# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=94&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 95 --- ## [So how do fire departments work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-fire-departments-work/1029711)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-fire-departments-work/1029711 "2026-05-06T15:04:11Z")
I’ve never been a firefighter. I have no idea how it works. Take a volunteer fire department in a small town. Is there always at least one person on duty? Or are there times when the station is empty? There’s a fire in… --- ## [On the very wealthy, and daily household expenses (food, cleaning supplies, etc.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-very-wealthy-and-daily-household-expenses-food-cleaning-supplies-etc/1029725)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-very-wealthy-and-daily-household-expenses-food-cleaning-supplies-etc/1029725 "2026-05-06T11:55:11Z")
I’m mostly asking about the pre-modern era, but I suppose some of the questions still apply to the modern .01 Percent. Imagine it’s 1826 and Lord Whatever (LW) has a beautiful manor home and a roster of servants. How wo… --- ## [Could a state allocate its congressional representation the way it allocates its electoral votes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-state-allocate-its-congressional-representation-the-way-it-allocates-its-electoral-votes/1029736)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-state-allocate-its-congressional-representation-the-way-it-allocates-its-electoral-votes/1029736 "2026-05-06T11:33:13Z")
I don’t want to discuss here the wisdom of such a move, only its legality. Could a state simply have each party put up a slate of candidates, chosen by primary or otherwise and the party that wins the state simply elect… --- ## [Failpril (Monthly Mini-Rants)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failpril-monthly-mini-rants/1028931)
**Author:** [@icon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icon)\ **Replies:** 162\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/failpril-monthly-mini-rants/1028931 "2026-05-06T07:59:13Z")
I did not see an April one started it yet, so here goes mine, which starts in March… …when I discovered the evening before I am set to travel that we have an issue with an overflowing drain in the basement that is con… --- ## [Question about a mod note](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-mod-note/1029517)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-a-mod-note/1029517 "2026-05-06T05:17:57Z")
Link to thread. It’s just a note, not a warning, and I don’t have a single feather ruffled as a result. I do have a question, though. The OP asked “what do you want to wear to your own funeral”. I answered the question… --- ## [Resolved: North Korea's survival has nothing to do with nuclear weapons and everything to do with their proximity to China](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-north-koreas-survival-has-nothing-to-do-with-nuclear-weapons-and-everything-to-do-with-their-proximity-to-china/1029665)
**Author:** [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-north-koreas-survival-has-nothing-to-do-with-nuclear-weapons-and-everything-to-do-with-their-proximity-to-china/1029665 "2026-05-05T23:53:45Z")
Continuing the discussion from Why should I care if country X gets a nuclear weapon?: The below idea about North Korea is repeated again and again in threads relating to Iran and other topics, often enough that I figure… --- ## [Id this tall actor (Red Skelton's "The Christmas Spirit" (1966)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-tall-actor-red-skeltons-the-christmas-spirit-1966/1029755)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-tall-actor-red-skeltons-the-christmas-spirit-1966/1029755 "2026-05-05T23:52:50Z")
You can see him Here right after the 20:00 mark. It’s his only scene. Tall actors of that era would be Richard Kiel, Ted Cassidy, and as a long shot, James Daris. Quality isn’t well enough to trust my eyes to make a p… --- ## [Have you ever been some place but have no memory of it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-some-place-but-have-no-memory-of-it/1029787)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-been-some-place-but-have-no-memory-of-it/1029787 "2026-05-05T22:03:31Z")
And not because you were on drugs or drunk. Just a normal place you know you went to but don’t remember any details about. I was reading the thread on riverboat casinos and thought about the time I went to one in Tunic… --- ## [The Great Summer 2022 Doper Postcard Exchange!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-summer-2022-doper-postcard-exchange/966174)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 163\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-summer-2022-doper-postcard-exchange/966174 "2026-05-05T21:27:52Z")
Northern Piper, melodyharmonius and jayrey have run them in the past, and they’re always fun, but it’s been awhile. Here’s how it works (as adapted from NP’s previous thread). Our rules, by the numbers, and written wit… --- ## [Most hilarious attempt at film dubbing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-hilarious-attempt-at-film-dubbing/1029757)
