# Top **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=1798&period=all&state=muted [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1799 --- ## [Medical vs generic nitrogen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-vs-generic-nitrogen/700890)
**Author:** [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/medical-vs-generic-nitrogen/700890 "2014-10-11T11:45:09Z")
Outside my building there was a Airgas truck filling a small tank from a larger “Medical Nitrogen” tank. There were also tanks of oxygen and I’m guessing helium , acetylene, etc. There was also a tank just marked “Nitrog… --- ## [Once he's out of office, will Bush get indicted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-hes-out-of-office-will-bush-get-indicted/435334)
**Author:** [@diggleblop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diggleblop)\ **Replies:** 116\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2008, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-hes-out-of-office-will-bush-get-indicted/435334 "2008-02-05T01:36:49Z")
Do you think this will happen once his term is up? I have a feeling that there is some Kenneth Starr type person waiting in the darkness to attack (with an indictment for war crimes and God knows what else) once he leav… --- ## [If an unmarried person dies in their house, how is their death discovered?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410)
**Author:** [@JessicaHoyt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JessicaHoyt)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [December 7, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-unmarried-person-dies-in-their-house-how-is-their-death-discovered/825410 "2018-12-07T22:14:21Z")
Assume that they don’t have a live-in-boyfriend/girlfriend. And also that they don’t have any kids that live with them. (Either because their kids are grown or they never had any kids in the first place.) Since nobody e… --- ## [Reply to this topic as if you were 10 years old.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reply-to-this-topic-as-if-you-were-10-years-old/288583)
**Author:** [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Replies:** 151\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reply-to-this-topic-as-if-you-were-10-years-old/288583 "2005-02-17T05:07:36Z")
…and if you don’t, I’m taking my toys and going home. --- ## [How Much Are YOU Personally Willing To Pay To End Illegal Immigration?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-are-you-personally-willing-to-pay-to-end-illegal-immigration/548587)
**Author:** [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2010, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-are-you-personally-willing-to-pay-to-end-illegal-immigration/548587 "2010-08-08T08:48:59Z")
I remember this question being posed to people in favour of universal health care, so now here it is again, posed to those who support laws like Arizona’s A.R.S. § 11-1051(B) Anti-illegal-immigrant law. Illegal immigran… --- ## [(Old) An Air of Finality in the last 2024 MMP](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-an-air-of-finality-in-the-last-2024-mmp/1012335)
**Author:** [@scareyfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scareyfaerie)\ **Replies:** 428\ **Last updated:** [January 6, 2025, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/old-an-air-of-finality-in-the-last-2024-mmp/1012335 "2025-01-06T14:38:51Z")
Morning, mumpers! It’s currently 6c/44f with a predicted high of 9c/48f, and mostly cloudy. Weather app declares it to be “Cloudy, fucking bullshit!” We’re just a couple of days away from the start of a new year. I d… --- ## [Dollar-store food for the homeless - good or bad?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-store-food-for-the-homeless-good-or-bad/651569)
**Author:** [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2013, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dollar-store-food-for-the-homeless-good-or-bad/651569 "2013-03-03T19:51:52Z")
Downtown, there are many homeless people. Sometimes if I go to a dollar store downtown, I’ll buy some food there and give it to nearby homeless people. Considering that the quality of dollar-store food may not be as goo… --- ## [If you're not raising a disabled child, shut the fuck up!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-raising-a-disabled-child-shut-the-fuck-up/36503)
**Author:** [@timmar68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timmar68)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [October 21, 2000, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-not-raising-a-disabled-child-shut-the-fuck-up/36503 "2000-10-21T22:45:48Z")
Goddammit! If one more person gets all superior and tells me how to raise my child ONE MORE TIME I will personally…personally…I don’t know! I’ll do something terrible because I cannot take this anymore! I have a disable… --- ## [Why don't 'nice guys' get laid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nice-guys-get-laid/14115)
**Author:** [@BigRoryG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigRoryG)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2000, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-nice-guys-get-laid/14115 "2000-02-28T02:00:00Z")
I’m in high school (and by that i mean not of marrying age… not for me anyway) and when dealing with women am generally a sensitive caring individual. Why is it, then, that i can’t get a girlfriend? I have managed to con… --- ## [Prepubescent boys don’t have hymens, but we too bled the same red](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepubescent-boys-don-t-have-hymens-but-we-too-bled-the-same-red/419968)
