# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1866 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1867 --- ## [Has anyone permitted their (regular) house cleaner to come back to work yet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-permitted-their-regular-house-cleaner-to-come-back-to-work-yet/854042)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-permitted-their-regular-house-cleaner-to-come-back-to-work-yet/854042 "2020-05-21T23:55:14Z")
I said “regular,” because I’m not asking specifically about a cleaning service where different people come every time. Although I’d be interested in comments on that situation, too. I asked my house cleaner Mary Lou to … --- ## [Friday Morning with Coffee and Squirrels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friday-morning-with-coffee-and-squirrels/853857)
**Author:** [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friday-morning-with-coffee-and-squirrels/853857 "2020-05-21T23:44:49Z")
Morning routine: Berni and I are on the deck in our bathrobes, sipping coffee, plotting out the day, and trying not to discuss politics. This is what we do, most mornings. It’s spring. Weather is warming. And the squirr… --- ## [Can "Scientific Racism" be a legitimate topic of study?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-scientific-racism-be-a-legitimate-topic-of-study/854261)
**Author:** [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-scientific-racism-be-a-legitimate-topic-of-study/854261 "2020-05-21T21:30:34Z")
So as to not derail this ATMB thread, I’ve started this thread to further the discussion with RitterSport. I wasn’t really sure what to title this post but it is meant to be a fairly open discussion on the concept of “s… --- ## [The Andrew Yang Presidential Campaign thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andrew-yang-presidential-campaign-thread/829555)
**Author:** [@Ryan\_Liam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryan_Liam)\ **Replies:** 638\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-andrew-yang-presidential-campaign-thread/829555 "2020-05-21T21:08:46Z")
Andrew Yang was an advisor on entrepreneurship to the Obama administration, he announced his candidacy last summer, on a platform of universal basic income, rebranded the ‘Freedom Dividend’ along with free universal heal… --- ## [Could Covid-19 actually been contained?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-covid-19-actually-been-contained/854133)
**Author:** [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-covid-19-actually-been-contained/854133 "2020-05-21T20:46:33Z")
Something I’ve been wondering about. Suppose China, instead of trying to bury the news, took the reports of a novel coronavirus seriously, and immediately started lockdowns and testing and whatever they actually should h… --- ## [How to Georegister a PDF map?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-georegister-a-pdf-map/854162)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-georegister-a-pdf-map/854162 "2020-05-21T20:23:52Z")
This website gives pretty simple instructions for georegistering a PDF map. Unfortunately, these instructions are for Acrobat 9. I have Acrobat XI, and these instructions do not seem to match with the updated version. In… --- ## [Is there any way to find out when Google Maps satillite images are updated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-find-out-when-google-maps-satillite-images-are-updated/854257)
**Author:** [@TheSundial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundial)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-find-out-when-google-maps-satillite-images-are-updated/854257 "2020-05-21T20:07:49Z")
This question seems to be a mystery. Is there going to be one random day when my Midwest US town is updated? I think the last time it happened was around 2014 when a Panera Bread moved locations. 6 years is a long tim… --- ## [Notary procedure](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notary-procedure/853586)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/notary-procedure/853586 "2020-05-21T19:46:20Z")
I refinanced my mortgage last week. When I got there the notary had already signed off and stamped the documents. He took my DL to make sure I was the right person. It’s not a big deal but I assume the notary … --- ## [During the age of steamers, would people complain about jetlag?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-age-of-steamers-would-people-complain-about-jetlag/853986)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/during-the-age-of-steamers-would-people-complain-about-jetlag/853986 "2020-05-21T19:40:57Z")
A standard route, frequented by many travellers during the age of steamers (say, ~1890s until the 1950s) was the North Atlantic shipping route between the UK or France on one side and New York on the other. The time diff… --- ## [Sweet Tomatoes restaurants are no more. I mourn.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-tomatoes-restaurants-are-no-more-i-mourn/853365)
