# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1599 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1600 --- ## [New Year's Day 2021 meal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-day-2021-meal/929197)
**Author:** [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-years-day-2021-meal/929197 "2020-12-30T09:38:41Z")
I usually make something a little festive on New Year’s Eve, and for New Year’s Day, it’s ham, black-eyed peas, and collard greens as the base of the midday meal. We have given up on ham since local online grocery shoppi… --- ## [Write like Faulkner challenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-like-faulkner-challenge/929220)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/write-like-faulkner-challenge/929220 "2020-12-30T05:50:44Z")
My brother posted this on Facebook earlier - The idea would be to write a literary passage of moderate length while trying to imitate Faulkner in terms of tone and style. Anyone who participates would be allowed to vote … --- ## [Alternative to TracFone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-to-tracfone/929194)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-to-tracfone/929194 "2020-12-30T05:21:18Z")
About 6 months ago I got one to keep in my car in case it broke down when I didn’t have my other phone. And the other night that happened but my plan had expired. Minutes never expire, and it was my understanding that… --- ## [Hypothetical: What if the historic Jesus had been born during the Grecian rule of Jerusalem.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-what-if-the-historic-jesus-had-been-born-during-the-grecian-rule-of-jerusalem/832918)
**Author:** [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypothetical-what-if-the-historic-jesus-had-been-born-during-the-grecian-rule-of-jerusalem/832918 "2020-12-30T04:06:51Z")
I was recently pondering onhistory Rome being the center of Catholicism and of course my mind wandered to what I know of the early church and how conversion of Roman Emperors was critical to the church’s survival. Then … --- ## [Confucian Ceremonies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confucian-ceremonies/929209)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/confucian-ceremonies/929209 "2020-12-30T03:49:19Z")
Please provide me with a link to a description of the ceremonies carried out in a Confucian temple. --- ## [Crystal Ball: COVID a year/two years from now after 40-50% of USA vaccinated](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crystal-ball-covid-a-year-two-years-from-now-after-40-50-of-usa-vaccinated/927652)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crystal-ball-covid-a-year-two-years-from-now-after-40-50-of-usa-vaccinated/927652 "2020-12-30T02:08:37Z")
What do y’all realistically imagine our long and longer term future will be like with this virus? What will “widespread immunity” look like? Will we just come to accept COVID as a fact of life like colds, flu, allergies? … --- ## [Does the executive branch have any powers to secure elections or expand election rights w/o the legislature](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-executive-branch-have-any-powers-to-secure-elections-or-expand-election-rights-w-o-the-legislature/929150)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-executive-branch-have-any-powers-to-secure-elections-or-expand-election-rights-w-o-the-legislature/929150 "2020-12-30T01:56:47Z")
with fears of hacking of voting machines, voter suppression, gerrymandering, foreign influence in elections, etc does the executive branch have any powers to expand voter rights without having to pass new laws? either du… --- ## [Short Term Rent Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-term-rent-question/929108)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/short-term-rent-question/929108 "2020-12-30T01:45:00Z")
A friend of mine sent me a link to some rental property that he owns on a golf resort. The pricing options are $6k per month for 4 months, $5k per month for 5 months, and $4k per month for 6 months. My response was tha… --- ## [General things that make your blood boil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-things-that-make-your-blood-boil/927043)
**Author:** [@CorpusNeptune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorpusNeptune)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/general-things-that-make-your-blood-boil/927043 "2020-12-30T01:41:05Z")
I have a few things… When drivers flip you off when they make a mistake When your parents make you eat more food even when you feel like you’re about to pop The scummy practices modern companies use to squeeze every pe… --- ## [Arduino Kits?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arduino-kits/928528)