**Author:** [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-hilarious-attempt-at-film-dubbing/1029757 "2026-05-05T19:33:53Z")
My current car model is the Fireball 500. For building reference, I went to youtube, which had the 60’s movie, with Frankie and Annette. Figured I’d post the film here, showing its singularly awful attempt at dubbing. S… --- ## [Corpus Christi, TX and the surrounding areas are running out of fresh water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corpus-christi-tx-and-the-surrounding-areas-are-running-out-of-fresh-water/1029741)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corpus-christi-tx-and-the-surrounding-areas-are-running-out-of-fresh-water/1029741 "2026-05-05T19:03:54Z")
The city of Corpus Christi, where I live, and the surrounding area are in the process of running out of fresh water. We’re on track to become the first major city in the world in the modern era to run out of water. Her… --- ## [Adopting a stray cat - question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adopting-a-stray-cat-question/1029791)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adopting-a-stray-cat-question/1029791 "2026-05-05T18:52:08Z")
We noticed a (particular) stray cat in our neighborhood. We try to always help out the local stray cat population by trapping, having them fixed and re-releasing when we notice them. This kitty was a very young thing th… --- ## [How do dictatorships stay in power?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dictatorships-stay-in-power/1026184)
**Author:** [@Cmyers1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cmyers1980)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-dictatorships-stay-in-power/1026184 "2026-05-05T18:05:10Z")
What are the most effective methods dictatorships (past and present) have used to stay in power and handle rebellion/crime? What dictatorships had the most effective balance of carrot and stick in their governance? I k… --- ## [FBI role in The Kingdom (2009 film) Spoilers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-role-in-the-kingdom-2009-film-spoilers/1029808)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fbi-role-in-the-kingdom-2009-film-spoilers/1029808 "2026-05-05T17:47:04Z")
I watched it last night and I must say it is one intense film when the team gets ambushed and isolated in the city. Jason Bateman nearly gets his head cut off a few times. The FBI sends a team to Saudi Arabia in response… --- ## [Money laundering in the TV series Ozark](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-laundering-in-the-tv-series-ozark/1029469)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-laundering-in-the-tv-series-ozark/1029469 "2026-05-05T17:38:49Z")
I searched - if there is a thread, I couldn’t find it. We recently re-watched Ozark. Great show (worth the re-watch) but confusing. How does money laundering work on the show? It seems incredibly confusing. How did he … --- ## [Deleting, sorry](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-sorry/1029704)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deleting-sorry/1029704 "2026-05-05T16:50:58Z")
deleting… sorry --- ## [How are you replacing your older Kindle (Amazon stops support on May 20, 2026](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-you-replacing-your-older-kindle-amazon-stops-support-on-may-20-2026/1029746)
**Author:** [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-you-replacing-your-older-kindle-amazon-stops-support-on-may-20-2026/1029746 "2026-05-05T15:08:10Z")
I have a first generation Paperwhite and I got the dreaded notification. It has its problems, including two chips in the screen, but I still use it in the bath, as I can put it in a plastic bag with a zipper closing an… --- ## [Cute cat quirks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cute-cat-quirks/1029698)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cute-cat-quirks/1029698 "2026-05-05T15:04:14Z")
Not things you’ve seen on the internet, but personal cat tails…er, I mean “tales”. We have two cats, Maki (female) and Suki (male). They became brother and sister the day they met, and Maki is just a loving and playful… --- ## [Spending on something you don't actually NEED](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spending-on-something-you-dont-actually-need/441492)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 76\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spending-on-something-you-dont-actually-need/441492 "2026-05-05T14:54:55Z")
I collect the National Geographic magazine. Over the years I’ve amassed quite a few, well over 1100 issues. They date back as far as 1911. In the last few years my collecting has slowed down, because issues further back… --- ## [Questions about the history, practice, and policies of a US Navy 'Wardroom."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-history-practice-and-policies-of-a-us-navy-wardroom/1029580)
**Author:** [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-history-practice-and-policies-of-a-us-navy-wardroom/1029580 "2026-05-05T14:06:29Z")
I am so thoroughly confused by Wardroom practices, based on my quote from @robby . Some intro questions to get the ball rolling . . . Are Wardrooms really that formal that you have stewards bring you meals, or is that… --- ## [Hanslip Fletcher print...no other found copies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanslip-fletcher-print-no-other-found-copies/1029752)
