# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1033 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1034 --- ## [Turn-around roads at Canadian border crossings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-around-roads-at-canadian-border-crossings/677962)
**Author:** [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2015, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turn-around-roads-at-canadian-border-crossings/677962 "2015-09-28T05:22:50Z")
OK - Another question based on the “Border Security” program (about the Canadian CBSA people): I realize this probably depends on the border crossing; many of the episodes seem to be based on the Vancouver border crossi… --- ## [Was Jaimie Lee Curtis born a hermaphrodite?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jaimie-lee-curtis-born-a-hermaphrodite/148403)
**Author:** [@Jillicious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jillicious)\ **Replies:** 97\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2015, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-jaimie-lee-curtis-born-a-hermaphrodite/148403 "2015-09-28T00:44:41Z")
It is not my intention to insult or slander the actress, but I have heard numerous rumors that Jamie Lee Curtis was born a hermaphrodite. I’ve tried to research this myself but the most conclusive answer I was able to gl… --- ## [Is there any record kept for diplomatic immunity cases ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-record-kept-for-diplomatic-immunity-cases/732677)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-record-kept-for-diplomatic-immunity-cases/732677 "2015-09-28T00:17:37Z")
Prompted by this news article - More women accuse Saudi prince after his arrest on sex crime charge, LAPD says Looks like the Saudi prince in this case did not have diplomatic immunity. It makes me wonder how many crimi… --- ## [iTunes Match or other cloud storage question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-match-or-other-cloud-storage-question/732724)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-match-or-other-cloud-storage-question/732724 "2015-09-27T21:32:01Z")
My PC is having problems and may have to be replaced soon. I looked on the iTunes Match support page and couldn’t find an answer to this question. If/when I replace this computer, will I be able to then download the stor… --- ## [Financial aid for young students](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/financial-aid-for-young-students/732762)
**Author:** [@Profdriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profdriver)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/financial-aid-for-young-students/732762 "2015-09-27T21:26:37Z")
Hello I was in foster care as a minor and am currently working and going to school on my own. I got a small apartment this month and am told there are grants and scholarships for many things, like if you just write an es… --- ## [Levis jeans: why no 31" in-seam??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levis-jeans-why-no-31-in-seam/732171)
**Author:** [@Graymalkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Graymalkin)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/levis-jeans-why-no-31-in-seam/732171 "2015-09-27T20:14:31Z")
Why do the big jeans makers not offer a 31" in-seam? I know in my case I have passed up many purchasing opportunities because I know that a 30" in seam is almost always too short, and a 32" is almost always too long. Wa… --- ## [Win 10 installation fail - completely stuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-installation-fail-completely-stuck/732659)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-installation-fail-completely-stuck/732659 "2015-09-27T20:08:39Z")
Trying to help a friend sort his laptop. Trying to do the Win 10 upgrade installation and you come to your first sign in and that seems to go well but after it tries for a while to continue on, it throws the Critical Er… --- ## [Do all languages have a way of expressing "(sic)"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-languages-have-a-way-of-expressing-sic/732730)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-languages-have-a-way-of-expressing-sic/732730 "2015-09-27T19:37:56Z")
Do all languages have a way of expressing "(sic)"sic erat scriptum? I imagine Latin based languages use it, but what about Hundi, Thai, Korean, etc.? --- ## [Flammable Cosmetics and Smoking?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flammable-cosmetics-and-smoking/732577)
**Author:** [@panther1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panther1)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flammable-cosmetics-and-smoking/732577 "2015-09-27T17:11:35Z")
I use a lot of cosmetics, I have dry/irritated skin. Some of the cosmetics are alcohol based too such as my aftershave and hair gels/sprays. Plus, I also use a lot of moisturizer. Since, I smoke a lot, accidentally gett… --- ## [Why the "placemats" next to the beds in European hotel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-placemats-next-to-the-beds-in-european-hotel/732506)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-placemats-next-to-the-beds-in-european-hotel/732506 "2015-09-27T16:00:50Z")
