# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1294 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1295 --- ## [Political parties representing ideologies as opposed to individuals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-parties-representing-ideologies-as-opposed-to-individuals/953857)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/political-parties-representing-ideologies-as-opposed-to-individuals/953857 "2021-11-07T17:40:46Z")
A Reddit user said this, and I thought it was interesting: The entire problem is the US system that individuals opposed to ideologies run for office. Where I live in the Netherlands individuals are expendible and on… --- ## [I'm here now](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-here-now/953335)
**Author:** [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-here-now/953335 "2021-11-07T17:01:23Z")
I don’t know if anyone has really noticed, but I’ve kinda/sorta been on hiatus. I had several “events” back to back, and simply did not have any brains or effort to come to SDMB and play. I had a colonoscopy. Not my fir… --- ## [Looking for a US fast-food prices time series](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-us-fast-food-prices-time-series/953938)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-a-us-fast-food-prices-time-series/953938 "2021-11-07T16:29:07Z")
This article contains a plot showing time series for fast-food average hourly wage and fast-food prices. The article sites DOL, and I’m assuming this is part of the CPI basket, but I can’t find the series on prices. I kn… --- ## [How does one get gasoline in 2050 for your 2030 vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-get-gasoline-in-2050-for-your-2030-vehicle/947571)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-one-get-gasoline-in-2050-for-your-2030-vehicle/947571 "2021-11-07T14:55:52Z")
I’ve become aware that gasoline and diesel powered vehicles are on their way out. what happens to the infrastructure of gas stations when fewer petrol powered vehicles are on the road. Do we wind up having to go to Wal… --- ## [What’s the risk I’d damage my iPad using it as a makeshift photography light box?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-risk-i-d-damage-my-ipad-using-it-as-a-makeshift-photography-light-box/953929)
**Author:** [@TwoCarrotSnowman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwoCarrotSnowman)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-risk-i-d-damage-my-ipad-using-it-as-a-makeshift-photography-light-box/953929 "2021-11-07T14:41:11Z")
I know this sounds a bit crazy, but hear me out… :grinning: I want to do some macro still life photography. One of the subjects I want to experiment with is a pile of coarse-grain salt. I want a dark, reflective surface… --- ## [What is the most complicated piece of music written, for multiple instruments, which could be played by the composer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complicated-piece-of-music-written-for-multiple-instruments-which-could-be-played-by-the-composer/947707)
**Author:** [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-complicated-piece-of-music-written-for-multiple-instruments-which-could-be-played-by-the-composer/947707 "2021-11-07T13:47:02Z")
… not at the same time, obviously. Backdrop: I was listening to one of Mozart’s piano concertos… I think 23, in A-minor… when I wondered Can Wolfie play this piece for all instruments it is written for? We already know … --- ## [The Biden Administration - the first 1,500 days \[NOT an Afghanistan discussion\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 1456\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-biden-administration-the-first-1-500-days-not-an-afghanistan-discussion/925057 "2021-11-07T13:19:00Z")
Okay, I’m gonna do it. The clusterfuck is over and will be dismantled. What will take its place? What will Biden do? What should he do? What do you want him to do? President-elect Joe Biden is planning to quickly si… --- ## [Can You Get Demoted In Your Chess Title?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-get-demoted-in-your-chess-title/953841)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-get-demoted-in-your-chess-title/953841 "2021-11-07T12:28:07Z")
Let’s say I achieve an ELO of 2400, and qualify for the International Master ranking. Am I now “IM HeyHomie” for the rest of all time? If my play slips and my ELO goes down to, say, 2200, am I demoted to Master? If I sin… --- ## [Energy released by nuclear fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-released-by-nuclear-fusion/953897)
**Author:** [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/energy-released-by-nuclear-fusion/953897 "2021-11-07T12:28:00Z")
When atomic nuclei are fused, in what form is usable heat produced? Recently I found out I was wrong about a pretty fundamental part of nuclear fission - the radiation produced in the fission reaction is relatively smal… --- ## [What was your opinion of GM’s Geo line of automobiles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-opinion-of-gm-s-geo-line-of-automobiles/952956)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-opinion-of-gm-s-geo-line-of-automobiles/952956 "2021-11-07T11:34:42Z")