**Author:** [@Raza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raza)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanslip-fletcher-print-no-other-found-copies/1029752 "2026-05-05T10:14:05Z")
I bought a pen-and-ink print from eBay perhaps a dozen years ago. The print is by Hanslip Fletcher (1874-1955), an English chap. On the reverse, on what appears to be the original mat, are written “limited to 75 copies” … --- ## [The first Adobe Semaphore puzzle: two questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-adobe-semaphore-puzzle-two-questions/1029709)
**Author:** [@Timz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Timz)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-first-adobe-semaphore-puzzle-two-questions/1029709 "2026-05-05T07:33:13Z")
Mark Snesrud and Bob Mayo explained how they solved the first Adobe semaphore puzzle twenty years ago. Near as I can make out from their paper, they assumed that it wasn’t the semaphore positions that were the code, but … --- ## [Pulled back hairstyle: why is it popular?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552)
**Author:** [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Replies:** 82\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pulled-back-hairstyle-why-is-it-popular/1029552 "2026-05-05T03:21:42Z")
Seems to be something that women (in our western culture at least) do quite a lot. I have to wonder why? It looks uncomfortable, and to my eye at least it is not at all attractive. I prefer to see people with hair fall… --- ## [WaPo readers - no more comments on Opinion pieces?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wapo-readers-no-more-comments-on-opinion-pieces/1029691)
**Author:** [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wapo-readers-no-more-comments-on-opinion-pieces/1029691 "2026-05-05T03:03:14Z")
Am I missing something, or has the WaPo disabled commenting on opinion pieces? The Ed Board is pretty firmly stuck up the Orange Moronic Menace’s behind, but I actually like reading the comments now and then - there’s s… --- ## [Lord of the Flies on BBC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-flies-on-bbc/1027171)
**Author:** [@Coriolanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coriolanus)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-flies-on-bbc/1027171 "2026-05-05T01:19:40Z")
Four one-hour episodes drop on iPlayer on Sunday, February 8th. Then they show them on the regular channels over the weeks to follow. Presumed BBC link all can read with trailer It looks pretty close to the book: Warti… --- ## [How much closer could we be to energy-independence if we'd gone pedal to the metal in the 1970s?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-closer-could-we-be-to-energy-independence-if-wed-gone-pedal-to-the-metal-in-the-1970s/1029425)
**Author:** [@hideousidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hideousidiot)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2026, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-closer-could-we-be-to-energy-independence-if-wed-gone-pedal-to-the-metal-in-the-1970s/1029425 "2026-05-05T01:11:59Z")
I asked AI this question, which is partly political, partly technological, and it came up with an estimate of 75%. That is, three quarters of our dependence on fossil fuels could be solved by now if we’d gone all out in … --- ## [Would you like to see restaurants offer small portions?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669)
**Author:** [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Replies:** 125\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-like-to-see-restaurants-offer-small-portions/1029669 "2026-05-04T23:07:49Z")
A restaurant opened near us recently so we decided to try it for breakfast. The menu listed omelets and mini-omelets - same food but less and at a slightly reduced price. I thought it was a great idea and I wish more pla… --- ## [Dubai perfumery Paris Corner: logo is highly stylized Arabic script?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-perfumery-paris-corner-logo-is-highly-stylized-arabic-script/1029702)
**Author:** [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dubai-perfumery-paris-corner-logo-is-highly-stylized-arabic-script/1029702 "2026-05-04T22:41:42Z")
My wife recently bought a fragrance made by the Dubai-based perfumery Paris Corner. On the box was this logo: That logo is doubtlessly heavily stylized Arabic script, corr… --- ## ["The Major and the Minor" (1942)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-and-the-minor-1942/1029407)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-major-and-the-minor-1942/1029407 "2026-05-04T22:38:58Z")
Per Wikipedia’s entry: After her first client, Albert Osborne, makes a heavy pass and refuses to take “No” for an answer, Susan Applegate quits her job as a Revigora System scalp massager But is that description soft… --- ## [Was Mort Sahl really funny?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mort-sahl-really-funny/300119)
**Author:** [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2026, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-mort-sahl-really-funny/300119 "2026-05-04T21:55:15Z")
Back in December 2003, I hear Terry Gross interview Mort Sahl on N.P.R.'s Fresh Air program. I remember being very disappointed at the way he kept knocking today’s comedians for not being really funny. When Gross asked … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=93&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=95&state=muted)