# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1487 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1488 --- ## [House of Cards discussion thread (spoilers for all episodes)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-discussion-thread-spoilers-for-all-episodes/652343)
**Author:** [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/house-of-cards-discussion-thread-spoilers-for-all-episodes/652343 "2021-04-16T15:20:10Z")
I did a search for this and didn’t find anything–my apologies if the hamsters have failed me. I just finished watching all episodes of House of Cards. For those of you who are unaware, it’s Netflix’s first proprietary … --- ## [Examples of "cheeking" in movies/TV?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-cheeking-in-movies-tv/926348)
**Author:** [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-of-cheeking-in-movies-tv/926348 "2021-04-16T14:47:58Z")
Recently, I’ve seen a TV series (The Queen’s Gambit) and a movie (Run) which both featured scenes of someone “cheeking” their medication. Cheeking, I learned, is the name for hiding a pill in your cheek or under your ton… --- ## [At what lower competition level would the top teams in various sports be able to win 99.9% of their games?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-lower-competition-level-would-the-top-teams-in-various-sports-be-able-to-win-99-9-of-their-games/939606)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-what-lower-competition-level-would-the-top-teams-in-various-sports-be-able-to-win-99-9-of-their-games/939606 "2021-04-16T13:33:00Z")
To clarify, what I’m asking is at how much lower would. the level of competition have to be for the top teams have to face. in order to be able to win 99.9% or more of their games? Choose whatever team sport you prefer. … --- ## [Help me understand this weight loss/gain phenomenon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-weight-loss-gain-phenomenon/940086)
**Author:** [@Nature\_s\_Call](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nature_s_Call)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-understand-this-weight-loss-gain-phenomenon/940086 "2021-04-16T12:04:34Z")
I (re)started a health kick last October - eating right and exercise. I’ve lost 50lbs. Yay me! When I stay disciplined, the weight comes off. Nice and gradually, a pound here a couple pounds there. But a week ago at… --- ## [IPO shares?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipo-shares/940005)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipo-shares/940005 "2021-04-16T11:48:02Z")
When a company goes public the founder or founders get a lot of shares. Sometimes millions of shares. How do they determine how many shares the founders get? Do they pick a number or is that number of shares sugge… --- ## [What happened to the Nine Rings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-nine-rings/939868)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-nine-rings/939868 "2021-04-16T11:19:47Z")
Ok, we know Sauron made them in the Second age. Sauron stole them and gave them to Nine Mortal men. They became Ringwraiths when they died. However, at the end of the 2nd age Eru drowned Númenor, which was removed fro… --- ## [Feeling angry and frustrated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-angry-and-frustrated/933086)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-angry-and-frustrated/933086 "2021-04-16T08:38:26Z")
I imagine this is a common feeling these days. And I suppose in the grand scheme of things, I’m actually pretty fortunate. And yet, every day I have a distinct sensation of wanting to smash my fucking head against the … --- ## [Earthly rewards in the Bible](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthly-rewards-in-the-bible/939625)
**Author:** [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earthly-rewards-in-the-bible/939625 "2021-04-16T06:09:31Z")
I recently heard Matt Dillahunty of Atheist Experience say that while the Bible promises rewards for a virtuous life, these rewards are only given in the afterlife. So you have to cash in your chips before you can cash i… --- ## [Your experiences with tankless water heaters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-experiences-with-tankless-water-heaters/939642)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-experiences-with-tankless-water-heaters/939642 "2021-04-16T01:12:03Z")
I currently have a 10 year old electric water heater. I’m considering switching to tankless. An electric heater will require an additional circuit. The reviews that I’ve read about them aren’t exactly stellar. They don’t… --- ## [Trying to ID an actor from a description in a book](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-an-actor-from-a-description-in-a-book/938735)
**Author:** [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-id-an-actor-from-a-description-in-a-book/938735 "2021-04-16T00:44:12Z")
The book is “Moondust-The Men who Fell to Earth” by Andrew Smith. He mentions going to a Star Trek/SF convention in Las Vegas to meet an astronaut who was signing autographs there. Smith further mentions encountering a… --- ## [Disabled Rights in the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disabled-rights-in-the-us/940026)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2021, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disabled-rights-in-the-us/940026 "2021-04-16T00:04:49Z")
