# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1062 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1063 --- ## [Amtrak Train Southwest Chief has derailed near Kansas City: 2022-06-27](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-train-southwest-chief-has-derailed-near-kansas-city-2022-06-27/966990)
**Author:** [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Replies:** 86\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-train-southwest-chief-has-derailed-near-kansas-city-2022-06-27/966990 "2022-07-08T20:05:25Z")
Early reports indicate that a construction vehicle, likely a dump truck of some sort, tried to beat the train and failed. --- ## [How much do fireplaces affect home values?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-fireplaces-affect-home-values/966162)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-do-fireplaces-affect-home-values/966162 "2022-07-08T19:45:54Z")
On a few subs I follow on Reddit, I see people having trouble with finding a good spot for their TV, because the fireplace is in the way. I saw one guy in Texas who was afraid to remove his fireplace because it could aff… --- ## [Do Cats Like Us, Or Just Tolerate Us?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-us-or-just-tolerate-us/967339)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-like-us-or-just-tolerate-us/967339 "2022-07-08T18:46:57Z")
First of all, cats are wonderful creatures, worthy of all our love and respect. And certainly worthy of all the rights we can reasonably give them now. That having been said, I sometimes wonder. Do they truly like us? O… --- ## [Democrats should have codified Roe v. Wade into Law narrative](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-should-have-codified-roe-v-wade-into-law-narrative/967131)
**Author:** [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Replies:** 150\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democrats-should-have-codified-roe-v-wade-into-law-narrative/967131 "2022-07-08T18:10:22Z")
In the midst of all the Roe v. Wade fallout a narrative seems to be taking shape. It has “progressives” laying the guilt of what happened at the feet of Democrats for not making Abortion rights a law. I’m really skeptica… --- ## [Signature songs that occurred late in a singers career](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signature-songs-that-occurred-late-in-a-singers-career/967407)
**Author:** [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/signature-songs-that-occurred-late-in-a-singers-career/967407 "2022-07-08T18:06:11Z")
So the song Non, je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf was recorded at the very end of her career and it is one of her best known songs. Similarly My Way was recorded by Sinatra in 1969 which was at the end of his recording … --- ## [How has Former President Trump pissed you off today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-former-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today/777640)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 9677\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-has-former-president-trump-pissed-you-off-today/777640 "2022-07-08T17:10:59Z")
During the campaign and even after being elected, Donald Trump has proved again and again that he’s not going to change from being the same arrogant, corrupt, bullying, bigoted, misogynistic, unfiltered braggart with zer… --- ## [Recommend a good fruit basket to send](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-fruit-basket-to-send/967602)
**Author:** [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-good-fruit-basket-to-send/967602 "2022-07-08T15:49:56Z")
My brother’s partner’s sister just died. I’d like to send them something, and food is what’s traditional for Jews to send. (Or bring, but they live hundreds of miles from me.) Lisa (the mourner) has celiac disease and is… --- ## [Am I the only one who hates home fireworks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-hates-home-fireworks/967434)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-one-who-hates-home-fireworks/967434 "2022-07-08T15:02:49Z")
The 4th is here, and that means hours of the dogs barking their heads off every few minutes. I’m tempted to rig up an extremely loud PA system and blare their barking all over the neighborhood, maybe ruin the “fun time” … --- ## [James Caan passes away at 82](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-caan-passes-away-at-82/967568)
**Author:** [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-caan-passes-away-at-82/967568 "2022-07-08T15:01:09Z")
--- ## [In what topics is it easiest for you to shift perspective?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-topics-is-it-easiest-for-you-to-shift-perspective/967628)
**Author:** [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-what-topics-is-it-easiest-for-you-to-shift-perspective/967628 "2022-07-08T14:51:05Z")
For a couple of examples of what I mean, tides first. Gravity, orbits around center of mass, centrifugal force yay physics we have tides. Now shift perspective, woah, that tiny thing floating in the sky has enough powe… --- ## [Is "Peanuts" still popular with kids today?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 102\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-peanuts-still-popular-with-kids-today/966536 "2022-07-08T14:16:32Z")
