# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1035 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1036 --- ## [Commercial Airline Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercial-airline-question/732232)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/commercial-airline-question/732232 "2015-09-24T01:30:14Z")
I recently flew a regional airline from my smallish airport (FCA) to a major hub (ORD). It happened to be United Express, but I don’t think this issue is related to United in particular. We boarded the plane on time, and… --- ## [Why do my socks creep down when I wear these particular shoes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-socks-creep-down-when-i-wear-these-particular-shoes/732345)
**Author:** [@jknichlsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jknichlsn)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-my-socks-creep-down-when-i-wear-these-particular-shoes/732345 "2015-09-24T01:30:07Z")
If this has never happened to you, you’re lucky. Sometimes, even though I’m wearing good quality above-the-calf dress socks, they will gradually creep down toward my toes, starting at the heel, until they’ve bunched up i… --- ## [Why do/did people kick the tires of a car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-people-kick-the-tires-of-a-car/731618)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-did-people-kick-the-tires-of-a-car/731618 "2015-09-24T01:16:03Z")
It’s a cliche that somebody thinking about buying a car would kick the tires. I’ve never done it because I have no idea how it’s supposed to work. What results were you looking for when you kicked the tires? Does tire … --- ## [Does the US National Debt include debts we've forgiven?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-national-debt-include-debts-weve-forgiven/732328)
**Author:** [@johnspartan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnspartan)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-us-national-debt-include-debts-weve-forgiven/732328 "2015-09-24T00:42:32Z")
So, the US national debt stands at a little north of 18 trillion. http://www.usdebtclock.org/ (“A trillion here, a trillion there, pretty soon you’re talking real money!”) Occasionally, an impoverished nation, say Hait… --- ## [Question regarding Spanish publishing houses](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-spanish-publishing-houses/732316)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 24, 2015, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-spanish-publishing-houses/732316 "2015-09-24T00:42:07Z")
Hi, I’m interested in Spanish publishing houses. I’ve searched quite a few websites, but I can’t find any that tell me which ones compare with the major European ones. Of the following Spanish publishers, which one wou… --- ## [Do people in the tropics suffer from seasonal depression?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-in-the-tropics-suffer-from-seasonal-depression/732221)
**Author:** [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-in-the-tropics-suffer-from-seasonal-depression/732221 "2015-09-23T23:29:38Z")
Changes in attitude, changes in latitude, or do people in the tropics get seasonal affective disorders? So, it’s the first day of autumn and my brain is doing its usual “Summer is over and nothing will ever be good agai… --- ## [Are cockroaches inevitable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cockroaches-inevitable/732331)
**Author:** [@amaguri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amaguri)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-cockroaches-inevitable/732331 "2015-09-23T22:04:57Z")
I’ve lived in my house in So Cal for about 6 years. I keep a pretty clean house, certainly not spotless but there aren’t heaps of garbage or piles of dishes sitting around the house for any length of time. Since I’ve b… --- ## [How can I find and install GarageBand 6?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-and-install-garageband-6/732343)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-and-install-garageband-6/732343 "2015-09-23T21:50:27Z")
My buddy can’t run OSX 9 because the laptop is too old to handle it well, and he really wants Garageband, but he needs v6 to go with his version of the OS. He paid for the current one, but found that the OSX 9 and the ot… --- ## [DSL interference in an apartment complex?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-interference-in-an-apartment-complex/731598)
**Author:** [@Nstock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nstock)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dsl-interference-in-an-apartment-complex/731598 "2015-09-23T20:52:23Z")
I’m hoping to understand plausible causes of my dsl going down, and was curious whether actions by neighboring apartment units could be the cause. Long story short, my dsl ceased working three days ago, and the modem si… --- ## [Thought experiment on scope of human bacterial cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-on-scope-of-human-bacterial-cloud/732324)
**Author:** [@icbm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icbm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thought-experiment-on-scope-of-human-bacterial-cloud/732324 "2015-09-23T20:45:40Z")
Today I read a few news sites carrying a story about the unique cloud of bacteria that floats around each person, Pig Pen style so I decided it’s time to ask. So my thought experiment is this: I have a magical Star… --- ## [Historians - Do Roads Ever Change?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-do-roads-ever-change/731739)
**Author:** [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historians-do-roads-ever-change/731739 "2015-09-23T18:31:32Z")
I’ve been reading about the history of the little town outside Atlanta where I live. It was laid out in the early 1820s, and in looking at old maps, I realized that buildings and parks have changed, but the roads haven’t… --- ## [Mechanics of Mating in 4-Legged Mammals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanics-of-mating-in-4-legged-mammals/732182)
**Author:** [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mechanics-of-mating-in-4-legged-mammals/732182 "2015-09-23T18:28:27Z")
How do they find the right hole? They can’t really see what they’re doing, and they don’t get anatomy lessons. Seems to me they would end up doing it anally about half the time. Reptiles don’t have this problem, as they… --- ## [Does a commercial jet airliner have a horn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-commercial-jet-airliner-have-a-horn/64498)
**Author:** [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-commercial-jet-airliner-have-a-horn/64498 "2015-09-23T18:06:56Z")
Everytime I’m stuck in an airplane which has pushed away from the gate, but is waiting in a long line of planes to takeoff, I wonder if the pilot has any kind of a horn or siren up there in the cockpit. Could he, violati… --- ## [OK I can travel faster than light so where's my damn time machine?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-can-travel-faster-than-light-so-wheres-my-damn-time-machine/731503)
**Author:** [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-i-can-travel-faster-than-light-so-wheres-my-damn-time-machine/731503 "2015-09-23T17:59:25Z")
A spinoff of thisthread Suppose I have a device that will teleport me from one point to another with a delay equal to (distance/1.5C) so effectively travel at 1.5 times the speed of light. I can teleport to Alpha Cen… --- ## [Taste Aversion/ Food Aversion?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taste-aversion-food-aversion/262265)