I was surprised to read that the US had not ratified the UN Convention on Rights for the Disabled. I’m not sure why, or what significance this has. I think the UN is of limited efficacy and understand the US does not a… --- ## [Is there an older, more innocuous meaning of "one-night stand"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-older-more-innocuous-meaning-of-one-night-stand/939970)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-an-older-more-innocuous-meaning-of-one-night-stand/939970 "2021-04-15T23:05:04Z")
The Herman’s Hermits classic “I’m Into Something Good” has the following lines in the chorus: I walked her home and she held my hand I knew it couldn’t be just a one-night stand The use of the term “one-night stand”… --- ## [Anyone had the J&J vaccine? Is there a reaction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-had-the-j-j-vaccine-is-there-a-reaction/937336)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-had-the-j-j-vaccine-is-there-a-reaction/937336 "2021-04-15T23:01:45Z")
I’m scheduled for it tomorrow. Indiana wasn’t going to open the vaccine to people 50-55 for another several weeks, but then the J&J vaccine became available, and we got a lot more vaccine than we were projected to have … --- ## [John Perkins and Rule By Corporations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-perkins-and-rule-by-corporations/940028)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-perkins-and-rule-by-corporations/940028 "2021-04-15T22:01:53Z")
Just finished reading a couple books by Perkins. (Secret History of the American Empire; Confessions of an Economic Hitman). He rose to prominence in the military-industrial complex in the 60s-70s and wrote a couple bo… --- ## [Were "70s" style fashions still popular in the early 80s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-70s-style-fashions-still-popular-in-the-early-80s/844435)
**Author:** [@Kennedy1960](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kennedy1960)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-70s-style-fashions-still-popular-in-the-early-80s/844435 "2021-04-15T20:27:00Z")
Asking because I have a lot of old family photos and a lot of the ways family members looked in say, 1978 in terms of clothes or hair, doesn’t look much different until around 1984 or 1985. I’ll give an example: There’s… --- ## [I'm going to try Agatha Christie - need help choosing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-try-agatha-christie-need-help-choosing/391109)
**Author:** [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-going-to-try-agatha-christie-need-help-choosing/391109 "2021-04-15T20:11:37Z")
I’d like to start reading some classic mysteries, and I believe I’ll commence with Agatha Christie. So - which character do you recommend? Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple? --- ## [James GANDOLFINI is 35 years old in the Sopranos pilot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gandolfini-is-35-years-old-in-the-sopranos-pilot/939826)
**Author:** [@HughGoply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HughGoply)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-gandolfini-is-35-years-old-in-the-sopranos-pilot/939826 "2021-04-15T19:56:23Z")
Holy shit that can’t be right, but it is. Gal Gadot is currently 35. Michael B. Jordan is 34. Kyle Chandler is 55. --- ## [How do you determine "The Truth"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-determine-the-truth/930518)
**Author:** [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-determine-the-truth/930518 "2021-04-15T18:32:26Z")
So a big issue that keeps popping up is how Conservatives and Liberals have their own version of The Truth, largely driven by a combination of both automatically curated and self-selected media. Each side likes to think… --- ## [Eligibility of stimulus checks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eligibility-of-stimulus-checks/939911 "2021-04-15T16:50:27Z")
Rather than hijack the other thread on the subject, I start this one. Although my wife and I have been US ex-pats for over 50 years, we have religiously filed US tax returns. We never owe anything, first on account of … --- ## [What's with the type of joke where you say the full brand name? Why is it funny?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-type-of-joke-where-you-say-the-full-brand-name-why-is-it-funny/938392)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-type-of-joke-where-you-say-the-full-brand-name-why-is-it-funny/938392 "2021-04-15T16:36:38Z")
I don’t know if it’s a “modern comedy” thing but Family Guy does it a lot, John Mulaney has it in a number of sets, and I know Jim Gaffigan also has done it a few times. But basically when during a story you constantly … --- ## [The quality of programming on tubi.tv seems to have gone up recently](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-quality-of-programming-on-tubi-tv-seems-to-have-gone-up-recently/940044)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-quality-of-programming-on-tubi-tv-seems-to-have-gone-up-recently/940044 "2021-04-15T16:12:33Z")
