# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=138&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 139 --- ## [How useful are at-home DNA tests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-are-at-home-dna-tests/798258)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-useful-are-at-home-dna-tests/798258 "2026-02-20T23:06:56Z")
Column here. Those AncestryDNA TV commercials irk me. One lady kept saying the test determined she was from all nations, so now she didn’t know what nation to put down on forms. What the …? I am unaware of any DNA test … --- ## [Why are businesses slower during the winter months? After the holiday season?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-businesses-slower-during-the-winter-months-after-the-holiday-season/1027834)
**Author:** [@sta3535](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sta3535)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-businesses-slower-during-the-winter-months-after-the-holiday-season/1027834 "2026-02-20T22:48:26Z")
Even though it all depends on the type of business (bars, restaurants, malls, shopping centers, etc) I’ve noticed that certain places tend to slow down when it gets cold outside, especially after the holiday season, whic… --- ## [An Easy Lunch Food Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-easy-lunch-food-question/1027836)
**Author:** [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/an-easy-lunch-food-question/1027836 "2026-02-20T22:39:54Z")
\< If This Is The Wrong Theatre For This Question, Then I Request that it be moved \> I have an idea for a lunch food. It would require that several semi-cooked hotdogs be wrapped in a slices of bacon ( possibly pinned… --- ## [Coen Brothers non sequitur thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-non-sequitur-thread/671111)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 364\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-non-sequitur-thread/671111 "2026-02-20T21:27:48Z")
Hell, I can get you a toe by 3 o’clock this afternoon… with nail polish. --- ## [Three men freeze to death in a friend's backyard and aren't found for three days](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-men-freeze-to-death-in-a-friends-backyard-and-arent-found-for-three-days/996151)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 505\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/three-men-freeze-to-death-in-a-friends-backyard-and-arent-found-for-three-days/996151 "2026-02-20T20:33:40Z")
What a bizarre story. The men were at the friend’s house watching football a week ago Sunday. When they didn’t return home, friends and relatives started looking for them. They tried to contact the friend but he didn’… --- ## [Why don't Canadians do better in the Winter Olympics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-canadians-do-better-in-the-winter-olympics/1027698)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-canadians-do-better-in-the-winter-olympics/1027698 "2026-02-20T20:17:20Z")
They should have plenty of athletes and places to train. The northern Europeans blow them away. --- ## [I hate it when weird things happen that I can't explain](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-it-when-weird-things-happen-that-i-cant-explain/1027695)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-it-when-weird-things-happen-that-i-cant-explain/1027695 "2026-02-20T19:17:32Z")
Last night, right after I went to bed, I heard some quietish beeping, seven or eight beeps, that I’ve never heard before. It happened too fast to get a bead on where it was coming from. It sort of sounded like an alarm f… --- ## [Looking for some new reading material](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-some-new-reading-material/1025043)
**Author:** [@DreamsOfACheetah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreamsOfACheetah)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-some-new-reading-material/1025043 "2026-02-20T18:41:11Z")
I have been reading since I was about 3-4 years old, and it’s my favorite hobby. I’m looking for suggestions for new material to read. I have hundreds of books, and I took some pics of my shelves, but wasn’t allowed to p… --- ## [Is there a term for someone who holds highly politically liberal and highly conservative views at the same time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-someone-who-holds-highly-politically-liberal-and-highly-conservative-views-at-the-same-time/1027750)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-someone-who-holds-highly-politically-liberal-and-highly-conservative-views-at-the-same-time/1027750 "2026-02-20T18:39:11Z")
On Reddit, I see a (quite small) number of folks who can’t really be boxed into a category, and “centrist” doesn’t seem quite right either. They’ll hold views that seem to be at the polar ends of both right and left. The… --- ## [Did Bad Bunny, or Did Bad Bunny not, say things in Spanish that wouldn't survive being broadcast in English (in the US)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bad-bunny-or-did-bad-bunny-not-say-things-in-spanish-that-wouldnt-survive-being-broadcast-in-english-in-the-us/1027687)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-bad-bunny-or-did-bad-bunny-not-say-things-in-spanish-that-wouldnt-survive-being-broadcast-in-english-in-the-us/1027687 "2026-02-20T18:14:43Z")
