# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=221 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 222 --- ## [Disabling a Military Vehicle (Maybe Your Own)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disabling-a-military-vehicle-maybe-your-own/960675)
**Author:** [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disabling-a-military-vehicle-maybe-your-own/960675 "2022-03-09T22:43:47Z")
I’m thinking about this because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. If a military conscript, possibly still in his home country, wanted to vandalize a vehicle, such as a transport truck, what would be some discreet and effect… --- ## [What military hardware can be used without specialized training?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-hardware-can-be-used-without-specialized-training/960545)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-military-hardware-can-be-used-without-specialized-training/960545 "2022-03-09T16:20:03Z")
So, currently, the First World is supplying military equipment to Ukraine, but not any manpower. What kind of equipment can be meaningfully supplied in this way? On the one hand, you’ve got things like personal firearm… --- ## [Legal basis for seizing, freezing, Russian oligarchs' assets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-basis-for-seizing-freezing-russian-oligarchs-assets/960541)
**Author:** [@kenoMD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenoMD)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-basis-for-seizing-freezing-russian-oligarchs-assets/960541 "2022-03-09T13:43:11Z")
What gives NATO members’ the right to seize or freeze the assets of Russian oligarchs? Can any citizens be held personally responsible for the actions of their country? --- ## [How do i get my dogs in my new loft bed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dogs-in-my-new-loft-bed/960641)
**Author:** [@poppy1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poppy1)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-get-my-dogs-in-my-new-loft-bed/960641 "2022-03-09T12:56:09Z")
Hi i have a pit bull a jack Russel and a Boston terrier all 3 dogs sleep with me in bed i have recently bought a loft bed where i have realized after the fact of buying a new bed frame my dogs cannot get into the bed. a… --- ## [Origin of play, stop, pause, etc. buttons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-play-stop-pause-etc-buttons/473426)
**Author:** [@Vox\_Imperatoris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vox_Imperatoris)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-play-stop-pause-etc-buttons/473426 "2022-03-09T10:42:53Z")
When were these first settled as distinct shapes and by whom? The play button, as an arrow pointing forward, and the skip/fast forward buttons seem pretty obvious but less so for the others. Valete, Vox Imperatoris --- ## [Decomposition and Skin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decomposition-and-skin/960728)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/decomposition-and-skin/960728 "2022-03-09T06:56:03Z")
Something that I have wondered about for some time now. The outer layer of human skin is dead. Right? So why doesn’t it decompose? When you die, from what I understand, your outer dermis starts decaying in one day. Oft… --- ## [Place names with a definite article](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-with-a-definite-article/960425)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 100\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/place-names-with-a-definite-article/960425 "2022-03-09T03:18:51Z")
I’ve been noticing that The Ukraine is now mostly being referred to as Ukraine. When did this change? And how many other places take a “the”? The Hague The Netherlands The Bronx Is there a historical reason the for … --- ## [Water in a truck gearbox - drive or not? (Edit)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-in-a-truck-gearbox-drive-or-not-edit/960391)
**Author:** [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2022, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-in-a-truck-gearbox-drive-or-not-edit/960391 "2022-03-09T00:46:34Z")
My brother’s truck (Mitsubishi 4wd) got partially submerged in the recent floods we’ve had around here, up to about the door sills. It still drives but the (manual) gearbox has been behaving strangely (gear changes stic… --- ## [Has anyone ever been arrested in the United States for farting illegally?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-arrested-in-the-united-states-for-farting-illegally/960533)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-ever-been-arrested-in-the-united-states-for-farting-illegally/960533 "2022-03-08T23:07:42Z")
Looking it up I’m just seeing European examples, but I remember 3-4 years ago there was a viral story on Twitter somebody in the US personally claimed they had been arrested by the police for “disturbing the peace” for f… --- ## [Why nothing in the U.S. press about Denis Kireev?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-nothing-in-the-u-s-press-about-denis-kireev/960651)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-nothing-in-the-u-s-press-about-denis-kireev/960651 "2022-03-08T21:31:05Z")
A Ukrainian who was part of the negotiation with Russia was killed. Reports say he was killed by Ukrainian police. I see this in a couple of British and one Israeli source online. Why there no mention of this in the U.S.… --- ## [Technology Question (iPhone and self-populating fields)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-question-iphone-and-self-populating-fields/960660)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technology-question-iphone-and-self-populating-fields/960660 "2022-03-08T17:44:14Z")
