# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 2) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 16, 2024, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636 "2024-02-16T02:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 283
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5642 "2025-02-11T19:21:50Z")
I finally remembered to look in my glove compartment. It contains : - A pair of gloves. - A windscreen cleaner/ice scraper. - A cable for plugging my Garmin Satnav into the cigarette lighter socket. - Some spare fuses. - A couple of spare bulbs. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5643 "2025-02-11T19:26:29Z")
looking to move within a year so house increase (unless other houses go up, too) ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5644 "2025-02-11T19:42:08Z")
House value x10. Homes in Colorado have been growing in value quite a bit. 10x would mean our home was worth several millions dollars. Which is nice because my job is at risk due to government cuts, and my wife’s due to industry issues. Having that value available would be very reassuring. And if worst were to happen, and we need to relocate for a new job, being able to sell for a few million and buy a new home elsewhere, with (ideally) substantial savings left over would be a nice consolation prize. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5645 "2025-02-11T19:58:38Z")
My house increasing 10X in value would mean all sorts of bad things were happening, so that’s out. I don’t have a 401K (state pension) so give me the increase in my savings account. That would do nicely. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5646 "2025-02-11T20:24:04Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > 10x bank savings increase, please. Same here. Yes, my house increasing in value would be a lot more, but unless I sell it- what good does that do me? Whereas 10X my savings would pay off the mortgage and leave a nice chunk besides. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5647 "2025-02-11T20:30:01Z")
My 401k and my house are both worth more than my bank account. And I’d like to keep living in the house for a while. So 401k, please. I’m old enough to spend that money. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5648 "2025-02-11T22:30:59Z")
I’m going to interpret “401k” not strictly as a current fund from a job I have right now, but as an accumulation of past 401k’s, profit sharing funds, inherited IRAs, etc. Multiply that by 10, and my wife and I are retiring tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5649 "2025-02-12T00:09:56Z")
I’m surprised by the number of people who apparently have that much more value in their savings account than in a retirement account or their home. I have relatively little in my liquid bank accounts. I enough to live on month to month with cushion but not that much. Free money would be great but the 10x that amount isn’t changing my life. Uncle Albert is one of my most hated McCartney songs so I never bothered to learn the lyrics. The song annoys me. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5650 "2025-02-12T00:27:04Z")
It was today that I learned that I’d been singing “Uncle Albert” incorrectly for lo these past 54 years. Thus the poll. mmm ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5651 "2025-02-12T00:34:54Z")
I always heard it as “He had to have a berth (in the sense of _bed_) or he couldn’t get to sleep.” He needed accommodations. I mean, that’s what seemed to make sense to me. And 401k. That’s where I would get the biggest bang for my buck. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5652 "2025-02-12T20:31:09Z")
No; and if I had the funds and the time, it would depend on which unfriendly country and what I expected to be able to do there. I mean, I ain’t going to North Korea even if you pay me. But I might go to Russia (given funds and time) if I were going to be able to connect with the descendents of the survivors of my mother’s family. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5653 "2025-02-12T21:08:30Z")
I checked “No, not even if you paid me” but of course it depends on the pay and how long would I have to stay. I suppose Cuba wouldnt be terrible if the money was say $50000 or a Million. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5654 "2025-02-12T21:12:42Z")
Spent a year in Iraq so that counts. Spent a year in Gitmo but that doesn’t feel like it counts. I could see the unfriendly parts from where I was but otherwise it was like any other American military base except with good scuba diving. I was in the Eastern part of Germany during a weird period. The Wall came down but everything hadn’t transitioned yet. Berlin was unified but the country wasn’t. Civilians could travel freely to Berlin but we still had to go through checkpoints Alpha and Bravo. Within the city Checkpoint Charlie was gone. While waiting to go through the checkpoint young Soviet soldiers who looked about 15 were going up and down the line bumming cigarettes. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5655 "2025-02-12T21:18:10Z")
Spent a year in GTMO and I think it counts lol. Of course this was in the early 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5656 "2025-02-12T21:41:15Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I was in the Eastern part of Germany during a weird period. The Wall came down but everything hadn’t transitioned yet My parents visited Germany just then. I saw their video of a young man renting out hammers and chisels so tourists could get their own piece of the Wall. They got stuck in a traffic jam on the autobahn. One young person asked if they “were going to the concert” Turns out Pink Floyd was doing The Wall. They couldn’t get to the bank before it closed on Friday and had very little cash for the weekend, as the monetary systems weren’t linked yet. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5657 "2025-02-12T22:16:35Z")
I visited Cuba back in 2015. Officially I was there for “education” but for all intents and purposes I was a tourist, which is what I picked in the poll. At the time Americans had to go with an organized tour which included certain educational activities to meet the legal requirements. Some of them were interesting – I found the lecture on the different styles of architecture in Cuba rather interesting, but I’m into that sort of thing. I suspect others in the did not feel the same way. Others were boring, like having to sit through a PowerPoint presentation on the Cuban healthcare system. But apart from those couple of boring things were were required to do, it was an enjoyable and fascinating trip. I got to walk around the historic part of Havana, visit Cuban artists, drink mojitos, and cruise the Malecón in a '57 Buick convertible, customized in the very flamboyent Cuban style. Some of the museums were entirely propaganda, especially the Bay of Pigs Museum, but it was fascinating to see how they presented it. > [@Baker](#): > > the monetary systems weren’t linked yet. On that note, American credit and ATM cards do not work in Cuba, so you have to bring enough cash with you to cover your expenses for the entire trip. I was incredibly nervous carrying that much cash with me (I ended up bringing way more than I ended up needing, just in case). ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5658 "2025-02-12T22:33:50Z")
I didn’t vote because I have the money and opportunity, and my son and I were recently (casually) researching Cuba and Iran, but my spouse made it pretty clear that she didn’t want us going. I mean, Iran is mostly impossible (though I did actually investigate the visa process on their website), but Cuba is certainly viable. ---
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2025, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5659 "2025-02-12T23:29:57Z")
My parents visited Germany in the spring of 1939, and they said they had never felt more welcome in any country they visited on their European tour that year. First-class meals in their hotels, train and Rhine cruise boat staff always pleasant. Germany was desperate for foreign currency, so they needed all the tourists they could get. (so many people were cancelling their tours due to the bad news on radio and newspapers). I visited the USSR in 1987 as part of a group, and our guide/minder had no problems letting us out of her sight. Two of us took a Metro ride to Red Square at midnight, and were able to sneak back into the hotel upon our return. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5660 "2025-02-13T01:28:51Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Others were boring, like having to sit through a PowerPoint presentation on the Cuban healthcare system. Which I’d have enjoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2025, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636/5661 "2025-02-13T18:23:18Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > I was in the Eastern part of Germany during a weird period. The Wall came down but everything hadn’t transitioned yet > > My parents visited Germany just then. I saw their video of a young man renting out hammers and chisels so tourists could get their own piece of the Wall. They got stuck in a traffic jam on the autobahn. One young person asked if they “were going to the concert” Turns out Pink Floyd was doing The Wall. They couldn’t get to the bank before it closed on Friday and had very little cash for the weekend, as the monetary systems weren’t linked yet. That concert is why we were heading to Berlin. Saw the concert and got a piece of the Wall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=282) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-2/997636.md?page=284)