# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=370 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 371 --- ## [How does the distribution network of the post office work](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-distribution-network-of-the-post-office-work/852298)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2020, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-the-distribution-network-of-the-post-office-work/852298 "2020-04-23T10:18:38Z")
If you mail something from a small town in california to a small town in New York its obvious they don’t take the letter directly. I assume there is some kind of hub and spoke system. So how does it work? Are there cert… --- ## [Chna's overseas assets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chnas-overseas-assets/852140)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2020, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chnas-overseas-assets/852140 "2020-04-23T08:12:57Z")
Some people are calling for the seizure of China’s assets in the US, Europe and Australia to pay for the damages caused by the COVID Virus. How many Billion dollars in assets do they have abroad and how liquid are they? … --- ## [Can I (legally) pay Elon Musk to NEVER take someone to space?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-legally-pay-elon-musk-to-never-take-someone-to-space/852076)
**Author:** [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2020, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-legally-pay-elon-musk-to-never-take-someone-to-space/852076 "2020-04-23T03:56:52Z")
Okay, SpaceX, Elon Musk. We all know the man, his company, and his goals of space colonization. I recall him saying awhile back that he hopes to eventually drive the cost of moving a transporting a person to a Mars colon… --- ## [Tinnitus vs Hearing Aid](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinnitus-vs-hearing-aid/852366)
**Author:** [@Carlarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carlarm)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2020, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tinnitus-vs-hearing-aid/852366 "2020-04-23T03:18:53Z")
My wife has tinnitus (noise in the ears not from physical sound) resulting from chemo therapy she went through several years ago. I’m trying to convince her to see an audiologist and perhaps be fitted with a hearing aid.… --- ## [does one need IRB approval for non-govt human research?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-need-irb-approval-for-non-govt-human-research/852388)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-one-need-irb-approval-for-non-govt-human-research/852388 "2020-04-22T23:59:16Z")
Can a researcher who doesn’t have/use govt funds do human subjects research and publish in journals without IRB approval? It seems difficult to draw a line especially related to sociology or psychology ‘studies’. I’m s… --- ## [Quick PubMed question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pubmed-question/852368)
**Author:** [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-pubmed-question/852368 "2020-04-22T21:09:57Z")
I have a persistent anti-vaxxer ‘friend’ on Facebook, part of whose evidence base is links to research papers (or their summary/abstract) on PubMed. I gather this is a legitimate site for proper scientists to post resear… --- ## [How does Zoom (video-conferencing software) insert virtual backgrounds so well?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-zoom-video-conferencing-software-insert-virtual-backgrounds-so-well/850808)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-zoom-video-conferencing-software-insert-virtual-backgrounds-so-well/850808 "2020-04-22T19:23:36Z")
If you’ve been using Zoom for remote video-conferencing, then you may know that it allows you to insert virtual backgrounds behind you. This is great when working from home and you want to hide your unmade bed or empty… --- ## [What percent of divorces go to trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-divorces-go-to-trial/834013)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percent-of-divorces-go-to-trial/834013 "2020-04-22T17:44:46Z")
My friend is in a bitter divorce and they cannot settle it so they are going to trial in a few weeks. According to him his wife is asking for things a retired judge as mediator said she will never get. I’m divorce… --- ## [Why do steam locomotives "chug" (the noise they make...chugga chugga chugga)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-steam-locomotives-chug-the-noise-they-make-chugga-chugga-chugga/852114)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-steam-locomotives-chug-the-noise-they-make-chugga-chugga-chugga/852114 "2020-04-22T17:28:35Z")
Title kinda says it all. You can hear the noise here. I thought the smoke stack was for wood/coal being burned to heat the water in the boiler. Steam was used to push the piston that drove the wheels. Excess steam is… --- ## [2I/Borisov: latest observations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2i-borisov-latest-observations/846208)
