# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=45&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 46 --- ## [The story of the Jews escaping slavery in Egypt and wandering the desert is fiction, right?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800)
**Author:** [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Replies:** 452\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-story-of-the-jews-escaping-slavery-in-egypt-and-wandering-the-desert-is-fiction-right/1026800 "2026-08-06T12:08:30Z")
I have a Jewish heritage on my mother’s side, but she didn’t practice the religion, and neither do I. I have, however, sat in on a few Seders in my lifetime (the last in college, more than 25 years ago). As a result, I… --- ## [Is the Modern Economy Pushing Ordinary People Toward Gambling?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-modern-economy-pushing-ordinary-people-toward-gambling/1031009)
**Author:** [@Dheeraj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dheeraj)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 9:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-modern-economy-pushing-ordinary-people-toward-gambling/1031009 "2026-08-06T09:05:24Z")
I’m curious what others think about a trend I’ve been noticing. It seems like the wealth gap is widening rapidly. People with education, professional careers, and access to investment opportunities are accumulating sign… --- ## [Why is the sell by Date for lunch meat two months ahead but it has to be eaten within a week or so after opening?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sell-by-date-for-lunch-meat-two-months-ahead-but-it-has-to-be-eaten-within-a-week-or-so-after-opening/1031992 "2026-08-06T05:43:10Z")
I buy Hormel Natural Choice Applewood Smoked Turkey Deli Lunchmeat, 8 oz Resealable Package. I’ve noticed the sell by date is usually six to eight weeks beyond when I purchase. The packages are sealed. I wouldn’t say t… --- ## [Opinions wanted on a contractor’s estimate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-wanted-on-a-contractor-s-estimate/1032097)
**Author:** [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opinions-wanted-on-a-contractor-s-estimate/1032097 "2026-08-06T03:35:41Z")
\[Album\] imgur.com I’d like to know what people think of an estimat… --- ## [How long could a person dance on top of one of those industrial shredders before getting caught?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-dance-on-top-of-one-of-those-industrial-shredders-before-getting-caught/1031971)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-could-a-person-dance-on-top-of-one-of-those-industrial-shredders-before-getting-caught/1031971 "2026-08-06T02:28:35Z")
There was a shredding scene in one of the Bond films but it was a different type of high speed device. No chance to tap dance on it. Here is the slow but inexorable shredder I mean: --- ## [Classic Rock Play List, image: Who are the 3 beside Jim Morrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-rock-play-list-image-who-are-the-3-beside-jim-morrison/1032164)
**Author:** [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classic-rock-play-list-image-who-are-the-3-beside-jim-morrison/1032164 "2026-08-06T01:46:52Z")
I’m pretty sure the 2nd one is Carlos Santana. No clue on the 1st man and the woman on the right --- ## [NYC building in imminent danger of collapse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyc-building-in-imminent-danger-of-collapse/1031494)
**Author:** [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Replies:** 141\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyc-building-in-imminent-danger-of-collapse/1031494 "2026-08-06T01:20:41Z")
The former Pfizer HQ at 42nd & 2nd, which was being converted luxury apartments & being made taller by adding floors has been evacuated, along with nine other buildings in the collapse zone (First to Third & 40th to 45th… --- ## [Most tone-deaf/out of touch commercials?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 229\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-tone-deaf-out-of-touch-commercials/1032017 "2026-08-06T00:57:48Z")
I think of this every time I see a commercial of John Walsh for OmegaXL. He talks about how the green-lipped mussel goo gives him the energy that he needs to exercise his polo ponies on his ranch. I always think of how f… --- ## [What does either mean in this marriage law?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-either-mean-in-this-marriage-law/1032119)
**Author:** [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-either-mean-in-this-marriage-law/1032119 "2026-08-06T00:53:51Z")
In a thread about marriages, @robby linked to a 1970s Texas law that gave a long list of who may perform marriages. It ended with this line: YOU, ОR EITHER OF YOU, ARE HEREBY AUTHORIZED TO JOIN In the Holy Union of Mat… --- ## [Fuck you, Rowan County (KY) Clerk Kim Davis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-rowan-county-ky-clerk-kim-davis/727757)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 1794\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-you-rowan-county-ky-clerk-kim-davis/727757 "2026-08-06T00:41:42Z")
