# Great Debates **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=639 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 640 --- ## [The ice age cometh? Not so fast, buster!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-age-cometh-not-so-fast-buster/446822)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2008, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ice-age-cometh-not-so-fast-buster/446822 "2008-04-25T08:51:28Z")
Phil Chapman, an Australian astronaut, fears for global cooling here. Not so fast, buster! NASA say that it takes about 3 years to determine a cycle. We’re at a solar minimum, so low sunspot activity is to be expected. … --- ## [NSFW - What Does It Mean to You? \[ ed. title chg per OP request \]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nsfw-what-does-it-mean-to-you-ed-title-chg-per-op-request/446721)
**Author:** [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nsfw-what-does-it-mean-to-you-ed-title-chg-per-op-request/446721 "2008-04-25T01:44:25Z")
Based on the post I made on Wednesday in this thread, a pit thread was started accusing tomndebb and the SDMB of homophobia. In essence, I posted about the possibility that a previously-posted link, to a non-sexual, gay… --- ## [A Time Travel Conundrum (Shades of Newcomb)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-time-travel-conundrum-shades-of-newcomb/446369)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2008, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-time-travel-conundrum-shades-of-newcomb/446369 "2008-04-25T00:35:40Z")
A time traveller appears to you. (He really is one, you believe that he is, and you believe it for good reasons.) He tells you that he is from the future. He just visited tomorrow, and saw that a certain man (call him St… --- ## [Pennsylvania Primary - Let's get this party started!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-primary-lets-get-this-party-started/446461)
**Author:** [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Replies:** 134\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pennsylvania-primary-lets-get-this-party-started/446461 "2008-04-24T22:00:56Z")
As of 5:00 PM, Drudge has early exit polling data with Clinton at 52% and Obama at 48%. Let’s see how this plays out, shall we? --- ## [Petraeus to head CentCom](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petraeus-to-head-centcom/446597)
**Author:** [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/petraeus-to-head-centcom/446597 "2008-04-24T21:17:02Z")
--- ## [If you were G.W. Bush, would you issue a blanket pardon of yourself...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-g-w-bush-would-you-issue-a-blanket-pardon-of-yourself/445872)
**Author:** [@BarnOwl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BarnOwl)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-were-g-w-bush-would-you-issue-a-blanket-pardon-of-yourself/445872 "2008-04-24T21:02:11Z")
…before you left office? I proposed this idea in a presidential pardon thread, but no one responded. So, I’m asking it in a separate thread. W’s approval of torture might zoom to the top as his primary concern of potent… --- ## ["Why can't Obama close the deal"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-obama-close-the-deal/446491)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-obama-close-the-deal/446491 "2008-04-24T20:53:30Z")
This is a recent theme from HRC - that Obama can’t shut her out in Pennsylvania, he can’t “close the deal”, so how’s he ever going to win a general election? So, if the candidate who’s way out in front, in popular vote … --- ## [What has the new Pope done to screen out gay Catholic Priests & Seminarians?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-new-pope-done-to-screen-out-gay-catholic-priests-seminarians/446729)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-new-pope-done-to-screen-out-gay-catholic-priests-seminarians/446729 "2008-04-24T20:34:08Z")
I consider myself gay friendly, but I did wonder what was going on with all the statements by the Catholic Church a while ago in the wake of all the lawsuits about not wanting to encourage gay men to become priests. Wha… --- ## [Would HRC Prefer McCain win in the Fall?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-hrc-prefer-mccain-win-in-the-fall/445453)
**Author:** [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Replies:** 118\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-hrc-prefer-mccain-win-in-the-fall/445453 "2008-04-24T16:13:44Z")
It seems to me that Clinton’s scorched earth policy is not just meant to try and beat Obama for the Democrat nomination, no matter how slight the chance, but it also seems to me that she would actually prefer John McCain… --- ## [Hillary and Bill Clinton as part of an Obama administration?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-and-bill-clinton-as-part-of-an-obama-administration/446538)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-and-bill-clinton-as-part-of-an-obama-administration/446538 "2008-04-24T15:52:55Z")
If Obama wins the nomination, would it be better for his administration to have Hillary and Bill Clinton on board? Both are competent people and Bill could be useful in matters of foreign relations and others. Heck, he s… --- ## [Proof It's Price Gouging @ Pump...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-its-price-gouging-pump/446100)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-its-price-gouging-pump/446100 "2008-04-24T15:46:22Z")