**Author:** [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2007, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prepubescent-boys-don-t-have-hymens-but-we-too-bled-the-same-red/419968 "2007-09-22T05:43:39Z")
Prepubescent boys don’t have hymens, but we too bled the same red; the flow may be a trickle, but emotional damage is the same. Sickness begets sickness when insanity rules. Fathers who touch daughters begat sons who ra… --- ## [Getting a dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-dog/695178)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [August 12, 2014, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-a-dog/695178 "2014-08-12T03:51:22Z")
60 years old and thinking about getting a dog for the first time in my life. (I had a dog in the 70s, but it was my girlfriend’s, and it was already acquired and housebroken when I moved in). Here’s our situation: marri… --- ## [I'm Not Gay, But......](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-gay-but/478382)
**Author:** [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2008, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-not-gay-but/478382 "2008-12-27T21:11:39Z")
…I know people (in my immediate circle - not \*\*y’all \*\*) wonder about me and some of them draw the wrong conclusions because I just never felt the need to re-marry. That makes me what: Eccentric Afraid Effimina… --- ## [Controlling people with money](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controlling-people-with-money/774676)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 72\ **Last updated:** [December 19, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/controlling-people-with-money/774676 "2016-12-19T23:06:14Z")
Sorry if the title isn’t sufficiently explanatory. I wanted to discuss gift giving, and the accusation that someone’s generosity is motivated by a desire to control others. Specifically, this involves my 3 kids - now i… --- ## [Study: belief in the meritocracy leads to worse outcomes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-belief-in-the-meritocracy-leads-to-worse-outcomes/792262)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [August 10, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/study-belief-in-the-meritocracy-leads-to-worse-outcomes/792262 "2017-08-10T16:39:50Z")
Here’s the article: In short, reseasrchers did a relatively long-term study on a group of disadvantaged, and mostly non-white, middle school students. At multiple points they surveyed opinions about whether society w… --- ## [Do you send birthday cards or gifts to your adult siblings?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-send-birthday-cards-or-gifts-to-your-adult-siblings/577773)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-send-birthday-cards-or-gifts-to-your-adult-siblings/577773 "2011-04-11T19:56:57Z")
I was brought up to buy a gift and card for my brothers on their birthday, and this didn’t stop when we were adults. As we got older, it became mostly just a card, and now it is usually a phone call. Sometimes I feel b… --- ## [Chinese stunt artist falls from building while performing stunt, dies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-stunt-artist-falls-from-building-while-performing-stunt-dies/804286)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2017, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chinese-stunt-artist-falls-from-building-while-performing-stunt-dies/804286 "2017-12-21T22:37:17Z")
Video might be upsetting: Wu Yongning was a 26-year old stunt artist (of the sort which Russian climbers/trespassers have made famous of late) and would climb to overhanging ledges, bridges, etc. and deliberately loung… --- ## [Triple portmanteaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/triple-portmanteaus/714977)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 16, 2015, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/triple-portmanteaus/714977 "2015-03-16T18:21:02Z")
I wonder if there are more portmanteaus that are made up of 3 words. Just yesterday, I read Grexident for the first time: What other examples are there? (Please only portmanteaus that have actually been used before,… --- ## [Mythbusters is ending](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-is-ending/735380)
**Author:** [@Runestar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runestar)\ **Replies:** 62\ **Last updated:** [October 26, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mythbusters-is-ending/735380 "2015-10-26T18:43:50Z")
So apparently the next season of Mythbusters will be the last one. http://www.ew.com/article/2015/10/21/mythbusters-ending-interview Can’t say that I’m surprised, but it still makes me sad. Reading the article and the … --- ## [When did the Britain eclipse Spain (and their respective empires also) in various aspects?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-britain-eclipse-spain-and-their-respective-empires-also-in-various-aspects/625922)
**Author:** [@supery00n](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supery00n)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-britain-eclipse-spain-and-their-respective-empires-also-in-various-aspects/625922 "2012-06-26T14:49:34Z")
When do you think the Britain and its empire became -richer -more powerful militarily -larger in territorial extent than Spain and its empire? Also, do you think England could have conquered the Aztec and Inca Empir… --- ## [Jokes about someones name](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-about-someones-name/186268)
