# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=718&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 719 --- ## [Would you rather accept a billion dollars but you die in 5 years or continue living your life as it is now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-accept-a-billion-dollars-but-you-die-in-5-years-or-continue-living-your-life-as-it-is-now/923800)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 112\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2023, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-rather-accept-a-billion-dollars-but-you-die-in-5-years-or-continue-living-your-life-as-it-is-now/923800 "2023-10-17T03:15:00Z")
Would you rather accept a billion dollars tax free but you die instantly and painlessly in 5 years or continue living your life as it is now? I’d pick the billion primarily because I’d rather live in comfort and do imme… --- ## [Your experience with whole-house generators](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-experience-with-whole-house-generators/991405)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2023, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-experience-with-whole-house-generators/991405 "2023-10-17T02:42:09Z")
With a heavy winter and lots of snow being predicted for the North Shore of Boston this winter, we are considering having a whole-house backup generator installed. Our house is small, only 1,500 square feet, but we have … --- ## [Could the Japanese have used alternative carriers during the Battle of Midway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-japanese-have-used-alternative-carriers-during-the-battle-of-midway/953509)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2023, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-the-japanese-have-used-alternative-carriers-during-the-battle-of-midway/953509 "2023-10-17T02:31:51Z")
Famously the Japanese aircraft carriers Zuikaku and Shoukaku were supposed to be used in the Midway Operation but due to the Battle of the Coral Sea both were damaged with the Shokaku requiring serious port time while Zu… --- ## [The first American Women quarters are out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2023, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-american-women-quarters-are-out/991653 "2023-10-17T01:45:09Z")
A co-worker showed me the Bessie Colman one. Looks pretty cool! --- ## [Does Any Language, When Referencing Christianity, Differeniate Between 'Church' (building) and 'Church' (institution)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-language-when-referencing-christianity-differeniate-between-church-building-and-church-institution/991570)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [October 17, 2023, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-any-language-when-referencing-christianity-differeniate-between-church-building-and-church-institution/991570 "2023-10-17T00:50:44Z")
I’m asking about the distinctin between A church, as in a building or a local congregation (“First Presbyterian Church is hosting a fundraiser for…”), and THE church, as in the institution (“The Presbyterian Church is fa… --- ## [Jacinda Ardern resigns as prime minister of New Zealand](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacinda-ardern-resigns-as-prime-minister-of-new-zealand/978438)
**Author:** [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jacinda-ardern-resigns-as-prime-minister-of-new-zealand/978438 "2023-10-16T22:08:45Z")
While I pay very little attention to New Zealand politics I think she was one of the best political leaders in the world. --- ## [The end is near. What are your plans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-is-near-what-are-your-plans/991571)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-end-is-near-what-are-your-plans/991571 "2023-10-16T21:49:49Z")
So, you know without any possibility of reprieve you’re gonna die or vanish. You are positive this will happen, in say, 10 days. You’re not on death row. You have freedom and access to your own assets. What would you … --- ## [Border barrier between NM and TX — where, exactly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-barrier-between-nm-and-tx-where-exactly/991606)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/border-barrier-between-nm-and-tx-where-exactly/991606 "2023-10-16T20:59:29Z")
Texas governor just announced a razor wire barrier between TX and NM. I’m trying to figure out where. Best I can find is “near Sunland Park”. I’m assuming along the east side of Christo Rey, between Anapra Rd and the ol… --- ## [What's the downside of not paying timeshare fees?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-downside-of-not-paying-timeshare-fees/991657)
**Author:** [@raspberry\_hunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raspberry_hunter)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-downside-of-not-paying-timeshare-fees/991657 "2023-10-16T20:17:32Z")
Let’s say that a couple, whom I will call Mom and Dad for short, bought a timeshare (Tahiti Village Las Vegas) a while back when they were a bit younger and traveled a lot. Now they are older and have a few health proble… --- ## [Taking the plane, then the train from Paris to Brussels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-plane-then-the-train-from-paris-to-brussels/991664)
