# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=336 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 337 --- ## [Questions about the New York/Trump case](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-new-york-trump-case/918785)
**Author:** [@Roadfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roadfood)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [August 27, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-the-new-york-trump-case/918785 "2020-08-27T00:40:35Z")
Ok, this is GQ so this should go without saying, but I feel the need to say that I’m not interested in any partisan opinions or anything about who’s right or who’s wrong, I just want factual answers – if they exist – to … --- ## [Anal Doctor warns: Do not use wet wipes. I have so many questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-doctor-warns-do-not-use-wet-wipes-i-have-so-many-questions/916650)
**Author:** [@Dr.Colossus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Colossus)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anal-doctor-warns-do-not-use-wet-wipes-i-have-so-many-questions/916650 "2020-08-26T21:40:25Z")
Damned if I didn’t come across a topic that I have been thinking about for a few days: On FB someone posted a link to this article titled: “Why an Anal Surgeon Is Begging You To Stop Using Wet Wipes.” Key points: 1, yo… --- ## [Can someone point me to a good source for the most up to date news regarding Belarus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-point-me-to-a-good-source-for-the-most-up-to-date-news-regarding-belarus/919011)
**Author:** [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-point-me-to-a-good-source-for-the-most-up-to-date-news-regarding-belarus/919011 "2020-08-26T20:14:52Z")
I’ve tried google and twitter, but I can’t find much news since Sunday. The last I heard the military was going to respond on Monday if the protests didn’t stop. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks --- ## [USPS Informed Delivery in conjunction with a Hold](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-informed-delivery-in-conjunction-with-a-hold/918276)
**Author:** [@GnuMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GnuMe)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usps-informed-delivery-in-conjunction-with-a-hold/918276 "2020-08-26T19:10:23Z")
Going out of town for about five weeks. I can either put the mail on hold which I often due or ask a neighbor to accumulate it for me. I’d rather use the Hold method so that my neighbor isn’t inconvenienced…but I want … --- ## [Another "Firefox won't open a website" puzzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-firefox-wont-open-a-website-puzzle/919073)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-firefox-wont-open-a-website-puzzle/919073 "2020-08-26T18:49:39Z")
I am using Firefox 78.0.2 on Win 7 and I cannot go to the Eastwood auto page: https://www.eastwood.com/ The Explorer browser I have on the same computer goes fine. My phone goes there just fine using Chrome. I turned … --- ## [Laptop RAM upgrade failure](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-ram-upgrade-failure/919006)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laptop-ram-upgrade-failure/919006 "2020-08-26T16:48:52Z")
I replaced the two gig RAM in a Dell Latitude E-6400 and an HP 620 with eight gigs. On both laptops, System gives “8 Gig RAM, 2.8 usable”. What’s wrong? --- ## [The physics of gizzard stones in birds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-physics-of-gizzard-stones-in-birds/919034)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-physics-of-gizzard-stones-in-birds/919034 "2020-08-26T16:26:55Z")
Long time back, I used to have a pet bird and grit was recommended by the vet for the bird. It seems a lot of animals have gizzard stones (Gizzard - Wikipedia) “ A bird swallows small bits of gravel that act as ‘teeth’… --- ## [Has anyone been pardoned for post-conviction heroism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-pardoned-for-post-conviction-heroism/918963)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-been-pardoned-for-post-conviction-heroism/918963 "2020-08-26T15:04:45Z")
In fiction, it’s not a terribly uncommon plot device that a duly convicted criminal redeems themselves by performing some act of heroism (say, saving people from a burning building or a sinking ship, despite the great da… --- ## [Roku system sounds during podcasts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roku-system-sounds-during-podcasts/918473)
**Author:** [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 20, 2020, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roku-system-sounds-during-podcasts/918473 "2020-08-20T04:05:57Z")
I hope I’m describing this correctly. It’s either a known thing or I need medication and a soft bed. While listening to podcasts (iHeartRadio or Tune In) on my Roku TV I hear every couple minutes or so the 2-tone “Roku … --- ## [Does every tribe and every nation honor Sunday at the first day of the week?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-tribe-and-every-nation-honor-sunday-at-the-first-day-of-the-week/918823)
