# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=471&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 472 --- ## [Paypal withholding on money received?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-withholding-on-money-received/1007575)
**Author:** [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paypal-withholding-on-money-received/1007575 "2024-09-24T20:32:58Z")
I just sold something and was paid on Paypal. Immediately I got a notice from Paypal that I have to give them my tax ID (which I presume is my SS number) so they can withhold 24% of every penny I receive through them ov… --- ## [Is changing my name to a name with a Scandinavian character “ø” in it a bad idea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-changing-my-name-to-a-name-with-a-scandinavian-character-o-in-it-a-bad-idea/1007217)
**Author:** [@B.Serum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/B.Serum)\ **Replies:** 146\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-changing-my-name-to-a-name-with-a-scandinavian-character-o-in-it-a-bad-idea/1007217 "2024-09-24T20:16:56Z")
Upon learning more about my heritage, I learned that my surname used to be spelled with a slashed o “ø” When my ancestors immigrated to the US, this character would alternately get changed to an “o” or “e.” I like the i… --- ## [Friend is in a bad situation - suggestions how I can help?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-is-in-a-bad-situation-suggestions-how-i-can-help/1007084)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-is-in-a-bad-situation-suggestions-how-i-can-help/1007084 "2024-09-24T19:49:09Z")
It’s a longish story even minimizing the details, but I think it’s an interesting one. I don’t know if it makes complete sense - you can ask about anything puzzling, but I may not know the answer. “Lou,” a soft-hearted … --- ## [How many amazing crime busts have cops pulled off so far by using License Plate Reader technology?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-amazing-crime-busts-have-cops-pulled-off-so-far-by-using-license-plate-reader-technology/1007393)
**Author:** [@GoodZuckerbergs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodZuckerbergs)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-amazing-crime-busts-have-cops-pulled-off-so-far-by-using-license-plate-reader-technology/1007393 "2024-09-24T19:03:53Z")
I know many of you probably dislike that some cops now have a device that can scan thousands of license plates every minute- it’s totalitarian, it’s a slippery slope that leads to loss of freedoms/privacy- I get it, I’m … --- ## [jumping people revisited](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jumping-people-revisited/80261)
**Author:** [@Not\_A\_Tame\_Lion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_A_Tame_Lion)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jumping-people-revisited/80261 "2024-09-24T18:38:03Z")
A while back Cecil wrote a column responding to a question about what would happen if everyone in China jumped off their chairs at once. In a related vein comes this story ( http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010907/sc/li… --- ## [The soundtrack of your life](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-soundtrack-of-your-life/1007598)
**Author:** [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-soundtrack-of-your-life/1007598 "2024-09-24T18:30:51Z")
Today’s grocery trip required two stops; we get most of our stuff at Aldi to save money, but a few things need to come from Fresh Thyme, which is just down the street from our local Aldi. Sitting in the left turn lane a… --- ## [Scary music videos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-music-videos/1007242)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scary-music-videos/1007242 "2024-09-24T17:25:31Z")
This Back Sabbath video from 1970 is just… scary. It’s a rather boring song, IMO, but it still gives me the chills after all these years. This song about a plane crash by Bloodrock is just… I dunno. Disturbing and horri… --- ## [Who's this actor and where else have I seen him (Dog Day Afternoon 1975)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-this-actor-and-where-else-have-i-seen-him-dog-day-afternoon-1975/1007593)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-this-actor-and-where-else-have-i-seen-him-dog-day-afternoon-1975/1007593 "2024-09-24T17:22:05Z")
I noticed this guy at the end of “Dog Day Afternoon” (which, if you haven’t seen it - see it! Now!) He looks very familiar to me but the character only appears in two scenes at the end and he doesn’t have a name or dialo… --- ## [A Thread for Downballot Nonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-downballot-nonsense/1007662)
**Author:** [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-downballot-nonsense/1007662 "2024-09-24T17:21:38Z")
As we all are aware, the MAGA crazy has filtered way down from Trump through the senate, house , state and local governments. We don’t need a thread for each one (except the big ol’ Mark Robinson thread, good riddance) b… --- ## [UC Berkeley football team makes light of “woke” label](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uc-berkeley-football-team-makes-light-of-woke-label/1007659)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uc-berkeley-football-team-makes-light-of-woke-label/1007659 "2024-09-24T15:28:58Z")
