# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1481 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1482 --- ## [My Animal Religion Theory](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-animal-religion-theory/939897)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-animal-religion-theory/939897 "2021-04-22T21:25:28Z")
(At first I was just going to put this in MPSIMS. But upon closer reflection, I now realize that this might spark some debates.) As I must’ve made clear by now, I have a very unconventional approach to life. And as I al… --- ## [Which governors are doing the best and worst jobs at handling the COVID 19 crisis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-governors-are-doing-the-best-and-worst-jobs-at-handling-the-covid-19-crisis/852077)
**Author:** [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-governors-are-doing-the-best-and-worst-jobs-at-handling-the-covid-19-crisis/852077 "2021-04-22T19:43:38Z")
Of all 50 of the US states, which ones have governors that are doing the best to handle the COVID 19 crisis? Which ones are doing the most poorly? Obviously, different states have different challenges. Some were hit har… --- ## [My Alma Mater is on fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-alma-mater-is-on-fire/940253)
**Author:** [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-alma-mater-is-on-fire/940253 "2021-04-22T18:37:59Z")
University of Cape Town is on fire. Also, most of the mountain around it. And the only surviving windmill in sub-Saharan Africa. Am looking at the fire literally up the road where I go for walks. --- ## [Question about radar (Kincross Incident)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-radar-kincross-incident/940214)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-radar-kincross-incident/940214 "2021-04-22T18:37:42Z")
Quirky story that I just now heard about. From the wiki article: “ On the evening of November 23, 1953, Air Defense Command Ground Intercept radar operators at Sault Ste. Marie identified an unusual target over Lake Sup… --- ## ["Vaxxmaxxing" meme](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaxxmaxxing-meme/940506)
**Author:** [@mrdeals1990](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrdeals1990)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vaxxmaxxing-meme/940506 "2021-04-22T17:14:30Z")
I’ve been seeing a meme floating around in the past couple days that goes something like this: Picture of a completely jacked male “I’ve been using fake identities to get the shot at dozens of clinics around the city…v… --- ## [Baseball: does anyone track baserunning stats (not SBs)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-does-anyone-track-baserunning-stats-not-sbs/940549)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-does-anyone-track-baserunning-stats-not-sbs/940549 "2021-04-22T16:57:07Z")
I know stolen bases and caught stealings have always been tracked. But what about how often a runner on first makes it to third on a single or scores on a double? Or a runner on second scores on a single? And on the flip… --- ## [Stupid little things the pandemic has taken from you](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-little-things-the-pandemic-has-taken-from-you/923407)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-little-things-the-pandemic-has-taken-from-you/923407 "2021-04-22T16:02:20Z")
I have a very strong photic sneeze reflex which triggers every time I step out of a building during the day. These sneezes are rather pleasant, unlike when you’re sick or affected by an allergen. On overcast days, I hab… --- ## [What short sci fi story do i remember?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-short-sci-fi-story-do-i-remember/940540)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-short-sci-fi-story-do-i-remember/940540 "2021-04-22T15:48:17Z")
Long after a war that wipes everything out the society in the story worships (?) a huge monolith. Their attempts to open it fail. Part of the monolith opens and a huge round device unfolds. The citizens climb it and exa… --- ## [Lori Lightfoot (Chicago mayor) goes off on Twitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lori-lightfoot-chicago-mayor-goes-off-on-twitter/940262)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lori-lightfoot-chicago-mayor-goes-off-on-twitter/940262 "2021-04-22T15:18:07Z")
Lori Lightfoot woke up in a bad mood today apparently. https://twitter.com/lorilightfoot/status/1383805879200354312?s=21 There’s been a bunch of rumors about Lori having an affair and then domestic violence between Lori… --- ## [Found the" professor of rock" channel on youtube anyone else watch him?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-the-professor-of-rock-channel-on-youtube-anyone-else-watch-him/940520)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/found-the-professor-of-rock-channel-on-youtube-anyone-else-watch-him/940520 "2021-04-22T15:11:47Z")
