# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1899 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1900 --- ## [Pretend for a moment that our president had a more "normal" personality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretend-for-a-moment-that-our-president-had-a-more-normal-personality/852672)
**Author:** [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pretend-for-a-moment-that-our-president-had-a-more-normal-personality/852672 "2020-04-30T06:37:58Z")
…but for the tendency towards extreme self-aggrandizement, and endless self-praise. If you loath him now would you still? If you are fond of him now do you find this quality appealing in other people you admire? --- ## [Is pornography ever protected by the Commerce Clause?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pornography-ever-protected-by-the-commerce-clause/684424)
**Author:** [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-pornography-ever-protected-by-the-commerce-clause/684424 "2020-04-30T06:10:47Z")
With (in theory) different standards of community decency and obscenity across the United States, such as Utah making all porn illegal to distribute, has the federal government ever stepped in to say something like “No, … --- ## [Has there ever been a non-oppressive Communist government?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-non-oppressive-communist-government/852383)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-there-ever-been-a-non-oppressive-communist-government/852383 "2020-04-30T06:06:31Z")
More of a GQ question, but I suspect it will be moved here to GD anyway: Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any Communist governments that weren’t oppressive in some way, be it the Soviet Union, Cuba, China, etc.… --- ## [Should I read Don Quixote? (Spoilers ok)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-read-don-quixote-spoilers-ok/852795)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-i-read-don-quixote-spoilers-ok/852795 "2020-04-30T05:52:39Z")
I’ve got plenty of time on my hands, do I give it another shot? I’ve got the Penguin Classics edition translation by John Rutherford. It’s over 1000 pages so it’s got to be unabridged. I’ve read excerpts in Spanish class… --- ## [Snakes Alive! Are you afraid of snakes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snakes-alive-are-you-afraid-of-snakes/728282)
**Author:** [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snakes-alive-are-you-afraid-of-snakes/728282 "2020-04-30T05:19:52Z")
I just read an interesting article about snake phobia and how it may be an evolutionary fear (i.e., when humans lived in the wild they had to avoid venomous bites; the unbitten survive and so on). I’d really like to hea… --- ## [Linda Tripp is pining for the fjords.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-tripp-is-pining-for-the-fjords/851377)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/linda-tripp-is-pining-for-the-fjords/851377 "2020-04-30T05:13:05Z")
Dead at 70 (not Corona.) --- ## [Masks with one-way (exhalation) valves](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masks-with-one-way-exhalation-valves/852738)
**Author:** [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/masks-with-one-way-exhalation-valves/852738 "2020-04-30T05:02:54Z")
Lots of places are now recommending or requiring masks, and I understand they serve a dual purpose - protect the wearer if the wearer is not infected, and protect the people around them if the wearer is infected. But ma… --- ## [Rolling Stones score first #1 hit in years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-score-first-1-hit-in-years/852543)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-score-first-1-hit-in-years/852543 "2020-04-30T04:42:07Z")
All I can say is well done, sirs. The thought that four 70+ year-olds could issue a rock song that shoots to the top of the charts in a music era where with notable exceptions new music ifrom true rock bands is not acc… --- ## [Is the Bible really still the No. 1 bestselling book in the USA?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-really-still-the-no-1-bestselling-book-in-the-usa/852737)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-bible-really-still-the-no-1-bestselling-book-in-the-usa/852737 "2020-04-30T04:20:33Z")
I’ve heard the claim, “The Bible is always automatically excluded from the bestseller lists, otherwise it would always be No. 1” (and I assume this refers to bestselling books in the USA,) but is that really still so? B… --- ## [Another CT...what is the real death toll in China? (yeah, another freaking video)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-ct-what-is-the-real-death-toll-in-china-yeah-another-freaking-video/850835)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 145\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-ct-what-is-the-real-death-toll-in-china-yeah-another-freaking-video/850835 "2020-04-30T04:15:02Z")
