# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=687&state=tracking [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 688 --- ## [Please help me understand the Senate’s “hold” process](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-understand-the-senate-s-hold-process/993681)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 26, 2023, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-understand-the-senate-s-hold-process/993681 "2023-11-26T03:17:56Z")
Inspired by the “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Tuberville?” thread, I’d be grateful if someone could explain to me how it works? It’s almost always presented as it being a “request” that a senator makes to the Majorit… --- ## [Help me diagnose an electrical problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-diagnose-an-electrical-problem/993551)
**Author:** [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [November 26, 2023, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-diagnose-an-electrical-problem/993551 "2023-11-26T03:14:29Z")
I think we had a power surge last night. My wife said that at around 5:30 the lights went out in some of our rooms,and when my wife looked out across the neighborhood the street lights were out and none of the house had… --- ## [Bombarded with spam phone calls! Can anyone help?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombarded-with-spam-phone-calls-can-anyone-help/932476)
**Author:** [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [November 26, 2023, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bombarded-with-spam-phone-calls-can-anyone-help/932476 "2023-11-26T02:46:32Z")
For the last couple of weeks I’m getting blasted by spam phone calls on my Verizon cell phone. I’ve received a dozen today alone. There’s never any message left. Some are identified with names and local addresses and … --- ## [Thawing meat, then refrigerating - need answer fast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thawing-meat-then-refrigerating-need-answer-fast/993639)
**Author:** [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thawing-meat-then-refrigerating-need-answer-fast/993639 "2023-11-25T23:02:21Z")
Yesterday I thawed some frozen Cornish hens in cold water for about two hours, changing the cold water every thirty minutes. I planned to cook them immediately, but I fell ill and had my husband stick them back in the fr… --- ## [A critique of ChatGPT written by Nick Cave and read by Stephen Fry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-critique-of-chatgpt-written-by-nick-cave-and-read-by-stephen-fry/993642)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-critique-of-chatgpt-written-by-nick-cave-and-read-by-stephen-fry/993642 "2023-11-25T22:41:50Z")
ChatGPT and other expert systems like it are amazing and taking the world by storm. While they have their uses I also think they have their dangers. Not Skynet dangers (for this), but rather something more existential.… --- ## [Who first said "you don't pay a prostitute for sex..."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-said-you-dont-pay-a-prostitute-for-sex/675273)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-said-you-dont-pay-a-prostitute-for-sex/675273 "2023-11-25T22:04:00Z")
“… You pay her to leave afterward”? Inspired by this thread, of course. Charlie Sheen said it during his trial, but he’s most likely not the originator. Some remember it as being said by Errol Flynn. The TV show Crim… --- ## [Anchovies, sardines, herring, surströmming, and other fishy treats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anchovies-sardines-herring-surstromming-and-other-fishy-treats/993347)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 107\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anchovies-sardines-herring-surstromming-and-other-fishy-treats/993347 "2023-11-25T20:44:59Z")
A thread in The BBQ Pit was hijacked by a discussion of surströmming, followed by anchovies, followed by herring and sardines. I agree that surströmming and hakarl sound disgusting. The others though? Very tasty. I’v… --- ## [Why do so many modern windmills not spin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-modern-windmills-not-spin/993664)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-so-many-modern-windmills-not-spin/993664 "2023-11-25T20:30:47Z")
I have occasion to drive by many modern windmills (the three bladed tall towers) but I note that many are not spinning. This is not due to lack of wind (some are spinning and I know the wind is blowing). I get some wil… --- ## [Old Gas Stations: A Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-gas-stations-a-question/993348)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-gas-stations-a-question/993348 "2023-11-25T20:12:22Z")
Most of the major Canadian gas stations are well represented in my sizeable city. But over the last few years they seem to have closed many less profitable locations. There are old stations at several major intersectio… --- ## [Is there a name for that “hippie stoner accent?”](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-that-hippie-stoner-accent/993478)
**Author:** [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-that-hippie-stoner-accent/993478 "2023-11-25T20:12:18Z")
You know the one I mean, but it’s hard to describe. Think Tommy Chong, Otto the Bus Driver, or - going way back - that guy from the TV commercial for the Freedom Rock album (“Hey, man is that Freedom Rock? Well, TURN IT … --- ## [ID this movie from a single scene fragment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie-from-a-single-scene-fragment/993688)