We’re staying in a very nice hotel in Florence. Each day when the maids make up the room, we find a nicely folded, uh, placemat/napkin next to the bed. Later in the day, when they come to do the turndown service, the m… --- ## [Does the pope wear underpants ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-pope-wear-underpants/732539)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-pope-wear-underpants/732539 "2015-09-27T15:28:06Z")
Well ? --- ## [Are "chunter" and "manky" Liverpool or Canadian slang words? And I'm not quite sure what they mean..](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chunter-and-manky-liverpool-or-canadian-slang-words-and-im-not-quite-sure-what-they-mean/731947)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-chunter-and-manky-liverpool-or-canadian-slang-words-and-im-not-quite-sure-what-they-mean/731947 "2015-09-27T14:20:16Z")
This is from a re-review of Backbeat, the Beatles biopic (sorry, “biographical moving picture”) told through the eyes of the sixth Beatle, Stu Sutcliffe. Here’s the paragraph: At moments like this, Iain Softley’s film … --- ## [Subduction - willall land be recycled ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subduction-willall-land-be-recycled/732614)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subduction-willall-land-be-recycled/732614 "2015-09-27T11:05:31Z")
Will there come a point in the future at which all land that we have now will have gone back into the Earth due to subduction, and be replaced by new land ? --- ## [Yankton South Dakota](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yankton-south-dakota/732658)
**Author:** [@Nightfall1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightfall1)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yankton-south-dakota/732658 "2015-09-27T08:56:29Z")
My wife and I were on vacation a couple of weeks ago and we stopped in Yankton South Dakota for a couple hours to stretch our legs. We’re from Rockford Illinois. We walked across the bridge between Yankton and Neb. We sa… --- ## [Asteroid hits moon, debris hits Earth ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asteroid-hits-moon-debris-hits-earth/732439)
**Author:** [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2015, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asteroid-hits-moon-debris-hits-earth/732439 "2015-09-27T03:17:00Z")
They say asteroid strikes are very rare. But could we include asteroid strikes on the moon as an Earth hazard, if they knock off a lot of debris into our gravitational field ? --- ## [Why do academic journals want figures in TIFF or EPS?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-academic-journals-want-figures-in-tiff-or-eps/732541)
**Author:** [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-academic-journals-want-figures-in-tiff-or-eps/732541 "2015-09-26T23:17:31Z")
Or sometimes also PDF? Here is where you say that every journal you’ve looked at supports more, but in my experience these two or three are what are wanted by every journal I’ve looked at submitting to. EPS and PDF can … --- ## [Is tiny amounts of my own poop toxic to me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tiny-amounts-of-my-own-poop-toxic-to-me/732630)
**Author:** [@Habeed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Habeed)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-tiny-amounts-of-my-own-poop-toxic-to-me/732630 "2015-09-26T22:11:26Z")
So you’ve probably heard that conventional toilets, when they flush, spray everything in the bathroom with a fine mist of fecal matter. Most people use toilet paper, which leaves a streaky residue that gets in the under… --- ## [Why do we have fingerprints?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-fingerprints/729489)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-have-fingerprints/729489 "2015-09-26T22:03:46Z")
Why are they there? What function do they serve, other than to help identification? Did God say to Himself, “I’ve got a bad feeling about some of these guys. Think I’ll put in a little extra to help law enforcement.” --- ## [what are the dews and damps referenced in The Battle Hymn of the Republic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dews-and-damps-referenced-in-the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic/732458)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-dews-and-damps-referenced-in-the-battle-hymn-of-the-republic/732458 "2015-09-26T21:52:16Z")
I’d guess dews and damps are in some way related to the military camp? but what are/were they? one of the last song references that has me stumped. lyrics theres a lot of bible references in this song. Its a fascinati… --- ## [What's the longest anyone has ever been airborne (i.e., non spacecraft)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-anyone-has-ever-been-airborne-i-e-non-spacecraft/732593)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-longest-anyone-has-ever-been-airborne-i-e-non-spacecraft/732593 "2015-09-26T19:52:53Z")