**Author:** [@Wallet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallet)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arduino-kits/928528 "2020-12-30T01:39:38Z")
I’ like to buy an Arduino Kit for someone who has an interest in tech/computers (he’s put together his own, and believe he can do basic coding). I’m a Luddite of the first degree, and know nothing about these kits, eve… --- ## [Unorthodox](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox/850806)
**Author:** [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unorthodox/850806 "2020-12-30T01:06:52Z")
Anyone watching this series on Netflix? I’m a little more than halfway through and am finding it very interesting. It’s about an Orthodox Jewish young woman that escapes her family binds in NY and goes to Berlin. What… --- ## [Probably a real bad decision. Feeding Brussel Sprouts to Dachshunds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-a-real-bad-decision-feeding-brussel-sprouts-to-dachshunds/928863)
**Author:** [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probably-a-real-bad-decision-feeding-brussel-sprouts-to-dachshunds/928863 "2020-12-30T01:00:43Z")
I mean, this Crew stinks anyway. And they are kinda gassy, too. But feeding them left-over Brussel Sprouts probably wasn’t the best idea. I didn’t want to waste them, and the chickens are all gone, so to the dogs they we… --- ## [How will Media coverage change under Biden-- Mainstream, Fake, FOX, Twitter, et al.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-media-coverage-change-under-biden-mainstream-fake-fox-twitter-et-al/927124)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-will-media-coverage-change-under-biden-mainstream-fake-fox-twitter-et-al/927124 "2020-12-30T00:44:00Z")
This topic suggested itself to me while I was reading this WaPo article: The thing about them all being women wasn’t the part that caught my eye. It was this paragraph: … The media are hard on those in power, full … --- ## [More Movie Theaters Bite the Dust](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-movie-theaters-bite-the-dust/928656)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-movie-theaters-bite-the-dust/928656 "2020-12-30T00:26:04Z")
The COVID pandemic is definitely taking its toll on the cinema industry here. Showcase Cinema in Revere, MA, our local go-to theater, just shut its doors on Sunday night. I didn’t even have a chance to say "goodbye’. App… --- ## [The Masque of the ’vid Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-masque-of-the-vid-death/929077)
**Author:** [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2020, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-masque-of-the-vid-death/929077 "2020-12-30T00:05:47Z")
There is a solid practical argument to be made that if we want to put a serious dent in the upward curve of the virus, we should prioritize vaccinations for the self-centered jackwagons who are incapable of declining an … --- ## [Pat Buchanan - late 2020 submission](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-buchanan-late-2020-submission/929098)
**Author:** [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pat-buchanan-late-2020-submission/929098 "2020-12-29T23:59:39Z")
I catch the McLaughlin Group when I can. Have for a Very Long Time. I’ve come to hold Buchanan out as a guy with whom I disagree on most things, but with whom I believe I could have a snifter of something and talk civi… --- ## [Possible new weapon against drug-resistant bacteria](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-new-weapon-against-drug-resistant-bacteria/929205)
**Author:** [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-new-weapon-against-drug-resistant-bacteria/929205 "2020-12-29T23:59:18Z")
We sometimes get headlines about medical advances that never quite advance, but this sounds very interesting. I hope that this one pans out. Researchers at the University of Colorado have been looking for new ways to a… --- ## [Minor details in great movies you would like to change](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-details-in-great-movies-you-would-like-to-change/927430)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minor-details-in-great-movies-you-would-like-to-change/927430 "2020-12-29T23:58:42Z")
Body Heat. One of my favorites, IMO the best neo-noir of the last few decades. Watching now for about the 10th time. But, Ned and Matty are having sex, both covered in sweat, there is one scene in a bathtub, she pours i… --- ## [BATFE... What's next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/batfe-whats-next/929195)
**Author:** [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/batfe-whats-next/929195 "2020-12-29T21:58:28Z")
Talking about the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives here. I suspect cannabis will be their next assignment. Making it the BATFEC. What’s next to make it truly a bat shit agency? --- ## [Well, I've noticed a new behavior in my bad, bad, bad Siamese cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-ive-noticed-a-new-behavior-in-my-bad-bad-bad-siamese-cats/929170)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-ive-noticed-a-new-behavior-in-my-bad-bad-bad-siamese-cats/929170 "2020-12-29T20:14:42Z")
