# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=498 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 499 --- ## [How would Phenakospermum get to NE South America?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-phenakospermum-get-to-ne-south-america/828082)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 21, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-phenakospermum-get-to-ne-south-america/828082 "2019-01-21T00:35:15Z")
I finally obtained a specimen of Phenakospermum guyannense, a relative of the common “Bird of Paradise” plant (Strelitzia reginea). Both Strelitzia (southern Africa) and it’s close relative, Ravenela (Madagascar) origin… --- ## [Need help with French translation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945)
**Author:** [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-with-french-translation/827945 "2019-01-20T18:30:01Z")
Air has a song called “Ce Matin La” Google Translate says that this translates to “This morning” Bing Translate says “This morning the” I’m curious about the “la”. Is this an idiom? --- ## [Disk format taking forEVer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disk-format-taking-forever/828022)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disk-format-taking-forever/828022 "2019-01-20T17:39:37Z")
I have a 2TB USB drive that somehow ended up in RAW format. Windows can’t seem to read it. I had never heard of this until now and have not been able to find a way to convert it to NTFS without reformatting. So I’m refor… --- ## [Film clip: Francisco Franco (and family) addressing the people of the Untited States](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-clip-francisco-franco-and-family-addressing-the-people-of-the-untited-states/828092)
**Author:** [@CPU\_Sharkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CPU_Sharkey)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/film-clip-francisco-franco-and-family-addressing-the-people-of-the-untited-states/828092 "2019-01-20T06:37:21Z")
Back in the 1980’s, I saw a film clip on the local PBS station (KQED in San Francisco) where Francisco Franco and his wife & daughter were speaking to the people of the United States. I don’t know when it was filmed, b… --- ## [Are there single-lensed glasses that are not monocles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799)
**Author:** [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799 "2019-01-20T05:23:30Z")
ETA: title should say “single-lensed”. So 2 days ago I was cleaning my eyeglasses a bit too vigorously and they broke. For now I am making do with just the left half, as my right eye vision is 20/20. It turns out that o… --- ## [WI FI Problem](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wi-fi-problem/826421)
**Author:** [@koufax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koufax)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wi-fi-problem/826421 "2019-01-20T03:38:14Z")
I live in a place where the wifi signal is not the greatest (I get it free with my rent) and I have a Lenovo G50. Whenever the wifi signal goes out for just a short time, I have to reboot the computer even when the sign… --- ## [Why would TSA collect surrendered watches?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909 "2019-01-20T03:35:48Z")
There is web site where a liquidator sells items that were surrendered by passengers at TSA checkpoints on the east coast and stored in a Harrisburg, Pa., facility. (TSA says “surrendered” instead of “confiscated” becaus… --- ## [What Aircraft Is This?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aircraft-is-this/802390)
**Author:** [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-aircraft-is-this/802390 "2019-01-20T01:16:58Z")
As an amateur ground-based member of the sapiens family who wishes to fly like a bird occasionally, I am stumped identifying this aircraft in this video. Can anyone fight my ignorance? It is the black-fuselage-with-red-… --- ## [Anyone an expert on setting up Amazon Echo?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-an-expert-on-setting-up-amazon-echo/828048)
**Author:** [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-an-expert-on-setting-up-amazon-echo/828048 "2019-01-19T23:20:12Z")
I already owned an Echo (basement), and Echo plus (living room) and an Echo Dot (bedroom). I also wanted a kitchen speaker so I bought a second Dot. Problem is, the Alexa app doesn’t like Kitchen Dot. It tells me it is … --- ## [How Do Reward For Crime Tips Work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-reward-for-crime-tips-work/823634)
**Author:** [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-reward-for-crime-tips-work/823634 "2019-01-19T23:01:23Z")
I was reading about the Wisconsin case of Jayme Closs and it said the police are offering $25,000 for information regarding the case. It has since been doubled by an addition from the company Jenny-O. (Where the deceased… --- ## [When did it become normal for US school teachers to pay for school supplies out of their salary?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-it-become-normal-for-us-school-teachers-to-pay-for-school-supplies-out-of-their-salary/827785)