Okay, so I’ve got an iPhone. Sometimes, I like to sign up for an app, and when I register, the app will ask me for my email address. For some reason, my phone ALWAYS volunteers to populate the email field with my work em… --- ## [How long can a military convoy stick together?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-military-convoy-stick-together/960471)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-a-military-convoy-stick-together/960471 "2022-03-08T14:13:13Z")
The convoy in Ukraine has now been there for almost a week. Given that a large percentage of the elements of the convoy are tanks, personnel carriers, and the like, how long can a convoy stick together? Are they sleepi… --- ## [Question regarding Section 2 of the 14th Amendment. Voting Rights](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-section-2-of-the-14th-amendment-voting-rights/960321)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-section-2-of-the-14th-amendment-voting-rights/960321 "2022-03-08T14:06:32Z")
What hindered Black citizens from being able to vote based on Section. 2 of the 14th Amendment ( which guaranteed all citizens 21 or over, no matter their race, the right to vote?) prior to the ratificatio of the 15th Am… --- ## [\*How\* would a lethal dose of neutrinos kill you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-lethal-dose-of-neutrinos-kill-you/960514)
**Author:** [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-lethal-dose-of-neutrinos-kill-you/960514 "2022-03-08T13:37:55Z")
In this XKCD What If essay, Randall Monroe address the concept of a lethal dose of neutrinos. But on rereading it, it doesn’t seem to say exactly how the neutrinos would kill you. Since the What If scenario involves bei… --- ## [It’s March 4, what’s with the flag waving?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-march-4-what-s-with-the-flag-waving/960488)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-s-march-4-what-s-with-the-flag-waving/960488 "2022-03-08T07:01:50Z")
I live in the Twin Cities. All day it’s been flags on bridges and people in their yards or on street corners waving flags at traffic. Some QANON thing? Did Trump do something? --- ## [Question about light](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-light/960567)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2022, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-light/960567 "2022-03-08T05:55:58Z")
Does light accelerate to C or does it start off at C? Does the fact that light has a limit to it’s speed indicate anything about light? Such as does it have some kind of mass? Or is it passing through something that is k… --- ## [How long does an individual atom survive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-an-individual-atom-survive/655514)
**Author:** [@Kamakiri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamakiri)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-does-an-individual-atom-survive/655514 "2022-03-07T20:52:56Z")
I know that probably by most, if not all definitions, atoms are not “alive” as we would phrase it, but they ARE little bits of matter that cohere in a manner necessary for them to be called atoms as opposed to say, free-… --- ## [Middle East Drug Seizures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-east-drug-seizures/960570)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2022, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/middle-east-drug-seizures/960570 "2022-03-07T20:31:26Z")
I read on the BBC that a boat was stopped in The Gulf of Oman and a large haul of drugs destroyed. The Royal Navy has seized more than one tonne of illicit drugs thought to be worth almost £15m in the Gulf of Oman. Du… --- ## [Mask use during a pandemic preventing other airborne diseases](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mask-use-during-a-pandemic-preventing-other-airborne-diseases/960611)
**Author:** [@pianodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pianodave)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2022, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mask-use-during-a-pandemic-preventing-other-airborne-diseases/960611 "2022-03-07T19:58:47Z")
I am curious as to what studies show about the effectiveness of widespread mask usage in preventing other airborne infections/diseases like the flu, etc. Is there a drop in recorded cases of respiratory infections? If … --- ## [What happens to people with braces after the apocalypse?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-with-braces-after-the-apocalypse/960582)
**Author:** [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2022, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-people-with-braces-after-the-apocalypse/960582 "2022-03-07T16:15:43Z")
Electric power is gone. Medical supplies cease to be manufactured and distributed. City utilities stop working. We’re in a post-apocalyptic world regressed to scavenging bits and pieces of what used to be modern society. … --- ## [Cell phone video three panels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-video-three-panels/960546)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-video-three-panels/960546 "2022-03-06T23:48:54Z")
Cell phone video I’ve seen on the news and you tube have a focused picture in the middle, and out of focus pictures on either side. What causes that? --- ## [Is the war in the Ukraine affecting the Google speed worldwide?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-war-in-the-ukraine-affecting-the-google-speed-worldwide/960499)
