# Latest **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=95&state=watching [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 96 --- ## [Is there a definitive werewolf novel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-definitive-werewolf-novel/1029803)
**Author:** [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2026, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-definitive-werewolf-novel/1029803 "2026-05-08T02:41:43Z")
Something like Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? --- ## [Strangers on a Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangers-on-a-train/1022545)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strangers-on-a-train/1022545 "2026-05-07T23:03:34Z")
The movie. Towards the end, the cops who were tasked with watching Guy trail him to the amusement park. Is there any justification, in the universe of the movie, for the one cop to take out his pistol, on a crowded midwa… --- ## [Elizabeth Smart, competitive bodybuilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-smart-competitive-bodybuilder/1029822)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elizabeth-smart-competitive-bodybuilder/1029822 "2026-05-07T20:37:18Z")
Yep, THAT Elizabeth Smart whose kidnapping and return home in the early 00s made worldwide headlines is now a 38-year-old wife and mother of three - and a competitive female bodybuilder. She’s had more second chances th… --- ## [The Washington Post: Democracy Dies With Us](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210)
**Author:** [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Replies:** 734\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-washington-post-democracy-dies-with-us/1009210 "2026-05-07T18:28:32Z")
They aren’t endorsing a presidential candidate for the first time since 1980. Are they chickenshit about a potential Trump administration clamping down on media he doesn’t like? Yeah, probably. Fascism, pre-approved b… --- ## [Help me identify an episode of the original Iron Chef](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-an-episode-of-the-original-iron-chef/1029712)
**Author:** [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-an-episode-of-the-original-iron-chef/1029712 "2026-05-07T14:42:41Z")
I recall watching an episode of Iron Chef back in the day, probably in 2008, and I’m trying to find out which episode it is. Apparently at least some of what I remember about this episode is not correct based on trying … --- ## [Alternate Award Types For Oscars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-award-types-for-oscars/1029883)
**Author:** [@schnebs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schnebs)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternate-award-types-for-oscars/1029883 "2026-05-07T14:29:20Z")
Not too long ago, during the run-up to the Oscars, Bill Maher did a monologue on the Academy Awards. One part of the monologue was his list of alternate reasons for Oscars being awarded. According to Bill, these alterna… --- ## [Why should I care if country X gets a nuclear weapon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-care-if-country-x-gets-a-nuclear-weapon/1029662)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-should-i-care-if-country-x-gets-a-nuclear-weapon/1029662 "2026-05-07T14:13:53Z")
I get that it sounds scary if one of our adversaries gets a nuclear weapon. But at the same time, 70 plus years of mutually assured destruction seems to have worked. I have no reason to believe that it won’t keep working… --- ## [How long has this Federal Consumer Center link been down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-federal-consumer-center-link-been-down/1029850)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-has-this-federal-consumer-center-link-been-down/1029850 "2026-05-07T13:12:24Z")
FTC’s Consumer Center How long has this link been down? Is there an explanation as to why it is down? --- ## [Is the notification system down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-notification-system-down/1029841)
**Author:** [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-notification-system-down/1029841 "2026-05-07T12:26:01Z")
I just noticed something odd-- I was keeping an eye on the ’ Tonight’s Dinner: Enchiritos!’ thread, and I noticed that the OP had replied to a post I made, with a pull quote from my post and everything (post #10 in the t… --- ## [Legality of signature on U.S. currency](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-signature-on-u-s-currency/1028835)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 9:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legality-of-signature-on-u-s-currency/1028835 "2026-05-07T09:11:24Z")
Someone in The BBQ Pit or Politics & Elections posted that U.S. currency notes must be signed by the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Treasury, and that if the President replaces the signature of the Treasurer, then th… --- ## [When did the Internet jump the shark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-internet-jump-the-shark/1029867)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-internet-jump-the-shark/1029867 "2026-05-07T04:39:47Z")
poll --- ## [Am I the only person who's tired of news stories about deployed soldiers coming home and surprising their kids?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-the-only-person-whos-tired-of-news-stories-about-deployed-soldiers-coming-home-and-surprising-their-kids/1029788 "2026-05-07T03:06:01Z")
This seems to be a staple at the end of NBC News, almost every evening. C’mon, the kids are going to figure out something’s up when the local TV station comes to, say, their classroom play. --- ## [Hanging a birdfeeder from a high tree limb](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanging-a-birdfeeder-from-a-high-tree-limb/1027434)
**Author:** [@oligArchie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oligArchie)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hanging-a-birdfeeder-from-a-high-tree-limb/1027434 "2026-05-07T02:47:25Z")
Good morning, everyone. I’d like to get a long section of cord over an extremely elevated (30 feet) tree limb in my backyard. What’s the best approach? Fishing pole? Wrist slingshot? Potato gun? Atlatl? I’d like to ha… --- ## [Mary J. Blige fans, I need your help](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-j-blige-fans-i-need-your-help/1029727)
