# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1655 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1656 --- ## [Alex Trebek dead at 80](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-dead-at-80/925075 "2020-11-08T19:15:59Z")
Story. 6-12 months to live is a typical diagnosis. He wants to finish out the current Jeopardy season. A message from Alex Trebek --- ## [Any chance of faithless electors?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-faithless-electors/771335)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-chance-of-faithless-electors/771335 "2020-11-08T18:43:13Z")
Given that there seemed to be a lot of feeling in the GOP that Trump should step down a while back, can I hold out for faithless electors voting for Clinton, and Trump losing after all? --- ## [Alex Trebek diagnosed with Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-diagnosed-with-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer/830655)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2019, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alex-trebek-diagnosed-with-stage-4-pancreatic-cancer/830655 "2019-03-06T22:38:45Z")
Story. 6-12 months to live is a typical diagnosis. He wants to finish out the current Jeopardy season. A message from Alex Trebek --- ## [Car Guys: What's up with mechanics on Velocity et al. channels?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-whats-up-with-mechanics-on-velocity-et-al-channels/924783)
**Author:** [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-guys-whats-up-with-mechanics-on-velocity-et-al-channels/924783 "2020-11-08T18:17:35Z")
As one who has spent countless miserable hours crawling around underneath cars and trucks to perform repairs, I literally jumped for joy when some of my friends acquired hydraulic car lifts and allowed me the use of thei… --- ## [Daughter urges voters not to elect her dad, a Michigan GOP state rep candidate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-urges-voters-not-to-elect-her-dad-a-michigan-gop-state-rep-candidate/913109)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-urges-voters-not-to-elect-her-dad-a-michigan-gop-state-rep-candidate/913109 "2020-11-08T17:47:57Z")
Ouch. That’s gotta hurt. --- ## [+ and & (and and and)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-and-and-and/924307)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-and-and-and/924307 "2020-11-08T16:05:15Z")
And And And OK, this is pretty pointless, but it keeps popping up in my head, so I’ll put it here. When I was a kid, I thought the ampersand (&) was a pretty weird thing. It showed up in print all the time in place of … --- ## [Good news--if you are a ferret](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-if-you-are-a-ferret/925007)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-news-if-you-are-a-ferret/925007 "2020-11-08T15:41:08Z")
Just read a news report at that nose spray has been found that prevents Covid-19 in ferrets. Basically their noses were sprayed every morning and they were left in cages with infected ferrets and unsprayed uninfected fe… --- ## [How should I add outdoor speakers to my inside TV w/ sound bar?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-add-outdoor-speakers-to-my-inside-tv-w-sound-bar/924998)
**Author:** [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-i-add-outdoor-speakers-to-my-inside-tv-w-sound-bar/924998 "2020-11-08T15:32:45Z")
I have a fairly new Samsung TV (indoors) connected via HDMI to a Polk Audio sound bar. The sound bar also has optical and Bluetooth inputs, but using the HDMI it allows me to only use the TV remote, and the sound bar pow… --- ## [I have to pit Rupert Murdoch, as if he hasn't always wallowed there](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-pit-rupert-murdoch-as-if-he-hasnt-always-wallowed-there/588366)
**Author:** [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-have-to-pit-rupert-murdoch-as-if-he-hasnt-always-wallowed-there/588366 "2020-11-08T15:31:39Z")
One of the major stories in the news these days is the criminal phone hacking activity that was the MO of News of the World. It’s a newsworthy story because it is a caution to all of us. Every media outlet in the countr… --- ## [Nursing homes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nursing-homes/924144)
**Author:** [@urbanredneck2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/urbanredneck2)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nursing-homes/924144 "2020-11-08T15:29:24Z")
Talked to relative today about nursing homes. Many families have pulled their loved ones out because; Fear of the virus. The rules have gotten so tight inside. Ex. Visitors allowed for only 20 minutes and must be behi… --- ## [Democracy with conflicting results](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-with-conflicting-results/924965)
