# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1060 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1061 --- ## [New Oven Quirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-oven-quirk/727891)
**Author:** [@dougrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougrb)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-oven-quirk/727891 "2015-08-17T23:17:10Z")
A new oven (mentioned in another thread) has one quirk that bugs me. It doesn’t display actual oven temperature, only setpoint. Is this common? I guess the thought could be “It maintains temperature, you don’t need to wo… --- ## ["Money talks, bullshit walks."](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-talks-bullshit-walks/367995)
**Author:** [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-talks-bullshit-walks/367995 "2015-08-17T20:50:04Z")
What does this actually mean? --- ## [Adult and Group Names for Pigs and Bears](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-and-group-names-for-pigs-and-bears/728031)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adult-and-group-names-for-pigs-and-bears/728031 "2015-08-17T20:30:32Z")
A female pig is known as a sow, a female bear is known as a sow. A male pig is known as a boar, a male bear is known as a boar. These two animals aren’t closely related. Why do they have the same names? I presume they on… --- ## [How to get off DNS blacklist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-off-dns-blacklist/728103)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-get-off-dns-blacklist/728103 "2015-08-17T20:15:31Z")
I occasionally get email delivery failures saying that our IP address is on “one or more DNS blacklists” - is there some way to remedy this? We’re not spammers. --- ## [What happens when a thunder cloud touches a high mountain summit? Any danger for humans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-thunder-cloud-touches-a-high-mountain-summit-any-danger-for-humans/727858)
**Author:** [@syl20bou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syl20bou)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-a-thunder-cloud-touches-a-high-mountain-summit-any-danger-for-humans/727858 "2015-08-17T20:12:26Z")
Yesterday I reached the summit of a 4000m while a thunder cloud was passing on it (not over it). My hair eventually got straight in the air and I could hear the wet rock making that characteristic drizzling sound like th… --- ## [When the US paid 15 million to France for the Louisiana Purchase how how was the money paid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-us-paid-15-million-to-france-for-the-louisiana-purchase-how-how-was-the-money-paid/727954)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-us-paid-15-million-to-france-for-the-louisiana-purchase-how-how-was-the-money-paid/727954 "2015-08-17T19:54:13Z")
In reading this articleabout events leading to the Louisiana Purchase when the US agreed to pay France 15 million dollars for the property how was that money paid? All at once in gold, some kind of installments, US prin… --- ## [Are there dehumidifiers that do not also generate a blast of hot air?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dehumidifiers-that-do-not-also-generate-a-blast-of-hot-air/727826)
**Author:** [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dehumidifiers-that-do-not-also-generate-a-blast-of-hot-air/727826 "2015-08-17T19:35:38Z")
Simply put, is it possible to design a dehumidifier that does not also generate a lot of heat? I’ve got a basement that is nice and cool in the summertime, and it’s therefore a great place to escape the heat (my house d… --- ## [Mafia Money Buried In Cuba?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-money-buried-in-cuba/727877)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-money-buried-in-cuba/727877 "2015-08-17T18:41:52Z")
I once read that Santos Trafficante (or some other Mob boss) buried about $1.5 million in cash, near his casino in Havana. now that relations have been re=established, are there any chances his heirs will go back and rec… --- ## [Trailer light board not working - any ideas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailer-light-board-not-working-any-ideas/728014)
**Author:** [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailer-light-board-not-working-any-ideas/728014 "2015-08-17T18:04:36Z")
I have a problem with the light board on a trailer - a tow-bar mounted one for carrying bikes. The brake lights aren’t working. The other functions are fine - indicators and side lights both come on. All the lights on th… --- ## [The raw egg in milk: good or bad for pets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-raw-egg-in-milk-good-or-bad-for-pets/727852)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-raw-egg-in-milk-good-or-bad-for-pets/727852 "2015-08-17T18:02:54Z")
We had a grown cat and a grown dog for years. Once a week I would break a raw egg into a bowl of milk and set it on the floor for them. The cat would lap up as much as he wanted, then the dog would trot over; she would… --- ## [Explain the rare side effect victims in layman's terms?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-rare-side-effect-victims-in-laymans-terms/727784)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-rare-side-effect-victims-in-laymans-terms/727784 "2015-08-17T17:58:06Z")
