# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1119 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 1120 --- ## [Average prison sentence for a murder conviction in the United States: 7 years?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-prison-sentence-for-a-murder-conviction-in-the-united-states-7-years/719468)
**Author:** [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-prison-sentence-for-a-murder-conviction-in-the-united-states-7-years/719468 "2015-05-07T23:20:32Z")
I was reading an article about Kentucky’s longest serving prison inmate, Willie Gaines Smith, who has been incarcerated for almost 55 years: http://www.wdrb.com/story/25999947/sunday-edition-after-54-years-kentuckys-lon… --- ## [What is the SD on dissociative identity disorder](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sd-on-dissociative-identity-disorder/719512)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-sd-on-dissociative-identity-disorder/719512 "2015-05-07T23:14:50Z")
My mum is currently reading this book on dissociative identity disorder in which it is claimed concerning the author: This all sends my BS meter off the scale, and reminds me of the infamous (and now thoroughly debunke… --- ## [Do Job creators create the Jobs or does a healthy economy create the jobs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-job-creators-create-the-jobs-or-does-a-healthy-economy-create-the-jobs/719232)
**Author:** [@Robert163](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert163)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-job-creators-create-the-jobs-or-does-a-healthy-economy-create-the-jobs/719232 "2015-05-07T22:20:46Z")
My bias up front: I am a far left liberal with an anti-capitalist bias. My question: I often hear conservatives talk in high positive regard for “Job Creators”. Then I hear other people talk and say, no, actually, if th… --- ## [Changing light bulb in commercial cooler unit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-light-bulb-in-commercial-cooler-unit/719514)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/changing-light-bulb-in-commercial-cooler-unit/719514 "2015-05-07T22:02:34Z")
I feel like an an idiot even asking this I have a Beverage Air MT-49 commercial cooler unit, The horizontal bulb on the inside has burnt out, it is in a plastic sleeve and seems to be locked into the ends (ballasts?) I… --- ## [What is the logic where companies for a former employee are not allowed references?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-logic-where-companies-for-a-former-employee-are-not-allowed-references/719403)
**Author:** [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-logic-where-companies-for-a-former-employee-are-not-allowed-references/719403 "2015-05-07T21:49:23Z")
In this article on Slate.com, one of the letter writers asks Prudie about removing herself as a reference. Readers chime in and say that its company policy in some places that, for fear of a lawsuit, they don’t give ref… --- ## [Will eating a bee still trigger an allergic reaction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-eating-a-bee-still-trigger-an-allergic-reaction/719454)
**Author:** [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-eating-a-bee-still-trigger-an-allergic-reaction/719454 "2015-05-07T21:04:37Z")
I believe my dog is allergic to bees. One time early in my ownership I had him outside and shortly after going back inside he broke out into hives. Fortunately I had already given him benadryl just before going out. A fe… --- ## [Help with Nikon dSLR auto focus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-nikon-dslr-auto-focus/719482)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-nikon-dslr-auto-focus/719482 "2015-05-07T20:57:37Z")
I have two Nikon dSLR cameras, a D40X and D3100. Both of these have the same problem with auto focus and I can’t seem to figure it out and I’d like to be able to why it will not focus on certain shots. The majority of t… --- ## [Effect of carbon monoxide on the eyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-carbon-monoxide-on-the-eyes/719461)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/effect-of-carbon-monoxide-on-the-eyes/719461 "2015-05-07T20:41:34Z")
Since there’s little blood in the eyes, does carbon monoxide from, say, campfire smoke, have little effect on the eyes? The eyeball surface is not permeable? Or does it actually absorb vapors, etc? --- ## [Can lungs catch fire with gunpowder?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lungs-catch-fire-with-gunpowder/719493)
**Author:** [@panther1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panther1)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-lungs-catch-fire-with-gunpowder/719493 "2015-05-07T18:27:33Z")
Hi, This question might seem crazy stupid and weird, but I just want to know, if something like this is possible. I might have inhaled some gunpowder recently, i was playing with some old bullets. Now, I smoke cigaret… --- ## [Using "This writer" in a Masters level class.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-this-writer-in-a-masters-level-class/714566)
