# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=38&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 39 --- ## [The Great Flag Debate of Utah (now moved on to additional states, currently IL)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-flag-debate-of-utah-now-moved-on-to-additional-states-currently-il/980694)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 368\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-flag-debate-of-utah-now-moved-on-to-additional-states-currently-il/980694 "2026-08-20T21:35:31Z")
The Utah state legislature has voted for a new state flag. It now goes to the Governor for his decision. Apparently this item took up more legislators’ time this session than the decision to pass a $400 million tax cut. … --- ## [Eric Swalwell must resign \[agreed to resign 13APR2026\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eric-swalwell-must-resign-agreed-to-resign-13apr2026/1029235)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eric-swalwell-must-resign-agreed-to-resign-13apr2026/1029235 "2026-08-20T20:09:18Z")
Continuing the discussion from Election of a new Governor of California, 2026: Now that Swalwell is out of the governor’s race, I’m splitting this off of that thread so as not to turn it into a hijack. I disagree. In … --- ## [All things Instant Pot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-things-instant-pot/1032413)
**Author:** [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/all-things-instant-pot/1032413 "2026-08-20T18:56:26Z")
There are a few old Instant Pot threads, but they all have been dormant for several years so I might as well start a new one. I just aquired a never used Instant Pot Lux 6 Quart and want to learn how to use it. First th… --- ## [Who is watching 'Yellowjackets' on Showtime? Spoilers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-watching-yellowjackets-on-showtime-spoilers/956013)
**Author:** [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-watching-yellowjackets-on-showtime-spoilers/956013 "2026-08-20T16:49:53Z")
And will you continue to do so? This is the stupidest shit I’ve ever seen. Actually, surpassed stupid and went right to Asinine (why only one S in this word???). And that is saying something with the glacial pace that i… --- ## [Book banning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-banning/1032434)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-banning/1032434 "2026-08-20T16:31:48Z")
As the ongoing culture war continues, the fight for Freedom to Read meets a new wrinkle that could make the battle interesting; in ultra-conservative St Charles, outside StLouis, a protestor to their proposed book(and … --- ## [Fucking fake quotes on the internet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-fake-quotes-on-the-internet/665343)
**Author:** [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fucking-fake-quotes-on-the-internet/665343 "2026-08-20T16:27:47Z")
All those fake Einstein quotes that keep floating around really get me pissed off, but usually one can find out the actual origin of the quote, for instance, an excerpt from a book about Einstein that is attributed to th… --- ## [What is this grey slab (USN dinner)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-grey-slab-usn-dinner/1029372)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-grey-slab-usn-dinner/1029372 "2026-08-20T15:36:42Z")
I’m sure we’ve all see the image of a dinner on USS Abraham Lincoln. What is that grey slab next to the… ground beef patty(?)? --- ## [Help me ID this Science Fiction Short Story](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-science-fiction-short-story/809716)
**Author:** [@Mr.Bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Bill)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-id-this-science-fiction-short-story/809716 "2026-08-20T15:13:16Z")
I read this in approximately 1974, in a hard cover compilation of science fiction short stories I got from my Dad. I don’t think he was reading science fiction at that point so it might have been at least 10 years old at… --- ## [Dual movies by a married couple](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dual-movies-by-a-married-couple/1031961)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dual-movies-by-a-married-couple/1031961 "2026-08-20T13:26:08Z")
Tom Holland and Zendaya are married. They both have prominent roles in The Odyssey, which is currently in theaters. And they both have prominent roles in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which will be starting its theatrical … --- ## [Fixing a shower valve](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixing-a-shower-valve/1032379)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fixing-a-shower-valve/1032379 "2026-08-20T12:15:20Z")
I have a shower valve that, over the years, got pretty gummed up. It has an inner flower-like controller for temperature and an outer handle for flow level and direction (just through the hand-held, just through the ove… --- ## [ABC License Renewal Threats Getting Serious](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-license-renewal-threats-getting-serious/1029635)