**Author:** [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2i-borisov-latest-observations/846208 "2020-04-22T17:27:55Z")
Anyone hear of any recent observations of 2I/Borisov? It’s an interstellar comet (the first was Oumuamua) that was supposed to reach its closest point to earth on December 28th. There doesn’t seem to be any new informati… --- ## [Botanists and gardeners, what kind of plant/flower is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanists-and-gardeners-what-kind-of-plant-flower-is-this/851951)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/botanists-and-gardeners-what-kind-of-plant-flower-is-this/851951 "2020-04-22T16:42:49Z")
Mystery Plant. To elaborate on the photos, the flowers have five petals, look somewhat like wild roses as best I can tell, and do have a faint rose like odor. However, there is nary a thorn to be seen. So I’m pretty s… --- ## [Backfiring harmful to car? (I hope so)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backfiring-harmful-to-car-i-hope-so/852194)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/backfiring-harmful-to-car-i-hope-so/852194 "2020-04-22T13:51:34Z")
There’s an idiot in town driving a BMW that, I guess, is supposed to be some sort of race car or something and the exhaust is annoyingly loud. It seems he likes to get on the gas hard at every opportunity, even when the… --- ## [NYT article on black hole Sagittarius A\*](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-article-on-black-hole-sagittarius-a/852229)
**Author:** [@EdwardLost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardLost)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nyt-article-on-black-hole-sagittarius-a/852229 "2020-04-22T13:32:47Z")
This New York Times article below from a few days ago is about star S2, which closely orbits the Milky Way central black hole. The observation is that S2’s orbit processes in agreement with relativistic calculations. Th… --- ## [Hair product question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-product-question/852281 "2020-04-22T08:55:30Z")
Are creme rinse and conditioner the same thing? I remember creme rinse as a product used to detangle hair, while conditioner was used for volume and split ends, but when I went to the store the other day I couldn’t find… --- ## [Washing face with warm, then cold water (or only either)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-face-with-warm-then-cold-water-or-only-either/852323)
**Author:** [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washing-face-with-warm-then-cold-water-or-only-either/852323 "2020-04-22T07:27:01Z")
What are the effects (beneficial or otherwise) of washing one’s face with first warm water, and then with cold water? Are there any advantages to only washing with warm water? Or only cold? I’m wondering about potential… --- ## [Simple electrical question (I hope)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-electrical-question-i-hope/852265)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-electrical-question-i-hope/852265 "2020-04-22T06:18:15Z")
I have 3 wall sconces in our bathroom and will be removing one and replacing the other two. Since one of the fixtures will be removed I need to know what to do with the loose wires once I take out the fixture. I’m expect… --- ## [African-American police officers, pre-Civil Rights Era](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-american-police-officers-pre-civil-rights-era/852221)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/african-american-police-officers-pre-civil-rights-era/852221 "2020-04-22T02:53:49Z")
I know there were some, but how did this work out in practice? Were they assigned beats only in black or black-majority neighborhoods? Were they respected by the community or did blacks regard them as Toms, tools of the … --- ## [Compare and Contrast!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-and-contrast/851195)
**Author:** [@Sdowiat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sdowiat)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2020, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/compare-and-contrast/851195 "2020-04-22T02:19:44Z")
Do you remember when teachers used to correct our statements? Now it seems they only create inconsistencies. What’s up with assignments to “Compare and Contrast” things? To compare means not only to look at how thin… --- ## [How would a tax rate of 100% work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-tax-rate-of-100-work/851675)
**Author:** [@Muddibog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muddibog)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-a-tax-rate-of-100-work/851675 "2020-04-21T19:32:17Z")
I know this may seem like a dumb question, but I don’t really know how taxes work. I hear that President FDR proposed a tax rate of 100% in the '40s for all incomes above $25,000 (which today would be about $400,000). D… --- ## [Mutual intelligibility of Spanish and Italian?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutual-intelligibility-of-spanish-and-italian/851988)
**Author:** [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mutual-intelligibility-of-spanish-and-italian/851988 "2020-04-21T18:36:59Z")
Both descended from Latin and both have varying degrees of Germanic and Arabic influence. How easily would a Spaniard, or Spanish speaking Latin American be able to understand an Italian? Could a Madrid resident easily f… --- ## ['Vulgar But Not Slang'.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulgar-but-not-slang/852021)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vulgar-but-not-slang/852021 "2020-04-21T15:56:54Z")