**Author:** [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-it-become-normal-for-us-school-teachers-to-pay-for-school-supplies-out-of-their-salary/827785 "2019-01-19T22:39:42Z")
According to the NYT 94% of U.S. Teachers Spend Their Own Money on School Supplies. When did this first start being a thing? How did it develop this way? Are there other countries where this is also expected? Are there… --- ## [Are hogs really so aggresively predacious as portrayed in some recent-ish movies?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693)
**Author:** [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-hogs-really-so-aggresively-predacious-as-portrayed-in-some-recent-ish-movies/827693 "2019-01-19T21:12:38Z")
Last night we watched Stranded, a 2003 movie about some people who get marooned on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. At one point a boar chases two boys up a tree, and then continues jumping up and snapping at them li… --- ## [Why Don't Sparrows Migrate?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-sparrows-migrate/827979)
**Author:** [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-sparrows-migrate/827979 "2019-01-19T18:32:08Z")
Plenty of open dumpsters? Lots of people tossing bread around? Because sparrows are tough little bastards and don’t mind winter? I asked one, but it hopped away without answering. And I had doughnuts in my hand and e… --- ## [In medical systems that reward doctors for patient outcomes, how to avoid cherry picking patients](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-medical-systems-that-reward-doctors-for-patient-outcomes-how-to-avoid-cherry-picking-patients/827908)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-medical-systems-that-reward-doctors-for-patient-outcomes-how-to-avoid-cherry-picking-patients/827908 "2019-01-19T17:40:00Z")
In the US, one of the reasons our system is so expensive is that we have a fee for service system, so the more procedures that are prescribed, the more money that can be made. An MRI makes more money than no scan, surger… --- ## [Explain BRexit to me.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-brexit-to-me/827839)
**Author:** [@bizerta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizerta)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-brexit-to-me/827839 "2019-01-19T15:40:32Z")
Voters voted to exit the EU. Why did Parliament reject May’s plan? What does Parliament want? What happens if Parliament takes no action on this issue? --- ## [What is the job title of the galley-slave drum beater?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-job-title-of-the-galley-slave-drum-beater/179670 "2019-01-19T14:40:12Z")
I guess he’s sorta like the coxswain of the galley slaves. Also, in the silent version of “Ben-Hur,” it looks as though the drummer looks to the left with one beat, then looks to the right with the next, and so on. Any… --- ## [Protective glasses that look like ordinary glasses?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protective-glasses-that-look-like-ordinary-glasses/815488)
**Author:** [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protective-glasses-that-look-like-ordinary-glasses/815488 "2018-06-07T01:16:11Z")
I’ve recently started a new position at work that involves occasionally being in an environment with dust and dirt flying around and also some interaction with the public. What I’m looking for is glasses that look like … --- ## [Doctor evaluations - do they exist? (NOT on-line patientratings)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-evaluations-do-they-exist-not-on-line-patientratings/710010)
**Author:** [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2015, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doctor-evaluations-do-they-exist-not-on-line-patientratings/710010 "2015-01-19T21:34:30Z")
Is there an agency (either state or federal) that tracks physicians, and evaluates them on a regular basis for the quality of their work? I would assume this would be done by each state if it is done at all… And if so,… --- ## [polarized glasses vs camera polarizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polarized-glasses-vs-camera-polarizer/801420)
**Author:** [@shinnen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shinnen)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2017, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polarized-glasses-vs-camera-polarizer/801420 "2017-11-15T21:21:23Z")
Hi, I usually come here with the odd ones, so here’s another. When I use the polarizing lens on my camera I have to rotate it to get the effect. But polarizing glasses (i.e. sunglasses) don’t seem to work that way. How … --- ## [Is this possible? Changing your skin color.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-possible-changing-your-skin-color/811828)
**Author:** [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2018, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-possible-changing-your-skin-color/811828 "2018-04-09T06:45:35Z")
There’s a big bust star named Martina Big (Search at your own peril) who claims she changed her skin color from peach to brown using chemical treatments. Is this possible? Or is she just using a really dark spray on tan … --- ## [Orient vs. Occident?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orient-vs-occident/141943)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orient-vs-occident/141943 "2019-01-19T09:02:30Z")