found him on youtube a few weeks ago and wow smartest dude I’ve ever heard talking about rock from the 50s on… and the artist seems to like and respect him too namely because he doesn’t ask all the usual stupid questio… --- ## [Fire extinguisher shelf life](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-extinguisher-shelf-life/939865)
**Author:** [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fire-extinguisher-shelf-life/939865 "2021-04-22T15:05:47Z")
For nearly as long as I’ve been living on my own, I have had a fire extinguisher sitting there in my kitchen, just in case. Thankfully I have never needed to use it. A few weeks ago realized I’d had that extinguisher f… --- ## [Saving an aircraft from salt water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-aircraft-from-salt-water/940312)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saving-an-aircraft-from-salt-water/940312 "2021-04-22T14:55:41Z")
Re: The TBM Avenger that ditched in Cocoa Beach. I’m guessing the structural damage is not too severe; maybe a bent engine mount and some minor sheet metal work. But the aircraft ditched in salt water. Aside from the… --- ## [Where do antique dealers buy antiques?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-antique-dealers-buy-antiques/571584)
**Author:** [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [December 4, 2014, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-antique-dealers-buy-antiques/571584 "2014-12-04T23:23:16Z")
I was on a short vacation last weekend (in-state, but it was my first non-family-visiting vacation in years), and spent a little time in an antique shop, the sort with booths for many different dealers. There were thous… --- ## [Quantum Effect on Calibrating a Dosimeter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-effect-on-calibrating-a-dosimeter/940349)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quantum-effect-on-calibrating-a-dosimeter/940349 "2021-04-22T14:34:23Z")
Can devices that count subatomic particles, such as dosimeters, Geiger counters, and the like really be calibrated? I am wondering if quantum effects come into play here leading to inconsistent results when trying to cal… --- ## [Rechargeable batteries, are they worth it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rechargeable-batteries-are-they-worth-it/940103)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rechargeable-batteries-are-they-worth-it/940103 "2021-04-22T14:29:53Z")
(Does this belong in IMHO, or MPSIMS?) I use AAs and Cs, for TV remotes and radios respectively. I don’t like tossing spent batteries into our landfills, or wherever household hazardous wastes go. I’m thinking of gettin… --- ## [How do nails end up in tires?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-nails-end-up-in-tires/623504)
**Author:** [@beeyule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beeyule)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-nails-end-up-in-tires/623504 "2021-04-22T14:22:35Z")
It would seem like nails lying flat would stay flat when run over by the tire and most likely wouldn’t puncture it. If the nail were lying flat and it had an average size nail head, the nail might start to move vertical… --- ## [My Box Lunch Has "Select Organic Ingredients"!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-box-lunch-has-select-organic-ingredients/940462)
**Author:** [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-box-lunch-has-select-organic-ingredients/940462 "2021-04-22T14:10:02Z")
So, my company had an even today and I got a free box lunch from a local deli. I’m certainly not complaining about a free lunch. I am, however, going to mock the deli a bit for their packaging. On the lid of the box lun… --- ## [Earth Day 2021](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-day-2021/940527)
**Author:** [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-day-2021/940527 "2021-04-22T13:52:23Z")
April 22 is a good time to celebrate any progress we make on cleaning up and preserving the environment. In 1970 the young environmental movement was largely supported by both parties and we got wonderful legislation in… --- ## [Proof of life?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-of-life/940483)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/proof-of-life/940483 "2021-04-22T13:45:21Z")
There are always stories, for example the recent account of a wayward princess who was black-bagged, where someone demands proof that the kidnap victim is still alive. I wonder, short of producing the person, what proof… --- ## [Biden to form commission to look at expanding Supreme Court](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-to-form-commission-to-look-at-expanding-supreme-court/939690)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biden-to-form-commission-to-look-at-expanding-supreme-court/939690 "2021-04-22T13:16:49Z")
This idea will go nowhere with the filibuster intact. --- ## [Internet shopping in Australia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-shopping-in-australia/476358)