I’m teaching a “wacky music class” starting next week and one of our instruments is the jaw harp. Will kids (ages 9-11) recognize the instrument from Snoopy playing it? Or will they have no idea what I’m talking about if… --- ## [Best way to find an appropriate lawyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-find-an-appropriate-lawyer/967208)
**Author:** [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-find-an-appropriate-lawyer/967208 "2022-07-08T12:31:25Z")
I have used a few lawyers before in my life but never in an ‘antagonistic’ way before. I count myself lucky. However, I am having an issue with a contractor for windows. I don’t suspect ‘evilness’ on their part… as th… --- ## [Who wants to be Prime Minister? Resignations in Tory cabinet and Boris Johnson has resigned](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 191\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-wants-to-be-prime-minister-resignations-in-tory-cabinet-and-boris-johnson-has-resigned/967464 "2022-07-08T12:25:37Z")
Two huge resignations in Boris Johnson’s cabinet around 6 PM London time today. Let’s start with the Chancellor of the Exchequer: Let’s add the Secretary of State for Health: There will be a Tory leadership electio… --- ## [That train whistle sound on "Wreck of the Old 97" by Johnny Cash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-train-whistle-sound-on-wreck-of-the-old-97-by-johnny-cash/967594)
**Author:** [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-train-whistle-sound-on-wreck-of-the-old-97-by-johnny-cash/967594 "2022-07-08T11:47:46Z")
On “Live at San Quentin”, Cash and his band play the 1924 ballad “Wreck of the Old 97”, about the 1903 train crash. During two of the instrumental passages, there is a sound like a train whistle. I assume it was a voca… --- ## [Weather - London, Paris, Rome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weather-london-paris-rome/967485)
**Author:** [@OldOlds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldOlds)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weather-london-paris-rome/967485 "2022-07-08T11:36:26Z")
Hey Y’all I need a little help finding the perfect week. It’s a long story, but we’ll be taking my elderly mother on her first and only trip to Europe. Dad’s an asshole who refuses to go, so there we are. It’s funny- I’… --- ## [The Dawn of Everything](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawn-of-everything/955814)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-dawn-of-everything/955814 "2022-07-08T11:29:40Z")
In a recent thread, I asked whether the Agricultural Revolution was a net positive. I had been reading Sapiens and Harari, looking from the viewpoint of wheat, says men were able to get stability and increase population… --- ## [One night in Montreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-night-in-montreal/964617)
**Author:** [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-night-in-montreal/964617 "2022-07-08T09:38:45Z")
My wife and I have a one day layover in Montreal in early July. We will be arriving mid-day, staying at a hotel near the airport and flying out early the next morning to a fishing lodge in Labrador. I’d appreciate any ad… --- ## [Predictions vs. reality, 2022 roundup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-vs-reality-2022-roundup/967550)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predictions-vs-reality-2022-roundup/967550 "2022-07-08T07:05:00Z")
Watching a show set in 2040, right off the bat we see a scene about the last elephant in existence, then it shows a farm kid using some kind of hover board to make sweeping out the barn easier. It got me thinking about … --- ## [Is Woodinville Straight Bourbon Whiskey a good choice to gift to a bourbon connoisseur?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-woodinville-straight-bourbon-whiskey-a-good-choice-to-gift-to-a-bourbon-connoisseur/967344)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-woodinville-straight-bourbon-whiskey-a-good-choice-to-gift-to-a-bourbon-connoisseur/967344 "2022-07-08T03:37:39Z")
My sister’s husband very much enjoys and has an impressive collection of bourbons. For Christmas we got him a bottle of Iron Fish bourbon, which is aged in casks that formerly stored maple syrup. It had good reviews onli… --- ## [If Pink Floyd was giving financial advice ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pink-floyd-was-giving-financial-advice/820940)
**Author:** [@Ganeshbelowradar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ganeshbelowradar)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-pink-floyd-was-giving-financial-advice/820940 "2022-07-08T03:03:04Z")
\*Pink Floyd giving financial advice: “Careful with That Tax Eugene” Pink Floyd giving farming advice “Careful with That Ox Eugene” Pink Floyd giving witchcraft advice “Careful with That Hex Eugene” Pink Floyd givin… --- ## [EPL 2021-22 Omnibus Thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epl-2021-22-omnibus-thread/948623)