**Author:** [@Hank\_Fescue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hank_Fescue)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [December 16, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jokes-about-someones-name/186268 "2016-12-16T22:22:57Z")
A few months ago I was on a trip with my band. We were heading out of state and upon arrival in the town where we were playing, I saw it. “OMG, did you see that ?” “See what ?”. This was worth turning around, trai… --- ## [Obscure Claims to Fame](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-claims-to-fame/55938)
**Author:** [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [March 15, 2001, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obscure-claims-to-fame/55938 "2001-03-15T15:44:36Z")
I just heard a commercial for a Gordon Lightfoot concert (!?) and was reminded that my Grandfather was on an intercontinental flight with Mr. Lightfoot and took him for $350 in a game of Gin. Also, when I was in highsch… --- ## [Conservative activist plan to challenge MORE moderate Republicans in 2010. Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-activist-plan-to-challenge-more-moderate-republicans-in-2010-why/516396)
**Author:** [@cn8of10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cn8of10)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2009, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conservative-activist-plan-to-challenge-more-moderate-republicans-in-2010-why/516396 "2009-11-09T15:58:18Z")
Cite Conservative activist apparently see the Hoffman loss in NY 23 district as a mandate to bring more pain to the GOP. This is either an empty threat by the far-Right or a political murder-suicide: Murder because, if… --- ## [Abortion of mixed race children](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-of-mixed-race-children/639073)
**Author:** [@supery00n](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supery00n)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 1, 2012, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abortion-of-mixed-race-children/639073 "2012-11-01T02:21:08Z")
Do you think it’s a valid perception that women, of any given ethnicity, would choose to abort mixed-race fetuses at a higher rate than non-mixed race fetuses? If this correlation were observed, could it be attributed t… --- ## [Do you think you would have wanted to play with "Lammily" as a little girl?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-would-have-wanted-to-play-with-lammily-as-a-little-girl/683222)
**Author:** [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-you-would-have-wanted-to-play-with-lammily-as-a-little-girl/683222 "2014-03-12T21:06:53Z")
Or a little boy too, if you played with dolls. Meet Lammily. For those who don’t want to click, it’s a much more realistically proportioned version of Barbie. I didn’t play with Barbies. My sis played with the one th… --- ## [Fellow grammar nazis: term for a word that is absent but still posesses a modifier?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-grammar-nazis-term-for-a-word-that-is-absent-but-still-posesses-a-modifier/555600)
**Author:** [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2010, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fellow-grammar-nazis-term-for-a-word-that-is-absent-but-still-posesses-a-modifier/555600 "2010-10-02T22:10:33Z")
There are certain situations in English usage in which a modifier is used to describe a noun which is, itself, not explicitly named. For example, the title of the novel Les Misérables is usually translated as “The Miser… --- ## [Phelps of Westboro Baptist dies. Would you join a protest at his funeral?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phelps-of-westboro-baptist-dies-would-you-join-a-protest-at-his-funeral/573682)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phelps-of-westboro-baptist-dies-would-you-join-a-protest-at-his-funeral/573682 "2011-03-10T23:19:47Z")
Westboro Baptist, of course, is the family/church infamous on the Dope and lately famous nationally for their demonstrations at funerals: demonstrations notorious for their sadism and the use of phrases such as “God Hate… --- ## [Best Romance novels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-romance-novels/450205)
**Author:** [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2008, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-romance-novels/450205 "2008-05-23T22:51:12Z")
I can’t believe I’m writing this . . . I’ve read 2 romance novels in my life - not Danielle Steele, Fabio topless on the cover, old lady porn - but found in the romance section nonetheless. They were Kane and Abel and T… --- ## [Attention Bicyclists: Unless Your Bike has Training Wheels, Get Back in the Street where You Belong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-bicyclists-unless-your-bike-has-training-wheels-get-back-in-the-street-where-you-belong/758649)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2016, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/attention-bicyclists-unless-your-bike-has-training-wheels-get-back-in-the-street-where-you-belong/758649 "2016-07-01T22:41:42Z")
I remember back in sixth grade, my class put on a school play about bicycling rules. One of those rules was to stay off the sidewalks, and ride in the street, with the traffic and not against, obey the lights and signs,… --- ## [Horribly bad blurbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horribly-bad-blurbs/535226)
**Author:** [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horribly-bad-blurbs/535226 "2010-04-10T18:24:11Z")
Some bookcover blurbs have mistakes - like the one on the back of my copy of Niven’s “Tales of Known Space” which claims that the book tells the next 10,000 years of history - the last story in the book occurs about 3000… --- ## [NAN: What is it good for? (programming)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nan-what-is-it-good-for-programming/592275)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2011, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nan-what-is-it-good-for-programming/592275 "2011-08-11T21:33:18Z")