Why is the Eastern World known as the “Orient”, and the Western World is known as the “Occident”? What is the root behind these respective terms? I know what you’re thinking…it’s because the West Indies were found by O… --- ## [Who was the Alabama State Court of Appeals Judge who upheld Rosa Park's conviction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-alabama-state-court-of-appeals-judge-who-upheld-rosa-parks-conviction/828010)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-the-alabama-state-court-of-appeals-judge-who-upheld-rosa-parks-conviction/828010 "2019-01-19T04:26:31Z")
Hi Who was the Alabama State Court of Appeals Judge who upheld Rosa Park’s conviction? I’ve searched at length and could only come up with Judge Ben F. Cameron in the context of Martin Luther King, but not Park’s convi… --- ## [Navy Battle, faces painted white](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-battle-faces-painted-white/828019)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/navy-battle-faces-painted-white/828019 "2019-01-19T03:55:55Z")
I was watching The Caine Mutiny today. During the scene where the ship is supposed to escort the landing craft to the beach, but Queeg chickens out, all the crew had their faces painted white, like this.What was the pur… --- ## [WWII: Were any SS officers convicted of crimes against Jews by the German govt. during the war?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-were-any-ss-officers-convicted-of-crimes-against-jews-by-the-german-govt-during-the-war/827996)
**Author:** [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-were-any-ss-officers-convicted-of-crimes-against-jews-by-the-german-govt-during-the-war/827996 "2019-01-19T03:45:45Z")
I seem to recall years ago reading about an incident (there may have been more than one) in Germany during WWII where a SS officer (or maybe a Wehrmacht soldier, but I think it was an SS officer assigned to a concentrati… --- ## [How can I get rid of gasoline odor inside my car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-gasoline-odor-inside-my-car/828020)
**Author:** [@jebert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jebert)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-get-rid-of-gasoline-odor-inside-my-car/828020 "2019-01-19T02:54:26Z")
I put a gasoline container with just a bit of fuel in it in the back seat of my car for a few days last summer. I noticed the gasoline odor when I next drove the car and took the container out soon after. The odor rema… --- ## [Were the Varangians a model later imitated by the French e.g.Garde Écossaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-varangians-a-model-later-imitated-by-the-french-e-g-garde-ecossaise/827969)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-the-varangians-a-model-later-imitated-by-the-french-e-g-garde-ecossaise/827969 "2019-01-19T02:16:00Z")
Hi Were the Varangians a model later imitated by the French, as in the Garde Écossaise? If not, which medieval powers imitated the Varangian model? I look forward to your feedback. --- ## [Is it a crime for an editor to take a bribe to kill a story?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-crime-for-an-editor-to-take-a-bribe-to-kill-a-story/827947)
**Author:** [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-a-crime-for-an-editor-to-take-a-bribe-to-kill-a-story/827947 "2019-01-19T01:50:38Z")
Iñ the murder mystery I watched last night part of the plot was the college reporter was killed because she knew another student bribed the dean for a buiding contract She first tried to put it in the student paper bu… --- ## [Fraudulent distances offered by websites](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraudulent-distances-offered-by-websites/827786)
**Author:** [@teetoncey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teetoncey)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fraudulent-distances-offered-by-websites/827786 "2019-01-19T00:43:21Z")
Many websites and emails offer to give you the DISTANCE between your home and whatever they’re selling. These are always VERY low, like 30-40%, including sites that should know better, like CarTalk and AutoTrader. What… --- ## [Amplifier (audio system): Crackle & Hum on Touch Volume Control](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amplifier-audio-system-crackle-hum-on-touch-volume-control/827980)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 19, 2019, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amplifier-audio-system-crackle-hum-on-touch-volume-control/827980 "2019-01-19T00:35:48Z")
I have an aging (perhaps even elderly) NAD 310 Stereo Integrated Amplifier, which nowadays is used nearly exclusively to connect my MacBook Pro to a pair of boomy Yamaha speakers. (I used to have other audio equipment p… --- ## [Frontline flea control](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontline-flea-control/825533)
**Author:** [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [January 18, 2019, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frontline-flea-control/825533 "2019-01-18T23:24:57Z")
Are fleas becoming resistant? Frontline doesn’t seem to work as well as it did a few years ago. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=497) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=499)