**Author:** [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Replies:** 114\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/epl-2021-22-omnibus-thread/948623 "2022-07-08T01:41:39Z")
We’re about a half an hour from the EPL debut of Brentford. Brentford F.C. - Wikipedia. This is an analytically driven club that has punched above its weight. Cant wait to see how they do against Arsenal who will be wi… --- ## [Am I the only Southern adult male who doesn't want to grill outside?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-southern-adult-male-who-doesnt-want-to-grill-outside/967391)
**Author:** [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-southern-adult-male-who-doesnt-want-to-grill-outside/967391 "2022-07-08T01:02:28Z")
\[Date: July 3, 2022\] \[Place: North Carolina\] Wife: I bought some hamburger. Can we fire up the grill and cook them outside tomorrow? Me: Don’t we have some tilapia we can grill inside instead? I know, I can make s… --- ## [Cooking for others, do you take the best or the worst piece?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-for-others-do-you-take-the-best-or-the-worst-piece/967261)
**Author:** [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cooking-for-others-do-you-take-the-best-or-the-worst-piece/967261 "2022-07-08T00:59:29Z")
Spinoff of that steak thread. Let’s say you’re cooking the meal of your choice for a group of a few people. All items are of equal quality ingredients. You pull everything off the grill/stove/oven/etc. One is absolutely … --- ## [I just got spam email trying to sell me a UFO](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-got-spam-email-trying-to-sell-me-a-ufo/967514)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-just-got-spam-email-trying-to-sell-me-a-ufo/967514 "2022-07-08T00:09:24Z")
Unfortunately they’re talking about UFO LED lights, not my own personal flying saucer. --- ## [Reacher final episode... spoilers inside](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reacher-final-episode-spoilers-inside/967592)
**Author:** [@StraightTalk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StraightTalk)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2022, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reacher-final-episode-spoilers-inside/967592 "2022-07-08T00:03:13Z")
Someone explain to me how that scrawny pipsqueak got the jump on Reacher and almost beat him… --- ## [Demographics and the GOP’s Reaction to Long-term Trends: what is really going on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demographics-and-the-gop-s-reaction-to-long-term-trends-what-is-really-going-on/966683)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2022, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/demographics-and-the-gop-s-reaction-to-long-term-trends-what-is-really-going-on/966683 "2022-07-07T23:50:07Z")
I feel that I am restating something as obvious as “water is damp,” but tell me if this is a true observation that everybody understands: the GOP has become anti-democratic directly in response to the inevitable growth o… --- ## [Levying war on the United States](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levying-war-on-the-united-states/967196)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2022, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levying-war-on-the-united-states/967196 "2022-07-07T22:41:57Z")
Thinking about it, and I suppose IMHO is best. Looking for opinions after all. Though this might be moved I’m sure. I know this is a very contentious subject. Fictional events are welcome. As are historic events. To be… --- ## [Finding affordable sterilization procedures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-affordable-sterilization-procedures/967087)
**Author:** [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2022, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-affordable-sterilization-procedures/967087 "2022-07-07T22:37:41Z")
My daughter lives in a fairly “blue” state, so her access to terminating a pregnancy is still safe (though she’s taken to referring to the US as the Republic of Gilead). She has never been pregnant. I’m not sure she’s … --- ## [Chinese food in the Godfather](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-food-in-the-godfather/967462)
**Author:** [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2022, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-food-in-the-godfather/967462 "2022-07-07T22:33:43Z")
Everybody who’s seen The Godfather knows the scene where everyone is sitting around eating Chinese food while waiting for info on the location of Michael’s meeting. Was bringing in Chinese food something people did in t… --- ## [Seeking advice on my hypothetical cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-my-hypothetical-cat/966137)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 108\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-advice-on-my-hypothetical-cat/966137 "2022-07-07T22:01:21Z")
My wife and I have been separated for a little over a year now; it’s the right decision, but I miss life with pets - we had a dog and a cat. So I’m on the cusp of getting my own pet. But, despite being a person who lov… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1061) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1063)