I’ve seen memes by upset conservatives posting pretty nasty translations of some of Bad Bunny’s lyrics. I don’t know if those are really his lyrics, or if the translations or accurate, or what have you. And that’s not ev… --- ## [Individual speech help](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818)
**Author:** [@lilybug0309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilybug0309)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/individual-speech-help/1027818 "2026-02-20T16:48:20Z")
Hey, I know I haven’t been on in a minute, but I have been trying to keep up with my school work. With this being my last year I am excited to graduate and head off to college. But before I can do that I am doing a poetr… --- ## [How long can I expect this SSD drive to last?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-expect-this-ssd-drive-to-last/1027526)
**Author:** [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-expect-this-ssd-drive-to-last/1027526 "2026-02-20T16:44:31Z")
I’m shocked at how long I’ve been using this desktop computer! The SSD that I originally installed in it has 50,512 power-on hours count. The HDD that I added just a bit later has 50,197 hours and has already exhibited… --- ## [Explain the world of John Wick to me](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-world-of-john-wick-to-me/1027634)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-world-of-john-wick-to-me/1027634 "2026-02-20T16:15:29Z")
I’ve seen all 5 films (John Wicks 1-4 and Ballerina) many times and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around what is actually going on in this world. At first one might assume it’s just a typical “hip gangster” film whe… --- ## [Alanis Morrisette and Darth Vader (Does anyone else remember this?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alanis-morrisette-and-darth-vader-does-anyone-else-remember-this/1027846)
**Author:** [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alanis-morrisette-and-darth-vader-does-anyone-else-remember-this/1027846 "2026-02-20T15:46:03Z")
Something I saw today gave me a flash of memory of a video I remember seeing on the internet in 90s or early 2000s. It was an animated video for the song Hands Clean by Alanis Morrissette done in stop motion with Star Wa… --- ## [Forgotten memes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-memes/1027780)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forgotten-memes/1027780 "2026-02-20T13:12:51Z")
Memes come, and memes go… and over the decades, some of us can’t remember them. So this thread is for reminders of memes gone by. I’ll start: William Shatner’s face on a brick wall. I can’t remember the punchline. --- ## [Bannon & Miller-- who is their choice to replace Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannon-miller-who-is-their-choice-to-replace-trump/1026129)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 87\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bannon-miller-who-is-their-choice-to-replace-trump/1026129 "2026-02-20T05:43:12Z")
Continuing the discussion from Are There Any Strong MAGA Politicians?. This didn’t get any response elsewhere, and I’d really like to know what y’all think. Will they just accept the party’s choice to run in 2028, whe… --- ## [@Sunny\_Daze passed away - Memorial Thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunny-daze-passed-away-memorial-thread/1027593)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunny-daze-passed-away-memorial-thread/1027593 "2026-02-20T05:37:07Z")
I was friends with her on Facebook, and her sister posted that she passed away on 8 Feb. She was a great poster and she will be missed. RIP. --- ## [Bayliss' bad bad bad orange Tic tac](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-bad-bad-bad-orange-tic-tac/1027802)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bayliss-bad-bad-bad-orange-tic-tac/1027802 "2026-02-20T03:39:08Z")
I was asleep. I felt a cold bump on my ear. I turned my head over and was looking at big brown eyes staring at me. One big lick across the across my nose, and I knew who it was. There he stood in the semi dark, smili… --- ## [School Technology and Parental Opt-out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-technology-and-parental-opt-out/1027763)
**Author:** [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-technology-and-parental-opt-out/1027763 "2026-02-20T03:03:27Z")
I realize that this question will be extremely dependent on geography and this thread might need to be moved to a different forum. How far can parents go opting their children out of using school issued devices? If a sch… --- ## [Why doesn't diet soda keep me hydrated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-diet-soda-keep-me-hydrated/1027812)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-diet-soda-keep-me-hydrated/1027812 "2026-02-19T23:31:52Z")
As I age I have become much more susceptible to dehydration induced muscle and joint soreness. Even when I limit my soda intake to sugar free, caffeine free, non-cola (no phosphoric acid) varieties, I become extremely so… --- ## [Are humans meat eaters or vegetarians by nature?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-meat-eaters-or-vegetarians-by-nature/561531)
