# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1247 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1248 --- ## [RIP South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-south-african-anglican-archbishop-desmond-tutu/956664)
**Author:** [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rip-south-african-anglican-archbishop-desmond-tutu/956664 "2021-12-27T02:26:23Z")
--- ## [Is there ever a legitimate reason to have real bullets in a stage gun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-ever-a-legitimate-reason-to-have-real-bullets-in-a-stage-gun/956623)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2021, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-ever-a-legitimate-reason-to-have-real-bullets-in-a-stage-gun/956623 "2021-12-27T01:44:01Z")
I thought about putting this question in the thread about the shooting involving Alec Baldwin, because it’s that situation which prompted it, but I decided not to derail it. My question is why there would ever be real b… --- ## [Paid rent in a separation/divorce](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paid-rent-in-a-separation-divorce/956671)
**Author:** [@a6ka97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a6ka97)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paid-rent-in-a-separation-divorce/956671 "2021-12-27T01:09:07Z")
Found out at the family Christmas my B-I-L (wife’s brother) is separated from his wife and has been so for about 6 months. She wasn’t there at Thanksgiving, but due to her working a rotating shift he said she was working… --- ## [Can JWST pivot to look above the plane of its sun shield?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-jwst-pivot-to-look-above-the-plane-of-its-sun-shield/956656)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-jwst-pivot-to-look-above-the-plane-of-its-sun-shield/956656 "2021-12-26T23:00:03Z")
Every image I can find of the James Web Space Telescope shows it aiming a few degrees above the plane of its own Sun shield on the more tapered end. Can it pivot to look way above this plane, for example perpendicular to… --- ## [Historical use of the term "desperado"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-use-of-the-term-desperado/956605)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-use-of-the-term-desperado/956605 "2021-12-26T22:19:59Z")
Essentially, Spanish for “someone who does risky and extreme acts”; or colloquially “someone with nothing to lose”. Was this more or less coined by Old West fiction writers, or was it actually in use in the 19th century … --- ## [Last of The Untouchables RIP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-of-the-untouchables-rip/956646)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-of-the-untouchables-rip/956646 "2021-12-26T21:49:28Z")
Nicholas Georgiade has died at the age of 88. He played Agent Rico Rossi on the TV show The Untouchables. His character was on the show so there would be an Italian good guy besides all those Mafiosi. All the Untouchab… --- ## [Do they remove you from combat in the US military if you have 3 purple hearts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-remove-you-from-combat-in-the-us-military-if-you-have-3-purple-hearts/956660)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-they-remove-you-from-combat-in-the-us-military-if-you-have-3-purple-hearts/956660 "2021-12-26T21:47:31Z")
It’s something I heard a LONG time ago and always thought it was true but looking it up on Google I can’t find anything about it. But basically in World War 2 if you got 3 purple hearts you were generally rotated back t… --- ## [Plugging space heater into surge protector?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plugging-space-heater-into-surge-protector/956550)
**Author:** [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plugging-space-heater-into-surge-protector/956550 "2021-12-26T21:18:51Z")
Mrs. Trees and i both think we’ve heard/read that it isn’t safe to plug a space heater into a surge protector. Neither of us can say for sure why we think this, or why it is unsafe. Can anyone see a downside, provided … --- ## [Reason for Strange Holiday Vacation Policy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reason-for-strange-holiday-vacation-policy/955607)
**Author:** [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reason-for-strange-holiday-vacation-policy/955607 "2021-12-26T21:05:34Z")
I cannot figure out the reason for a my husband’s employers very strange vacation policy - but I’m not at all sure there’s a factual answer, so here goes. Everyone must take vacation either the week that contains Christ… --- ## [What's a weird thing that you have personally witnessed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-weird-thing-that-you-have-personally-witnessed/955938)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-a-weird-thing-that-you-have-personally-witnessed/955938 "2021-12-26T18:48:12Z")