In the olden days, if you tried to perform an illegal arithmetic operation in a computer program (dividing by zero, log or sqrt of a negative number in a context that didn’t support complex numbers, etc.), the program wo… --- ## [Smallest and largest professional sporting trophies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-and-largest-professional-sporting-trophies/321954)
**Author:** [@snorlax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snorlax)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smallest-and-largest-professional-sporting-trophies/321954 "2013-02-04T22:12:56Z")
The smallest must surely be The Ashes. As for the biggest, the largest one I can think of is the Stanley Cup, but surely there must be larger ones. --- ## [Fuck the Alabama Supreme Court](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-alabama-supreme-court/714182)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fuck-the-alabama-supreme-court/714182 "2015-03-06T23:26:28Z")
\[Buncha jerks. \](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_GAY\_MARRIAGE\_ALABAMA?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-03-03-23-47-35) The best quote in the whole story is this:\[ \](http://hosted.ap.org/d… --- ## [Titles with misleading connotations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-with-misleading-connotations/563769)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [December 15, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/titles-with-misleading-connotations/563769 "2010-12-15T22:07:36Z")
Let’s discuss books, movies, songs, etc., whose titles give the impression of something totally different than what the work is really about. My nomination: \*On the Beach, \*which is not about a nice day at the seashore,… --- ## [N. Korea forces now "no match" for S. Korea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-korea-forces-now-no-match-for-s-korea/534854)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-korea-forces-now-no-match-for-s-korea/534854 "2010-04-04T23:06:50Z")
From the fourth paragraph of this recent op/ed in USA Today: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2010/03/column-should-us-keep-first-use-option-.html “…As for North Korea, its once formidable army is no match for the sophist… --- ## [The Posidon Adventure \[Film, 1972\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847)
**Author:** [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [December 1, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-posidon-adventure-film-1972/738847 "2015-12-01T21:09:21Z")
GAH - freaking bugfuck idiots … Towards the beginning when a bunch of morons decided not to climb out of the main dining room and then it started to flood … Wait without panicing, when the water level gets high enough y… --- ## [Is \[the William Tell Overture\] the most sampled piece of music of all time?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-william-tell-overture-the-most-sampled-piece-of-music-of-all-time/591694)
**Author:** [@OscarGold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OscarGold)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 8, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-william-tell-overture-the-most-sampled-piece-of-music-of-all-time/591694 "2011-08-08T17:12:27Z")
--- ## [Electricians - Why "3-Way" Switches?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electricians-why-3-way-switches/497560)
**Author:** [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2009, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electricians-why-3-way-switches/497560 "2009-05-26T01:53:46Z")
Why are those switches that work in pairs and allow you to turn on/off lights from either end of a hallway called “3-Way” switches? Why not “2-Way”? I know how they work. I just want to know why they’re called “3”. They… --- ## [Fallout TV Show coming to Amazon, April 2024 (No spoilers for at least a week)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-tv-show-coming-to-amazon-april-2024-no-spoilers-for-at-least-a-week/914138)
**Author:** [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2025, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fallout-tv-show-coming-to-amazon-april-2024-no-spoilers-for-at-least-a-week/914138 "2025-11-14T21:09:50Z")
I’m usually pretty dubious about video game based movies since they are usually meh at best. But westworld is a fairly decent show, and fallout is one of my favorite game franchises, so I think I might actually be exc… --- ## [Farthest from the British Throne to Inherit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farthest-from-the-british-throne-to-inherit/384637)
**Author:** [@zev\_steinhardt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zev_steinhardt)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [December 21, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/farthest-from-the-british-throne-to-inherit/384637 "2006-12-21T11:59:06Z")
When the Soverign of the United Kingdom dies, the next person in the line of succession immediately ascends as the new soverign. The line of succession is set by the Act of Settlement 1701, which, in short states that t… --- ## [Two questions about Pi](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-pi/715016)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2015, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-pi/715016 "2015-03-18T17:47:32Z")
