# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1933 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1934 --- ## [Identify this children's book from a vague explanation.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-childrens-book-from-a-vague-explanation/851419)
**Author:** [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-childrens-book-from-a-vague-explanation/851419 "2020-04-09T12:23:19Z")
In kindergarten, I remember a series of books read to the class. There was probably even an entire K5 lesson plan created around these stories, or rather, it was likely designed specifically for a K5 lesson plan. The ma… --- ## [Coherence and Unity in writing an essay](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coherence-and-unity-in-writing-an-essay/597751)
**Author:** [@Reza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reza)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2011, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coherence-and-unity-in-writing-an-essay/597751 "2011-10-03T00:22:01Z")
As you know coherence and Unity are the two key elements for a successful essay. But honestly I can’t find a clear-cut distinction between them, and I feel that they are almost the same. Unity means oneness and we shoul… --- ## [Foods that nobody buys, even in a pandemic.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 132\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-that-nobody-buys-even-in-a-pandemic/850187 "2020-04-09T11:14:00Z")
Here’s a light hearted news story. We all could use a laugh right now. :wink: I’ve seen similar empty shelves at my local store. There’s always a few unpopular items noone buys. I had no idea pizza with pineapple is so… --- ## [Who Is God Punishing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-god-punishing/850960)
**Author:** [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-god-punishing/850960 "2020-04-09T10:49:40Z")
The religious right in America is usually quick to characterize natural disasters in terms of divine retribution. We are now in the midst of a pandemic that might truly be called “biblical” and yet I have not heard any s… --- ## [I'm 55 and just saw the best impressionist I've ever seen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-55-and-just-saw-the-best-impressionist-ive-ever-seen/851368)
**Author:** [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-55-and-just-saw-the-best-impressionist-ive-ever-seen/851368 "2020-04-09T10:40:30Z")
It’s Jaime Foxx. Which in turn makes me think he may be the most talented person around today. Acting, singing, impressions, stand-up, piano player. Anyway, I was watching Jerry Seinfelds Comedians in Card Getting Coffe… --- ## [If a kid skips a year of college what are the odds she finishes her degree?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-kid-skips-a-year-of-college-what-are-the-odds-she-finishes-her-degree/850935)
**Author:** [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-kid-skips-a-year-of-college-what-are-the-odds-she-finishes-her-degree/850935 "2020-04-09T10:14:51Z")
First off, not my kid. But a young woman I’m close to, my oldest’s BFF, has hit a rough patch. Her step-father (only significant male role model since she was six) died not-unexpectedly last weekend. Brain tumor aft… --- ## [Huge hit singles that were much better than you feared](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851210)
**Author:** [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/huge-hit-singles-that-were-much-better-than-you-feared/851210 "2020-04-09T09:33:53Z")
Inspired by – and as a kind of antidote to – RickJay’s thread on awful number one hit singles - how about a list of pleasant surprises? Once in a while a song you thought was going to be terrible turns out much better th… --- ## [Why is there a greater stigma against drug use in non-Western cultures?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-greater-stigma-against-drug-use-in-non-western-cultures/851279)
**Author:** [@aaronhernandez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaronhernandez)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 8:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-greater-stigma-against-drug-use-in-non-western-cultures/851279 "2020-04-09T08:34:46Z")
I have a few friends who are from Africa and Asia who are in their 20s and compared to my friends from the US, Canada, and even Netherlands, they are much more “straight-laced”. They believe the typical propaganda about… --- ## [Time to hang em up](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-hang-em-up/850989)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/time-to-hang-em-up/850989 "2020-04-09T02:59:57Z")
Or at least take an, um, extended break. Please, try and keep the wild cheers down to a minimum. Take care all. -XT --- ## [Hypoglycemia](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypoglycemia/851385)
**Author:** [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hypoglycemia/851385 "2020-04-09T06:47:37Z")
Before I say anything else, I will note that I sent an email regarding this to my doctor, and should get a response from her in 16 hrs from the time she sees the note, which could be “one business day” from the time she … --- ## [Anybody growing a quarantine beard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-growing-a-quarantine-beard/850585)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-growing-a-quarantine-beard/850585 "2020-04-09T06:27:50Z")