**Author:** [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-with-conflicting-results/924965 "2020-11-08T15:18:44Z")
In the past 32 tears, only once has the Republican presidential candidate received the majority of popular. votes. But the Supreme Court has a 6-3 majority Republican leaning. How can a democratic process yield such … --- ## [Why did all the birds start singing outside @ 11:30 EST?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-birds-start-singing-outside-11-30-est/924990)
**Author:** [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-all-the-birds-start-singing-outside-11-30-est/924990 "2020-11-08T15:11:17Z")
It’s a bright sunny day here, and all is good for the first time in 4 1/2 years! --- ## [Tinfoil Time: If the voting machines were hacked, would we know?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinfoil-time-if-the-voting-machines-were-hacked-would-we-know/924724)
**Author:** [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinfoil-time-if-the-voting-machines-were-hacked-would-we-know/924724 "2020-11-08T14:55:38Z")
Not saying there’s any evidence or reporting to this effect right now, but just thinking about worst case scenarios. The polling last time was way off. The polling this time is on a different planet. They can talk all t… --- ## [Was Cromwell able to read Hebrew?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-cromwell-able-to-read-hebrew/924981)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-cromwell-able-to-read-hebrew/924981 "2020-11-08T14:38:53Z")
Hi, Was Cromwell able to read Hebrew ? I know Calvinists and other Protestant denominations studied Hebrew but I’m not sure if Cromwell (a member of the Independent Church) ever did. --- ## [Two old Batman storylines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-old-batman-storylines/924988)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-old-batman-storylines/924988 "2020-11-08T14:27:26Z")
When I was a kid in the 1950s I would pore over my uncle’s stash of 1940s - 50s comics. I remember two scenes from Batman and wonder if anyone can place them. Batman and Robin are trapped in a silo with large (100lbs)… --- ## [Reassessing 2016 in light of 2020](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reassessing-2016-in-light-of-2020/924985)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reassessing-2016-in-light-of-2020/924985 "2020-11-08T13:52:13Z")
I hope we can now bury the canard that “Only Hillary could have lost to Trump.” If that were true, Trump would have lost 2020 in a landslide - especially after the past four years. Fact is, tens of millions of people w… --- ## [I’m so sick of the different realities right wing media has set up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-so-sick-of-the-different-realities-right-wing-media-has-set-up/924968)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-m-so-sick-of-the-different-realities-right-wing-media-has-set-up/924968 "2020-11-08T13:03:22Z")
I almost put this in the mini rants thread, but it didn’t seem so mini compared to the other entries, so I decided to let this sink or swim as its own Pit, because I’m pissed off. So that libertarian acquaintance of min… --- ## [Is it fibers that come out of a spinnerette when making polyester/polyamide microfiber?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fibers-that-come-out-of-a-spinnerette-when-making-polyester-polyamide-microfiber/924833)
**Author:** [@All\_About\_M3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/All_About_M3)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-fibers-that-come-out-of-a-spinnerette-when-making-polyester-polyamide-microfiber/924833 "2020-11-08T12:55:50Z")
Is it a single (already blended) fiber, or is it something else (perhaps individual components?) My guess was that it would be the already blended fiber, and this site seems to suggest that this is the case. They say t… --- ## [How about Ms. Vice President instead of Madame](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-ms-vice-president-instead-of-madame/924903)
**Author:** [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 9:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-about-ms-vice-president-instead-of-madame/924903 "2020-11-08T09:25:27Z")
Seems like Ms. should be the modern equivalent to Mr. as a title. I’m weird though, what do you guys think? --- ## [What are the mechanics of changing the a US Supreme Court Justice's term](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-mechanics-of-changing-the-a-us-supreme-court-justices-term/924064)
**Author:** [@zamboniracer2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer2)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-mechanics-of-changing-the-a-us-supreme-court-justices-term/924064 "2020-11-08T08:57:59Z")
I’ve been wondering what the mechanics and procedures to changing the US Supreme Court. I understand that the number of judges can be changed by US Statute, passed by both houses of Congress and signed by the President, … --- ## [Website for isolating people to play card games in groups?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-for-isolating-people-to-play-card-games-in-groups/854452)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/website-for-isolating-people-to-play-card-games-in-groups/854452 "2020-05-26T15:51:19Z")
