# Top **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=873&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:** 874 --- ## [Films that are anti-democracy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-that-are-anti-democracy/641641)
**Author:** [@Human\_Action](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Human_Action)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [December 6, 2012, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/films-that-are-anti-democracy/641641 "2012-12-06T10:43:34Z")
I saw the Ralph Fiennes version of Coriolanus earlier this year, and I was struck by the anti-democratic tone of the film (yes, I know it’s a Shakespeare adaptation). It depicts the masses having no political will of the… --- ## [Unanswered questions about cartoon characters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswered-questions-about-cartoon-characters/11697)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 156\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unanswered-questions-about-cartoon-characters/11697 "2011-06-29T17:08:56Z")
How come Rocky and Bullwinkle never recognized Boris and Natasha, considering how many times their paths crossed? From Scooby-Doo: Why wasn’t there any romance between Fred and Daphne, or Shaggy and Velma? I think only … --- ## [My UPS (battery backup) keeps shutting off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ups-battery-backup-keeps-shutting-off/623603)
**Author:** [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2012, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-ups-battery-backup-keeps-shutting-off/623603 "2012-06-01T12:01:27Z")
I have an APC UPS with just a few things attached to it and in the past few months everything on the battery side has randomly shut off. No power outage or anything else going on\* and everything else attached to the oth… --- ## [What dumb little joke made a fact stick in your head?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-dumb-little-joke-made-a-fact-stick-in-your-head/662088)
**Author:** [@cainxinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cainxinth)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2013, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-dumb-little-joke-made-a-fact-stick-in-your-head/662088 "2013-07-04T13:38:20Z")
For longest time I kept forgetting whether males or females had a Y chromosome. And then Tim Allen made a joke in a rerun of “Home Improvement” that for whatever reason replays in my head if ever I should forget the answ… --- ## [Declaration of Independence Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declaration-of-independence-question/710643)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declaration-of-independence-question/710643 "2015-07-06T18:41:51Z")
Did King George III ever see a copy of the US Declaration of Independence? We know that copies were sent to Britain, but that doesn’t mean the King ever saw one. --- ## [Ultimate breakup CD - Need answers fast!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-breakup-cd-need-answers-fast/467965)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [October 28, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ultimate-breakup-cd-need-answers-fast/467965 "2008-10-28T19:40:31Z")
Actually, not that fast. I needed this about 14 years ago. If you wanted to make a CD for a girl that just couldn’t get the hint that it was over, what songs would you put on it? The two I have so far: One More Minut… --- ## [The Black Dutch and Black Irish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-dutch-and-black-irish/482792)
**Author:** [@woodland\_creature](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodland_creature)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-black-dutch-and-black-irish/482792 "2011-02-22T20:06:00Z")
I am an American with a great deal of Irish ancestry. I have also been told we have a great deal of “Black Dutch” ancestry (I have also heard “Black Irish” used to describe this before), Scottish, French, German (which … --- ## [Is this headline about Prince Charles and The Commonwealth as absurd as it sounds?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-headline-about-prince-charles-and-the-commonwealth-as-absurd-as-it-sounds/813133)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-headline-about-prince-charles-and-the-commonwealth-as-absurd-as-it-sounds/813133 "2018-05-07T05:38:59Z")
Here it is: Prince Charles reportedly to succeed Queen as head of the Commonwealth You don’t say… “Sun will rise tomorrow.” Respectable enough publication. It was bruited about, according to the brief article, that x h… --- ## [Real life brother/sister playing on-screen romantic couple?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-brother-sister-playing-on-screen-romantic-couple/569294)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/real-life-brother-sister-playing-on-screen-romantic-couple/569294 "2011-02-01T19:51:14Z")
Has this ever happened, (possibly only as a subplot in a single episode of a sitcom, with no actual physical contact)? --- ## [Does immigration tend to lower wages (in rich countries)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-immigration-tend-to-lower-wages-in-rich-countries/580911)
**Author:** [@Lazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazy)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2011, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-immigration-tend-to-lower-wages-in-rich-countries/580911 "2011-05-12T06:30:04Z")
I would prefer to ask this in General Questions, since what I really want is a non-ideological, evidence-based answer, but in my experience these are hard to come by in economics. In this particular issue, I can sense ho… --- ## [Sandwiches nobody eats anymore](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 401\ **Last updated:** [March 2, 2025, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sandwiches-nobody-eats-anymore/1011714 "2025-03-02T11:59:09Z")