**Author:** [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taking-the-plane-then-the-train-from-paris-to-brussels/991664 "2023-10-16T20:09:11Z")
We’re going to Belgium next year, and in looking at airfares, mr. romans found flights via Air France and KLM wherein you fly into Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and then take the Eurostar into Belgium. Booking for … --- ## [Chicago: Any recommendations for a good Haunted House?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-any-recommendations-for-a-good-haunted-house/991661)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicago-any-recommendations-for-a-good-haunted-house/991661 "2023-10-16T20:00:56Z")
As the title notes this is for the Chicagoland area: I know a few Dopers live in or near Chicago. I am curious for recommendations for a good haunted house to visit in the next couple weeks. Yes, I can Google and I ge… --- ## [Home again, home again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-again-home-again/991604)
**Author:** [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-again-home-again/991604 "2023-10-16T18:12:49Z")
poll Please help me settle a family dispute. Some of us think it’s one of these, others another. And I added a wild card as well. They’re in alpha order, and I’m not yet giving my personal preference, which is, of cours… --- ## [The Twilight Zone Episode "People Are Alike All Over"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-twilight-zone-episode-people-are-alike-all-over/991588)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-twilight-zone-episode-people-are-alike-all-over/991588 "2023-10-16T18:10:31Z")
I can’t believe I’ve never seen this one, or maybe I did and forgot, but did Star Trek blatantly rip this off in the pilot episode? I think it has the same actress coaxing him into his cage of illusion, hell the planet … --- ## [Someone dies with child porn on their computer. What do the cops do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-dies-with-child-porn-on-their-computer-what-do-the-cops-do/991554)
**Author:** [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-dies-with-child-porn-on-their-computer-what-do-the-cops-do/991554 "2023-10-16T17:50:26Z")
Someone I know recently died. A family member of theirs told me that (1) the dead guy’s computer had explicit pictures of the girls in their family in it, (2) they told the cops about it, and (3) the cops said to just de… --- ## [Taylor swifts eras tour to boost US economy 4-6 billion dollars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-to-boost-us-economy-4-6-billion-dollars/991636)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taylor-swifts-eras-tour-to-boost-us-economy-4-6-billion-dollars/991636 "2023-10-16T16:33:42Z")
this is something i saw at another online place not believing it … but apparently by the time shes finished her tour will have added 4-6 billion to the us economy pretty much by itself …is that record? I don’t remember … --- ## [SNL October 14th 2023-Pete Davidson Host](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-october-14th-2023-pete-davidson-host/991589)
**Author:** [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-october-14th-2023-pete-davidson-host/991589 "2023-10-16T15:15:44Z")
SNL is back and Pete Davidson was the host. His opening was perfect. --- ## [Recent products that have gone away that I will miss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-products-that-have-gone-away-that-i-will-miss/991536)
**Author:** [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recent-products-that-have-gone-away-that-i-will-miss/991536 "2023-10-16T15:10:17Z")
Pre-Pandemic, Walmart had a wonderful cookie from it’s Great Value brand called Sugar Free Frosted Oatmeal cookies https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Sugar-Free-Frosted-Oatmeal-Cookies-11-25-Oz/36073906 Cheap and a… --- ## [How is Suzanne Sommers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-suzanne-sommers/124674)
**Author:** [@Bindlestiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bindlestiff)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-suzanne-sommers/124674 "2023-10-16T12:58:11Z")
A while back I heard that Suzanne Sommers had cancer and had elected to eschew conventional medicine and follow alternative routes. Then I heard nothing. I figure if she died, I’d hear about it. I also figured that if… --- ## [TV and radio station call letter history and long-distance viewing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-and-radio-station-call-letter-history-and-long-distance-viewing/991566)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-and-radio-station-call-letter-history-and-long-distance-viewing/991566 "2023-10-16T12:57:55Z")
There was a mention in another post about the well-known PBS station WGBH in Boston and how it got its “name”. Its original antenna was on Great Blue Hill (note the initials) - a 635-foot hill in suburban Boston. WRGB i… --- ## [Unity Coalition in the House: How would it happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unity-coalition-in-the-house-how-would-it-happen/991085)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unity-coalition-in-the-house-how-would-it-happen/991085 "2023-10-16T05:38:03Z")
It won’t happen. I predict McCarthy’s ouster will be resolved within 3 weeks of today, probably with Steve Scalise as GOP House Speaker. Gaetz has endorsed him. Still in a unity coalition, who would be the House Republi… --- ## [Michael Caine announces retirement](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-caine-announces-retirement/991582)