\[After a judge eviscerated her not-very-legal arguments one by one, apparently this woman still felt she had some legal grounds to stand on in not issuing marriage licenses because of her personal beliefs. \](http://hos… --- ## [Pronunciation question: "Robot"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-robot/1031897)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [August 6, 2026, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pronunciation-question-robot/1031897 "2026-08-06T00:16:13Z")
I was watching an old commercial a minute ago featuring “Robert the Robot”, only the last word was pronounced “ro-but”, not “ro-bot”. What is the story about the change to the current pronunciation? --- ## [NSPM-7 (National Security Presidential Memorandum 7)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nspm-7-national-security-presidential-memorandum-7/1032172)
**Author:** [@rippingtons\_fan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rippingtons_fan)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nspm-7-national-security-presidential-memorandum-7/1032172 "2026-08-05T23:02:34Z")
Has anyone here heard of a thing called National Security Presidential Memorandum 7? It appeared in an article in The Nation, and appears to be a draconian move against political activity by all organizations considered … --- ## [Who is responsible for this windshield crack in a rental car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-responsible-for-this-windshield-crack-in-a-rental-car/1011846)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-responsible-for-this-windshield-crack-in-a-rental-car/1011846 "2026-08-05T22:52:11Z")
Might turn into a request for legal advice but I doubt it. My son rented a car from Turo. (Turo is like Airbnb for cars.) After he returned it the owner sent him a photo of the windshield, clearly with a crack running f… --- ## [Minnesota Dopers - ever had a South American sandwich? How are they?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesota-dopers-ever-had-a-south-american-sandwich-how-are-they/1029265)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/minnesota-dopers-ever-had-a-south-american-sandwich-how-are-they/1029265 "2026-08-05T22:30:27Z")
One of my idle hobbies is to look up regional cuisines, or less-well-known recipes from various international cuisines, on Wikipedia to see if I can find anything that seems interesting that I’d like to try making. That’… --- ## [Does the Lincoln Tunnel really carry 1850 buses into NY in four hours?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lincoln-tunnel-really-carry-1850-buses-into-ny-in-four-hours/1031863)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lincoln-tunnel-really-carry-1850-buses-into-ny-in-four-hours/1031863 "2026-08-05T22:26:59Z")
That’s what its Wikipedia article says: 1850 buses, 70000 passengers between 6 and 10 AM, which is a bus every eight seconds. Can that be right? --- ## [MLB - "appeal" vs "challenge"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-appeal-vs-challenge/1032006)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mlb-appeal-vs-challenge/1032006 "2026-08-05T20:09:21Z")
On a ball/strike call - the batter or the catcher (pitcher as well?) can “challenge” the call - losing the challenge costs the team a challenge. Who can “appeal” a call (usually to the 1st or 3rd base umpire)? If you ca… --- ## [Fallout 4 quest mod questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-quest-mod-questions/1021201)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 208\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-4-quest-mod-questions/1021201 "2026-08-05T20:01:33Z")
I’m kind of between games right now, and feeling like I want to revisit F04. It’s my favorite Fallout game (unlike many of you, I know, but it was the first Fallout game I played so maybe that’s why I like it best). But… --- ## [Monthly Photo Competition #44 – July, 2026 – “Beautiful”: Poll added](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monthly-photo-competition-44-july-2026-beautiful-poll-added/1031332)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monthly-photo-competition-44-july-2026-beautiful-poll-added/1031332 "2026-08-05T18:49:19Z")
This is the monthly photo competition thread for July, 2026. The topic this month is “Beautiful” chosen by @romansperson. One entry per person per month. In this thread, please post only your photo and, if you like a br… --- ## [What constitutional reforms would you like to see post-Trump?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-constitutional-reforms-would-you-like-to-see-post-trump/1031444)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 170\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-constitutional-reforms-would-you-like-to-see-post-trump/1031444 "2026-08-05T18:28:49Z")
So as to avoid fighting the hypothetical here, let’s assume a best-case scenario for the next few years. Trump dies of natural causes or is rendered incapable of functioning, maga implodes without its charismatic leader,… --- ## [Family Reunions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-reunions/1032032)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/family-reunions/1032032 "2026-08-05T15:27:47Z")
I have seen a thread with this same title but it was started in 2004, so I thought I would start over. Do any of your family names have regular reunions? When I was a child my mother’s side of the family had two, one f… --- ## [Favorite Miniseries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-miniseries/1031915)