**Author:** [@JZesbaugh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JZesbaugh)\ **Replies:** 345\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-humans-meat-eaters-or-vegetarians-by-nature/561531 "2026-02-19T23:09:59Z")
I Know this is a response to an old post, but I stumbled on it. Thought I’d see what sort of response this might stir up. You Put A Baby In A Crib With An Apple And A Rabbit. If It Eats The Rabbit And Plays With The … --- ## [Is "limbo" a real thing for christians/Catholics? Or is it made-up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limbo-a-real-thing-for-christians-catholics-or-is-it-made-up/1026945)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 95\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-limbo-a-real-thing-for-christians-catholics-or-is-it-made-up/1026945 "2026-02-19T22:04:27Z")
I was talking to my GF and we somehow got to discussing limbo. My understanding is it is not a part of christian/Catholic doctrine. It’s made-up. But without it what does the church tell women about the fate of a stil… --- ## [I finally figured out my username from 20 years ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-figured-out-my-username-from-20-years-ago/1027758)
**Author:** [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-finally-figured-out-my-username-from-20-years-ago/1027758 "2026-02-19T21:49:14Z")
So, a lifetime ago I used to hang here quite a bit, although I was mostly a lurker. This past year, my current partner and I decided to do a Death Pool for New Year, and I got to thinking about where I got the idea and … --- ## ["28 Years Later" - June 2025](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/28-years-later-june-2025/1011459)
**Author:** [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/28-years-later-june-2025/1011459 "2026-02-19T21:48:42Z")
The trailer for “28 Years Later” has been released, and it’s a masterclass in the art of trailers. No big spoilers (except maybe?\*), just intensity. Unlike “28 Weeks Later,” this one is again directed by Danny Boyle and … --- ## [Questions about "geography" in Tender Mercies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-geography-in-tender-mercies/1027816)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-geography-in-tender-mercies/1027816 "2026-02-19T19:36:29Z")
Rewatched Tender Mercies last night, and had some questions about where the various action was supposed to take place. Please correct/fill out any of the following assumptions/question: Mac lives in a hotel in the midd… --- ## [The good old days: less profanity?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-good-old-days-less-profanity/1027504 "2026-02-19T18:21:40Z")
Nora Ephron, writing about her time at Newsweek: “Graham had married Katharine Meyer, whose father owned The Washington Post, and he now ran The Post and the publishing empire that controlled Newsweek. But according to … --- ## [Another odd package route](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-odd-package-route/1026304)
**Author:** [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-odd-package-route/1026304 "2026-02-19T17:58:08Z")
Yes, I understand hub and spoke, but this one baffles me: I ship a package via USPS from SE Minnesota to NE Wisconsin (ground advantage) It first heads to MSP (ok, slightly wrong direction, but is nearby processing fac… --- ## [Looking for info on old wind turbines(?) in the Mojave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-info-on-old-wind-turbines-in-the-mojave/1026832)
**Author:** [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-info-on-old-wind-turbines-in-the-mojave/1026832 "2026-02-19T17:20:45Z")
I came across these along Redrock-Randsburg Road (I think) more than 20 years ago, I can’t find anything about them online. Do we have any wind turbine experts/historians in the house? … --- ## [Sore throat treatment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-throat-treatment/1027781)
**Author:** [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sore-throat-treatment/1027781 "2026-02-19T16:33:32Z")
First, I know that you are not my doctor and I know enough not to uncritically trust recommendations from you Internet randos. I’m just looking for ideas that I might not have thought of. For the past 3 days I’ve been h… --- ## [\*Tiptoeing in\* Uh. I'm back? You do remember me, VOW, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoeing-in-uh-im-back-you-do-remember-me-vow-right/1027696)
**Author:** [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2026, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiptoeing-in-uh-im-back-you-do-remember-me-vow-right/1027696 "2026-02-19T15:54:42Z")
I’ve been AWOL. I’ve been depressed and angry as Hell over the deterioration of the good ol’ US of A. And I didn’t want to spread my venom. I think I’ve gotten my temper somewhat under control, and I’ll try to behave my… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=137&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=139&state=muted)