This article was in my Yahoo news feed this morning. Coronation Chicken Olive Loaf Chow Mein Sandwich Fluffernutter Banana and Mayonnaise Finger Sandwiches Mock Ham Salad Hot Brown Liverwurst Or Braunschweiger Scotch … --- ## [Convince me to say "n-word" rather than "nigger" when the latter is what I mean.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-say-n-word-rather-than-nigger-when-the-latter-is-what-i-mean/560756)
**Author:** [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [November 19, 2010, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convince-me-to-say-n-word-rather-than-nigger-when-the-latter-is-what-i-mean/560756 "2010-11-19T21:05:49Z")
I am a 40-year-old black man. I’ve had the word nigger used to me to my face in several contexts: as a racist insult from white persons, as a criticism (warning against certain irresponsible behaviors) from other black … --- ## [Why is "mountain lion" preferred over "cougar"?".](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mountain-lion-preferred-over-cougar/615447)
**Author:** [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [March 14, 2012, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-mountain-lion-preferred-over-cougar/615447 "2012-03-14T00:55:06Z")
As far as I can tell “cougar” is a well understood and unambiguous common term for Puma concolor, but the media and nature officials seem to prefer “mountain lion”. Why? Not only is “mountain lion” longer, it’s doubly mi… --- ## [What kind of eggs do you buy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-eggs-do-you-buy/642308)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 106\ **Last updated:** [December 3, 2012, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-eggs-do-you-buy/642308 "2012-12-03T13:46:04Z")
Just curious PTF --- ## [Please do not hit up my guests for sex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-do-not-hit-up-my-guests-for-sex/411927)
**Author:** [@DellieM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DellieM)\ **Replies:** 99\ **Last updated:** [July 24, 2007, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-do-not-hit-up-my-guests-for-sex/411927 "2007-07-24T16:14:33Z")
We know that you are married to a mouthy mean-spirited harpie from the lower echelons of Hades. Yes, we also know how miserable she makes you and how she makes you beg for sex, because you tell us. However, if it isn’t… --- ## [What's the name of a woman who has black hair?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974)
**Author:** [@kim\_jung\_il](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kim_jung_il)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-name-of-a-woman-who-has-black-hair/548974 "2010-08-11T00:54:23Z")
We have blondes, brunettes and redheads. But what is a black-haired lady referred to as? --- ## [Some people just have no taste in movies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-just-have-no-taste-in-movies/547175)
**Author:** [@Captain\_C](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_C)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [July 20, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/some-people-just-have-no-taste-in-movies/547175 "2010-07-20T14:05:02Z")
\*More of a rant, but couldn’t work up enough vitriol for it to be in the pit. A few months ago my mother, bless her heart, talked me into splitting a Netflix account with her. When I ask what discs she wants sent to he… --- ## [Every single time, Youtube videos restart randomly](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-single-time-youtube-videos-restart-randomly/632453)
**Author:** [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 21, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/every-single-time-youtube-videos-restart-randomly/632453 "2012-10-21T19:37:41Z")
Anyone else notice this recently? I’m watching something, anything, and at some random point the video just mysteriously starts from the beginning. Once in a while? No. Every single video I watch will at some random … --- ## [Alot of people don't like George W. Bush because he took country to illegal war you angry about it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alot-of-people-dont-like-george-w-bush-because-he-took-country-to-illegal-war-you-angry-about-it/756678)
**Author:** [@Dunmurry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunmurry)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [July 26, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alot-of-people-dont-like-george-w-bush-because-he-took-country-to-illegal-war-you-angry-about-it/756678 "2016-07-26T20:00:27Z")
A lot of people have said a lot of things about what he did with Tony Blair or Tony B. Liar in Iraq but it was an illegal war because he never got the UN resolution and it was based on a lie - that Saddam had weapons rea… --- ## [defend one man, one vote?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defend-one-man-one-vote/652185)
**Author:** [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Replies:** 129\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/defend-one-man-one-vote/652185 "2013-03-13T15:15:42Z")
Sometimes I get a little disheartened thinking about low-information voters, both on my side (I’m far to the left of the Democratic Party) and on the other side. It’s disspiriting to think of elections, not as a battle o… --- ## [MISSION ACCOMPLISHED redux: Should Dick Cheney be tried for war crimes? Will he be?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mission-accomplished-redux-should-dick-cheney-be-tried-for-war-crimes-will-he-be/724499)