**Author:** [@Forever77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Forever77)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-every-tribe-and-every-nation-honor-sunday-at-the-first-day-of-the-week/918823 "2020-08-26T04:19:31Z")
Perhaps everyone and every calendar? Perhaps not? --- ## [My mouse is unresponsive in the morning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mouse-is-unresponsive-in-the-morning/918257)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-mouse-is-unresponsive-in-the-morning/918257 "2020-08-26T02:01:16Z")
I have a Windows 10 desktop, less than 6 months old. I turn it off only once a week, and keep it on the rest of the time. Each morning I come to my desk to start doing whatever on the pc, but there’s no mouse pointer on … --- ## [Can someone explain the A Level and GCSE scandal in the U.K.?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-a-level-and-gcse-scandal-in-the-u-k/918325)
**Author:** [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-a-level-and-gcse-scandal-in-the-u-k/918325 "2020-08-26T01:18:05Z")
I understand what the tests are from a previous GQ thread, but what is the current scandal all about? It seems like every news story starts in the middle and assumes I already know the background. Did the scoring system… --- ## [What's likely happening in this Google maps image?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-likely-happening-in-this-google-maps-image/918862)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 26, 2020, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-likely-happening-in-this-google-maps-image/918862 "2020-08-26T00:57:51Z")
The white granular spots on part (but only part) of the pond. Similar area on a different pond (one I used to visit as a kid before that hideous subdivision was there and it was all pasture) a few miles south. --- ## [Ad blocking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-blocking/918894)
**Author:** [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ad-blocking/918894 "2020-08-25T23:46:29Z")
There is no way I’m going to buy anything from an online ad, so what’s the point of forcing me to look at them in order to read a page? --- ## [Foiling Domestic Drones?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foiling-domestic-drones/664108)
**Author:** [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foiling-domestic-drones/664108 "2020-08-25T18:16:04Z")
With what seems like the inevitability of domestic drones being used for law enforcement, would it he legal to make the airspace above your house/yard unviewable and/or inaccessible? I’m thinking of camouflage netting or… --- ## [Doctors, Dentists, and Medical People--This is crazy, right? (tongue-piercing rumor)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858)
**Author:** [@The\_Wrong\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Wrong_Girl)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctors-dentists-and-medical-people-this-is-crazy-right-tongue-piercing-rumor/139858 "2020-08-25T17:06:17Z")
Once again, I’ve been suckered into believing something I read on the Internet. This time, a poster on the Ms. Boards, in a thread about tongue piercing, mentioned that friend of hers, who worked in a “very reputable me… --- ## [Question about USPS in the 1970s and 1980s](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-usps-in-the-1970s-and-1980s/918717)
**Author:** [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-usps-in-the-1970s-and-1980s/918717 "2020-08-25T14:33:24Z")
I have a question about mail processing at that time, and Google isn’t helping me. Maybe I’m leaving out a crucial keyword, IDK. Anyway, I knew several women (all women; keep the era in mind) who worked at the central … --- ## [How my new speakers are plugged in](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-my-new-speakers-are-plugged-in/918864)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-my-new-speakers-are-plugged-in/918864 "2020-08-25T09:38:23Z")
I just bought new speakers for my Mac. They are Harman/Kardon Soundsticks III, replacing my old Soundsticks II set, which connected with a USB cable. The new ones end with a plug that fits into only one place on my compu… --- ## [Any clockworks experts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-clockworks-experts/918910)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-clockworks-experts/918910 "2020-08-25T02:22:54Z")
Last night, when I got ready to retire (about 1:20 a.m.), I “wound” the three weights on my cuckoo clock. At about 8 a.m., I got up to feed the cats, and noticed that the weights for the cuckoo and the music box had not … --- ## [American Party National Convention....convention?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-party-national-convention-convention/918941)
**Author:** [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [August 25, 2020, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-party-national-convention-convention/918941 "2020-08-25T01:33:00Z")
So the RNC is kicking off just a few days after the DNC wraps up. To my mind that’s how I would want it as a Republican, your party gets to respond, deflect or change whatever message the opponents put forth. Is there … --- ## [Life in the French Free Zone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-the-french-free-zone/918427)