'Cause you know, it’s Pi day and all… Would anything interesting happen if some day down the line some giant computer found that Pi repeats? As in, at the 13 trillionth place it starts over at 3145… Anything interestin… --- ## [Enterprise-Proving Ground spoilers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enterprise-proving-ground-spoilers/225409)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 165\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2004, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enterprise-proving-ground-spoilers/225409 "2004-02-03T18:41:17Z")
“Son of a bitch!” says Archer. “This sucks” says the Xindi. “Well, that went well” says Andorian Commander Strahn. Well, Kirk cussed sometimes. I give it a B. I wish Bakula could act. They had me fooled, and I can f… --- ## [Automated Radio Station - No Commercials. How?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automated-radio-station-no-commercials-how/536633)
**Author:** [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2010, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/automated-radio-station-no-commercials-how/536633 "2010-04-21T03:50:31Z")
One of my favored local stations recently switched over to an automated format: no DJs, “shuffle” playlist with very limited selections from the 70s/80s/90s/00s, and, according to their promos, “No commercials”. How doe… --- ## [Origins of "You're welcome"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-youre-welcome/652851)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [March 17, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-youre-welcome/652851 "2013-03-17T19:06:15Z")
A common exchange: “Thank you” “You’re welcome” But what does it mean? What are you welcome to? Other ritual responses to “Thank you” like “Don’t mention it,” “My pleasure,” “No problem,” or “Think nothing of it” hav… --- ## [Writerly types, what do you think of this passage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writerly-types-what-do-you-think-of-this-passage/546888)
**Author:** [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 18, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/writerly-types-what-do-you-think-of-this-passage/546888 "2010-07-18T15:38:34Z")
Here’s the image that I had, this is all that I was able to suppose: there was Frankie’s big old black Lincoln Continental parked near a a caved-in chain link fence at the shadowed end of a cul-de-sac, a back alley somep… --- ## [Crime rates around prisons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-rates-around-prisons/688808)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2014, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-rates-around-prisons/688808 "2014-05-22T00:39:53Z")
Inspired by the thread about NIMBYs and the thoughts of the late great George Carlin who wondered why people didn’t want to live next to prisons, since if anyone escapes the last thing they’re gonna do is hang around and… --- ## [Videos of dead or dying kitties and puppies are OK!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-of-dead-or-dying-kitties-and-puppies-are-ok/536759)
**Author:** [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/videos-of-dead-or-dying-kitties-and-puppies-are-ok/536759 "2010-04-23T20:13:17Z")
SCOTUS struck down law aimed at banning animal cruelty videos. Free speech trumps concern over animal cruelty. --- ## [Why do we have the legal concept of marriage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-the-legal-concept-of-marriage/505223)
**Author:** [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-the-legal-concept-of-marriage/505223 "2009-08-05T18:33:42Z")
First let me say I am not opposed to same-sex marriage per se. But presumably there is some advantage to being (legally) married rather than just being a couple, otherwise homosexuals would not want the category extende… --- ## [I hate Designers.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-designers/512135)
**Author:** [@Transistor\_Rhythm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Transistor_Rhythm)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-designers/512135 "2009-10-04T19:45:09Z")
“Design.” Why doesn’t this board have a little icon of a monkey peeing on something or a guy puking that I can put next to that word? I just watched the documentary Helvetica and it finally brought to fruition my years … --- ## [Do you personally know a murderer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-a-murderer/434158)
**Author:** [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2008, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-personally-know-a-murderer/434158 "2008-01-23T20:10:34Z")
Not too long ago I found out that a man I went to highschool with killed a man. It was kind of weird to find that out. “Maniac Miller” (I made up that name, but we called him something similar) was always a bully and a… --- ## [The US government and companies moving jobs overseas.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-government-and-companies-moving-jobs-overseas/219540)
**Author:** [@Emilio\_Lizardo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emilio_Lizardo)\ **Replies:** 148\ **Last updated:** [December 28, 2003, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-us-government-and-companies-moving-jobs-overseas/219540 "2003-12-28T00:02:07Z")
It is a fact that companies exist largely to maximize profit. In order to accomplish that, cutting labor costs by moving jobs is a valid techinique. Although I am a pretty staunch liberal on social issues, I can’t see … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=1797&per_page=50&period=all&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=1799&per_page=50&period=all&state=muted)