**Author:** [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-this-writer-in-a-masters-level-class/714566 "2015-05-07T17:00:13Z")
I have a friend going to an 18 month MBA class. Or, some other degree. At any rate, it’s Masters level. From, at least formerly, a quite respectable local University. So, he asked me to look over his paper. I took issue… --- ## [Please ID This Flag- Possibly White Supremacist](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-flag-possibly-white-supremacist/719201)
**Author:** [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-id-this-flag-possibly-white-supremacist/719201 "2015-05-07T16:21:20Z")
Three horizontal stripes, from top to bottom- red, white and black. Centered on the flag was a white dog’s head seen from the front. The dog had pointed ears. I saw this flag as a sticker on a lamp post. Due to the colo… --- ## [Electrical Question - Clamp-on Ammeters and 220V](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-question-clamp-on-ammeters-and-220v/576673)
**Author:** [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electrical-question-clamp-on-ammeters-and-220v/576673 "2015-05-07T14:39:07Z")
Damn it, I hate electricity. OK, I’m not a EE, and I’ve searched around a bit and I’m getting confusing and conflicting answers from folks online. Here is my question: If I was to buy something like this clamp-on ammet… --- ## [Weird MacBook Pro/Remote Desktop Connection problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-macbook-pro-remote-desktop-connection-problem/714127)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-macbook-pro-remote-desktop-connection-problem/714127 "2015-05-07T13:44:48Z")
This is weird, and I don’t know what I might be doing to make it happen. I connect to my office PC from my PowerBook Pro via Remote Desktop Connection. The Mac is running OS 10.9.5. Sometimes I think I move the mouse … --- ## [Computer Woes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-woes/719234)
**Author:** [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/computer-woes/719234 "2015-05-07T13:23:01Z")
This is actually a set of questions; wasn’t sure if it properly belongs in GQ or IMHO, but I’ll get typing and let the mods sort it out. My computer suddenly ceased to function on Saturday. I had sat down, was moving th… --- ## [Madam Violet and the Edinburgh vampire hive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madam-violet-and-the-edinburgh-vampire-hive/719139)
**Author:** [@Cardboard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardboard)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/madam-violet-and-the-edinburgh-vampire-hive/719139 "2015-05-07T08:23:35Z")
I’ve seen some stuff online about a Madam Violet and the Edinburgh vampire hive and was just wondering if you guys knew if it was actually real and if you know any details about it. It seem kind of like an Internet urba… --- ## [Earliest abolitionists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-abolitionists/719460)
**Author:** [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-abolitionists/719460 "2015-05-07T08:08:25Z")
Question is inspired by Game of Thrones, some mouseover space for a mild spoiler; In the show, set in a medieval fantasy world, one of the characters is a staunch abolitionist in a violent John Brown kinda way and gran… --- ## [Cost/Tax implications with discount pricing on services](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-tax-implications-with-discount-pricing-on-services/719441)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-tax-implications-with-discount-pricing-on-services/719441 "2015-05-07T05:26:15Z")
A long-winded title I know. I am starting a business and two areas I want to target are small businesses and non-profit. I am considering discounting the pricing for my services depending on the circumstances so for ex… --- ## [Is Eating Street Food (in 3rd world) A Bad Idea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-street-food-in-3rd-world-a-bad-idea/719001)
**Author:** [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-eating-street-food-in-3rd-world-a-bad-idea/719001 "2015-05-07T03:11:03Z")
I would say yes-you have no idea of how clean the preparation was. Plus, being handled by human hands (without gloves) sets you up for all kinds of contamination. the rules for eating in 3rd World countries seem to be: … --- ## [Life insurance in the case of an apparent but unproven suicide?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-case-of-an-apparent-but-unproven-suicide/719321)
**Author:** [@1940LaSalle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1940LaSalle)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-insurance-in-the-case-of-an-apparent-but-unproven-suicide/719321 "2015-05-07T02:31:29Z")
I believe (that’s why I’m asking) that life insurance becomes null and void in the event of a proven suicide. Is that the case? I think also that although a death might look/smell/feel like suicide, it can’t be ruled i… --- ## [Please educate me about PPV webcasts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-educate-me-about-ppv-webcasts/719356)
**Author:** [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-educate-me-about-ppv-webcasts/719356 "2015-05-07T02:10:20Z")
Well, it is a bit embarrassing to confess my lack of technological knowledge, as though I were some sort of cliched old hippie or something. The fact that the question arises in the context of my desire to watch the Grat… --- ## [Calculate roots of negative numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculate-roots-of-negative-numbers/719404)
