off duty and also for several years after active duty, so you see people who aren’t dressed as soldiers carrying guns around.… --- ## [A New (to me) identity concept: Plural Persons, Systems, Multiplicity, Alters, Headmates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-to-me-identity-concept-plural-persons-systems-multiplicity-alters-headmates/940153)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-new-to-me-identity-concept-plural-persons-systems-multiplicity-alters-headmates/940153 "2021-04-23T02:21:52Z")
In an online social group that I occasionally participate in, someone posted a request to use a tool (PluralKit) that would allow that person to post using multiple identities, instead of just a single user name. Curiou… --- ## [Jokes that, nowadays, need explaining](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466)
**Author:** [@razordance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/razordance)\ **Replies:** 1077\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-that-nowadays-need-explaining/921466 "2021-04-23T02:15:42Z")
I recall a cartoon: A gloating waiter shows the customer what’s on his tray, and says, “It’s a fried telephone book! We gave it a fancy French name and you ordered it!” “What’s a telephone book, Daddy?” --- ## [Why did all the vaccines seem to come online at the same time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-vaccines-seem-to-come-online-at-the-same-time/940554)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-vaccines-seem-to-come-online-at-the-same-time/940554 "2021-04-22T23:39:43Z")
It occurred to me that most of the major vaccines seem to have become available to the public at the same time (roughly December, 2020). Pfizer, Moderna and AstraZeneca at the least (I did not check J&J). I would think… --- ## [The introduction of a lightning physicist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-introduction-of-a-lightning-physicist/940459)
**Author:** [@GeneralTang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeneralTang)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-introduction-of-a-lightning-physicist/940459 "2021-04-22T23:32:25Z")
Hi all, I’ve been lurking on this board for some time, and have just decided to make an account and actually participate. A little about myself. I’m a physicist. I got my PhD in Florida about four years ago studying li… --- ## [Need help converting a list into Excel spreadsheet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-converting-a-list-into-excel-spreadsheet/940544)
**Author:** [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-converting-a-list-into-excel-spreadsheet/940544 "2021-04-22T21:59:01Z")
At work, I have a long list that I created in a Word document. Unfortunately I need to convert it into a 3- or 4-column spreadsheet, and I didn’t bother to use columns in my Word document. Below is an example of what m… --- ## [So... Lauren Hough?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507)
**Author:** [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-lauren-hough/940507 "2021-04-22T21:33:50Z")
Curious if anyone’s following this tale. I follow Booktube so a video by Mina Reads popped up in my suggested and the story seems crazy. Apparently Lauren Hough’s first book, a memoir, came out last Tuesday and she was c… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1479) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1481)