**Author:** [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-movie-from-a-single-scene-fragment/993688 "2023-11-25T18:12:50Z")
This has been bugging me for years, and I’m 90% sure I haven’t posted the ID request before. I saw this movie in the late 1990s or early 2000s, and it was not very old at the time, so let’s say the movie came out between… --- ## [What's the best scenario/ timing for Biden to step down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-scenario-timing-for-biden-to-step-down/993466)
**Author:** [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-scenario-timing-for-biden-to-step-down/993466 "2023-11-25T17:58:00Z")
NB: I would bet against Biden voluntarily declining to run for a second term, personally, but if he did I would vigorously literally anybody or any life form running against Donald Trump in his place on the Democratic ti… --- ## [Are these three categories for countries and political parties useful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-three-categories-for-countries-and-political-parties-useful/992106)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-these-three-categories-for-countries-and-political-parties-useful/992106 "2023-11-25T17:45:31Z")
Inspired by various current events, including the recent US House speakership debacle. I’m going to use the labels liberal, conservative, and reactionary, but this is more about the categories than what label to assign … --- ## [Do you foresee a need to upgrade your computer soon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-foresee-a-need-to-upgrade-your-computer-soon/992872)
**Author:** [@epbrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-foresee-a-need-to-upgrade-your-computer-soon/992872 "2023-11-25T16:31:29Z")
So last night the hinge to my laptop display broke. It was a cheap model ($350) with a plastic case bought in Mar 2018, but it’s been fine for my needs. I started shopping for a new laptop and discovered brand new copy o… --- ## [MST3K Turkey Day - darkest flicks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mst3k-turkey-day-darkest-flicks/993647)
**Author:** [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mst3k-turkey-day-darkest-flicks/993647 "2023-11-25T15:18:09Z")
This year I had a mini MST3K Turkey Day and for some reason I gravitated to some of the darker movies that they covered. Teenage Crime Wave-the female baddie reveals her rough life only to end up dead. The Girl on Love… --- ## ["In God We Trust" required in all Louisiana Classrooms](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-god-we-trust-required-in-all-louisiana-classrooms/988052)
**Author:** [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Replies:** 88\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-god-we-trust-required-in-all-louisiana-classrooms/988052 "2023-11-25T15:01:39Z")
This really pisses me off. How would I explain this to my kids? You go to school to learn, but you must do so under a poster embracing a false myth. --- ## [What makes this picture of Daniel Craig so European?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-this-picture-of-daniel-craig-so-european/993654)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-this-picture-of-daniel-craig-so-european/993654 "2023-11-25T14:58:43Z")
So my Twitter feed is full of this picture of Daniel Craig in a suit: Almost all of the related jokes seem to think he looks like a European (usually German) official of some kind: What is it about Daniel Craig… --- ## [Cranberry & Raspberry Tea--good for urinary tract?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-raspberry-tea-good-for-urinary-tract/993352)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-raspberry-tea-good-for-urinary-tract/993352 "2023-11-25T14:17:52Z")
Does it help with Urinary or Prostate Infections? Example here– https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000UZPCMG?psc=1&ref=ppx\_yo2ov\_dt\_b\_product\_details --- ## [Joys of the Internet, great websites, online games](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joys-of-the-internet-great-websites-online-games/992583)
**Author:** [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joys-of-the-internet-great-websites-online-games/992583 "2023-11-25T11:49:22Z")
I’m surprised we don’t have a thread dedicated to those corners of the internet which are interesting, unusual, fun or fascinating, so I thought we ought to start one. Just somewhere we can share great online finds, weir… --- ## [New Phone How To Query](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-how-to-query/993660)
**Author:** [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-phone-how-to-query/993660 "2023-11-25T11:20:05Z")
So, Thursday, my wife’s phone screen gave up the ghost and she bought a nice new one Friday. This being China, New Phone = New mystery. The phone is a Samsung Galaxy S23 FE. So far, I’ve managed to get Google Play and o… --- ## [What characters would you choose for a series of The End comics?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-characters-would-you-choose-for-a-series-of-the-end-comics/993665)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-characters-would-you-choose-for-a-series-of-the-end-comics/993665 "2023-11-25T03:00:16Z")