Because the B2 Missouri-Baghdad-Missouri 3-day flight was brought up in a current thread on bombers (I actually don’t know the exact many hours the flights were), and another (re)current thread on “longest international … --- ## [Help ID this quote please.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-quote-please/732347)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-id-this-quote-please/732347 "2015-09-26T16:21:15Z")
I can’t remember it verbatim, but the jist goes something like this: A smart man can look at a watch and know, that inside that watch are gears that make the hand behave in the way that they do. A smarter man can look a… --- ## [Propane camp stove adjustment](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540 "2015-09-26T15:31:26Z")
My experience is that propane camping stoves have very lopsided flame adjustment. The knob may rotate two or more turns, but the first 1/8 turn goes from off to 95+%, and whatever difference the remaining rotation makes … --- ## [Did anyone ever propose an Allied use of V-1 or V-2 rockets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-propose-an-allied-use-of-v-1-or-v-2-rockets/732357)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-ever-propose-an-allied-use-of-v-1-or-v-2-rockets/732357 "2015-09-26T14:17:26Z")
Question inspired by this thread on the Allied bombing of Germany. The American approach to war being maximum application of firepower for minimal friendly casualties, it seems like rockets would be right up their alley… --- ## [Trolls and Neanderthals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-and-neanderthals/732505)
**Author:** [@DtypeJag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DtypeJag)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls-and-neanderthals/732505 "2015-09-26T13:31:32Z")
Several recent discoveries seem to show that Neanderthals and Homo Sapiens co-existed for longer than previously thought. Then there was the finding of small stature sets of bones on some S. Asian island who had died in… --- ## [Earth gravity question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-question/732460)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earth-gravity-question/732460 "2015-09-26T13:24:05Z")
Suppose you drilled a hole all the way through the exact center of the earth (land to land so as not drain the seas) one mile in diameter. Then suspended a ball about a thousand miles down and 100 feet from the edge of t… --- ## [Moon/Mars Dust Contamination in the Return Vehicles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-mars-dust-contamination-in-the-return-vehicles/732456)
**Author:** [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-mars-dust-contamination-in-the-return-vehicles/732456 "2015-09-26T13:15:37Z")
I’d been reading a couple of articles tonight on proposed missions to Mars, and the suits that Astronauts would wear while out-and-about exploring the surface of the planet. It got me thinking about what if we discovere… --- ## [OK to eat the apples off a public apple tree?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-eat-the-apples-off-a-public-apple-tree/732493)
**Author:** [@F.Pu-du-he-pa-as](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.Pu-du-he-pa-as)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-to-eat-the-apples-off-a-public-apple-tree/732493 "2015-09-26T12:46:58Z")
There’s an apple tree outside my office. It has big, rosy, delicious-looking apples. The apples fall to the ground and rot. I think this is a huge waste. Is there any health-based reason why I shouldn’t eat the apple… --- ## [Could a VHS tape contain an Easter egg?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-vhs-tape-contain-an-easter-egg/732222)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-vhs-tape-contain-an-easter-egg/732222 "2015-09-26T12:32:15Z")
The current “Funky Winkerbean” comic strip is featuring some panels where Les’ daughter, Summer, took the video tapes her mother made before her death to a place to digitize them, and the guy who did it said he found som… --- ## [The Pope is a prophet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-is-a-prophet/732323)
**Author:** [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pope-is-a-prophet/732323 "2015-09-26T11:42:42Z")
Heard on NPR this AM in an interview with the President of St. Mary’s college in Moraga, CA: The Pope is a priest, a pastor, a prophet, a politician… I grew up going to Catholic schools and can never remember the Pope … --- ## [Changing shared Facebook pictures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-shared-facebook-pictures/732504)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-shared-facebook-pictures/732504 "2015-09-26T05:34:48Z")
I have a feeling this is a dumb question, and on the face of it it seems like it should work like changing a photo on a webpage. I just want to be sure. Suppose I upload a .jpeg image with the caption ALL YOU’RE BASE A… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1032) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1034)