I don’t know if anyone else watches this, but it seems a lot more quality shows from a few decades ago are ending up here. Fox bought them last year, but it seems like their quality of options has gone up in just the la… --- ## [Bernie Madoff is dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bernie-madoff-is-dead/939977)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bernie-madoff-is-dead/939977 "2021-04-15T15:12:37Z")
Died about 30 miles from where I live. I met a lawyer who saw him in prison. --- ## [Food Network Tournament of Champions - Season 2](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-network-tournament-of-champions-season-2/938508)
**Author:** [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-network-tournament-of-champions-season-2/938508 "2021-04-15T14:37:56Z")
One of the things that happened for me in 2020 is that I became addicted to cooking competition shows. Chopped, Guy’s Grocery Games, Beat Bobby Flay etc. The newest one, which just started season 2, is the Tournament of … --- ## [Why shove a 6-inch long swab up into a person's nose and amplify it 45 times to test for it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-shove-a-6-inch-long-swab-up-into-a-persons-nose-and-amplify-it-45-times-to-test-for-it/939908)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-shove-a-6-inch-long-swab-up-into-a-persons-nose-and-amplify-it-45-times-to-test-for-it/939908 "2021-04-15T14:33:57Z")
OK, I know and acknowledge that airborne transmission is real. Don’t confuse me with covidiots. But I just don’t get why they shove a 6-inch long swab up into a person’s nose and amplify it 45 times to test for it? If ai… --- ## [Brazil: Looks like they're next](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brazil-looks-like-theyre-next/854467)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brazil-looks-like-theyre-next/854467 "2021-04-15T14:19:43Z")
As the 5th most populous nation on earth, with several megacities, I’m surprised it took this long. That neighboring Paraguay sealed their borders may have slowed it down a bit. Are there any Brazilian Dopers who wis… --- ## [Yikes! Last minute road trip to the windy city!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yikes-last-minute-road-trip-to-the-windy-city/674797)
**Author:** [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [December 17, 2013, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yikes-last-minute-road-trip-to-the-windy-city/674797 "2013-12-17T16:23:46Z")
Friends visiting from Tulsa want to see Chicago. I live in Fort Wayne and will be driving up in the morning. I’m finding groupons for hotels downtown for less than $100…can that be right? I know Chicago isn’t a car-fr… --- ## [Liberal MP caught on camera naked during question period](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-mp-caught-on-camera-naked-during-question-period/940077)
**Author:** [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-mp-caught-on-camera-naked-during-question-period/940077 "2021-04-15T13:32:24Z")
That’s all I needed to share. I have little comments to add beyond the link. Maybe… …no. Not much else to say. --- ## [How much exaggeration is contained in US legal filings/responses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exaggeration-is-contained-in-us-legal-filings-responses/940013)
**Author:** [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-exaggeration-is-contained-in-us-legal-filings-responses/940013 "2021-04-15T12:17:37Z")
I’m following some big US defamation suits right now (won’t be hard to guess which ones), and the actual filings are posted on line. I noticed today in one defendant’s response that their lawyers basically accuse the pl… --- ## [Great chess puzzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-chess-puzzle/940000)
**Author:** [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-chess-puzzle/940000 "2021-04-15T08:41:30Z")
Apologies if this has already been discussed on the Dope. I haven’t seen it, so here goes. This chess puzzle has been around since 1987, so I’m sure @glee and others have seen it. I just saw it today for the first tim… --- ## [Relatively well-known songs you were absolutely gobsmacked to discover so recently](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-well-known-songs-you-were-absolutely-gobsmacked-to-discover-so-recently/939942)
**Author:** [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2021, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/relatively-well-known-songs-you-were-absolutely-gobsmacked-to-discover-so-recently/939942 "2021-04-15T04:18:26Z")
“Recently” would be kinda relative - about a year ago I heard this tune on the radio, and when I was informed it was McCartney’s “Another Day”, I was like - buh? I thought I had the whole post-Beatles catalogue thing do… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1486) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1488)