# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=289 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 290 --- ## [How do we know what accents used to be like historically?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-know-what-accents-used-to-be-like-historically/939614)
**Author:** [@Delayed\_Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delayed_Reflex)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-know-what-accents-used-to-be-like-historically/939614 "2021-04-09T20:42:33Z")
I’ve heard things before like “the Quebec French accent is closest to how French was spoken in France during the time when Canada was colonized” or “certain new England accents most closely resemble what British English … --- ## [Buying an apartment in the US](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-an-apartment-in-the-us/939446)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buying-an-apartment-in-the-us/939446 "2021-04-09T17:48:02Z")
Whenever buying vs renting is discussed it sometimes seems to be an assumption that you buy a house or rent an apartment. Is this usually the case? How often do people buy apartments? It seems to skew the rent vs buy di… --- ## [What exactly is in brown water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-in-brown-water/939602)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-in-brown-water/939602 "2021-04-09T15:41:41Z")
The condo I’m renting in Miami had to shut off the water this morning, apparently due to a leak on a floor below me. When they turned it back on, brown water began coming out of the faucets. It eventually turned clear, … --- ## [Legally, what would happen if somebody got something that was illegal tattooed on their body?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-what-would-happen-if-somebody-got-something-that-was-illegal-tattooed-on-their-body/939594)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legally-what-would-happen-if-somebody-got-something-that-was-illegal-tattooed-on-their-body/939594 "2021-04-09T14:40:35Z")
I saw a discussion on Twitter about the “Worst Tattoos Ever” and somebody brought up the theoretical idea of somebody in the future getting a “photo-realistic” image of child pornography on their body, and what exactly w… --- ## [Libre Office does not open \[solved\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libre-office-does-not-open-solved/939615)
**Author:** [@PoppaSan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PoppaSan)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/libre-office-does-not-open-solved/939615 "2021-04-09T14:23:16Z")
I’ve been using Libre Office for years. This morning it refused to open. Clicking the icon, clicking an associated file, clicking any other associated files, selecting \[safe mode\] from the Win10 start menu. A few seco… --- ## [Can you research an organization using their EIN?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-research-an-organization-using-their-ein/939647)
**Author:** [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-research-an-organization-using-their-ein/939647 "2021-04-09T10:26:02Z")
Long story short, we suspect sleazy behavior by an organization incorporated as a nonprofit. They gave me an IRS letter proving their 501c3 status but some things seem really fishy. Their EIN is on the IRS letter, of co… --- ## [Do British Catholics Sing 'God Save the Queen'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-catholics-sing-god-save-the-queen/939274)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2021, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-british-catholics-sing-god-save-the-queen/939274 "2021-04-09T06:33:14Z")
Now I live in Detroit, right on the border of Canada. And I can tell you religious affiliation is a nonissue there. (Of course the queen in fact is the queen of Canada. But let’s not complicate things.) Do English Roman… --- ## [Anyone own/work in a small commercial radio station?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-work-in-a-small-commercial-radio-station/939329)
**Author:** [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-own-work-in-a-small-commercial-radio-station/939329 "2021-04-08T20:28:00Z")
Having dreams of winning the PowerBall jackpot, and knowing a local radio station (on AM & FM) shut down this past year, I’m curious on what it would take to establish a local radio station (or restart this one). I’m no… --- ## [A Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mar-a-lago-palm-beach-question/939451)
**Author:** [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-mar-a-lago-palm-beach-question/939451 "2021-04-08T20:24:03Z")
What was the problem Palm Beach had with anyone taking fixed residency at Mar-a-Lago? --- ## [Plumbing for hot water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-for-hot-water/939503)
**Author:** [@ALOHA\_HATER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALOHA_HATER)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-for-hot-water/939503 "2021-04-08T20:18:53Z")
In my old house, getting hot water in the bathroom upstairs took a long time. I presume that best practices is to split the pipe from the water heater and send one pipe directly to the upstairs bathroom so you can have a… --- ## [Are there limits on what US Customs and Border Protection can do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-what-us-customs-and-border-protection-can-do/939591)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-what-us-customs-and-border-protection-can-do/939591 "2021-04-08T19:31:13Z")
I’ve been watching “To Catch a Smuggler” on the National Geographic channel lately. It follows CBP around as they interview travelers and inspect packages. I don’t THINK it’s staged. It’s pretty common for them to open … --- ## [Question: LatinX?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-latinx/938464)
**Author:** [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Replies:** 105\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-latinx/938464 "2021-04-08T19:10:56Z")
Who all is using the term LatinX? Anecdotally I don’t know a single person of Middle- or South-American descent who uses it. Is it literally only NPR journalists and hosts? And another thing: when I first saw this varia… --- ## [What is this mystery tool?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-tool/939577)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-mystery-tool/939577 "2021-04-08T18:47:41Z")
It superficially resembles an offset screwdriver- https://ibb.co/KscXXtb -only it’s not because the head is all wrong: end-on view: https://ibb.co/QPHzJJ4 top-down view: https://ibb.co/VDhLNML Any idea? I have no … --- ## ["Largest" hospital in US/Canada](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/largest-hospital-in-us-canada/939538 "2021-04-08T11:21:08Z")
I am seeing claims that the recently completed CHUM hospital in Montreal is the “largest in North America”. I am trying to figure out what it is based on. Not bed count (it has about 1600 beds - there are others with ove… --- ## [EKG does not show iminent quintuple bypass?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ekg-does-not-show-iminent-quintuple-bypass/939490)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2021, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ekg-does-not-show-iminent-quintuple-bypass/939490 "2021-04-08T01:04:46Z")
