# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=935 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 936 --- ## [Let go during mass layoff, told to continue to work because it was a mistake, what do you do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-go-during-mass-layoff-told-to-continue-to-work-because-it-was-a-mistake-what-do-you-do/975581)
**Author:** [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-go-during-mass-layoff-told-to-continue-to-work-because-it-was-a-mistake-what-do-you-do/975581 "2022-12-01T20:02:38Z")
Obviously inspired by the recent events at Twitter. It got me thinking, what would I do in that situation? You’re told you will be terminated from your job in 120 days and that you will continue to be paid with the same … --- ## [Well, Fuck. My stupid phone is apparently 'broken'. On Thanksgiving](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-fuck-my-stupid-phone-is-apparently-broken-on-thanksgiving/975505)
**Author:** [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/well-fuck-my-stupid-phone-is-apparently-broken-on-thanksgiving/975505 "2022-12-01T19:41:23Z")
Don’t know what happened. Maybe dropped it in the dirt or something. Charging cord won’t go in and engage. I’ve got 27% battery left. Tried cleaning the port out, blowing with compressed air, little brush thingy from an … --- ## [Reaction to Superhero Alter-Ego Puns](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reaction-to-superhero-alter-ego-puns/975745)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reaction-to-superhero-alter-ego-puns/975745 "2022-12-01T18:52:21Z")
Hi SD, I am curious as to how the general public reacted to superheroes whose alter-egos or “normal names” were most obviously puns. Did creating such wordplay dilute the effectiveness of said superhero? Examples: Wol… --- ## [Keir Starmer rules out the return of free movement if Labour comes back into power](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-rules-out-the-return-of-free-movement-if-labour-comes-back-into-power/975688)
**Author:** [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keir-starmer-rules-out-the-return-of-free-movement-if-labour-comes-back-into-power/975688 "2022-12-01T16:11:39Z")
I’m thinking that by making this explicit, Starmer is poisoning the well with younger voters. I understand he’s doing this because he doesn’t dare do anything that might tilt the immigration-adverse “Red Wall” voters ba… --- ## [19th century financial (?) idiom - "shaving" short paper? - and banknotes on the frontier](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/19th-century-financial-idiom-shaving-short-paper-and-banknotes-on-the-frontier/975835)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/19th-century-financial-idiom-shaving-short-paper-and-banknotes-on-the-frontier/975835 "2022-12-01T14:30:49Z")
I’m reading some letters from a businessman to his brother-in-law about opportunities in Muscatine, Iowa in the 1850s. He’s extolling the low cost of living, the game so plentiful you can shoot it without getting out of … --- ## [Remember her name. RIP Irene Cara](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-her-name-rip-irene-cara/975591)
**Author:** [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remember-her-name-rip-irene-cara/975591 "2022-12-01T13:42:58Z")
She did not live forever. --- ## [What is the Sequence that Maximizes the Distance between my Wearing Two Similar Sweaters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sequence-that-maximizes-the-distance-between-my-wearing-two-similar-sweaters/975852)
**Author:** [@Moonrise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonrise)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sequence-that-maximizes-the-distance-between-my-wearing-two-similar-sweaters/975852 "2022-12-01T13:35:51Z")
Let’s say that I have 5 sweaters. A white one (Wh), a brown one (Br), a blue one (Bl) and two purple ones (P1 and P2). Unfortunately, I’m also a very fussy person and I refuse to wear the same colour twice in a row. In … --- ## [Modern Antarctic Cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-antarctic-cruiser/975716)
**Author:** [@EnolaStraight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EnolaStraight)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/modern-antarctic-cruiser/975716 "2022-12-01T12:18:34Z")
Going over an old post of mine: ​Where’s the Antarctic Monster-Truck? - Mundane Pointless Stuff I Must Share (MPSIMS) - Straight Dope Message Board I wondered the feasibility of creating a Big-Wheeled or Cat-Tracked v… --- ## [Use of White Phosphorous in Korean War?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-white-phosphorous-in-korean-war/975815)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-white-phosphorous-in-korean-war/975815 "2022-12-01T11:19:22Z")
Factual Question: Watching MASH for the 100th time, the question hit me: If white phosphorous was really used in the Korean War, wasn’t this considered chemical warfare? And, wouldn’t its use be against the Geneva Conven… --- ## [Why cant the credit card companies get their crap together?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-the-credit-card-companies-get-their-crap-together/434392)