Ok, so I’m going all CT this week. Though, perhaps we will use the term cover up instead. This one has to do with…what is the real death toll in China, as opposed to the official one. Officially, China’s death toll is… --- ## [Was Ted Kaczynski insane?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-ted-kaczynski-insane/852740)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-ted-kaczynski-insane/852740 "2020-04-30T04:14:33Z")
Let me preface that I’m NOT defending him. He did horrible things and deserves every bit of what happened to him. But I find the defense’s move to try to get him declared insane to be completely ridiculous and never wo… --- ## [On casettes, does C60 mean that the full cassette is 60 minutes or is the tape 60 minutes long?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-casettes-does-c60-mean-that-the-full-cassette-is-60-minutes-or-is-the-tape-60-minutes-long/852856)
**Author:** [@xxcrunchy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xxcrunchy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-casettes-does-c60-mean-that-the-full-cassette-is-60-minutes-or-is-the-tape-60-minutes-long/852856 "2020-04-30T04:12:40Z")
I’m still confused --- ## [John\_Stamos'\_Left\_Ear is suspended](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-stamos-left-ear-is-suspended/852889)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-stamos-left-ear-is-suspended/852889 "2020-04-30T04:00:00Z")
For receiving a warning following a week’s suspension in February, John\_Stamos’\_Left\_Ear is suspended for 30 days. Most recent warning: https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=22276583&postcount=519 Suspen… --- ## [Possible treatment: famotidine (Pepcid)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-treatment-famotidine-pepcid/852630)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-treatment-famotidine-pepcid/852630 "2020-04-30T02:56:52Z")
There’s a clinical trial going on about the effectiveness of famotidine (Pepcid) in treating Covid-19. It’s still underway and the results won’t be available for a few weeks. The dosage they’re testing is about 9 times t… --- ## [When will we be able to buy Isopropyl Alcohol again?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-buy-isopropyl-alcohol-again/852829 "2020-04-30T01:42:46Z")
I haven’t had a sighting in months. On line it seems to be sold out. I suppose it has a value in a civic emergency and there might be limits on purchases. But what are the manufacturers doing now? --- ## [Sign language(s)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-s/846329)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sign-language-s/846329 "2020-04-30T01:40:57Z")
Somewhere I read that ASL (American Sign Language) is the third most used “language” in the US (behind English and Spanish). A great trivia question if it’s true. I was surprised to find that there are so many sign lan… --- ## [Audiophiles: HELP!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audiophiles-help/852454)
**Author:** [@ZurBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZurBob)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/audiophiles-help/852454 "2020-04-30T01:36:58Z")
As age has crept upon me (65yrs) I have some dead spots in my perception of audio on my devices, predominantly at high frequencies. Is there an app., program, or call it what you will… that will “push” specific frequenc… --- ## ["Hey, jadrool!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jadrool/247500)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jadrool/247500 "2020-04-30T01:09:49Z")
In the song \*Mambo Italiano, \*there’s a phrase “Hey, jadrool!” What exactly does “jadrool” mean? --- ## [It says "Perishable. Keep refrigerated" but what could possibly be perishable in this coffee bottle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-says-perishable-keep-refrigerated-but-what-could-possibly-be-perishable-in-this-coffee-bottle/852675)
**Author:** [@greenpurple](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenpurple)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-says-perishable-keep-refrigerated-but-what-could-possibly-be-perishable-in-this-coffee-bottle/852675 "2020-04-30T00:50:33Z")
It’s just coffee and water! --- ## [Predator (1987): a masterpiece of testosterone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predator-1987-a-masterpiece-of-testosterone/513253)
**Author:** [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Replies:** 136\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/predator-1987-a-masterpiece-of-testosterone/513253 "2020-04-30T00:47:09Z")
Predator is the most bad-assed manliness that has ever been captured on film. Every single word of dialogue in the film is a quotable one liner. I pull it out once every few months because watching it increases the size … --- ## [Least favorite Simpson character..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-simpson-character/852181)