**Author:** [@Gordon\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_G)\ **Replies:** 131\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/favorite-miniseries/1031915 "2026-08-05T14:53:56Z")
Instead of rating movies or rating TV series, what about miniseries? Googling “best miniseries” produces several lists, with Band of Brothers and Chernobyl at the top, and those are my two top favorites. (Roots comple… --- ## [Help with a family quandary -- freeloading relatives/cottage might be sold](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-a-family-quandary-freeloading-relatives-cottage-might-be-sold/1032020)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-a-family-quandary-freeloading-relatives-cottage-might-be-sold/1032020 "2026-08-05T14:34:53Z")
One of my relatives has been allowing a “semi-relative” (the daughter of a man she’s been living with for nearly five years) to live basically rent-free in a small cottage she owns for the past five years. It was suppos… --- ## [The (SF) Futures Left Behind](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sf-futures-left-behind/708674)
**Author:** [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sf-futures-left-behind/708674 "2026-08-05T12:22:52Z")
Since it’s 2015, which is the year that Marty McFly travels forward to in Back to the Future II, it’s gotten me to thinking about all the other SF futures that we’ve caught up with, or have already left behind. The gran… --- ## [Nicknames for drug effects](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-drug-effects/1031872)
**Author:** [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nicknames-for-drug-effects/1031872 "2026-08-05T04:41:15Z")
If you are addicted to methamphetamine, and your teeth rot away, you have “Meth Mouth”. If you are addicted to fentanyl, and your torso is perpetually hunched over, you have “the Fentanyl Fold”. If a psychiatrist sedat… --- ## [C-130 Hercules cargo plane turns 60](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121 "2026-08-05T04:33:32Z")
An amazingly durable and useful plane: http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/08/us/c-130-hercules-military-plane-anniversary/index.html My favorite variant: Lockheed AC-130 - Wikipedia --- ## [Glowing (eye) pupils in black light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glowing-eye-pupils-in-black-light/286899)
**Author:** [@robotic\_panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robotic_panda)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glowing-eye-pupils-in-black-light/286899 "2026-08-05T04:12:58Z")
I have been wondering this for quite a while. When my eyes are exposed to a black light, a common, flourescent tube type, my pupils glow greenish blue. When my friends and I discovered this, we tried in every way to re… --- ## ["The Martian Chronicles" is either a clumsy fix-up or a brilliant satire, and I'm not sure which but maybe it's both: A very belated book report](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-chronicles-is-either-a-clumsy-fix-up-or-a-brilliant-satire-and-im-not-sure-which-but-maybe-its-both-a-very-belated-book-report/1029062)
**Author:** [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Replies:** 172\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-martian-chronicles-is-either-a-clumsy-fix-up-or-a-brilliant-satire-and-im-not-sure-which-but-maybe-its-both-a-very-belated-book-report/1029062 "2026-08-05T01:17:13Z")
.When I was in 4th grade I was in an advanced class for gifted learners. These days, I’m not sure if I actually was gifted or if I was just an undiagnosed autist whose neurodivergent way of thinking and obsessing over fa… --- ## [Trump still claims he won in 2020 - wouldn't that invalidate his election in 2024?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-still-claims-he-won-in-2020-wouldnt-that-invalidate-his-election-in-2024/1032086)
**Author:** [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2026, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-still-claims-he-won-in-2020-wouldnt-that-invalidate-his-election-in-2024/1032086 "2026-08-05T00:14:51Z")
If Trump won in 2020 (obviously he didn’t) that would mean he was elected for a third time in 2024. This would be in violation 22nd Amendment which says that no person can be elected more than twice. It seems to me tha… --- ## [Anyone ever stationed at Trumbo Naval Air Station on Key West?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-stationed-at-trumbo-naval-air-station-on-key-west/1032154)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-stationed-at-trumbo-naval-air-station-on-key-west/1032154 "2026-08-04T23:59:48Z")
If you go through the main base you can drive to Fleming Key, the home of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School. There is some interesting stuff on Fleming. Google Maps shows a bunch of ammunition magazines. Mo… --- ## [Botticelli - the letters we've used so far](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-the-letters-weve-used-so-far/619048)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 142\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botticelli-the-letters-weve-used-so-far/619048 "2026-08-04T23:07:52Z")
I had some time on my hands and went back through all of our Botticelli threads since May 2011. To guard against repeating the same letters too soon and thus to keep the game fresher, I thought this record might be help… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=44&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=46&state=muted)