**Author:** [@Octagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octagon)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2022, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-war-in-the-ukraine-affecting-the-google-speed-worldwide/960499 "2022-03-06T08:21:37Z")
I’ve always wondered how much conflicts affect the speeds of search engines worldwide, not just in the affected countries. How much is due to heavier than usual trafffic and how much is deliberate meddling by hackers/gov… --- ## [Making a 5-sided die with equal probabilities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-5-sided-die-with-equal-probabilities/958739)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2022, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-a-5-sided-die-with-equal-probabilities/958739 "2022-03-06T07:04:40Z")
Imagine a five-sided die in the shape of a pyramid with height H, with four triangular sides and one square base with sides of length B. Further imagine that this pyramid is very tall and narrow, with H/B approaching in… --- ## [Estate Planning & Social Security](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-planning-social-security/960479)
**Author:** [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2022, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/estate-planning-social-security/960479 "2022-03-06T06:18:32Z")
My mother-in-law (88) is entering her end-of-life stage. We are getting things organized. It seems that the lady never collected Social Security. Family members report to us that she never qualified as she never worked … --- ## [What's the science behind impersonating people's voices?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-science-behind-impersonating-peoples-voices/959406)
**Author:** [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2022, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-science-behind-impersonating-peoples-voices/959406 "2022-03-06T03:51:50Z")
I have a few voices I’m pretty good at impersonating, notably that of Michael Dorn from Star Trek: The Next Generation. What’s the secret to impersonating people’s voices for comedic effect? Listening and matching the … --- ## [Is there any type of device that can locate a buried metal box, even if a metal detector can't find it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-type-of-device-that-can-locate-a-buried-metal-box-even-if-a-metal-detector-cant-find-it/960501)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2022, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-type-of-device-that-can-locate-a-buried-metal-box-even-if-a-metal-detector-cant-find-it/960501 "2022-03-05T19:21:54Z")
(Other than a very long pointy stick, I mean.) Long, long ago, when I was in fifth grade, we buried a time capsule in front of the school. I don’t remember what we put into it, but all the classes participated. I thin… --- ## [Health benefits of drinking water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-benefits-of-drinking-water/960462)
**Author:** [@Roger\_That](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roger_That)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2022, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-benefits-of-drinking-water/960462 "2022-03-05T15:46:58Z")
I’m used to hearing a lot of nonsense from nutritionists and dieticians, but one thing in particular they are unable to make much sense to me is the need to drink a lot of water. I understand the need to stay hydrated, … --- ## [Can a congress person be escorted out of a SOTU address for heckling?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-congress-person-be-escorted-out-of-a-sotu-address-for-heckling/960422)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2022, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-congress-person-be-escorted-out-of-a-sotu-address-for-heckling/960422 "2022-03-05T05:12:45Z")
I won’t argue that’s what should have happened at Tuesdays night Address, I’m just wondering if they could. I vaguely remember there being some sort of law that prevents law enforcement (or anybody) from keeping congres… --- ## [Under what non-adoptive circumstances might a birth certificate be sealed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-what-non-adoptive-circumstances-might-a-birth-certificate-be-sealed/960472)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2022, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/under-what-non-adoptive-circumstances-might-a-birth-certificate-be-sealed/960472 "2022-03-05T03:43:09Z")
None of this first-hand info, so what I describe is the absolute limit of my knowledge on the subject. Anyway. . . I have a relative who claimed that her birth certificate is ‘sealed’ (the word I got from two other rel… --- ## [Adopting stepchildren: Can children legally have 3 or more parents?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adopting-stepchildren-can-children-legally-have-3-or-more-parents/957552)
**Author:** [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2022, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/adopting-stepchildren-can-children-legally-have-3-or-more-parents/957552 "2022-03-05T00:22:00Z")
I’ve been wondering about the adoption of stepchildren in more unusual setups. In all adoptions obviously the child’s, um, prospective parent must want and consent to this. I assume if both the current parents are aliv… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=220) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=222)