Two come to mind for me: I was in my car in a parking lot waiting for someone in a store. I glanced up and noticed a light fixture hanging by a wire and swaying in a mild wind. A few seconds after I saw it, it lost its … --- ## [As I type this](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-type-this/956670)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-i-type-this/956670 "2021-12-26T18:16:03Z")
…the ladies at HSN are pretending the vibrator they’re hawking is for aching shoulders and back. --- ## [Rib roast: to freeze or not to freeze?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-roast-to-freeze-or-not-to-freeze/956290)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rib-roast-to-freeze-or-not-to-freeze/956290 "2021-12-26T18:02:48Z")
More ‘when to freeze’ than ‘whether to freeze’ actually. So it’s my turn to make Christmas dinner, which in my family is a traditional English roast with Yorkshire puddings. My wife was going to pick up a rib roast from… --- ## [Where did beginning a team name with “Team….” originate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-beginning-a-team-name-with-team-originate/956237)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-did-beginning-a-team-name-with-team-originate/956237 "2021-12-26T15:58:09Z")
This question seems way too trivial for FQ, so asking it here, I feel like whenever there are team events among friends or colleagues, many of the self-created team names begin with “Team”. For example, in my fantasy f… --- ## [Audio Equalizer for windows? Or for Browser](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audio-equalizer-for-windows-or-for-browser/956606)
**Author:** [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audio-equalizer-for-windows-or-for-browser/956606 "2021-12-26T15:48:28Z")
Years ago i had a nice addon to my chrome browser that gave me equalizer in youtube and other sound sources in the browser. I can not find it again after i got a new pc a few years ago, i think it was called EQsomething,… --- ## [When did Jim Gaffigan make it big as a comedian](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-jim-gaffigan-make-it-big-as-a-comedian/956343)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-jim-gaffigan-make-it-big-as-a-comedian/956343 "2021-12-26T14:26:35Z")
Was his breakthrough album ‘beyond the pale’? I remember seeing him doing stand up comedy before that, but he wasn’t really a big name. --- ## [Trying to find this Japanese artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-find-this-japanese-artist/956641)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-find-this-japanese-artist/956641 "2021-12-26T14:00:08Z")
A long time back (maybe 30-35 years) the art of a young Japanese girl was featured in Smithsonian Magazine. At about 10 years old she was considered a prodigy, making watercolors of mostly animals, I think. I can’t remem… --- ## [A Charlie Brown Christmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-charlie-brown-christmas/956657)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-charlie-brown-christmas/956657 "2021-12-26T13:51:41Z")
A little late for this, but I just realized I had not watched it yet this year. Favorite quotes? I’ll start with this one. Lucy: I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It… --- ## [Please compare Skype and Whereby](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-compare-skype-and-whereby/950025)
**Author:** [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 3, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-compare-skype-and-whereby/950025 "2021-09-03T17:28:18Z")
I regularly chat to friends (especially abroad) using Skype. So far, so good. :sunglasses: Recently a reliable friend recommended Whereby as a better and more ‘modern’ alternative. I had no problem using that either. … --- ## [I'm thinking of a horror movie scene - someone using a camera flash to see in the dark](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-a-horror-movie-scene-someone-using-a-camera-flash-to-see-in-the-dark/605340)
**Author:** [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-thinking-of-a-horror-movie-scene-someone-using-a-camera-flash-to-see-in-the-dark/605340 "2021-12-26T03:31:10Z")
What movie is this from? I distinctly remember it: Someone (a woman, I think) is trapped in a dark place and can’t see anything around her. The only source of light she has is a disposable camera. She fires the shutter … --- ## [Doctor Lester Fisher R.I.P](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-lester-fisher-r-i-p/956648)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-lester-fisher-r-i-p/956648 "2021-12-26T03:30:19Z")