These are not the snuggly, lap sitting, purring type cats. Except…when they are cold or choose to bug you. Always on their terms. Always. Now if I sit for more than 2 minutes. Say, on the edge of the bed, the toilt-y, a… --- ## [As the death toll rises, are any cities resorting to mass burials?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-the-death-toll-rises-are-any-cities-resorting-to-mass-burials/928992)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/as-the-death-toll-rises-are-any-cities-resorting-to-mass-burials/928992 "2020-12-29T19:53:48Z")
CNN is running stories that mention freezer trucks parked outside hospitals because the morgue is full. Any reports of cities opening pits for mass graves? Archeologists are still finding mass burial sites from the med… --- ## [Jonatha Brooke , Inconsolable](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonatha-brooke-inconsolable/929057)
**Author:** [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jonatha-brooke-inconsolable/929057 "2020-12-29T18:25:40Z")
I heard the live version of this probably ten years or more ago on the local public radio Saturday night show. I liked it enough to search out the CD online. So she’s done it again recently, sounds good. --- ## [Optometrist or Ophthalmologist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optometrist-or-ophthalmologist/926362)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optometrist-or-ophthalmologist/926362 "2020-12-29T18:21:30Z")
So it’s becoming increasingly apparent that I need to get my vision checked out. It’s probably been over 30 years since I’ve had my eyes checked. I seem to misreading words and it often takes time for me to focus corre… --- ## [India! Oh, Calcutta!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-oh-calcutta/364684)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/india-oh-calcutta/364684 "2020-12-29T17:36:12Z")
I have a tape somewhere from a 1982 broadcast (on KMET!) of The Dr. Demento Show. On it is a song called India! Oh, Calcutta! (perhaps not with that punctuation). First: Who wrote and performed it? I want to say Marti… --- ## [Do men lose hair on lower legs as they age due to use of socks or natural aging?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-lose-hair-on-lower-legs-as-they-age-due-to-use-of-socks-or-natural-aging/523890)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-men-lose-hair-on-lower-legs-as-they-age-due-to-use-of-socks-or-natural-aging/523890 "2020-12-29T16:49:26Z")
Just curious. If you don’t use socks do you maintain hair on your lower legs even if you are older (50+) ? --- ## [Why are we 98.6°F?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-98-6-f/926938)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 81\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-we-98-6-f/926938 "2020-12-29T16:44:39Z")
And not 98.5 or 99.2? Yes I know there is individual and and situational variation. --- ## [Apollo missions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-missions/922591)
**Author:** [@breakneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breakneck)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apollo-missions/922591 "2020-12-29T16:35:13Z")
If the gravity on the moon is 6 times less it is on earth should have astonauts been able to jump six times as high as the could on earth ? or leap 6 times as far as they could on earth because their muscles are conditio… --- ## [NFL 2020: Week 16](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2020-week-16/928743)
**Author:** [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-2020-week-16/928743 "2020-12-29T16:31:01Z")
Covid: Deshaun Watson gets fined for violating Covid protocols while at his restaurant opening. Lions close their facilities after a couple of positive tests and most of their defensive staff may be unavailable as close … --- ## [What are the practical implications of "MIP\* = RE" for the forseable future?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-practical-implications-of-mip-re-for-the-forseable-future/929167)
**Author:** [@Saffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saffer)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-practical-implications-of-mip-re-for-the-forseable-future/929167 "2020-12-29T15:42:43Z")
Is this just another result along the lines of “If we had quantum computers it would be awesome”? --- ## [Are there any good strategy games for the PC anymore?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445)
**Author:** [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-good-strategy-games-for-the-pc-anymore/928445 "2020-12-29T14:58:04Z")
I mean, specifically, a turn based strategy game, something with a good war in it maybe. I did pick up “Total War Three Kingdoms” but I have extra dough in my Steam wallet and I long for the good old days of strategy ga… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1598) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1600)