I saw a Geo Storm today, when I was younger, I thought they were the coolest looking cars. On the other hand, the Geo Metro with a 3 cylinder engine was considered a joke, known for high gas mileage and a loss leader fo… --- ## [I became ill overnight; not serious but I need advice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-became-ill-overnight-not-serious-but-i-need-advice/953907)
**Author:** [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-became-ill-overnight-not-serious-but-i-need-advice/953907 "2021-11-07T09:57:51Z")
Around 1 am I started getting chills and body aches. And more tired than usual. The symptoms suggest it could be covid or flu. I feel not very bad at the moment. I’m wondering about contacting my HMO to ask how to pro… --- ## [Vinyl vs laminate floorinig](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vinyl-vs-laminate-floorinig/953843)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vinyl-vs-laminate-floorinig/953843 "2021-11-07T08:31:31Z")
I have a rental property that is carpeted. I’m thinking about re-doing the floors on the ground level. The current tenant asked about getting vinyl “wood look” floors and has someone who would do the install for little o… --- ## [When you start to think you remember something and the memory doesn't form](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-start-to-think-you-remember-something-and-the-memory-doesnt-form/953585)
**Author:** [@themapleleaf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/themapleleaf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-you-start-to-think-you-remember-something-and-the-memory-doesnt-form/953585 "2021-11-07T06:28:13Z")
Here’s something that happens to me from time to time, and I wonder if this is an identified phenomenon. It’s a bit like deja-vu, but only in my mind. What happens is, I will start to have a memory or image develop in my… --- ## [Did Shakespeare write this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-shakespeare-write-this/686378)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 25, 2015, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-shakespeare-write-this/686378 "2015-05-25T13:38:41Z")
I keep seeing an alleged quote from Shakespeare “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves” Google currently retrieves 33,800 hitsfor this exact phrase. However, I can’t find one that specifies the so… --- ## [Men's Underwear...with no fly](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-with-no-fly/603069)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mens-underwear-with-no-fly/603069 "2021-11-07T05:36:51Z")
I’m wearing today a new pair of briefs, in a different style and brand than usual. So I just went to the men’s room to shake the dew off the lily, and unzip, and then fumble around inside my pants for an unseemly amount… --- ## [Ever been to to high school reunion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 115\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-to-to-high-school-reunion/953094 "2021-11-07T03:55:06Z")
Just got home a few hours ago from the first one I have been to, the 40th, and I’ll never attend one again. I looked forward to it, a chance to see friends I had then and remember the good times we had way back then. … --- ## [CT with contrast and metformin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ct-with-contrast-and-metformin/953820)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ct-with-contrast-and-metformin/953820 "2021-11-07T02:15:05Z")
Factual question, not a request for medical advice. I have a CT with contrast tomorrow. The barium drink, while far from delicious, wasn’t as bad a colonoscopy prep (and was nothing like "drinking latex paint, which I ha… --- ## [Unexpected Bullwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-bullwinkle/953844)
**Author:** [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2021, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unexpected-bullwinkle/953844 "2021-11-07T00:02:50Z")
Well there’s something you don’t see every day. Everyone’s being pretty blase about it and treating it as a humourous story, but honestly this had the potential to be a tragedy. A moose in a confined space can be extre… --- ## [Is there a good Kalevala book or are they all alright?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-good-kalevala-book-or-are-they-all-alright/953532)
**Author:** [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-good-kalevala-book-or-are-they-all-alright/953532 "2021-11-06T23:16:16Z")
Being the die hard Tolkien nerd I am I’ve never actually read the Finnish mythology that inspired his world buildings - the Kalevala. But looking for something like this is like grabbing the first book on Norse mythology… --- ## [What happens to my health insurance deductibles and out of pocket if I have to add dependents in the middle of the benefit year?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-my-health-insurance-deductibles-and-out-of-pocket-if-i-have-to-add-dependents-in-the-middle-of-the-benefit-year/953647)
**Author:** [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-my-health-insurance-deductibles-and-out-of-pocket-if-i-have-to-add-dependents-in-the-middle-of-the-benefit-year/953647 "2021-11-06T23:02:38Z")
I have a HDHP for self and spouse. The year runs April-March. I have 2 children with other coverage. The plan has a plan deductible, individual out of pocket max, and plan out of pocket max. I have met the plan deductib… --- ## [A rather simple question about Blade film](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rather-simple-question-about-blade-film/94209)