**Author:** [@thdudescar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thdudescar)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-in-the-french-free-zone/918427 "2020-08-24T17:58:41Z")
During WWII, what was life like in the French Free Zone? Was it life as usual for some? Was there some German occupation? --- ## [How cheap is lobster currently in the US?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cheap-is-lobster-currently-in-the-us/918322)
**Author:** [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-cheap-is-lobster-currently-in-the-us/918322 "2020-08-24T14:10:46Z")
When I lived out east years ago, one of the joys was the low cost and high availability of fresh fish and lobster. A boiled dinner of lobster, corn and mussels was easy to make and delicious. A NYT article today is bla… --- ## [When hurricanes collide](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-hurricanes-collide/918863)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-hurricanes-collide/918863 "2020-08-24T13:29:33Z")
What happens when two hurricanes merge into one? How often does that happen? How does the force of the new storm compare to that of the originals? --- ## [Good way to identify various USB cables?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-way-to-identify-various-usb-cables/854803)
**Author:** [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-way-to-identify-various-usb-cables/854803 "2020-08-24T06:26:49Z")
Like many people nowadays, I’ve amassed a variety of USB cables. I’d like to label them, so I can more easily choose one when I need it. USB-A and USB-B are easy. All the rest are these teeny plugs with little way to… --- ## [Hawaiian slang for 'big' -- Pepsi origin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-slang-for-big-pepsi-origin/918833)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawaiian-slang-for-big-pepsi-origin/918833 "2020-08-24T03:22:20Z")
A breakfast I had at a hotel in Hawaii a few years ago, had a name using a Hawaiian word that IIRC meant ‘big’ or ‘generous’ or something like that. It was a big breakfast, including sausage, linguica, and bacon. The w… --- ## [What good is Google Play!?!?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-is-google-play/918528)
**Author:** [@Turki-lurki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turki-lurki)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 24, 2020, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-good-is-google-play/918528 "2020-08-24T03:05:17Z")
I am an idiot. Got taken in on a scam and bought $300 in google play cards for a friend. Then learned his email account had been hijacked. Anyway- I have these cards, unactivated. Stores won’t take them back. And I can’… --- ## [Plumbing hell (or help)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-hell-or-help/917816)
**Author:** [@DMC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMC)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2020, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plumbing-hell-or-help/917816 "2020-08-23T21:46:14Z")
Do any resident plumbers or plumbing experts have any idea what kind of fittings these are on a bathroom sink? I’m trying to uninstall and the only thing that appears to make any sense is to bend the brass outward, which… --- ## [What is the equivalent of "thread count" for crockery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-equivalent-of-thread-count-for-crockery/918326)
**Author:** [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2020, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-equivalent-of-thread-count-for-crockery/918326 "2020-08-23T19:29:07Z")
We recently brought a set of plates, bowls, and cups that looked like a solid set crockery (not expensive but not dirt cheap either). It turns out they are super crappy and light weight, they now have more chips in a co… --- ## [Monster energy drink / Red Bull: poisonous to mice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monster-energy-drink-red-bull-poisonous-to-mice/918367)
**Author:** [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2020, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monster-energy-drink-red-bull-poisonous-to-mice/918367 "2020-08-23T17:53:47Z")
Our cabin in the woods is infested with mice. Apart from trying to find where they’re coming in, we’re looking at poisons. I came across this: “For taking care of pesky mice problems leave a small, low sided dish of MON… --- ## [Are there any guns that are actually silent (or nearly so) as the movies would have it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [August 23, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-guns-that-are-actually-silent-or-nearly-so-as-the-movies-would-have-it/917683 "2020-08-23T16:42:42Z")
Movies frequently show people firing silenced weapons that make little more than a “pfft” sound when fired. But, a pistol with a silencer is far from silent. This guy says a silenced pistol is in the 130 decibel range.… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=335) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=337)