**Author:** [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-tomatoes-restaurants-are-no-more-i-mourn/853365 "2020-05-21T19:04:23Z")
The California chain of restaurants named Souplantation, or Sweet Tomatoes if you’re not in California, has announced they’re going under. They were marginal, apparently, and then this pesky Coronavirus went and iced the… --- ## [Give me your poolside drink recipes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-poolside-drink-recipes/853931)
**Author:** [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/give-me-your-poolside-drink-recipes/853931 "2020-05-21T18:57:28Z")
Hopefully this will be fun for everyone. I’m going to be vacationing soon where there is a pool on the roof of the hotel. It’s likely there will be limited service as nobody has fully gone back operating at 100%. So rat… --- ## [Do you still visit your hometown?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-visit-your-hometown/853591)
**Author:** [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-still-visit-your-hometown/853591 "2020-05-21T18:11:39Z")
Just listened to Seals and Crofts’\* We May Never Pass This Way Again\* and thought of my hometown. I visit my folks there almost every week to go out for lunch on Saturdays–it’s just two towns down the road from me. So… --- ## [Fax machine sounds from 20 years ago](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fax-machine-sounds-from-20-years-ago/854072)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fax-machine-sounds-from-20-years-ago/854072 "2020-05-21T17:36:43Z")
We all know that sound from the office faxes from the 90s onwards. What in the faxing process made that actual sound Why did machines from different makes the same sound. Was there an international standard that was ag… --- ## [What happened to iodized salt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-iodized-salt/853975 "2020-05-21T16:50:37Z")
I just noticed that all of the salt in the grocery store has a label that says it does not contain iodide. It used to be that all plain ol’ salt was iodized. Now the Morton’s girl no longer gives me this essential nutrie… --- ## [Why are Canada's Atlantic provinces relatively unknown/underdeveloped?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-canadas-atlantic-provinces-relatively-unknown-underdeveloped/854089)
**Author:** [@Chad\_Sudan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chad_Sudan)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-canadas-atlantic-provinces-relatively-unknown-underdeveloped/854089 "2020-05-21T16:46:43Z")
I’m talking about New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Despite a seemingly advantageous position on the Atlantic coast, these provinces have only a few mid-sized cities (the l… --- ## [Some Quick Questions about NASCAR](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-quick-questions-about-nascar/854004)
**Author:** [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-quick-questions-about-nascar/854004 "2020-05-21T16:36:09Z")
Like most of America, I’m pretty desperate for live sports so I’m watching NASCAR, which I never do. I’ve never been against it, or been one to make fun of it or its fans (I like wrestling for God’s sake who am I to talk… --- ## [Water Dispenser Iced Up: Any Practical Solution?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-dispenser-iced-up-any-practical-solution/854238)
**Author:** [@carlb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carlb)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-dispenser-iced-up-any-practical-solution/854238 "2020-05-21T16:02:01Z")
We have a bottom load water dispenser (this one). I dug into it a little yesterday to clear out some scale and such that was really restricting the water flow. In the process, I found that there was a significant block o… --- ## [Galaxies formed one billion years earlier - does this falsify anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galaxies-formed-one-billion-years-earlier-does-this-falsify-anything/854225)
**Author:** [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/galaxies-formed-one-billion-years-earlier-does-this-falsify-anything/854225 "2020-05-21T16:00:59Z")
There is a recent piece of news focusing on the Wolfe Disc and the fact that galaxies seem to have formed earlier than the present Big Bang theory predicts. I have run a quick Google search and found that similar articl… --- ## ["How did anyone think that was a good idea?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380)
**Author:** [@Pantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pantastic)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-anyone-think-that-was-a-good-idea/849380 "2020-05-21T15:31:26Z")
TV shows and movies are made by a large number of people collaborating, so there are usually some checks and balances on really bad ideas percolating to the big or little screen. What are some of the things done in TV an… --- ## [Spanish Translation, Please?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-please/854185)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-translation-please/854185 "2020-05-21T14:58:37Z")
What is this guy singing? To my untrained ears, it sounds a lot like San Diego Spanglish and not actual Spanish, but what do I know? FWIW, I pick up a few Spanish 101 words, like bailar (dance), cantar (sing), and at l… --- ## [Is the "Get Fuzzy" strip still mostly reruns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-get-fuzzy-strip-still-mostly-reruns/854230)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-get-fuzzy-strip-still-mostly-reruns/854230 "2020-05-21T13:53:46Z")