**Author:** [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-j-blige-fans-i-need-your-help/1029727 "2026-05-07T02:28:29Z")
In the mid- to late-1990s, I shot a music video starring Mary J. Blige. We shot for a day in a park in NYC with an orchestra on a raised stage. We then traveled to Sedona, Arizona. Spent the day shooting her on huge Red… --- ## [Ted Turner has died at 87](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-has-died-at-87/1029843)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ted-turner-has-died-at-87/1029843 "2026-05-07T01:47:11Z")
I haven’t watched CNN in years or the Turner movie channel. --- ## [May 5, 1945 - we shall remember.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-5-1945-we-shall-remember/18605)
**Author:** [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Replies:** 546\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/may-5-1945-we-shall-remember/18605 "2026-05-07T01:44:44Z")
On May 5, 1945, the Germans signed a treaty of defeat in Hotel De Wereld (“The World”) in Wageningen, The Netherlands. Earlier that day, the last German troops had been driven across the Dutch-German border by the Allied… --- ## [Karma is a bitch, especially when it's a bull's horn up your ass](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karma-is-a-bitch-especially-when-its-a-bulls-horn-up-your-ass/1029470)
**Author:** [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Replies:** 84\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karma-is-a-bitch-especially-when-its-a-bulls-horn-up-your-ass/1029470 "2026-05-07T01:21:20Z")
So a Spanish bullfighter tragically lost his fight and got his sphincter and more of his abdomen ruptured by the poor creature fighting for its life in a senseless and cruel tradition. I can’t tell how much schadenfreude… --- ## [A geeky troubleshooting tale, for those who like such things (EE related)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-geeky-troubleshooting-tale-for-those-who-like-such-things-ee-related/1029869)
**Author:** [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2026, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-geeky-troubleshooting-tale-for-those-who-like-such-things-ee-related/1029869 "2026-05-07T00:08:34Z")
I was recently contracted to do a Hardware / Firmware design for a radio-controlled traffic sign. I finished the job, tested it, and it worked perfectly. I packed up three boards and sent them to the customer, and was su… --- ## [How does CloudFlare determine if you are human?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-cloudflare-determine-if-you-are-human/1029848)
**Author:** [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-cloudflare-determine-if-you-are-human/1029848 "2026-05-06T22:08:44Z")
There is a website I log into regularly that uses CloudFlare to determine if you are a human or not. Up until about a month ago, on both the login page and the password page the little CloudFlare widget would spin a bit … --- ## [How many farmers were ruined so that rich people in Beverly Hills could have swimming pools?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-farmers-were-ruined-so-that-rich-people-in-beverly-hills-could-have-swimming-pools/1029751)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-farmers-were-ruined-so-that-rich-people-in-beverly-hills-could-have-swimming-pools/1029751 "2026-05-06T22:04:24Z")
ETA: I originally said “killed” rather than “ruined”, although if anyone has some cites that that’s not hyperbole, let us know. Inspired by, of all things, the opening scene in the Bugs Bunny cartoon “What’s Up, Doc?”. … --- ## [What's the scam? Why would someone place millions of dollars' worth of liens on homes they have no affiliation with?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-scam-why-would-someone-place-millions-of-dollars-worth-of-liens-on-homes-they-have-no-affiliation-with/1027827)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-scam-why-would-someone-place-millions-of-dollars-worth-of-liens-on-homes-they-have-no-affiliation-with/1027827 "2026-05-06T20:40:56Z")
So apparently a Beverly Hills woman has been filing Mechanics’ Liens (viz, liens that contractors can put on homes if the homeowner fails to pay for the work) on the homes of people she’s never done work for, doesn’t kno… --- ## [Changing my text again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849)
**Author:** [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-my-text-again/1029849 "2026-05-06T19:37:56Z")
Test: 3 (5) 2 = 1 (10) 3 = 4 (16) 2 = 2 (32) 1 = 1 (37) The above was typed with all lines justified left, with plus signs at the beginning of lines 2 and 4 and minus signs at the beginning of lines 3, 5, and … --- ## [Post trump White House](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-trump-white-house/1029837)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-trump-white-house/1029837 "2026-05-06T17:05:48Z")
Damn Google knows everything! I’ve always maintained that, once trump is excised, that the WH should be sealed and pumped full of Lysol. Google knows how much it would take! “The White House has approximately 55,000 squ… --- ## [Why don't we eat pigeons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-pigeons/1029782)
**Author:** [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-eat-pigeons/1029782 "2026-05-06T16:31:31Z")
I know at fancy restaurants we can get squab, which is the young version similar to what veal is to cattle, but why don’t we breed/raise pigeons for food? Pigeons are widely-consumed in Asia, Middle East, Europe, so why … --- ## [In a geographically arranged bookstore…](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-geographically-arranged-bookstore/1029749)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2026, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-a-geographically-arranged-bookstore/1029749 "2026-05-06T16:00:38Z")
…where would you put books about Bermuda? I’d put it under Caribbean, even though I know it’s not really a Caribbean country. It’s off the coast of North America, but the North American shelves are all about the United S… --- ## [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… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=94&state=watching) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md?page=96&state=watching)