**Author:** [@Boycott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boycott)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/michael-caine-announces-retirement/991582 "2023-10-16T04:11:06Z")
90 years old now and his last movie has just come out. One of the most unique actors to grace the big screen with his old fashioned cockney accent that never went away and how he reinvented himself a few times over to st… --- ## [Robert's Rules and unanimous decisions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roberts-rules-and-unanimous-decisions/991626)
**Author:** [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roberts-rules-and-unanimous-decisions/991626 "2023-10-16T03:46:51Z")
Any parliamentarians here? Is there a stipulation or process for a “deliberative assembly” (okay, a meeting) to require a unanimous vote on a motion? Let’s say someone moves the group will take a public stand on one side… --- ## [Your favorite Mark Knopfler album](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mark-knopfler-album/990970)
**Author:** [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-mark-knopfler-album/990970 "2023-10-16T02:40:07Z")
Mark Knopfler is a brilliant musician, both with Dire Straits and as a solo artist. Of all his albums, I consider “Get Lucky” his best, both for the quality of the songs and because taken as a whole it tells the arc of … --- ## [The "amazing" properties of Dawn dish soap](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-properties-of-dawn-dish-soap/991575)
**Author:** [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-amazing-properties-of-dawn-dish-soap/991575 "2023-10-16T02:35:43Z")
What’s so special about Dawn dish soap? For years now I’ve heard it credited with magical cleaning powers far beyond getting grease off my dishes. What’s it got that Palmolive lacks. Is it all hype? --- ## ["Matrimonial Cake"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matrimonial-cake/274174)
**Author:** [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/matrimonial-cake/274174 "2023-10-16T01:48:46Z")
No, not wedding cake. The “matrimonial cake” I mean is called “date squares” outside western Canada, if it’s known at all. The recipe has a crust of rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, and butter, half pressed into a pan,… --- ## [Skeletal Dioramas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skeletal-dioramas/991608)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2023, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skeletal-dioramas/991608 "2023-10-16T01:18:58Z")
Halloween is approaching, and folks are starting to decorate their yards. In the last few years, arranging skeletons in the front yard has really started to get elaborate. I’m starting to see some wild dioramas. Just … --- ## [Does the Tropes site have this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-tropes-site-have-this/991615)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2023, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-tropes-site-have-this/991615 "2023-10-15T22:01:46Z")
What I’d call “example in search of a trope”. That is, something you think doesn’t quite shoehorn into an established category but is close to or sorta like one? --- ## [Any way to remove the search bar on my task bar W10?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-remove-the-search-bar-on-my-task-bar-w10/991592)
**Author:** [@Loggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loggins)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2023, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-way-to-remove-the-search-bar-on-my-task-bar-w10/991592 "2023-10-15T21:41:40Z")
After an unplanned update from Microsoft (while i was asleep) I got that annoying search bar on my taskbar back. I havent seen it for years, but now i got it back. Its even got an ugly profile pick next to it :frowning: … --- ## [Math question: why do they do this step in transforming a formula? (in calculating absolute zero)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-why-do-they-do-this-step-in-transforming-a-formula-in-calculating-absolute-zero/991613)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2023, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/math-question-why-do-they-do-this-step-in-transforming-a-formula-in-calculating-absolute-zero/991613 "2023-10-15T21:10:17Z")
from this video (at timestamp 7:36): https://youtu.be/wR2tOLShFmY?si=PRfQue1CqV5AG8fE&t=456 about calculating the value of absolute zero by measuring the volume of a gas at 2 different temperatures. We’re coming up with… --- ## [Would you re-use toilet paper?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-re-use-toilet-paper/974368)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2023, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-re-use-toilet-paper/974368 "2023-10-15T20:46:19Z")
This morning we passed a house that had been TPed. I asked my companion if their house have ever been TPed, as ours never had (kids not into sports.) She said their house had been TPed a number of times, and told me ab… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=717&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=719&state=muted)