# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=88&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 89 --- ## [So, why don't they just do the obvious thing and DNA test the Sussex kids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-just-do-the-obvious-thing-and-dna-test-the-sussex-kids/1029873)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-why-dont-they-just-do-the-obvious-thing-and-dna-test-the-sussex-kids/1029873 "2026-05-18T21:04:23Z")
Every now and then I let youtube tempt me into the whirling maelstrom around Harry, Meghan, and their kids. The latest version had someone speculating on whether Meghan could have really given birth to Archie and be bac… --- ## [Why don't electric utilities charge lower rates when demand is lower](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-electric-utilities-charge-lower-rates-when-demand-is-lower/1030065)
**Author:** [@Honolulu\_Lulu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honolulu_Lulu)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-electric-utilities-charge-lower-rates-when-demand-is-lower/1030065 "2026-05-18T20:18:39Z")
My son has a electric vehicle. It has a feature to only charge during certain time-of-day based on the owner’s setting. His town offers a lower rate if he sets his charger to only work from 22:00 to 07:00, but he is on… --- ## [Food safety in elementary school](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-safety-in-elementary-school/1030095)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-safety-in-elementary-school/1030095 "2026-05-18T19:31:58Z")
When I was in elementary school in San Diego, most kids had metal lunch boxes with a Thermos and their lunch. This was mine, from the The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok TV show, which went off the air before I was born,… --- ## [NC's budget and dishonest claims about teacher pay](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncs-budget-and-dishonest-claims-about-teacher-pay/1030144)
**Author:** [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ncs-budget-and-dishonest-claims-about-teacher-pay/1030144 "2026-05-18T18:57:40Z")
All right, this is a little bit of a vent, but also a specific claim about how things should be reported, so I’m putting it in P&E. North Carolina is the only state without a budget–not because our legislature isn’t mee… --- ## [Anyone know the best style pitchfork for turning a compost pile?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-best-style-pitchfork-for-turning-a-compost-pile/1030182)
**Author:** [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-the-best-style-pitchfork-for-turning-a-compost-pile/1030182 "2026-05-18T18:03:30Z")
I had 3 at the old house and gave them all away before the move. So I’m now shopping for a new one. Compost is mix of pulled weeds, some grass clippings & some kitchen waste including coffee grounds. --- ## [Fairies with flashlights?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fairies-with-flashlights/1030158)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fairies-with-flashlights/1030158 "2026-05-18T17:21:01Z")
What’s that you say? Picture this…middle of the night something aroused me (ok, get it out of the gutter, I mean I woke up). I opened the eye. No muggers or monsters. Just a cat shifting around in his bed. But I see a… --- ## [Water mains in cities in India?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-mains-in-cities-in-india/1030153)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-mains-in-cities-in-india/1030153 "2026-05-18T17:07:05Z")
The Big Thirst, by Charles Fishman, copyright 2011: “India’s economy has grown between 5 and 9 percent per year in the last five years, a stunning rate of modernization. And yet, not one of India’s major cities provides… --- ## [White text on black background](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-text-on-black-background/1030148)
**Author:** [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-text-on-black-background/1030148 "2026-05-18T14:28:08Z")
Anyone here view text / this board that way? If so, don’t you find that the longer you read, the longer you’re stuck with annoying black-striped phosphenes afterward(s)? (Accordingly, I avoid.) --- ## [Who's the youngest person here? How old are you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-youngest-person-here-how-old-are-you/1029888)
**Author:** [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-youngest-person-here-how-old-are-you/1029888 "2026-05-18T14:25:25Z")
poll When I first joined, way back in the early 2000s, I was a teenager, and there were a lot of other teens on the board, but of course that’s no longer true. Do many people under 25 find this place anymore? --- ## [What is this ladle-ish thing made for?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-ladle-ish-thing-made-for/1030157 "2026-05-18T10:36:35Z")
The photos say it all. It probably isn’t a combo egg holder and comb. --- ## [What Might This Cast Iron Pipe/Flue/Fitting Have Been For?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-this-cast-iron-pipe-flue-fitting-have-been-for/1030161)