I have been wondering where the truckers have been, and they HAVE been screaming on Capitol Hill (but, perhaps not as visibly as past protests). Anyway, isn’t it interesting we don’t see ALL goods jump at the same pace … --- ## [Grain price rise and biofuel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grain-price-rise-and-biofuel/446683)
**Author:** [@flex727](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flex727)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grain-price-rise-and-biofuel/446683 "2008-04-24T15:24:36Z")
I post this question in GD rather than GQ because I think the answer is debatable. The recent escalation in the price of various grains is being discussed a lot. How much of that price rise can be attributed each of the… --- ## [Ethical to speculate with rice futures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-to-speculate-with-rice-futures/446660)
**Author:** [@Osakadelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadelica)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethical-to-speculate-with-rice-futures/446660 "2008-04-24T12:28:50Z")
Is it ethical to speculate with rice and other staple food futures (I think that Soros recently said that commodities are in the first stages of a bubble - he learnt his lesson about market timing with the internet bubbl… --- ## ["The only thing that explains all these phenomena is..."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-thing-that-explains-all-these-phenomena-is/446553)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-only-thing-that-explains-all-these-phenomena-is/446553 "2008-04-24T10:27:04Z")
Maybe everybody else noticed this already, but I’ve seen it a couple of times recently - once (and subtly) in the lekatt thread and once a week or two ago in some thread about UFOs. -There’s a whole bunch of stuff -Som… --- ## [So you're God, what kind of universe do \*you\* create?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-youre-god-what-kind-of-universe-do-you-create/446502)
**Author:** [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 10:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-youre-god-what-kind-of-universe-do-you-create/446502 "2008-04-24T10:09:24Z")
As the humble starter of the thread, I respectfully ask that you indulge me in this question, and, not to graciously spend your valuable time explaining why it is a bad, invalid, unanswerable or stupid question. I alread… --- ## [Why Obama lost in PA: gender bias](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-obama-lost-in-pa-gender-bias/446567)
**Author:** [@Polerius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polerius)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-obama-lost-in-pa-gender-bias/446567 "2008-04-24T07:36:57Z")
If you look at the exit polls on CNN, they classify who voted and how they voted. They have lots of categories (age, race, church attendance, etc), but the most basic and simplest category is gender Voter Gend… --- ## [British police respond then listen to woman being raped for 12 hours before acting?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-police-respond-then-listen-to-woman-being-raped-for-12-hours-before-acting/446093)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 115\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-police-respond-then-listen-to-woman-being-raped-for-12-hours-before-acting/446093 "2008-04-24T04:19:41Z")
Is this story for real? It seems almost too bizarre to be true. 12-hour rape ordeal of woman held hostage during police siege I don’t question British bravery as I know they readily go in harm’s way if the situation re… --- ## [What lessons do we need to take from other countries in nationalizing US health care?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lessons-do-we-need-to-take-from-other-countries-in-nationalizing-us-health-care/446083)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 111\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-lessons-do-we-need-to-take-from-other-countries-in-nationalizing-us-health-care/446083 "2008-04-24T02:26:14Z")
Given the ever rising cost of health care in the US I just can’t see health care costs keep on the same track. It just seems economically and socially unsustainable going to much farther into the future. The flip side se… --- ## [Making Voting In The USA Mandatory To Get A Driver's License](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-voting-in-the-usa-mandatory-to-get-a-drivers-license/446206)
**Author:** [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-voting-in-the-usa-mandatory-to-get-a-drivers-license/446206 "2008-04-24T00:18:01Z")
I was told that in Belgium (?) it is mandatory to vote in order to get a passport. You can cast a “blank” ballot - not choosing anyone, but you still had to actually vote in national elections in order to get a passport… --- ## [Idea for a Centrist Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-a-centrist-party/446586)
**Author:** [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idea-for-a-centrist-party/446586 "2008-04-23T23:58:23Z")
So I have an idea for a Centrist party. At least a way that it could achieve some actual viability. I’m not going to define what it should stand for, because I think that should be a work in progress, but I will say wh… --- ## [Would you let a Jew in your house? \[Auschwitz hypothetical\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-let-a-jew-in-your-house-auschwitz-hypothetical/446392)