**Author:** [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 9, 2008, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/internet-shopping-in-australia/476358 "2008-12-09T18:10:18Z")
or for Australia? I need to buy a present (toy) for a 7 year old who lives in Australia. Alas, no Amazon Australia. Any locals who might recommend a good internet shopping site that delivers there? --- ## [In a standard silverware set, what is the point of the smaller forks?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-standard-silverware-set-what-is-the-point-of-the-smaller-forks/940274)
**Author:** [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-standard-silverware-set-what-is-the-point-of-the-smaller-forks/940274 "2021-04-22T12:24:47Z")
Note that I am not talking about a specialty fork like an oyster fork. I am talking about a silverware set you get at Walmart, Target, etc…the ones we all have in our kitchen. Sometimes I will pick up a smaller fork an… --- ## [When did the modern concept of a "novel" come into being?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-modern-concept-of-a-novel-come-into-being/939769)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-modern-concept-of-a-novel-come-into-being/939769 "2021-04-22T12:18:38Z")
I’m finally getting into seriously tackling “classic literature”, and some old “novels” I’ve read recently and in the past have made me wonder when the concept of the “novel” became formalized in its current form, that i… --- ## [New evidence links Russia to Trump](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-evidence-links-russia-to-trump/940108)
**Author:** [@Kimera757](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimera757)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-evidence-links-russia-to-trump/940108 "2021-04-22T11:21:11Z")
About five years too late, of course. Paul Manafort was Trump’s campaign manager for part of the 2016 election. He ordered his deputy, Rick Gates, to share campaign info with Konstantin Kilimnik, an intelligence officer… --- ## [E cigarette batteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-cigarette-batteries/593614)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 30, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/e-cigarette-batteries/593614 "2011-08-30T06:46:07Z")
Safe Cig is my favorite. They taste better than the others. But the batteries quit holding their charge in a month or so. I charge them from huse current or the car. How long to your batteries last? --- ## [Yul Brynner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yul-brynner/939351)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yul-brynner/939351 "2021-04-22T10:12:25Z")
Easter weekend - and our local TV stations always show “Ben-Hur” and the “Ten Commandments”. The latter features Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner. Brynner also starred in “The King and I” on Broadway - taking part in over… --- ## [Can centaurs swim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-centaurs-swim/940256)
**Author:** [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-centaurs-swim/940256 "2021-04-22T10:10:33Z")
Horses can swim and humans can swim, can centaurs? Presumably their lungs take up about the same percentage of body size as a horse or human, and on top, so the human torso cavity is almost all lungs. They might prefer t… --- ## [Rock producer Jim Steinman, has died at 73](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-producer-jim-steinman-has-died-at-73/940395)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rock-producer-jim-steinman-has-died-at-73/940395 "2021-04-22T08:36:44Z")
amn this stinks … meats gotta be upset … https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/rock-producer-jim-steinman-who-helped-pen-hits-for-meat-loaf-and-bonnie-tyler-has-died-at-73/ar-BB1fRrYi?li=BBnb2gh&ocid=SK2DDHP --- ## [Where is this British "Slide" Tower?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-british-slide-tower/920715)
**Author:** [@Ptolomy57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptolomy57)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-this-british-slide-tower/920715 "2021-04-22T07:50:50Z")
In this Kinks video (link below) for the song “Do It Again” from the late 1980s, there is a “larger than life” spiral slide wrapped around a tower about the height of a lighthouse. Apparently, it is part of an amusement … --- ## ["Do You Want to View in Frames?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-view-in-frames/940490)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2021, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-want-to-view-in-frames/940490 "2021-04-22T06:23:38Z")
Perhaps this is old school, but do Straight Dopers remember the early days of the internet when one would commonly see a pop-up dialog box (or such) saying “Do you want to view in frames?” OR “Do you want to print in fra… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1480) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1482)