**Author:** [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-might-this-cast-iron-pipe-flue-fitting-have-been-for/1030161 "2026-05-18T04:49:48Z")
Someone in my building is throwing this away. At first I thought it was a chimney pot, but it’s cast iron and has bolt holes in both the top and bottom. The casters certainly aren’t original, so maybe it was repurposed i… --- ## [Naval Warfare (modern): Do people off duty during a battle just lie in their bunks or does everyone have something to do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-warfare-modern-do-people-off-duty-during-a-battle-just-lie-in-their-bunks-or-does-everyone-have-something-to-do/1027464)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/naval-warfare-modern-do-people-off-duty-during-a-battle-just-lie-in-their-bunks-or-does-everyone-have-something-to-do/1027464 "2026-05-18T01:20:46Z")
My thought is that any navy ship will have 1/2 or 2/3 of their crew off-duty (dunno of they do 12-hour or 8-hour shifts). So, what happens when the ship is engaged in battle? Guns shooting, airplanes and helicopters go… --- ## [High pitched growl rock and roll voice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-pitched-growl-rock-and-roll-voice/1030129)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/high-pitched-growl-rock-and-roll-voice/1030129 "2026-05-18T00:53:38Z")
Lots of rock and roll singers have used this type of voice. One of the most prominent, but not nearly the first, was Axl Rose. Other prominent rockers who used it are Robert Plant, Bon Scott, and Brian Johnson. Who was t… --- ## [HBO's Rome--what is that big pegboard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-rome-what-is-that-big-pegboard/395604)
**Author:** [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hbos-rome-what-is-that-big-pegboard/395604 "2026-05-17T23:37:41Z")
It shows up in the opening credits, and may show up at least once an episode; I’m not sure that every episode has featured it. I’m not quite sure how to describe it other than as a big board with some sort of “pegs” that… --- ## [Why don't airports have radar towers like this any more?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-airports-have-radar-towers-like-this-any-more/1030130)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-airports-have-radar-towers-like-this-any-more/1030130 "2026-05-17T22:54:30Z")
It seems this one was built in 1958 here, next to New York International.. Dunno how long it’s been gone – decades, anyway. Why did they have to build such a massive structure just for an antenna? Why don’t they have to … --- ## [Ding a ling beck wants tinkles on the deck](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ding-a-ling-beck-wants-tinkles-on-the-deck/1030127)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ding-a-ling-beck-wants-tinkles-on-the-deck/1030127 "2026-05-17T22:33:53Z")
No I’m not gonna put a toilet out here. I ordered a wind chime. It was cheap. I’m thinking $5, no more. I specifically ordered it because I don’t want a pipe organ sound, or giant bell sounds. It’s cheesy stainless pi… --- ## [Cuppish/Peckish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuppish-peckish/1030150)
**Author:** [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuppish-peckish/1030150 "2026-05-17T21:50:09Z")
One can be peckish if hungry. Cupper-cup of tea Cuppa-cup of coffee In your cups-drunk Why can’t I be cuppish if I’m thirsty. Lemme see how peckish works with the other suffixes. Peckish- Pecker-hmm :thinking: Pe… --- ## ["I stopped using the internet because I got happy." -- Graham Platner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-using-the-internet-because-i-got-happy-graham-platner/1030139)
**Author:** [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-stopped-using-the-internet-because-i-got-happy-graham-platner/1030139 "2026-05-17T21:33:15Z")
I love this quote. It relates to questions about some of Platner’s social media posting history. I don’t have any discussion I wish to have, or any topic, or anything else here. That’s why it’s in MPSIMS where I normally… --- ## [Do busy restaurants deliberately slow down service at busy times (better explained in OP)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-busy-restaurants-deliberately-slow-down-service-at-busy-times-better-explained-in-op/1030132)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-busy-restaurants-deliberately-slow-down-service-at-busy-times-better-explained-in-op/1030132 "2026-05-17T20:44:54Z")
Tonight Mrs. H and I ate at a favorite restaurant that is always quite busy, particularly on Saturday nights during tourist season (like tonight). We expected a wait, but we noticed that while customers were waiting for … --- ## [Claudine Longet dead at 84](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claudine-longet-dead-at-84/1030141)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/claudine-longet-dead-at-84/1030141 "2026-05-17T19:39:12Z")
The aspiring singer and actress who was convicted of negligent homicide in the death of Olympic skier Spider Sabich has died. --- ## [Why would my car's power window stop working, and then suddenly work again?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-my-cars-power-window-stop-working-and-then-suddenly-work-again/1030105)