**Author:** [@Osakadelica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osakadelica)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-let-a-jew-in-your-house-auschwitz-hypothetical/446392 "2008-04-23T20:25:19Z")
Please imagine that you are using your current sense of morality (i.e. don’t put yourself in the position of having what you believe was 1940s morality, if you get me). Scenario 1: It’s 1944. You live near Auschwitz an… --- ## [The Democratic nomination process: good or bad difference?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-democratic-nomination-process-good-or-bad-difference/446486)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-democratic-nomination-process-good-or-bad-difference/446486 "2008-04-23T18:54:09Z")
A quote from a blogger: I got to thinking about this, and I began wondering: is this necessarily an indictment of Obama and/or his candidacy? Could the differences that allow him to stay in the race be a GOOD thing? … --- ## [Should Congress approve a free-trade deal with Colombia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-congress-approve-a-free-trade-deal-with-colombia/445320)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-congress-approve-a-free-trade-deal-with-colombia/445320 "2008-04-23T16:40:13Z")
Pelosi is balking, and Bush is stepping up the pressure. That “violence against organized labor,” BTW, extends to murder. It still baffles me that Bush characterizes Colombia’s government as an “ally.” An ally again… --- ## [What role does racism play in the American anti-immigration movement?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-does-racism-play-in-the-american-anti-immigration-movement/297874)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-does-racism-play-in-the-american-anti-immigration-movement/297874 "2008-04-23T15:45:49Z")
This GD thread – http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=310224 – on the Minutemen Project brought to mind a passage I read a few years ago in Blood, Class and Nostalgia: Anglo-American Ironies, by Christoph… --- ## [NPR talks about Ocean Acidity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-talks-about-ocean-acidity/445903)
**Author:** [@Eben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eben)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/npr-talks-about-ocean-acidity/445903 "2008-04-23T14:04:09Z")
I heard a story this morning about ocean acidity and its effects as a carbon sink in the environment on NPR. Basicaly the story says that increased acidity in the ocean stimulates growth for some critters that capture c… --- ## [Hillary said we'd use nuclear arms against Iran in some circumstances...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-said-wed-use-nuclear-arms-against-iran-in-some-circumstances/446345)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hillary-said-wed-use-nuclear-arms-against-iran-in-some-circumstances/446345 "2008-04-23T03:23:25Z")
Watching Olbermann interview HRC tonight, I heard Hillary say the US would use nuclear arms against Iran under certain circumstances. Is this the first statement that we would in some cases go nuclear against a Muslim c… --- ## [Logic is NOT persuasive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-is-not-persuasive/446069)
**Author:** [@Anomalous\_Reading](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anomalous_Reading)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/logic-is-not-persuasive/446069 "2008-04-23T03:08:46Z")
Logic, imo, isn’t persuasive. Naturally, by starting this thread, I hope to see a debate on this, but it’s a problem I’ve seen far too often… and the source of many arguments. The Problem with Logic It’s that we ar… --- ## [Legal and ethical implications of the hoax call that set off the polygamy raid](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-and-ethical-implications-of-the-hoax-call-that-set-off-the-polygamy-raid/446483)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-and-ethical-implications-of-the-hoax-call-that-set-off-the-polygamy-raid/446483 "2008-04-23T01:32:47Z")
This is actually more GQ but I think it will end up here if there are many responses. So, it seems now that the call from a suicidal child-bride of a polygamist claiming abuse and suicidal thoughts that set off the raid… --- ## [ABC favors HRC; the others Obama?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-favors-hrc-the-others-obama/446434)
**Author:** [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-favors-hrc-the-others-obama/446434 "2008-04-23T01:05:03Z")
Is that the lesson to be learned from the debate last week? --- ## [Analyst Discovers Hot New Stock: What to Do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analyst-discovers-hot-new-stock-what-to-do/445803)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2008, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/analyst-discovers-hot-new-stock-what-to-do/445803 "2008-04-23T00:18:53Z")
You are a hot young analyst-and your specialty is researching high-tech companies. You discover a firm that has patented a new process for turnng garbage into high-quality gasoline. The process works, is economical, and … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=638) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/great-debates/13.md?page=640)