Sort of like when baseball or hockey players grow playoff beards. More than once over the last few weeks, I’ve thought “if I gotta be a hermit, I’m going to look like a hermit!” But after about three or four days I can’t… --- ## [Machinaforce needs an intervention](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinaforce-needs-an-intervention/811762)
**Author:** [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Replies:** 190\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/machinaforce-needs-an-intervention/811762 "2020-04-09T05:52:59Z")
Ok, I know I should post links, but you guys know the threads. This guy is clearly mentally ill. Not like “mentally ill like all of the rest of us”, but very clearly Solipsist\* to the point of presenting a clear and pr… --- ## [My friend's husband is dying and I can't send flowers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friends-husband-is-dying-and-i-cant-send-flowers/850909)
**Author:** [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-friends-husband-is-dying-and-i-cant-send-flowers/850909 "2020-04-09T05:40:31Z")
My friend’s husband is dying and I can’t send flowers because of this damn covid-19 epidemic, and the florists are all closed. In know that in the scope of things this isn’t a big deal, but it just seems so sad to me. … --- ## [Artificial regions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-regions/850164)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-regions/850164 "2020-04-09T05:21:45Z")
I spent much of my early years in the Spokane area. The local TV stations and the newspapers would often refer to a region centered on that city as the Inland Empire. (Yes, I know there’s another Inland Empire in Califor… --- ## [Streaming April 9th--Assassin 33 A.D.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaming-april-9th-assassin-33-a-d/851399)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streaming-april-9th-assassin-33-a-d/851399 "2020-04-09T04:48:18Z")
Maybe you can give this movie a watch, just to assure yourself that a global pandemic is only the second worst thing to arrive this year? --- ## [Why sacrificing Grandma by opening up again might not save the economy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-sacrificing-grandma-by-opening-up-again-might-not-save-the-economy/851011)
**Author:** [@russian\_heel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/russian_heel)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-sacrificing-grandma-by-opening-up-again-might-not-save-the-economy/851011 "2020-04-09T04:19:26Z")
Interesting interview with a MIT economist who reviewed the economic implications of the Spanish flu 100 years ago. His basic premise was the pandemic already ruined the economy, but American cities that acted the fastes… --- ## [Travel company won't refund my money for a rescheduled trip. What are my options? Any laws apply?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-company-wont-refund-my-money-for-a-rescheduled-trip-what-are-my-options-any-laws-apply/851370)
**Author:** [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-company-wont-refund-my-money-for-a-rescheduled-trip-what-are-my-options-any-laws-apply/851370 "2020-04-09T03:45:11Z")
I signed up for a trip originally scheduled for the 2nd week of May, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the tour company has rescheduled the trip for the 1st week of May, 2021. The San Francisco-based tour company is refusing to r… --- ## [When did ancient people begin to understand food poisoning?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ancient-people-begin-to-understand-food-poisoning/851116)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-ancient-people-begin-to-understand-food-poisoning/851116 "2020-04-09T03:01:25Z")
Not necessarily understand in the sense of germ theory, but rather, draw consistent connections between food being left at room temperature for too long and the resulting stomach pain/vomiting that ensued. Especially wi… --- ## [don't forget the zinc](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-forget-the-zinc/851382)
**Author:** [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-forget-the-zinc/851382 "2020-04-09T01:55:12Z")
I’m sick of reading news articles portraying the “Trump Pills” as just hydroxychloroquine. So I’ve written parody lyrics, to be sung to Janet Jackson’s “Nasty”, to help reporters (and doctors) remember what the proposed… --- ## [Site to view yesterday's weather radar?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/site-to-view-yesterdays-weather-radar/851384)
**Author:** [@freckafree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freckafree)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/site-to-view-yesterdays-weather-radar/851384 "2020-04-09T00:54:42Z")
So I woke up this morning to discover that I’d slept through a tornado warning. Not only that, but tornados touched down north, south, and east of us. I woke up around midnight because of a thunderstorm, and that was app… --- ## [Celebrating big weight loss, during lockdown when nobody sees?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-big-weight-loss-during-lockdown-when-nobody-sees/851208)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/celebrating-big-weight-loss-during-lockdown-when-nobody-sees/851208 "2020-04-09T00:32:35Z")