I’m not looking for specific diagnoses, but general understanding of what an EKG can and cannot show. A guy I know saw his cardiologist with chest discomfort. History of reflux. Doc speculated that’s what it was, sent… --- ## [Need info on a business](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-info-on-a-business/939559)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-info-on-a-business/939559 "2021-04-07T19:54:25Z")
A friend of mine was contacted by a company called “Star Talent Entertainment” based in NYC, supposedly run by a “Ron Smith”, and she can’t seem to find any information about it. Not interested in any companies with jus… --- ## [Laptop computers and failing batteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-computers-and-failing-batteries/939449)
**Author:** [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2021, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-computers-and-failing-batteries/939449 "2021-04-07T13:39:15Z")
We have a laptop that’s about three years old and the battery is starting to fail. When plugged in, does a laptop still require a functioning battery or can we continue to use it even if the battery is completely dead? --- ## [How to write a bibliographic cite for multiple USGS topo maps](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-write-a-bibliographic-cite-for-multiple-usgs-topo-maps/939194)
**Author:** [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2021, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-write-a-bibliographic-cite-for-multiple-usgs-topo-maps/939194 "2021-04-07T12:03:12Z")
I’m finishing up writing a book and I’m doing my bibliography. I’ve come across something that I can not seem to find a way to write the source for. I am dealing with small cemeteries and sometimes they come up on the US… --- ## [MPAA numbers on movies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpaa-numbers-on-movies/46023)
**Author:** [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 30, 2012, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mpaa-numbers-on-movies/46023 "2012-10-30T08:47:13Z")
At the end of a movie, after ALL the credits have run, you’ll see a stylized Mercator globe with a film reel in the middle. Above it is a number and below is the name, “Motion Picture Association of America”. Is there a … --- ## [Is skywriting still a thing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-skywriting-still-a-thing/939332)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2021, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-skywriting-still-a-thing/939332 "2021-04-07T05:15:19Z")
In the 70’s and 80’s, i could see a couple of writings per year. I don’t think I’ve seen one in 25 years but I’ve lived in rural areas all that time so very few people would see the message. Do they still happen over big… --- ## [Train engines running in reverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-engines-running-in-reverse/939481)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2021, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/train-engines-running-in-reverse/939481 "2021-04-07T04:47:09Z")
Here’s a quick one I’ve always wondered. Can a train running backward go as fast as one going forward? I’ve often seen a second or third engine in the middle or the end and can it running so I assume direction doesn’t ma… --- ## [Use of which vs that](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-which-vs-that/939486)
**Author:** [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-which-vs-that/939486 "2021-04-06T22:13:17Z")
In this sentence, which is the correct use: Species which/that have been regarded as varieties turn out to be new species. (need answer fast) --- ## [Ethernet port becomes non-functional, OK after reboot (Windows 10)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethernet-port-becomes-non-functional-ok-after-reboot-windows-10/927668)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethernet-port-becomes-non-functional-ok-after-reboot-windows-10/927668 "2021-04-06T18:39:42Z")
Occasionally my Ethernet port will show there is no Internet connection. But there is. Running the Windows troubleshooter doesn’t help. I updated drivers and that didn’t help. When the port is in this state, there is som… --- ## [Are there dinosaurs in every country?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dinosaurs-in-every-country/938784)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-dinosaurs-in-every-country/938784 "2021-04-06T18:20:28Z")
As I understand it, dinosaur fossils have been found on every continent, including Antarctica. But have they been found within the borders of every modern-day country (excluding microstates like the Vatican)? If not, w… --- ## [What sound do penguins make?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sound-do-penguins-make/191816)
**Author:** [@TheSundanceKid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheSundanceKid)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-sound-do-penguins-make/191816 "2021-04-06T17:35:42Z")
Do penguins quack, or are they silent creatures? Do different species of penguin make different sounds? --- ## [Advanced Tactical Laser](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advanced-tactical-laser/939277)
**Author:** [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/advanced-tactical-laser/939277 "2021-04-06T17:25:22Z")
The Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) program was a US military program to mount a high energy laser weapon on an aircraft, initially the AC-130 gunship, for use against ground targets in urban or other areas where minimizi… --- ## [Historical US train routes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-us-train-routes/939444)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/historical-us-train-routes/939444 "2021-04-06T16:37:17Z")
Going back to the prime rail travel years of the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s (or earlier): Was it ever possible to travel across the US (coast to coast) by a scheduled train without having to change (usually in Chicago if travel… --- ## [Zoom call audio problems](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoom-call-audio-problems/939367)
**Author:** [@Mike\_Mabes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mike_Mabes)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zoom-call-audio-problems/939367 "2021-04-06T12:52:06Z")
Calll with my brother. He is playing guitar and I can hear him fine. And his voice. Everytime I play guitar, suddenly he can’t hear my voice, it becomes so low he can barely hear me. 30 seconds later he can hear my voi… --- ## [How Long Will CD's and DVD's Last?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-cds-and-dvds-last/939067)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-will-cds-and-dvds-last/939067 "2021-04-06T04:42:56Z")
A couple of days ago I was playing a CD I had made at FYE’s Mix and Burn. Wonderful company. They will burn any song that you want on CD, as they have a large collection of songs. Anyways, I noticed the CD had lumps on t… --- ## [Why do women wear skirts and men trousers?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836)
**Author:** [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Replies:** 71\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2021, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-women-wear-skirts-and-men-trousers/937836 "2021-04-06T03:55:46Z")
Logic might suggest that men’s dangly bits might be happier unconfined, while women might like trousers. Roman men wore skirts so what happened in Europe to make the switch? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=288) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=290)