**Author:** [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-rather-simple-question-about-blade-film/94209 "2021-11-06T20:33:11Z")
In the film, Blade, there is a scene where Snipes’ character enters a nightclub. In this nightclub is an asian music group with a girly female vocalist. Is this really a band, and where can I find a CD of their music if … --- ## [Help please. Smoked salmon question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-please-smoked-salmon-question/953809)
**Author:** [@Orville\_mogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orville_mogul)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-please-smoked-salmon-question/953809 "2021-11-06T20:32:17Z")
A couple of weeks ago I bought a fair amount of smoked salmon which I was looking forward to eating Ikea-style with a nice mustard-dill sauce. I put it in the freezer. Unfortunately, the other day, I was moving stuff aro… --- ## [Empty Folders in Windows](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-folders-in-windows/953866)
**Author:** [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empty-folders-in-windows/953866 "2021-11-06T19:46:21Z")
This article describes a bug in Windows 10 and 11 systems in which folders whose name begins with tw and ends with the extension .tmp might be created in the folder C:\\Windows\\System32\\config\\systemprofile\\AppData\\Lo… --- ## [Trying weekend and Monday. Egads, it's bad, bad bad!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-weekend-and-monday-egads-its-bad-bad-bad/953190)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-weekend-and-monday-egads-its-bad-bad-bad/953190 "2021-11-06T19:24:21Z")
I won’t bore you with details. Suffice it to say it was medical. So stoooopid!! I came home to the cutest thing tho’ I walked around to the deck steps and Clarence, that adorably ugly marsupial was on the bottom step. … --- ## [Dr. DeBold and the Mysteries of the Heart](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-debold-and-the-mysteries-of-the-heart/953903)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-debold-and-the-mysteries-of-the-heart/953903 "2021-11-06T19:10:57Z")
I was saddened to read in the papers an obituary for Dr. DeBold, the father of cardiac endocrinology who discovered that the heart produces a hormone, which no one believed. He had difficulty publishing his most importa… --- ## [Is Leon Rippy still acting?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leon-rippy-still-acting/953696)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-leon-rippy-still-acting/953696 "2021-11-06T17:13:15Z")
He’s 72, but that can still be a pretty spry age. I haven’t seen him in anything since the Deadwood movie. Dunno if he’s retired or is protecting himself from covid of just hasn’t done much lately, but I haven’t ever se… --- ## [Why would trick-or-treaters knock rather than ring?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-trick-or-treaters-knock-rather-than-ring/953646)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-trick-or-treaters-knock-rather-than-ring/953646 "2021-11-06T16:57:43Z")
This is something I’ve wondered about in past years - as well as this recent Halloween. A sizable percentage (at least 25%) of trick-or-treaters kick on our door, rather than using the doorbell. Not a big deal at all, … --- ## [Eight Dead in Houston](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-dead-in-houston/953893)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-dead-in-houston/953893 "2021-11-06T16:52:46Z")
Reports this morning say eight people were killed last night in a crowd crush at a concert by Travis Scott. Few real details yet. There will be an investigation of course. I suppose some fire code rules were not in pl… --- ## [Was Gabriele Kerner's (Nena's) career in English-speaking countries really derailed because of pit hair?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-gabriele-kerners-nenas-career-in-english-speaking-countries-really-derailed-because-of-pit-hair/953814)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-gabriele-kerners-nenas-career-in-english-speaking-countries-really-derailed-because-of-pit-hair/953814 "2021-11-06T16:27:50Z")
Just A Dream, by Nena, is playing on the iPod. I like the songs on the 99 Luftballons album; not just the one hit, but she really didn’t get any airplay (in the U.S., anyway) after 99 Luftballons (the song). Was Gabrie… --- ## [Houston Methodist Hospital](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-methodist-hospital/944171)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2021, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/houston-methodist-hospital/944171 "2021-11-06T15:06:13Z")
I just read a blurb on Yahoo News about a federal ruling on whether hospitals can compel their employees to get vaccinated. This part jumped out at me: After months of warnings, Houston Methodist had put \[more than 170… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1293) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1295)