**Author:** [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abc-license-renewal-threats-getting-serious/1029635 "2026-08-20T11:04:36Z")
FCC orders early review of ABC’s broadcast licenses The stations concerned are WABC-TV New York, KABC-TV Los Angeles, WLS-TV Chicago, WPVI-TV Philadelphia, KTRK-TV Houston, KGO-TV San Francisco, WTVD-TV Raleigh-Durham… --- ## [Ignore not working correctly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignore-not-working-correctly/1030941)
**Author:** [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignore-not-working-correctly/1030941 "2026-08-20T07:56:01Z")
I’m suddenly seeing posts from a user I have on Ignore, and have confirmed that person’s user ID is still showing on my Ignore list. --- ## [I bit my lip for the 3rd time today](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bit-my-lip-for-the-3rd-time-today/529413)
**Author:** [@MOIDALIZE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MOIDALIZE)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-bit-my-lip-for-the-3rd-time-today/529413 "2026-08-20T03:44:04Z")
3 times, you guys! In the same day! ARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGH!!! :mad: --- ## [August 2026: The drying-up of the Danube River exposes all kinds of unusual artifacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-2026-the-drying-up-of-the-danube-river-exposes-all-kinds-of-unusual-artifacts/1032415)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/august-2026-the-drying-up-of-the-danube-river-exposes-all-kinds-of-unusual-artifacts/1032415 "2026-08-20T03:41:37Z")
And the latest: A 1940s era motorcycle and two skeletons, most likely of Nazi soldiers. The most likely scenario IMHO: They were on the bike, most likely at night, and they were drunk too and went off the road and int… --- ## [Songs with notable backup singers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-notable-backup-singers/1027275)
**Author:** [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Replies:** 139\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-with-notable-backup-singers/1027275 "2026-08-20T03:13:50Z")
On the radio I just heard “An American Dream” (1979) by The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (going by the moniker The Dirt Band at the time), which features lovely backing (and uncredited) vocals by Linda Ronstadt: … --- ## [Why is passing Customs soooo much easier coming off a cruise ship than an airplane?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-passing-customs-soooo-much-easier-coming-off-a-cruise-ship-than-an-airplane/1032390)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-passing-customs-soooo-much-easier-coming-off-a-cruise-ship-than-an-airplane/1032390 "2026-08-20T03:06:56Z")
I have only been on two cruises in my life. The second one I disembarked today. Both were international cruises. One ended in Southampton and one was a circle Miami - Miami but stopped in the Bahamas. On both going t… --- ## [The Brink of War…Accurate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brink-of-war-accurate/1032414)
**Author:** [@19USMC69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/19USMC69)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2026, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-brink-of-war-accurate/1032414 "2026-08-20T01:32:32Z")
As I find the subject matter interesting I very much enjoyed it. Good glimpse into history. I am curious, however, much license, if any, was taken? Is anyone who was present at the Reagan/Gorbachev meetings even alive?… --- ## [What is known about the Telegony?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-known-about-the-telegony/1032255)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-known-about-the-telegony/1032255 "2026-08-19T23:18:37Z")
The Odyssey movie prompted me to reread Stephen Fry’s version of the story. After the ending, Fry says: But Odysseus’s debt to Poseidon is not yet fully discharged. The price he has to pay for poking that stick in Poly… --- ## [Did The Russians COPY the B-29 Bomber?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-russians-copy-the-b-29-bomber/276251)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-russians-copy-the-b-29-bomber/276251 "2026-08-19T23:11:57Z")
I caught a bit of the story on the History Channel, about the Russians copying the Boeing B-29bomber, in the 1950’s.Three B-29s landed in Vladivostok, in 1945 (they made emergency landings after a raid on japan). Apparen… --- ## [WTF is this contraption my neighbor has in their front yard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382)
**Author:** [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-this-contraption-my-neighbor-has-in-their-front-yard/1023382 "2026-08-19T22:34:06Z")
Last week I was walking down my street when I noticed a weird set-up in my neighbor’s front “yard.” (Not really a yard, just a small span of concrete). It appears to be some kind of garden storage unit jury-rigged with … --- ## [Help! French lyric from "Twist and Shout"--1997 Superbowl](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-french-lyric-from-twist-and-shout-1997-superbowl/237356)