**Author:** [@sixshot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sixshot)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taste-aversion-food-aversion/262265 "2015-09-23T17:01:42Z")
Sorry If this is in the wrong forum. I had a question about taste aversion. Well let me tell you the story first. Well one day for lunch I had raw oysters. Then later on that night I got really drunk off of Jim Beam … --- ## [Navy question: How are you assigned a ship (or not)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-question-how-are-you-assigned-a-ship-or-not/705739)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-question-how-are-you-assigned-a-ship-or-not/705739 "2015-09-23T16:24:13Z")
Do you get to pick that you want to be on a sub, carrier, cruiser, etc.? Or is that dependent upon what kind of what kind of job you are placed into? And I assume that some naval positions are shore-based, so you might… --- ## [What does "al-Sihal" mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-al-sihal-mean/116356)
**Author:** [@ricksummon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricksummon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-al-sihal-mean/116356 "2015-09-23T15:45:01Z")
In D&D, the gateway to the 7th Heaven is called the “bridge of al-Sihal.” Obviously, this word is Arabic, but what does it mean? --- ## [Cleveland airport](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-airport/423206)
**Author:** [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cleveland-airport/423206 "2015-09-23T15:22:22Z")
How big is the Cleveland airport? If i have 30 minutes to make a connection, is that doable? (this is kinda GG, kinda IMHO) --- ## [Win 10 Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-question/731957)
**Author:** [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-10-question/731957 "2015-09-23T15:16:13Z")
Is there a decent DVD player program that works with Win 10? The one they furnish is crap. I’ve downloaded 4 or 5 “Free” players and none of them worked. Using a Dell desktop with 4 gig of RAM. Anyone? --- ## [USCG HH-65 helicopter questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uscg-hh-65-helicopter-questions/732134)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uscg-hh-65-helicopter-questions/732134 "2015-09-23T12:40:14Z")
There is a Coast Guard helicopter station fairly near my home and they seem to be quite busy with SAR and/or training. Why is it that the retractable landing gear usually isn’t retracted? I normally see the choppers at a… --- ## [Arabic translation needed (car window sticker)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-translation-needed-car-window-sticker/731536)
**Author:** [@obfusciatrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obfusciatrist)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arabic-translation-needed-car-window-sticker/731536 "2015-09-23T12:18:05Z")
A friend saw the a car with this sticker in the back window. The text was surrounded by cross stickers so she assumed it was some Arabic-speaking Christian church I think I’ve pieced together that the last two words are… --- ## [Need help from the bible scholars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-the-bible-scholars/729730)
**Author:** [@JimNightshade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimNightshade)\ **Replies:** 167\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-from-the-bible-scholars/729730 "2015-09-23T09:09:00Z")
I , perhaps foolishly, made a bet, and as I would hate to lose it, but would honour the facts, I ask all the bible scholars here to help me out. I bet that “killing babies is OK, and raping women is OK as well” accordin… --- ## [Could a driverless car win the Daytona 500?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-driverless-car-win-the-daytona-500/731736)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-driverless-car-win-the-daytona-500/731736 "2015-09-23T08:04:06Z")
I’ve only been to the race once. That said, it seems that Team Nerd could take the Checkered Flag. --- ## [Rabbit starvation question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbit-starvation-question/732245)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rabbit-starvation-question/732245 "2015-09-23T02:28:58Z")
Reading up on rabbit starvation, aka fat starvation, where if you eat nothing but rabbit you still starve to death on account of how lean it is. The wiki on it quotes Arctic explorer Vilhjalmur Stefansson as writing; “S… --- ## [Crime rates among documented vs undocumented immigrants in the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-rates-among-documented-vs-undocumented-immigrants-in-the-us/732239)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crime-rates-among-documented-vs-undocumented-immigrants-in-the-us/732239 "2015-09-23T01:14:21Z")
The straight dope on this, please. Links to studies, etc. --- ## [What are these insects?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-insects/732211)
**Author:** [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2015, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-these-insects/732211 "2015-09-23T00:57:29Z")
When hiking there are insects which will hover right in front of your face as you walk. They somehow manage to match your stride. They don’t bite, but are really annoying. --- ## [Do incest laws apply to SSM?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-incest-laws-apply-to-ssm/732143)
**Author:** [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-incest-laws-apply-to-ssm/732143 "2015-09-22T23:40:20Z")
I thought this might have been asked recently but reasonable searches didn’t turn it up. Inspired by thoughts reading the current polygamous marriage thread… Do incest laws and other familial bars to marriage apply to s… --- ## [Is a snake's venom dealt to itself?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-snakes-venom-dealt-to-itself/732246)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-snakes-venom-dealt-to-itself/732246 "2015-09-22T23:16:10Z")
Hello Everyone, If a snake is bitten by itself or say another of the same kind, is that venom going to kill the snake? Or are they immune to their own type of venom? --- ## [Specific question about this set theory proof](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-question-about-this-set-theory-proof/732206)
**Author:** [@D18](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D18)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/specific-question-about-this-set-theory-proof/732206 "2015-09-22T22:28:00Z")
I actually follow this proof, but have a question about the endgame. Why can’t mission accomplished be declared at this line: x ∈ A ∩ (B ∩ C) (third line above equation 1) At that point, x has been shown to be in both… --- ## [Facebook Spam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-spam/732236)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/facebook-spam/732236 "2015-09-22T21:09:15Z")
I belong to a lot of Facebook groups. Almost daily, there are spam posts to the group with Clickbait headlines. “You won’t believe these teens on hidden camera!” or other such garbage. What exactly is the point of this … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1034) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1036)