I like that they’re making fun of this kind of thing. You can’t take it seriously. If this better fits somewhere else, please move it. --- ## [Has anyone here tried "Spiced Coca-Cola"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-tried-spiced-coca-cola/1006587)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-here-tried-spiced-coca-cola/1006587 "2024-09-24T14:59:25Z")
Hy-Vee, a Midwestern grocery chain, is giving away 12-packs, and by all accounts, this stuff is nasty. Has anyone here seen, let alone tasted, it? I’m just curious. (My brother said it had “natural flavorings” listed,… --- ## [Happy Autumnal Equinox!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-autumnal-equinox/1007581)
**Author:** [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-autumnal-equinox/1007581 "2024-09-24T14:10:57Z")
--- ## [Let’s make a list of especially controversial local and state candidates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-make-a-list-of-especially-controversial-local-and-state-candidates/1007655)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-make-a-list-of-especially-controversial-local-and-state-candidates/1007655 "2024-09-24T13:03:55Z")
I thought it would be interesting to make a list of candidates for local and statewide office that are especially controversial. I’ll start with the one that inspired this thread. Sheriff Bruce Zuchowski (R), of Port… --- ## [Got new hearing aids, now I need a new phone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-new-hearing-aids-now-i-need-a-new-phone/1004427)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/got-new-hearing-aids-now-i-need-a-new-phone/1004427 "2024-09-24T11:13:07Z")
I’m lucky in that my health insurance pays for a new pair of hearing aids every three years. Unfortunately due to COVID lockdowns, my previous audiologist deciding it was a good time to retire, and then things just falli… --- ## [ID a Mad Magazine comic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-mad-magazine-comic/1007636)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-a-mad-magazine-comic/1007636 "2024-09-24T07:05:14Z")
Likely from a 1970s issue. With the stuff going on in Beirut lately it has crossed my mind. A woman visiting a man in a hospital in traction in a full body cast. She is (silently) yammering about everything bad in the wo… --- ## [Would an updated boarding ax/gun work properly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-an-updated-boarding-ax-gun-work-properly/1007161)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-an-updated-boarding-ax-gun-work-properly/1007161 "2024-09-24T06:25:35Z")
So in the midst of looking up weird weapons for a story I may or may not write, I came across information about this combination boarding ax/rifle. It’s apparently workable (though you obviously couldn’t run around with … --- ## [Picadillo!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picadillo/1007504)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picadillo/1007504 "2024-09-24T04:47:49Z")
Trader Joe’s used to carry jarred picadillo sauce. You’d brown some ground beef, add the jar of sauce, and there was dinner. Because it was so easy and tasty, they discontinued it (some years ago). I’ve had it at Cuban… --- ## [Do you enjoy "block parties"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-enjoy-block-parties/1007515)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2024, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-enjoy-block-parties/1007515 "2024-09-24T03:39:52Z")
Obviously, this will apply mostly to folk who live in neighborhoods of single-family homes, rather than apartment buildings (tho I assume there may be some analogous “building parties.”) After growing up in Chicago, as … --- ## [What is going on with my network connection?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-with-my-network-connection/1007541)
**Author:** [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-going-on-with-my-network-connection/1007541 "2024-09-23T22:43:45Z")
I think I need a serious network engineer for this. I’d file an IT request but it takes them forever to escalate things. I noticed some strange network issues on my work machine. I popped open Task Manager (this is Wi… --- ## [Do you occasionally or routinely practice the habit of "first sleep" and "second sleep"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-occasionally-or-routinely-practice-the-habit-of-first-sleep-and-second-sleep/1007417)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-occasionally-or-routinely-practice-the-habit-of-first-sleep-and-second-sleep/1007417 "2024-09-23T21:35:47Z")
Apparently there is evidence that medieval and ancient peoples followed the practice of going to sleep for a couple of hours, then waking up and performing various tasks, and then going back to bed and sleeping until mor… --- ## [Shit through a canebrake query](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-through-a-canebrake-query/1007617)