Doctor Lester Fisher of the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Ark in the Park segments on Chicago’s long running Ray Rayner Show has died at the age of 100. The good die young. --- ## [Why was the Hiroshima damage not symetrical?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-the-hiroshima-damage-not-symetrical/956579)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-the-hiroshima-damage-not-symetrical/956579 "2021-12-26T03:29:30Z")
Arising out of the Japanese Emperor / surrender thread: @Moriarty posted a link to an NPR article: If you scroll down, you see a map of the most severe damage, roughly circular, and centred on the target spot for the… --- ## [Leaving a gas fireplace unattended all night question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-gas-fireplace-unattended-all-night-question/956632)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2021, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leaving-a-gas-fireplace-unattended-all-night-question/956632 "2021-12-26T01:09:17Z")
Where I live a large percentage of residents leave town in October or November and return in April or May. In fact, these “snowbirds” are so numerous that in my neighborhood, which is mostly made up of retirees, by Chris… --- ## [Venmo, PayPal, cashapp, etc. Is there any real difference?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-paypal-cashapp-etc-is-there-any-real-difference/956561)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/venmo-paypal-cashapp-etc-is-there-any-real-difference/956561 "2021-12-25T22:53:50Z")
See title. That’s the question. --- ## [Question regarding the preference for the titles instituteur/ institutrice vs ‘un maître/ maîtresse’](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-preference-for-the-titles-instituteur-institutrice-vs-un-maitre-maitresse/956581)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-the-preference-for-the-titles-instituteur-institutrice-vs-un-maitre-maitresse/956581 "2021-12-25T22:26:26Z")
Do French primary school teachers today have a preference for the titles ‘instituteur’ and ‘institutrice’ over ‘maître’ and 'maîtresse’ --- ## [In praise of awesome uncles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-awesome-uncles/956616)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-praise-of-awesome-uncles/956616 "2021-12-25T22:21:08Z")
I was lucky enough to have been blessed with several great uncles. Not a “creepy uncle” stereotype in the bunch. To me, they were all like big kids. They might have been responsible for me when I was with them but they’d… --- ## [And a Merry Christmas to you too JBP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-merry-christmas-to-you-too-jbp/956642)
**Author:** [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-a-merry-christmas-to-you-too-jbp/956642 "2021-12-25T22:11:58Z")
Christian, bill C-16 legal scholar, anti-sjw carnivore, and self-help guru Jordan B Peterson makes inflammatory anti-vax tweets at Justin Trudeau (and idiots ratio him 24k / 5.5k). --- ## [What are you giving for Christmas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-giving-for-christmas/956201)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-you-giving-for-christmas/956201 "2021-12-25T22:01:24Z")
The Missus can be hard to buy for. She likes Patagonia, so I got her a Patagonia shirt and a Patagonia hat. I got a free teddy bear from Ben Bridge for getting my Sub overhauled, so she’s getting that. (Why not?) I g… --- ## [Early Access Games: Pro and Con](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-access-games-pro-and-con/956079)
**Author:** [@smilingbandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smilingbandit)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/early-access-games-pro-and-con/956079 "2021-12-25T21:45:00Z")
This is me splitting off a side conversation from the Star Citizen thread. SenorBeef and myself had a slight disagreement (with a few dozen instances of spittle-flecked screaming invectives). He used Cyberpunk 2077 as a… --- ## [Best #1 Song of the Year: 2021](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-song-of-the-year-2021/956414)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-1-song-of-the-year-2021/956414 "2021-12-25T20:54:20Z")
It’s that time again! Much like 2020, 2021 has been a weird year for pop music. The chart is almost as volatile as it was last year, with 19 songs reaching the top spot, only a handful of them staying on top for more th… --- ## [How to quote graphs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-quote-graphs/956634)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 25, 2021, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-quote-graphs/956634 "2021-12-25T19:26:37Z")
I know I’ve got this answer before, but I can’t find the thread. How do you quote a graph that is in an article? It’s similar to quoting text, but you’re quoting a graph. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1246) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1248)