**Author:** [@Pixilated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixilated)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-the-credit-card-companies-get-their-crap-together/434392 "2008-01-24T21:40:30Z")
My temp is soaring after having to deal with the CC companies - 2 of them. I moved to a new town and changed banks a couple of months ago. I gave plenty of notice to the 3 CC companies I deal with. I am having problems … --- ## [Tell me what I’m missing about Beckett](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-i-m-missing-about-beckett/975771)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-what-i-m-missing-about-beckett/975771 "2022-12-01T08:13:29Z")
I just don’t get Samuel Beckett. I’ve seen some of his plays, I’ve read about him. I just don’t get the acclaim. I walked out of Endgame at the intermission. It was boring. Why is he so highly revered? --- ## [The worst team in history - a hypothetical about record-breaking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-team-in-history-a-hypothetical-about-record-breaking/975709)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worst-team-in-history-a-hypothetical-about-record-breaking/975709 "2022-12-01T06:00:01Z")
A recent thread asked why football’s single-game pass record has for so long, and it’s in part because the opposing team stunk so badly. So here’s my hypothetical: Having made a bundle in cryptocurrency and macaroni ar… --- ## [Ignored user times](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignored-user-times/975837)
**Author:** [@DKW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DKW)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ignored-user-times/975837 "2022-12-01T05:25:27Z")
Is there any way to to find out how many days are left for ignored users? While I occasionally run into a bad apple I want to shut out for good, more commonly there’s some emotionally contentious event going on at the mo… --- ## [This is the thread to gripe about a spouse who won't go to the doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-the-thread-to-gripe-about-a-spouse-who-wont-go-to-the-doctor/975446)
**Author:** [@teelabrown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teelabrown)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-is-the-thread-to-gripe-about-a-spouse-who-wont-go-to-the-doctor/975446 "2022-12-01T04:44:32Z")
Spinning off from this week’s MMP, by request. In my case, it’s my husband who eschews doctors. He’s 72 years old and he hasn’t seen a doctor in years. His reason: doctors are quacks who don’t know anything. The rea… --- ## [COVID-19 is more deadly than smoking (re: Twitter)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-is-more-deadly-than-smoking-re-twitter/975819)
**Author:** [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-19-is-more-deadly-than-smoking-re-twitter/975819 "2022-12-01T01:04:26Z")
It would take a bit of math to ascertain but I would be reasonably certain that smoking has a higher fatality rate than Covid-19. The businesses that sell cigarettes have had no issue staying in business for centuries -… --- ## [We Don't Need No Stinkin' Laws of Robotics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-laws-of-robotics/975808)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2022, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-dont-need-no-stinkin-laws-of-robotics/975808 "2022-12-01T00:50:44Z")
Last year a company named Ghost Robotics announced it was mounting guns on those robotic “dogs”. The U.S. Army is reportedly testing them. (Boston-based Boston Dynamics has stated that it has no intention to do this with… --- ## [Which TV Format, Highest Profit To Cost Ratio?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-format-highest-profit-to-cost-ratio/975608)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-tv-format-highest-profit-to-cost-ratio/975608 "2022-11-30T23:03:56Z")
Maybe there is a definitive answer to this question, probably not. A lot of TV formats - reality shows, game shows, adventures hunting for ghosts or Bigfeet, shows about cooking and home renovation… essentially cost com… --- ## [Schools shootings hoax in GA](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-shootings-hoax-in-ga/975822)
**Author:** [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schools-shootings-hoax-in-ga/975822 "2022-11-30T22:29:10Z")
I’m currently in Savannah, in a hotel about a mile or two from Savannah HS. I was reading in bed when I became aware of sirens going by. At first, eh, it’s a city, there are always sirens. But they kept coming, and tra… --- ## [Stock Warrants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-warrants/975753)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stock-warrants/975753 "2022-11-30T22:18:52Z")
I like to play with stock options and now looking at warrants. Think is, it seems impossible to find a company’s warrant strike price and expiration date online. Any clue on how to find this information? --- ## [cataract surgery and monovision](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cataract-surgery-and-monovision/322802)
**Author:** [@Amethyst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amethyst)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cataract-surgery-and-monovision/322802 "2022-11-30T19:42:08Z")
I have premature cataracts (I’m under 40 - barely), and I’m in the midst of having cataract surgeries (ie one eye is done and the other isn’t). I have less than 2 weeks before they do my left (non-dominant) eye. I hav… --- ## [Would you share your salary publicly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-share-your-salary-publicly/975420)