**Author:** [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shit-through-a-canebrake-query/1007617 "2024-09-23T21:29:22Z")
I vaguely remember this phrase, attributed to Barry Goldwater(?), that “\[something\] went through \[him? it?\] like shit through a canebrake” and though the phrase is colorful, I have no idea what it means. Wot is a canebr… --- ## [Will Trump Debate Harris On October 23, on CNN?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-debate-harris-on-october-23-on-cnn/1007566)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-trump-debate-harris-on-october-23-on-cnn/1007566 "2024-09-23T21:19:11Z")
This article says Harris has agreed to debate Trump on CNN on October 23. However Trump has not yet agreed. Will it happen? Methinks no. But Trump is so mercurial he might not know either. There are known knowns, un… --- ## [How accurate is the war movie trope of soldiers or entire units wandering around just sort of doing their own thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-war-movie-trope-of-soldiers-or-entire-units-wandering-around-just-sort-of-doing-their-own-thing/1007559)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-accurate-is-the-war-movie-trope-of-soldiers-or-entire-units-wandering-around-just-sort-of-doing-their-own-thing/1007559 "2024-09-23T19:26:13Z")
There seems to be a common movie trope of soldiers or entire units who become disconnected from their chain of command, appear to have no mission or larger purpose, and often appear to be pursuing their own agenda or mis… --- ## [Tell me about disc replacement surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-disc-replacement-surgery/1003680)
**Author:** [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-disc-replacement-surgery/1003680 "2024-09-23T19:22:28Z")
I hurt my back a few months back. Actually, I thought I had hurt my leg, but I was diagnosed with a herniated (slipped) disc. I had a fiendish plan to avoid surgery, but after three months of PT with only moderate symp… --- ## [A little bit of this, a little bit of that](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-little-bit-of-this-a-little-bit-of-that/1007571)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-little-bit-of-this-a-little-bit-of-that/1007571 "2024-09-23T18:57:00Z")
Have you ever put together something from odds and ends, had it come out rather tasty, and then been frustrated because you will never be able to have it just that way again? Today I finished a project that took me a wh… --- ## [Am I required to provide my SSN to a third-party payor in this situation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-required-to-provide-my-ssn-to-a-third-party-payor-in-this-situation/1007557)
**Author:** [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-required-to-provide-my-ssn-to-a-third-party-payor-in-this-situation/1007557 "2024-09-23T18:34:21Z")
I’ll try to keep this simple. I regularly teach classes for a Large Training Company, as do a dozen other people, as a contractor. Large Training Company has just informed me that they have engaged a Third-Party Payor … --- ## [Question for Jimmy Cagney fans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-jimmy-cagney-fans/1007615)
**Author:** [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-jimmy-cagney-fans/1007615 "2024-09-23T15:59:42Z")
Was Jimmy Cagney known for playing a gangster with a death wish, like at the end of White Heat when he goes up in a blaze of glory? I ask because last night’s episode of Foyle’s War a psycho hood was (an informer said) … --- ## [Recommend Some Science Fiction Novels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-science-fiction-novels/986389)
**Author:** [@cjackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjackson)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-science-fiction-novels/986389 "2024-09-23T15:46:53Z")
Right now I am reading Revenge of the Sith and Heir to the Empire. I have read 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rendezvous With Rama, Fountains of Paradise, Tau Zero, Dragon’s Egg and Leviathan Wakes. I will next be reading Caliba… --- ## [How many people actually believed 51% or more that Harold Camping's May 21st 2011 Apocalypse prediction was going to come true?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-actually-believed-51-or-more-that-harold-campings-may-21st-2011-apocalypse-prediction-was-going-to-come-true/1007448)
**Author:** [@GoodZuckerbergs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodZuckerbergs)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-actually-believed-51-or-more-that-harold-campings-may-21st-2011-apocalypse-prediction-was-going-to-come-true/1007448 "2024-09-23T15:13:30Z")
I know that there’s no way anyone could know an exact number (or closer than a ballpark educated guess backed up by certain numbers) of how many human beings believed with 51% or greater fervency/conviction that May 21… --- ## [How worried should Patients be about the BiPap and Cpap recall?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-patients-be-about-the-bipap-and-cpap-recall/997005)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-should-patients-be-about-the-bipap-and-cpap-recall/997005 "2024-09-23T14:11:01Z")
I’m confused by where this foam is coming from? My BiPap uses a nylon mesh screen to filter. My mask has a plastic or nylon seal. I don’t see any foam I know there are serious health hazards associated with sleep apnea.… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=470&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=472&state=tracking)