**Author:** [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Replies:** 117\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2015, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mission-accomplished-redux-should-dick-cheney-be-tried-for-war-crimes-will-he-be/724499 "2015-07-11T01:21:43Z")
This guy seems to think he should, and that it’s virtually inevitable that he will be. Will the US ever bring him to trial, or will it be an international tribunal? Will it have the backing of the US government, or wil… --- ## [Anarcho-syndicalism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anarcho-syndicalism/847978)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2020, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anarcho-syndicalism/847978 "2020-04-19T01:51:47Z")
OK, WTF? I bring this up because I have a very liberal friend - he rented a room in our apartment in NYC in 2000, he is now in Australia and has lived there for about 20 years. We got along very well when he was livi… --- ## [Fake news: How do Dems use this to their advantage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-news-how-do-dems-use-this-to-their-advantage/774307)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [December 20, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-news-how-do-dems-use-this-to-their-advantage/774307 "2016-12-20T05:27:21Z")
It was a tough lesson, but we’ve relatively recently learned that a large portion of the Republican base will literally believe anything, as long as it reinforces and/or conforms to their world view. How do Democrats us… --- ## [Is Johnny Winter a true albino?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-johnny-winter-a-true-albino/107294)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2025, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-johnny-winter-a-true-albino/107294 "2025-12-26T17:20:22Z")
Is Johnny Winter a true albino? Just curious as he doesn’t seem to have those clear pink eyes. --- ## [What was the point of The Monkees? Why were they popular?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-the-monkees-why-were-they-popular/794051)
**Author:** [@Reddy\_Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reddy_Mercury)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2017, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-point-of-the-monkees-why-were-they-popular/794051 "2017-08-25T15:12:37Z")
Having read a little bit about them, they seem like they were the Mili Vanilli of the 1960s, except that they were up-front about being fake from the beginning; it seems they were the creation of advertisers, basically, … --- ## [Best way to hide or password protect photos on a pc?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-hide-or-password-protect-photos-on-a-pc/644240)
**Author:** [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [December 18, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-way-to-hide-or-password-protect-photos-on-a-pc/644240 "2012-12-18T00:54:05Z")
Tech is coming to do some work on cable/wireless tomorrow. Too many pics to transfer to USB, how can I hide or protect personal pics from a tech savvy stranger? --- ## [What causes the sand on the beach to glow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-sand-on-the-beach-to-glow/549671)
**Author:** [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 11, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-causes-the-sand-on-the-beach-to-glow/549671 "2010-08-11T00:30:06Z")
It’s my summer vacation and I’m at the beach (Fire Island, in Long Island, NY to be specific.) Last night, while walking on the beach at night, my friends and I happened to notice that whenever we took a step, the sand … --- ## [Greatest character names in film](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-character-names-in-film/686761)
**Author:** [@enomaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enomaj)\ **Replies:** 113\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2014, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-character-names-in-film/686761 "2014-05-01T21:34:21Z")
Furious Styles(Boyz ‘n the Hood) Napoleon Dynamite Peoples Hernandez(Shaft 2000) Bleek Gilliam(Mo’ Better Blues) Buggin’ Out(Do the Right Thing) Radio Raheem(Do the Right Thing) Stab Master Arson(CB4) Axel Foley(B… --- ## [DrDeth vs Hurricane Ditka: who's the bigger troll?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-vs-hurricane-ditka-whos-the-bigger-troll/832958)
**Author:** [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Replies:** 124\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2019, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drdeth-vs-hurricane-ditka-whos-the-bigger-troll/832958 "2019-07-03T11:45:00Z")
Discuss. There are many similarities. Both are fanatically committed to their partisan POV, yet unable to defend their beliefs other than by repeatedly parroting canned talking points. Neither have any shred of intellec… --- ## [Enough about "nice guys." What about "nice girls?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-nice-guys-what-about-nice-girls/315387)
**Author:** [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Replies:** 144\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/enough-about-nice-guys-what-about-nice-girls/315387 "2005-08-16T20:03:32Z")
There have been many threads on this board about the plight of the “nice guy.” What about the female equivalent, if there is one? Is a “nice girl” a bad thing to be? What typifies her? --- ## [Apple Watch's 18 hour battery life is FAIL](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-watchs-18-hour-battery-life-is-fail/714671)