**Author:** [@OffByOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OffByOne)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2015, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/calculate-roots-of-negative-numbers/719404 "2015-05-07T00:33:07Z")
Here’s a question for the mathematicians here: I want to write a program function that can calculate non-integral roots of negative numbers. While this cannot be done with real numbers, I feel like it should be possibl… --- ## [Telemarketers ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348 "2015-05-06T21:40:05Z")
So I keep getting telemarketer phone calls on my phone and its everything from dentures to hearing aids (I’m in my 20s…) to computer repair. Is there any way to get them to stop calling my cell phone? I’m on the do not c… --- ## [Holding a seashell (or any resonant chamber) against your ear in an anaccoustic chamber](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holding-a-seashell-or-any-resonant-chamber-against-your-ear-in-an-anaccoustic-chamber/719310)
**Author:** [@Bender\_Bending\_Rodriguez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bender_Bending_Rodriguez)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holding-a-seashell-or-any-resonant-chamber-against-your-ear-in-an-anaccoustic-chamber/719310 "2015-05-06T21:26:14Z")
When you hold a seashell against your ear, the hum/ buzz/ noise you hear is the resonating background noise, right? So what happens if you do this in a perfect or near perfect noiseless environment like an anaccoustic c… --- ## [What is the largest underground space that we could build?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-underground-space-that-we-could-build/503457)
**Author:** [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-largest-underground-space-that-we-could-build/503457 "2015-05-06T21:25:59Z")
Another crazy idea that came to me in the shower… I got to thinking about underground lairs and whatnot à la Blofeldt. How big an underground space could we build? There seem to be at least three possibilities:\[ol\]\[li\]R… --- ## [When a satellite looks straight down, how much atmosphere is it looking through?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-satellite-looks-straight-down-how-much-atmosphere-is-it-looking-through/719221)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-a-satellite-looks-straight-down-how-much-atmosphere-is-it-looking-through/719221 "2015-05-06T19:58:48Z")
Presume a satellite is at 36 000km altitude, if it looks straight down at the earth, how much sea level-equivalent atmosphere is it looking through? What if the satellite is at 360km altitude and looking down at a 45 de… --- ## [Why do cats knead?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-knead/719294)
**Author:** [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-cats-knead/719294 "2015-05-06T17:55:53Z")
So Piper Cat is on a cushion, kneading it with his front paws and purring. What is it about kneading that makes cats happy? --- ## [Full beards without mustache - why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146)
**Author:** [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/full-beards-without-mustache-why/719146 "2015-05-06T17:15:39Z")
It seems to me that many muslim clerics, most Amish and (maybe more in previous times) many Mormons are sporting full beards without a mustache. Is there any reason for this? Do any scriptures mention anything about the… --- ## [iTunes question - Repeat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-question-repeat/719355)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/itunes-question-repeat/719355 "2015-05-06T16:07:07Z")
Recently, I downloaded iTunes for Windows 8, and when I played my first album, I wanted to repeat it… The entire album. And let it play into the night as I fell asleep to the music. However, I could not find any way to… --- ## [Why was Italy's WWI performance so poor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464)
**Author:** [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-italys-wwi-performance-so-poor/707464 "2015-05-06T15:46:02Z")
It is often claimed that Italy had the worst performance of World War I. Even though its major adversary Austria-Hungary was mostly engaged fighting the Russians, they had no major victories until October 1918 (when the… --- ## [Can an average person learn a truly foreign language just by watching a native language TV station?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-average-person-learn-a-truly-foreign-language-just-by-watching-a-native-language-tv-station/718946)
**Author:** [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2015, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-an-average-person-learn-a-truly-foreign-language-just-by-watching-a-native-language-tv-station/718946 "2015-05-06T15:07:09Z")
I like surfing the internet for weird foreign TV stations sometimes just to see what they are like. One of my favorites is an Icelandic station that has good production values and is roughly like an American version of P… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1118) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=1120)