You can read how 00.6% of those getting a normally safe dose of a drug, or vaccine have a bizarre negative and sometimes fatal result. What are these exactly? Is it really that 1 in 100 million people will have a fatal … --- ## [Can't get past any captcha](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-past-any-captcha/727866)
**Author:** [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-get-past-any-captcha/727866 "2015-08-17T17:45:09Z")
It seems that during the last two weeks, I’ve been unable to pass any captcha. I see them, I type them, but it’s always considered a wrong answer. I had this problem while trying to get back the password of an Amazon ac… --- ## [Could You Breed dogs For High Intelligence?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-breed-dogs-for-high-intelligence/727466)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-you-breed-dogs-for-high-intelligence/727466 "2015-08-17T17:33:58Z")
Why not? Dogs come in every variation possible-small, large, soft coat, wirey coat. So how many generations would it take to breed a canine genius? --- ## [Mad Scientists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-scientists/727661)
**Author:** [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Replies:** 66\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mad-scientists/727661 "2015-08-17T17:05:56Z")
What are some examples of scientists who did really good work but then at some point went off the rails and spent (wasted) their time doing essentially crackpot work? I’m most interested in cases where it should have be… --- ## [How does the federal government's financial support of medicaid under the ACA work](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-federal-governments-financial-support-of-medicaid-under-the-aca-work/727987)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-federal-governments-financial-support-of-medicaid-under-the-aca-work/727987 "2015-08-17T17:03:35Z")
I’m under the impression that under ACA regarding the expansion of medicaid, the federal government pays 90-100% of the cost of the program. But is that indefinite, or is that subsidy going to decline over time and the … --- ## [Need help translating 1960s Freemason Book](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-translating-1960s-freemason-book/727996)
**Author:** [@ElderSign](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElderSign)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-translating-1960s-freemason-book/727996 "2015-08-17T15:37:36Z")
My friend found this book in his late father’s things. His father was a Freemason in Brazil in the 1960s. It appears to be (but I’m not sure) Cyrillic, Faux Russian, Serbo-Croatian, Ya, or a mixture or code. The title m… --- ## [Do the FARs prohibit sex while acting as a pilot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-fars-prohibit-sex-while-acting-as-a-pilot/728024)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-the-fars-prohibit-sex-while-acting-as-a-pilot/728024 "2015-08-17T15:07:46Z")
Pilot killed in small plane crash had disciplinary record Under what regulation is receiving a BJ while flying prohibited? (I’m so proud I didn’t say anything about him ‘holding onto his cyclic stick’ or ‘pulling his … --- ## [Is the Secret Service really that good?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-secret-service-really-that-good/727716)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-secret-service-really-that-good/727716 "2015-08-17T10:52:12Z")
In every TV show/movie they make the Secret Service out to look like every member of the organization is 1/2 Navy Seal and 1/2 rocket scientist (really smart). Is the Secret Service really this good or is that just the r… --- ## [Why don't the Chinese give away living space in their ghost cities?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-chinese-give-away-living-space-in-their-ghost-cities/727887)
**Author:** [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-the-chinese-give-away-living-space-in-their-ghost-cities/727887 "2015-08-17T09:33:25Z")
Before the current economic melt down with the Chinese stock market, China was experiencing a huge real estate bubble. Literally, the Chinese built whole cities filled with towering apartment buildings, shopping malls, … --- ## [Car Insurance question -- Unlicensed Driver?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-insurance-question-unlicensed-driver/576376)
**Author:** [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-insurance-question-unlicensed-driver/576376 "2015-08-17T07:10:09Z")
How does an insurance company react when an unlicensed driver is in an accident (in an insured car)? I just discovered one of my kid’s classmates has been supplied with a car, but has no driver’s license (no permit, no … --- ## [Is "abortion" of viable fetuses a thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-abortion-of-viable-fetuses-a-thing/727556)