**Author:** [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [March 12, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-watchs-18-hour-battery-life-is-fail/714671 "2015-03-12T21:17:01Z")
I love Apple’s products. I think they are easy to use, do what they say they will, and are aesthetically pleasing like no other tech manufacturer’s products. But an 18 hour battery life is not enough and relegates, for… --- ## [We set the date!! I'm getting married!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-set-the-date-im-getting-married/630525)
**Author:** [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-set-the-date-im-getting-married/630525 "2013-02-25T23:21:05Z")
It’s been a 2 week process for the 3 soothsayers my future in-laws hired to set our wedding date\* but they have finally stated their sooth. We’re getting married February 1st, 2013! Also…holy crap, it’s really happenin… --- ## [Are DVDs now Obsolete?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dvds-now-obsolete/635998)
**Author:** [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2012, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-dvds-now-obsolete/635998 "2012-10-01T21:26:51Z")
I’m guessing that this forum (The Cafe Society) is more about the content of movies and TV shows than it is about the equipment we use to view them. But I have just recently made what I believe is a fabulous discovery t… --- ## [Kobe Bryant: F\*\*\*\*\*g Fa\*\*\*\*!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kobe-bryant-f-g-fa/578280)
**Author:** [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kobe-bryant-f-g-fa/578280 "2011-04-21T20:56:10Z")
As gay rights group calls him ‘a disgrace’, Kobe apologizes, sort of What do we think: momentary Tourette’s, or hateful scumbag? --- ## [If you're too fat to fit in your seat and you can't pay for two, then don't fly!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-too-fat-to-fit-in-your-seat-and-you-cant-pay-for-two-then-dont-fly/133731)
**Author:** [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Replies:** 121\ **Last updated:** [February 8, 2003, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-youre-too-fat-to-fit-in-your-seat-and-you-cant-pay-for-two-then-dont-fly/133731 "2003-02-08T23:04:47Z")
http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/10/22/virgin.payout/index.html Summary: Fat person is so big, the other lady sitting next to her is squished. She is injured. She sues. She wins. I’m a little pissed about this. The… --- ## [A wedding without dancing... unacceptable? Really?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wedding-without-dancing-unacceptable-really/388563)
**Author:** [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Replies:** 83\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2007, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-wedding-without-dancing-unacceptable-really/388563 "2007-01-22T12:56:15Z")
As some of you know, I’m getting married and trying to plan a low-key wedding reception that is pleasing to our parents and not completely uncomfortable for us. The thing we have gotten the most crap for (even more than… --- ## [How should we drink Cachaça?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-we-drink-cachaca/602724)
**Author:** [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-should-we-drink-cachaca/602724 "2011-11-15T21:57:46Z")
Our next door neighbors gifted us with a bottle of Vereda Tropical Cachaça when they came over for dinner a couple of months ago, and it’s still just sitting here because we don’t know how to drink it. I’ve read random d… --- ## [Help me identify this pop instrumental please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468)
**Author:** [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2017, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-identify-this-pop-instrumental-please/601468 "2017-05-17T23:53:38Z")
I’m not exactly sure when it came out. I’m thinking early to mid 80’s, but it could be from the late 70’s. It sounds to me that it’s mostly a xylophone and synthesizer. This will be silly, but I’ll try to give you an … --- ## [Why can planes travel faster than trains?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-planes-travel-faster-than-trains/595406)
**Author:** [@Hermitian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermitian)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [September 7, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-planes-travel-faster-than-trains/595406 "2011-09-07T20:47:14Z")
Why can planes travel faster than trains (or automobiles)? At a quick glance, airplanes expend a lot of energy just staying aloft. You would think trains or some other kind of wheeled vehicle could easily beat them, bu… --- ## [Resolved: "Racist!" is The White Man's "Nigger!"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-racist-is-the-white-mans-nigger/381980)
**Author:** [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Replies:** 122\ **Last updated:** [December 11, 2006, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/resolved-racist-is-the-white-mans-nigger/381980 "2006-12-11T20:10:23Z")
Reflecting on the Michael Richards debacle: for those who have recently asserted that there is no racial epithet the equivalent to “nigger” among the select few slurs blacks fling at white people – and off the top of my … --- ## [Ayn Rand and the needy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ayn-rand-and-the-needy/681794)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ayn-rand-and-the-needy/681794 "2014-02-28T21:28:08Z")