The End is a series of Marvel comics that portray possible futures for different heroes (Hulk, Punisher, X Men, Iron Man etc). My question is if they had a similar series but for DC and Marvel overall which characters w… --- ## [Unsupported Science Beliefs You Hold](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsupported-science-beliefs-you-hold/993365)
**Author:** [@Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guapo)\ **Replies:** 212\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unsupported-science-beliefs-you-hold/993365 "2023-11-25T01:58:11Z")
I think that more geographic features than are generally acknowledged are the result of meteorite/comet impacts. These include the Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, and the Great Lakes. I believe that the continents were for… --- ## [On this day 8 years ago, I was in the emergency room](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-this-day-8-years-ago-i-was-in-the-emergency-room/993599)
**Author:** [@Wolf333](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolf333)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-this-day-8-years-ago-i-was-in-the-emergency-room/993599 "2023-11-25T01:33:53Z")
And I learned that while in the emergency room today, checking Facebook while getting fluids and meds. I went into anaphylaxis for the first time in quite a while. I used one epipen and was heading for the second when I… --- ## [Invasion of the Super-Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasion-of-the-super-pig/993600)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/invasion-of-the-super-pig/993600 "2023-11-25T01:30:50Z")
Canadian super-pigs about to invade the US. Super-pigs are ferals crossbred with domestic swine. They have the destructiveness of ferals combined with breeding as fast as domestic. I guess they still haven’t forgiven … --- ## [German police arrest members of far-right party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-police-arrest-members-of-far-right-party/993636)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-police-arrest-members-of-far-right-party/993636 "2023-11-25T00:12:20Z")
The Reich Citizens? There’s a name that’s sure to make them popular (in both the sarcastic and sadly literal truth). --- ## [Question about British NHS ending care for terminally ill children](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-nhs-ending-care-for-terminally-ill-children/993157)
**Author:** [@X.L.Lent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/X.L.Lent)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 25, 2023, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-british-nhs-ending-care-for-terminally-ill-children/993157 "2023-11-25T00:11:25Z")
From time to time I have read of cases where the British National Heath Service has decided to end treatment for terminally ill children and won’t allow the parents to take thier child elsewhere for treatment. The case… --- ## [I think they're about to announce the Pistorius verdict.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-theyre-about-to-announce-the-pistorius-verdict/698152)
**Author:** [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [November 24, 2023, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-theyre-about-to-announce-the-pistorius-verdict/698152 "2023-11-24T22:51:43Z")
CNN says he’s returned to court for the verdict. It’s 1am here. What time is it there? --- ## [What's the dumbest/worst "Next Million Dollar Idea" someone has shared with you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-worst-next-million-dollar-idea-someone-has-shared-with-you/992447)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 248\ **Last updated:** [November 24, 2023, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-dumbest-worst-next-million-dollar-idea-someone-has-shared-with-you/992447 "2023-11-24T20:23:21Z")
The next million dollar idea or billion dollar app, basically when an “ideas” person comes up with a brilliant idea to be the next Mark Zuckerberg because their new idea/app is GURANTEED to make a ton of money, but since… --- ## [Recommend a brand of ice-gripper shoe cover](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-brand-of-ice-gripper-shoe-cover/993453)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 24, 2023, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-brand-of-ice-gripper-shoe-cover/993453 "2023-11-24T20:11:51Z")
My mom says she wants a pair for her birthday, and there’s a ton of different brands on Amazon. Anyone have a first hand positive suggestion or advice? --- ## [Replacing a linux install with windows 10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-a-linux-install-with-windows-10/993582)
**Author:** [@BleizDu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BleizDu)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 24, 2023, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/replacing-a-linux-install-with-windows-10/993582 "2023-11-24T20:10:00Z")
Hi folks, I’m trying to totally erase an existing ubuntu installation to put windows 10 instead. Windows 10 was the original OS, then my partner fully installed ubuntu over it a couple years ago. Now she wants windows… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=686&state=tracking) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=688&state=tracking)