**Author:** [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-share-your-salary-publicly/975420 "2022-11-30T19:41:34Z")
I have been angry at past employers telling me I’m not allowed to talk with my co-workers about what we get paid. I feel like it’s MY business to share! so I was interested when I heard about Salary Transparent Street, … --- ## [Multi-surface circus arena?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-surface-circus-arena/975734)
**Author:** [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/multi-surface-circus-arena/975734 "2022-11-30T18:43:12Z")
Back around 1980, local TV would broadcast a regular program from Europe (France?) showing circus shows. This was when circuses with animals were still in vogue. In one of these shows, the ring was covered in a loose su… --- ## [Democracy vs. authoritarianism. How useful is this paradigm for the current state of the world?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-vs-authoritarianism-how-useful-is-this-paradigm-for-the-current-state-of-the-world/975441)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/democracy-vs-authoritarianism-how-useful-is-this-paradigm-for-the-current-state-of-the-world/975441 "2022-11-30T18:11:49Z")
I now think of governments and leaders around the world as falling into either the authoritarian or democratic way of ruling. There are, of course, many ways one can break down various nations and cultures, whether by r… --- ## [How can I get a company to stop sending me letters?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-a-company-to-stop-sending-me-letters/975597)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-a-company-to-stop-sending-me-letters/975597 "2022-11-30T18:05:25Z")
I get many offers for a piece of property I own. They have no interest in making a fair market value offer and assume I have no clue what the property is worth. I get really tired that they offer me 25 - 40% of the lan… --- ## [A Christmas mini-bulb polarity question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-mini-bulb-polarity-question/975763)
**Author:** [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-christmas-mini-bulb-polarity-question/975763 "2022-11-30T17:51:41Z")
OK, a strand of mini-bulbs has a plug that is not polarized; the socket isn’t either. If I wanted to plug, say, a flickering candle into the end of the mini-bulb strand – the candle has a polarized plug – I would have to… --- ## [Nancy Pelosi to announce future plans today 11/17/2022](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-to-announce-future-plans-today-11-17-2022/975085)
**Author:** [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nancy-pelosi-to-announce-future-plans-today-11-17-2022/975085 "2022-11-30T17:32:23Z")
MSNBC is waiting for Nancy Pelosi to arrive for an announcement about her future plans. Here is a story about it from Tara Palmeri: So what should we expect regarding a timeline, do you think? What will this mean fo… --- ## [Did I imagine this unique image search engine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-imagine-this-unique-image-search-engine/975690)
**Author:** [@Polarity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polarity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-imagine-this-unique-image-search-engine/975690 "2022-11-30T16:19:28Z")
I seem to remember many years ago there was a search engine for images. I believe you fed it text and it would pull up a series of images. You then clicked on the image that looked most like the one you were searching fo… --- ## [Can Russia be kicked off the internet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-russia-be-kicked-off-the-internet/960014)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-russia-be-kicked-off-the-internet/960014 "2022-11-30T16:00:06Z")
Let’s say Russia starts doing some particularly nasty cyber warfare. Not just propaganda, but things like causing major blackouts, banks to lose their data, etc. Would it be possible for the US or western nations as a … --- ## [How common was castrating cats in 1955?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-was-castrating-cats-in-1955/975687)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-common-was-castrating-cats-in-1955/975687 "2022-11-30T15:46:41Z")
When I was little our family cat was an entire tom; that is, a male who had not been neutered. As a cat person today, I think of this as irresponsible. But should I? He joined the family in about 1955. Was it typical fo… --- ## [Khadaji’s Whatcha Reading Thread - November 2022 edition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-november-2022-edition/974044)
**Author:** [@DZedNConfused](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DZedNConfused)\ **Replies:** 103\ **Last updated:** [November 30, 2022, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/khadaji-s-whatcha-reading-thread-november-2022-edition/974044 "2022-11-30T14:39:37Z")
Wow, only two months of 2022 left! And still so darned many stacks of books to read… Happy Autumn up north and welcome to spring down south. Dress accordingly, use sunscreen if necessary and stay hydrated. Also keep rea… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=934) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=936)