A discussion was brought up on another thread. I had said Rand had disdain for the poor, for the needy. The response was as such: Rand did not dislike the needy. Again, that is an incorrect assumption on your part. What… --- ## [I'm having a baby](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-having-a-baby/628815)
**Author:** [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Replies:** 73\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2012, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-having-a-baby/628815 "2012-10-30T12:08:17Z")
Or rather, my wife is, after years of trying and heartbreak. She’s five months along and due in November. Baby 3D Baby --- ## [The SDMB Rock and Roll Hall of Fame! -\>Latest Poll in post 313](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-latest-poll-in-post-313/1028060)
**Author:** [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Replies:** 316\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2026, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-latest-poll-in-post-313/1028060 "2026-09-27T01:17:07Z")
It’s a venerable tradition around here to have an annual thread complaining about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so let’s just elect our own! The one complaint everyone seems to agree with is that there are way too man… --- ## [Clothahump and his Ignore List](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothahump-and-his-ignore-list/792363)
**Author:** [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Replies:** 110\ **Last updated:** [August 3, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clothahump-and-his-ignore-list/792363 "2017-08-03T16:02:08Z")
Poster Clothahump has made it widely known that he takes great offense at the way some people respond to his posts in the Pit and that he has therefore put any poster he deems an annoyance on ‘Ignore’. Although it is of … --- ## [Can cold radiate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cold-radiate/311967)
**Author:** [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [July 15, 2005, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-cold-radiate/311967 "2005-07-15T21:38:34Z")
My physics classes are at least 25 years back and I slept through them. However, my hazy understanding of thermodynamics say that cold is the absense of heat, i.e. movement of atoms. The less they move, the colder someth… --- ## [Post an impressive individual music performance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-impressive-individual-music-performance/965931)
**Author:** [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Replies:** 142\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2024, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/post-an-impressive-individual-music-performance/965931 "2024-03-07T19:11:07Z")
Give a short explanation of what it is and what we should be looking/listening for. This is Smashing Pumpkins, “Geek USA” from Siamese Dream, played live in Germany. This is from their video EP “Vieuphoria.” They play i… --- ## [Would you be bothered if a potential date had slept with a prostitute in the past?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-bothered-if-a-potential-date-had-slept-with-a-prostitute-in-the-past/576670)
**Author:** [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2011, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-be-bothered-if-a-potential-date-had-slept-with-a-prostitute-in-the-past/576670 "2011-04-07T03:49:19Z")
Based on a current thread. I’m curious about how much this would bother you all. Assume, for the purposes of this poll, that your potential date has slept with prostitutes in the past – say, as many as five times. But t… --- ## [Unemployed AGAIN](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployed-again/526408)
**Author:** [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Replies:** 95\ **Last updated:** [February 13, 2010, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/unemployed-again/526408 "2010-02-13T00:05:50Z")
I have lost a job every year ever since 2007. Fuck!!! Ironically, 2007 was when I received my MBA. This latest lay-off is beyond bullshit. I was hired in July 2009 after 5 months of being unemployed. I was trained h… --- ## [Songs About Mortality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462)
**Author:** [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2012, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/songs-about-mortality/612462 "2012-02-18T10:10:33Z")
I’m looking to create a playlist of songs about mortality – not necessarily about death (although death could certainly be involved), but more about the fleeting nature of life, how it’s all gone in the blink of an eye, … --- ## [Syria deploys troops to put down protesters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syria-deploys-troops-to-put-down-protesters/575522)
**Author:** [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2011, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/syria-deploys-troops-to-put-down-protesters/575522 "2011-08-26T03:57:00Z")
Things heat up in Syria. Some people, and some peoples, just do not understand the concept of “Wait your turn.” :mad: The Libyans had the consideration to start their revolution after the Egyptian one was finished. I… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=872&per_page=50&period=all&state=muted) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/top.md?page=874&per_page=50&period=all&state=muted)