Friend of mine is on track towards losing a hundred pounds. He’s close to 80% there, and is jubilant … except that his goal reward has lost much of the flavor (HA!) and as a way of helping him towards that goal, I want t… --- ## ["Centrally provided oxygen"--safe? (How is oxygen piped around a building a safe thing to do?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centrally-provided-oxygen-safe-how-is-oxygen-piped-around-a-building-a-safe-thing-to-do/851323)
**Author:** [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/centrally-provided-oxygen-safe-how-is-oxygen-piped-around-a-building-a-safe-thing-to-do/851323 "2020-04-09T00:22:19Z")
I just heard Lt. General Todd Semonite, commanding general for the US Army Corps of Engineers, talking about their preparation of New York City’s Javits Center for patient care. He said that they’d improved on the ‘old w… --- ## [How do USPS packages get lost?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-usps-packages-get-lost/851087)
**Author:** [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-usps-packages-get-lost/851087 "2020-04-09T00:20:42Z")
I mean they must be somewhere. What does “lost” mean? That they have lost track of its whereabouts? That it has been stolen? Or it just fell through the cracks and landed in an alternate universe? --- ## [How do I find out "the right thing"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-out-the-right-thing/850864)
**Author:** [@Machinaforce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machinaforce)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-find-out-the-right-thing/850864 "2020-04-08T22:50:38Z")
I have posted a lot of different things with many different people who believe different things to be true. Buddhism, Nihilism, etc and through each of these things I get different justifications for them. My biggest wea… --- ## [Create your own Law & Order spinoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/create-your-own-law-order-spinoff/850871)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/create-your-own-law-order-spinoff/850871 "2020-04-08T22:11:26Z")
Let’s see, we’ve got Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Law & Order: LA, Law & Order: True Crime, and now possibly a Law & Order: Hate Crimes. Add t… --- ## [Are any kinds of performance enhancing drugs used for ultra marathoners, trail runners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-kinds-of-performance-enhancing-drugs-used-for-ultra-marathoners-trail-runners/851300)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-any-kinds-of-performance-enhancing-drugs-used-for-ultra-marathoners-trail-runners/851300 "2020-04-08T21:01:13Z")
I’ve been watching and reading several documentaries and books about ultra marathoners and trail runners. People who run and hike for days or weeks on end. But it seems like a sport where there would be a large impulse t… --- ## [What is up with this green screen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-up-with-this-green-screen/851100)
**Author:** [@Jim\_Peebles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_Peebles)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-up-with-this-green-screen/851100 "2020-04-08T20:51:14Z")
This is on the MPSIMS side of things. AT 0:40 and 4:33 the reporter is clearly in front of a green screen, but they keep emphasizing she is “in Times Square”. It is weird. --- ## [how much to water a Boston fern](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-to-water-a-boston-fern/850839)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-to-water-a-boston-fern/850839 "2020-04-08T19:37:58Z")
A few months ago I got this from Amazon. It really is impressive what you can get for $25. It really is 2 ft horizontally and vertical. I basically killed it. A lot of leaves turned brown and fell off and it was very sc… --- ## [Red Solo Cup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-solo-cup/851242)
**Author:** [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-solo-cup/851242 "2020-04-08T19:22:39Z")
For your enjoyment… Yes. Yes I will partake, thank you very much. Take\]\]\]\]care --- ## [HEPA Filter material for virus masks, really?…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepa-filter-material-for-virus-masks-really/851237)
**Author:** [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Backwater_Under_Duck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2020, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hepa-filter-material-for-virus-masks-really/851237 "2020-04-08T19:20:45Z")
Kind of a straight GQ, but it’s about the virus. Who’s making masks, and out of what? I want to make some masks. I can sew a pattern and have stuff available. The best patterns create a pocket to put a disposable filter… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1932) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=1934)