**Author:** [@Stage\_Manager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stage_Manager)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-french-lyric-from-twist-and-shout-1997-superbowl/237356 "2026-08-19T21:22:48Z")
Mary Chapin Carpenter performed her hit “Down at the Twist and Shout” live at the 1997 Superbowl. It is included on one of her CDs, however, without a transcription of the lyrics. She sang a portion of one of the choru… --- ## [Tap student ID to ride school bus: safer, Orwellian, or both?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-student-id-to-ride-school-bus-safer-orwellian-or-both/1031907)
**Author:** [@Typo\_Knig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Knig)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tap-student-id-to-ride-school-bus-safer-orwellian-or-both/1031907 "2026-08-19T21:20:49Z")
My local school system is instituting a requirement for students to tap their IDs to board or exit the school bus. That will help keep track where students are, and that they are on the right bus. My kids long since aged… --- ## [Anyone remember a movie where a bologna was fired as a torpedo by mistake?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-movie-where-a-bologna-was-fired-as-a-torpedo-by-mistake/720794)
**Author:** [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-remember-a-movie-where-a-bologna-was-fired-as-a-torpedo-by-mistake/720794 "2026-08-19T20:12:02Z")
I think it was from the sixties, I thought either Don Knotts or Tim Conway was in it but I can’t find the movie on their IMDB pages. It might have been some other lunch meat like a salami or olive loaf but I think it was… --- ## [WE'RE BACK AGAIN, BABY ! WOO! Futurama begins new season on Hulu {July 29, 2024}](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-back-again-baby-woo-futurama-begins-new-season-on-hulu-july-29-2024/1004157)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-back-again-baby-woo-futurama-begins-new-season-on-hulu-july-29-2024/1004157 "2026-08-19T18:06:18Z")
Futurama begins new season on Hulu. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPelef46rlk&ab\_channel=Hulu --- ## [Fictish creative writing challenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictish-creative-writing-challenge/1031838)
**Author:** [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fictish-creative-writing-challenge/1031838 "2026-08-19T16:52:32Z")
There’s a site called Fictish for communal storytelling–you write the first part (called a chapter, but they’re usually far shorter than the average novel’s chapter), then someone else writes the next chapter, and so on.… --- ## [Medical provider pulls a Judge Crater](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-provider-pulls-a-judge-crater/1032398)
**Author:** [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-provider-pulls-a-judge-crater/1032398 "2026-08-19T14:30:40Z")
Two years ago, I was treated by a pulmonology practice whom my PCP had referred me to. Recently, the symptom recurred, so I called their office to try to get an appointment. I left a voice message. The outgoing message … --- ## [PT lumber deck: sand the railings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pt-lumber-deck-sand-the-railings/1032378)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pt-lumber-deck-sand-the-railings/1032378 "2026-08-19T12:55:51Z")
We just had our front deck replaced. Like the others, it’s constructed entirely of pressure treated lumber. There has arisen some controversy about the tops of the railings, 2X6 boards – should they be sanded to eliminat… --- ## [On Tuesday: aortic aneurysm and tear](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-tuesday-aortic-aneurysm-and-tear/978961)
**Author:** [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-tuesday-aortic-aneurysm-and-tear/978961 "2026-08-19T01:56:34Z")
Right now it is early Saturday afternoon. At 4pm on Tuesday it felt like Muhammad Ali was punching me smack in the middle of my thorax, rapid fire like, 8-10x. It hurt like hell. I crumpled over, and literally cried out,… --- ## [Giving back to the Coinstar machine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [August 19, 2026, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giving-back-to-the-coinstar-machine/1032366 "2026-08-19T01:01:03Z")
I check the reject slot of a Coinstar machine when I walk past one. Over the years I have found a number of neat coins and things. Old, 90% silver coins often get rejected. Dirty coins also Various tokens and foreign coi… --- ## [Longest regular non-stop airplane flight.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-regular-non-stop-airplane-flight/561881)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 247\ **Last updated:** [August 18, 2026, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-regular-non-stop-airplane-flight/561881 "2026-08-18T23:17:43Z")
In Inception, Sato mentions that Sydney, AUS to Los Angeles, USA is one of the longest flights. What is the longest? Must be a flight serviced by a commercial airliner on a regular (let’s say at least once a week) basi… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=37&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=39&state=muted)