**Author:** [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-my-cars-power-window-stop-working-and-then-suddenly-work-again/1030105 "2026-05-17T16:39:14Z")
Yesterday I went out to lunch. It was a nice spring day and my car is a convertible, so I put the top down and rolled down both windows while driving there. Got food, went back to the office. Got back to the office, p… --- ## [Tell me about quitting Facebook](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-quitting-facebook/1030109)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-quitting-facebook/1030109 "2026-05-17T15:49:04Z")
If you were on Facebook but finally decided to quit using it, please tell me the good and the bad of it. Please don’t link to internet articles instead of telling me your personal experiences, and please don’t post “Well… --- ## [The movie Send Help is a must watch](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-send-help-is-a-must-watch/1030101)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-movie-send-help-is-a-must-watch/1030101 "2026-05-17T15:47:08Z")
Just finished the movie Send Help. I’m still thinking about it. Hulu. I’ll try not to ruin the plot. A woman and her asshole boss are stranded on an island. The woman knows how to survive, the boss is clueless. They ha… --- ## [Can "They" turn on your smart phone camera and watch you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-they-turn-on-your-smart-phone-camera-and-watch-you/1029853)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-they-turn-on-your-smart-phone-camera-and-watch-you/1029853 "2026-05-17T15:41:32Z")
I just watched a guy on a TV show claim this although he was being detained for smuggling so he might not be the best source. Or maybe he is. --- ## [You enter the MYSTERIOUS basement and find (GAME)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-enter-the-mysterious-basement-and-find-game/1020815)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-enter-the-mysterious-basement-and-find-game/1020815 "2026-05-17T15:15:05Z")
Enter the basement of a Mysterious, Illuminati Warehouse. Odd relics abound. Post them here. BTW–yes, I know there are websites like this. So what? Also, I am posting some of my past contributions to those sites, he… --- ## [Fake antivirus popup problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-antivirus-popup-problem/1030137)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-antivirus-popup-problem/1030137 "2026-05-17T14:44:15Z")
This has happened to me in the past, where fake antivirus ads purporting to be from different companies fill my screen and can’t be stopped. They insist that I click on them to get rid of the hundreds of viruses that su… --- ## [SMH: Things people have told me today](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smh-things-people-have-told-me-today/1030021)
**Author:** [@melodyharmonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/melodyharmonius)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smh-things-people-have-told-me-today/1030021 "2026-05-17T14:23:09Z")
Hi everyone, zombie member here. I’d love to start a thread of things people have said/commented to you that just make you shake your head. Nothing truly hateful or flame worthy, just things that make you go “really?” F… --- ## [Identifying a movie from a short scene viewed as a child](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-a-movie-from-a-short-scene-viewed-as-a-child/654464)
**Author:** [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identifying-a-movie-from-a-short-scene-viewed-as-a-child/654464 "2026-05-17T14:15:52Z")
I hereby summon the powers of the Dope to help me identify a memory from years ago. I was sitting in my gparents’ basement and one of my cousins was flipping channels. Two scenes got stuck in my head. I’ve identified one… --- ## [I never wanted to smack the free press as much as I just wanted to.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-wanted-to-smack-the-free-press-as-much-as-i-just-wanted-to/317696)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-never-wanted-to-smack-the-free-press-as-much-as-i-just-wanted-to/317696 "2026-05-17T14:06:16Z")
There was a horrific double murder-- a child and his mother were stabbed, the kid almost decapitated. A 15 year old survived her beating to call 911. No this isn’t another one of those “let’s lynch the animal!” type thr… --- ## [What was this movie from the early to mid 80's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-movie-from-the-early-to-mid-80s/1030126)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-this-movie-from-the-early-to-mid-80s/1030126 "2026-05-17T14:03:58Z")
YTF I’m thinking about this I know not. I can only remember two scenes. One was of a dad breaking a pool cue on his son as a lesson to not trust or turn his back on anyone. The other scene was that of a guy and girl m… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=87&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=89&state=muted)