I am a little confused by the classification of certain words, specifically in a dictionary I have had for some time now. That is where I first found out this fact. Some English words are 'vulgar", but not ‘slang’. I g… --- ## [Finding Numbers Divisible By 13 and 76.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-numbers-divisible-by-13-and-76/852176)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-numbers-divisible-by-13-and-76/852176 "2020-04-21T15:04:56Z")
As I must’ve said by now, I enjoy playing around with numbers, calculators and the like. And as I also must’ve made clear by now, I am fascinated with coïncidences. Anyway as you will see, the two are related, for this … --- ## [How does a playlist create a DMCA problem?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-playlist-create-a-dmca-problem/852163)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Downtown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Downtown)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-playlist-create-a-dmca-problem/852163 "2020-04-21T11:44:39Z")
I listen each week to a folk music program, The Midnight Special, on Chicago’s WFMT. The evening’s playlist used to go up on the show’s website the next day. Beginning a few months ago, playlists don’t go up until a we… --- ## [ipad doesn't remember site settings. Fixable?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipad-doesnt-remember-site-settings-fixable/852089)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipad-doesnt-remember-site-settings-fixable/852089 "2020-04-21T04:36:00Z")
I can put my location into the National Weather Service site, or select my favorite channels on the TVGuide site, and my desk computer retains them indefinitely. My ipad keeps them for a couple days then goes back to not… --- ## [How much would it cost to set up a line on which forum members can talk via voice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-it-cost-to-set-up-a-line-on-which-forum-members-can-talk-via-voice/852096)
**Author:** [@CCitizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CCitizen)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-it-cost-to-set-up-a-line-on-which-forum-members-can-talk-via-voice/852096 "2020-04-21T04:17:23Z")
Please explain. I do not know if it is possible. I am a total newbie in all things related to video conferencing. --- ## [Dismissing Congress](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissing-congress/851935)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dismissing-congress/851935 "2020-04-21T00:35:25Z")
I learned today that a president can legally dismiss both houses of congress, but under what circumstances can the US President dismiss both houses of Congress? --- ## [Why is weather RADAR slow to load?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-weather-radar-slow-to-load/852075)
**Author:** [@Tilt-A-Whirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tilt-A-Whirl)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-weather-radar-slow-to-load/852075 "2020-04-21T00:26:57Z")
I have a fast internet connection, I can click on a YouTube video and instantly be watching a 30fps video in high definition with stereo sound. But if I go to weather.com and try to watch the local radar map, it slowly … --- ## [Friend request from beyond the grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214)
**Author:** [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2020, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friend-request-from-beyond-the-grave/852214 "2020-04-20T23:42:07Z")
So I just got a friend request on Facebook from a person I know, and I know she passed away about a year ago. I am guessing her page has been taken over by a bot or someone who will be using it for nefarious purposes. … --- ## [Agencies explicitly ignoring law violations-how common?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agencies-explicitly-ignoring-law-violations-how-common/851891)
**Author:** [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2020, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/agencies-explicitly-ignoring-law-violations-how-common/851891 "2020-04-20T21:14:26Z")
A couple of times recently, due to the pandemic, I have heard US federal agencies explicitly tell members of the public that while they can’t waive a given regulation, they assure people that they will not investigate vi… --- ## [What is the prefix meaning “sex”?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-prefix-meaning-sex/852106)
**Author:** [@Project\_Patahhh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Project_Patahhh)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2020, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-prefix-meaning-sex/852106 "2020-04-20T16:33:30Z")
Let me explain. I ask because in the world of psychedelic drugs, someone who goes exploring on trips is sometimes called a “psychonaut”. Today I decided to come up with a word meaning the same thing except for sex. Like … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=369) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=371)