**Author:** [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/least-favorite-simpson-character/852181 "2020-04-30T00:13:02Z")
I really like the first 9 seasons of Simpsons, but … I really dont find Ralph Wiggum funny at all. Hes just a bypass for me.(i wonder why they invented him) Otto Does nothing again - hes just a weirdo. The redneck Cle… --- ## [Very old food , still good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-old-food-still-good/852718)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2020, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-old-food-still-good/852718 "2020-04-30T00:04:33Z")
I found some food I had for camping and it’s still in the original sealed pouch. The date stamp is 2014 so I assume you are not supposed to eat it past that date. I am not going to eat it but could I? It’s hot … --- ## [Would A Conservative and/or Trump Supporter Rationally Explain This?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-conservative-and-or-trump-supporter-rationally-explain-this/850702)
**Author:** [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Replies:** 381\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-conservative-and-or-trump-supporter-rationally-explain-this/850702 "2020-04-29T23:28:50Z")
I would love to hear back from some Trump supporters (no attacking, I am truly curious to understand) We have so much factual/video evidence of Trump either flat out lying and denying his mistruths combined with his sel… --- ## [Food stamp increase due to Coronavirus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-stamp-increase-due-to-coronavirus/852692)
**Author:** [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-stamp-increase-due-to-coronavirus/852692 "2020-04-29T23:25:52Z")
I was checking my food stamp benefits today and found a nice little surprise. Thanks to federal government assistance with the Covid-19 pandemic, I received the max benefit for my state, $200. And should get the same amo… --- ## ["At the work bin" -- was this a common idiom? What's it's origin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-work-bin-was-this-a-common-idiom-whats-its-origin/852609)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-the-work-bin-was-this-a-common-idiom-whats-its-origin/852609 "2020-04-29T23:13:32Z")
I was watching the 2017 documentary “My Generation” featuring Michael Caine, assisted by several other '60s-era celebrities, like Paul McCartney, Marianne Faithfull, Twiggy, Donovan, etc. It’s actually really nicely d… --- ## [Does the death per M figure have the best potential for estimating infection rates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-death-per-m-figure-have-the-best-potential-for-estimating-infection-rates/852835)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-death-per-m-figure-have-the-best-potential-for-estimating-infection-rates/852835 "2020-04-29T22:59:35Z")
It looks like New York will be the first state to approach a saturation point. Will the final Death Per Million figures from New York be our best barometer of infection rates in other states or regions? Hopefully New Yor… --- ## [Trump going after Amazon yet again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-going-after-amazon-yet-again/852557)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-going-after-amazon-yet-again/852557 "2020-04-29T22:50:12Z")
He will only bail out the post office if they increase rates for Amazon. --- ## [Terry Pratchett’s “Nation”, I think it would make a fantastic movie](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-s-nation-i-think-it-would-make-a-fantastic-movie/852834)
**Author:** [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terry-pratchett-s-nation-i-think-it-would-make-a-fantastic-movie/852834 "2020-04-29T22:03:41Z")
Warning, may contain mild spoilers for Nation I am a big Terry Pratchett fan, I have read most of his books. And I recently was thinking about the fact that with the exception of Good Omen’s, the film versions of his b… --- ## [Beginners "Reading Pack" on Climate Change Basics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-reading-pack-on-climate-change-basics/852846)
**Author:** [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beginners-reading-pack-on-climate-change-basics/852846 "2020-04-29T22:00:03Z")
I have a niece who’s starting to want to understand a bit more about climate change. She’s in her mid-20s and a high school dropout and when she was in school she wasn’t a strong student nor has she ever been much of a … --- ## [If Gerald Ford had won election in 1976, would he have been a good president?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gerald-ford-had-won-election-in-1976-would-he-have-been-a-good-president/851572)
**Author:** [@Yankees\_1996\_Champs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yankees_1996_Champs)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2020, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-gerald-ford-had-won-election-in-1976-would-he-have-been-a-good-president/851572 "2020-04-29T21:50:23Z")
Imagine if Ford-Dole 1976 won it all. President Ford and Vice President Dole in January 1977, a new term to rebuild America after the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. Would Ford have been a good president? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1898) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1900)