I have an aunt who really, really misses her weekly bridge games with her club. The thing is, they’re all old (85 minimum) and most have plenty of health issues on top of that. They all have computers (I think they all … --- ## [The likelihood of cancellation of the recent US elections](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-likelihood-of-cancellation-of-the-recent-us-elections/924860)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-likelihood-of-cancellation-of-the-recent-us-elections/924860 "2020-11-08T07:08:05Z")
If Trump goes to the court, how likely is it that the court will cancel the election? And why? I may sound like too lazy to research on my own but I assure you that I did my research. Sadly, I haven’t seen anyone give an… --- ## [How worried about the election are you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-about-the-election-are-you/924514)
**Author:** [@CastletonSnob1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CastletonSnob1)\ **Replies:** 206\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-worried-about-the-election-are-you/924514 "2020-11-08T06:07:55Z")
I’ve noticed a lot of people are worried about the election. So, how worried are you? I’m VERY worried. --- ## [The Next POTUS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-potus/925001)
**Author:** [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-next-potus/925001 "2020-11-08T06:04:04Z")
Mike Pence. Take it to the bank. --- ## [What are the seven basic literary plots?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-seven-basic-literary-plots/855679)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2020, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-seven-basic-literary-plots/855679 "2020-10-14T16:24:39Z")
What are the seven basic literary plots? Ronald Tobias attributed the idea of 69 plots to Kipling. For those who enjoy Kipling (and it was probably mentioned at the time), here is the reference: --- ## [Removing Gunpowder Residue From Clothes, Skin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-gunpowder-residue-from-clothes-skin/106167)
**Author:** [@tsunamisurfer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsunamisurfer)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-gunpowder-residue-from-clothes-skin/106167 "2020-11-08T05:03:56Z")
Recent developments in the Robert Blake crime case seem to partially center on the fact that his clothing from the night of his ex-girlfriend’s murder was allegedly covered with gunpowder residue. Just how hard is it to… --- ## [Florida gun laws](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-gun-laws/924939)
**Author:** [@jimmyjoeraybubbabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimmyjoeraybubbabob)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-gun-laws/924939 "2020-11-08T04:18:14Z")
I was just gifted a nice little pistol. Ruger SA .22 Magnum. It is indeed registered to my friend. Am I facing red tape hoops? --- ## [France and the cartoons of Mohammed; what's your take?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-and-the-cartoons-of-mohammed-whats-your-take/924221)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 617\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/france-and-the-cartoons-of-mohammed-whats-your-take/924221 "2020-11-08T02:02:08Z")
I’ve been thinking about this topic for days and still don’t know what to make of it. On the one hand, Islamic murder of teachers and cartoonists (beheading of Samuel Paty recently; attack on Charlie Hebdo years ago) is … --- ## [What happened in Georgia in 2020?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-georgia-in-2020/925006)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-in-georgia-in-2020/925006 "2020-11-08T01:37:06Z")
Why did Georgia go Democrat in 2020? Is it becoming a swing state or is it going the way of Virginia where it’s mainly Democrat? --- ## [Identity theft financial destruction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identity-theft-financial-destruction/924896)
**Author:** [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2020, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identity-theft-financial-destruction/924896 "2020-11-08T00:56:03Z")
On Wednesday, I got a notice on Facebook that an author friend of mine had been completely wiped out after identity thieves took everything from his bank account. Worse – they somehow intercepted his mortgage payments so… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1654) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1656)