I used to love that comic strip until far too many of them were reruns, except for maybe the Sunday strip. Has it gotten better, worse, or is it pretty much the same now? --- ## [Would water trapped in between layers of my kayak underwater be negatively or neutrally buoyant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-water-trapped-in-between-layers-of-my-kayak-underwater-be-negatively-or-neutrally-buoyant/854228)
**Author:** [@Mesquite-oh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mesquite-oh)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-water-trapped-in-between-layers-of-my-kayak-underwater-be-negatively-or-neutrally-buoyant/854228 "2020-05-21T13:41:49Z")
Would water trapped in between layers of my kayak, under the waterline, affect my kayak’s weight and buoyancy? Here is the real world situation: I have a two layer inflatable kayak which has a vinyl bladder interior wr… --- ## [Progressives dropped out of the Democratic primaries at the worst possible time.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressives-dropped-out-of-the-democratic-primaries-at-the-worst-possible-time/854165)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressives-dropped-out-of-the-democratic-primaries-at-the-worst-possible-time/854165 "2020-05-21T13:22:06Z")
The current coronavirus pandemic provides a more hospitable environment for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party than it has seen in a long, long time. Ideas such as universal basic income, a massive overhaul of … --- ## [Annie Glenn has died. She was 100. (wife of John Glenn, astronaut, US Marine)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annie-glenn-has-died-she-was-100-wife-of-john-glenn-astronaut-us-marine/854115)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/annie-glenn-has-died-she-was-100-wife-of-john-glenn-astronaut-us-marine/854115 "2020-05-21T12:46:09Z")
I just caught this on the news. Annie Glenn, widow of former astronaut and U.S. Senator John Glenn, dies at 100 I remember that scene from The Right Stuff when she, stuttering, tells her husband on the phone that the Pr… --- ## [Not our town, MY town!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-our-town-my-town/854143)
**Author:** [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-our-town-my-town/854143 "2020-05-21T12:13:48Z")
The back story; A NY filmmaker finds himself in lockdown here in lovely, London, Ontario, Canada. His girlfriend is a Canadian nurse at University Hospital, (she’s seen in front of it!) It’s a pretty enough city, and … --- ## [Are dogs direct descendants of wolves?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-direct-descendants-of-wolves/544021)
**Author:** [@misterW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misterW)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2010, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dogs-direct-descendants-of-wolves/544021 "2010-06-25T19:53:23Z")
I thought this had been fairly conclusively demonstrated but came across a blog recently that suggested otherwise. Anyone know what the latest research suggests? --- ## [Probability of false negatives for both the virus and antibodies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-of-false-negatives-for-both-the-virus-and-antibodies/854175)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/probability-of-false-negatives-for-both-the-virus-and-antibodies/854175 "2020-05-21T08:53:29Z")
Just curious about something, and I’m terrible with conditional probabilities. Given all that we know about the virus tests and the antibody tests, what’s the probability that someone has the virus and tests negative an… --- ## [Why does a round pizza come in a square box?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-a-round-pizza-come-in-a-square-box/853387)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-a-round-pizza-come-in-a-square-box/853387 "2020-05-21T07:41:32Z")
Why? How? --- ## [Stats question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stats-question/838232)
**Author:** [@GreedySmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreedySmurf)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2019, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stats-question/838232 "2019-08-06T18:44:56Z")
Relating to a board game I play, I’m trying to calculate a fairly hefty conditional statistics exercise and my 30 something year old high school statistics classes aren’t cutting it. :o I essentially have the choice of … --- ## [Who removes an address from a blacklist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-removes-an-address-from-a-blacklist/854048)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2020, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-removes-an-address-from-a-blacklist/854048 "2020-05-21T05:08:41Z")
A couple of months ago, much anger was generated at the office when we did not receive emails from a company. It turned out that the company was on a blacklist. Recently, we asked that they change an address they’re se… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1865) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1867)