**Author:** [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-abortion-of-viable-fetuses-a-thing/727556 "2015-08-17T05:35:51Z")
There is a thread in GD where someone says they are against 7/8/9 month abortions. I have also seen pro life propaganda where it claims such late term abortions as long as the spinal cord is cut in the uterus and the fet… --- ## [How would a 17-yr college senior go about enrolling in high school?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-17-yr-college-senior-go-about-enrolling-in-high-school/727914)
**Author:** [@bnd149](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bnd149)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-17-yr-college-senior-go-about-enrolling-in-high-school/727914 "2015-08-17T03:27:51Z")
hey everyone, so I have a friend who is 17 years old and four months away from graduating college (long story). she was homeschooled throughout middle and high school via an online accredited homestudy program (and thus … --- ## [Has anyone had success restoring a laptop battery in the freezer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-had-success-restoring-a-laptop-battery-in-the-freezer/727185)
**Author:** [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-had-success-restoring-a-laptop-battery-in-the-freezer/727185 "2015-08-17T02:08:23Z")
My laptop is a little over 2 years old. When plugged in it will show 100% charged. But when I unplug and run on battery, it drains very fast. Within a half hour or so. I found a wikihow article suggested placing a com… --- ## [On board PA through Smart phone?Possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-board-pa-through-smart-phone-possible/727828)
**Author:** [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-board-pa-through-smart-phone-possible/727828 "2015-08-17T01:56:28Z")
I drive transit bus and on occasion use these buses on tours as well as drive a tour bus for a state park. these buses have no PA systems except for the State park bus. Many of the buses have on board radio with a sync… --- ## [What are your odds of seeing a total eclipse ...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-odds-of-seeing-a-total-eclipse/715551)
**Author:** [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-your-odds-of-seeing-a-total-eclipse/715551 "2015-08-17T01:52:31Z")
… if you don’t try to? Obviously if you know about eclipses in advance you can travel to see one. But say you just go about your normal business. What are the odds that at some point in your life you’ll look up and se… --- ## [Sound bar/Blue tooth question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-bar-blue-tooth-question/727977)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sound-bar-blue-tooth-question/727977 "2015-08-17T01:51:12Z")
I bought a 55 inch HD TV for our rec room and put a soundbar w/wireless subwoofer on it and I really don’t like it as much as the home theater set up I have on my TV in the living room. Doesn’t have the full surround so… --- ## [two printers each print green and white on highest quality setting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-printers-each-print-green-and-white-on-highest-quality-setting/727982)
**Author:** [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 17, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-printers-each-print-green-and-white-on-highest-quality-setting/727982 "2015-08-17T01:33:02Z")
I have two HP Deskjet printers, a 3510 and a recently purchased refurbished 2540. Running Windows XP (please don’t throw eggs at me :slight\_smile: ) Just recently when I print a digital image at the highest setting on … --- ## [Does/Did Uber claim to be a "ride sharing" company](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-uber-claim-to-be-a-ride-sharing-company/727775)
**Author:** [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-did-uber-claim-to-be-a-ride-sharing-company/727775 "2015-08-16T22:01:41Z")
There have been a bunch of threads about Uber on these boards, and several mentions of the term “ride sharing”. I can find lots of examples of that phrase being used to describe Uber and Lyft, but I can’t find a case wh… --- ## [Has anyone ever gone blind from looking at an eclipse?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-gone-blind-from-looking-at-an-eclipse/727971)
**Author:** [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2015, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-gone-blind-from-looking-at-an-eclipse/727971 "2015-08-16T21:19:21Z")
We hear about this every time. Don’t look directly at the eclipse, you could go blind. Does it really happen? Some damage maybe, but I’ve known people stupid enough to arc weld without a helmet, they were in pain, probab… --- ## [1995 Mazda MPV driver's window won't go up. Need it this weekend!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1995-mazda-mpv-drivers-window-wont-go-up-need-it-this-weekend/727767)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 16, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1995-mazda-mpv-drivers-window-wont-go-up-need-it-this-weekend/727767 "2015-08-16T21:16:00Z")
We have a beloved Mazda MPV minivan (FestVan).The driver’s window went down and stayed there. The passenger window is fine. The driver window button doesn’t make any noise (no struggling motor, no electric hum). Our mec… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1059) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1061)