# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=611 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 612 --- ## [Is There A Term For This Type Of Wordplay?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-type-of-wordplay/808400)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-term-for-this-type-of-wordplay/808400 "2018-03-07T13:42:48Z")
An Album Cover = Anal Bum Cover. Catch These Men = Catch The Semen. Pen Island = Penisland. Back when I was a kid I sometimes had to do (obviously kid-friendly) puzzles like this in the puzzle books Mom got me. One I re… --- ## [Do I still have most of the atoms I was born with?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-still-have-most-of-the-atoms-i-was-born-with/809932)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2018, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-i-still-have-most-of-the-atoms-i-was-born-with/809932 "2018-03-07T07:39:51Z")
I get that we loose some through skin shedding, hair falling out, body fluids, etc… But do we keep most of the atoms we are born with? Or do they all get replaced through the passage of time? --- ## [Do GVM upgrades prevent bent chassis on 4WDs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gvm-upgrades-prevent-bent-chassis-on-4wds/810104)
**Author:** [@Loyuod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loyuod)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2018, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-gvm-upgrades-prevent-bent-chassis-on-4wds/810104 "2018-03-07T07:20:17Z")
I went through a phase looking at many medium duty dualcab utes like Toyota Hilux as an example. The payloads are quite small usually just under 1000kg on kerb weight, then take the weight of a decent aftermarket tray & … --- ## [Do all bird species lay unfertilized eggs? Some? A few? Just one?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-bird-species-lay-unfertilized-eggs-some-a-few-just-one/631865)
**Author:** [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2018, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-all-bird-species-lay-unfertilized-eggs-some-a-few-just-one/631865 "2018-03-07T02:59:39Z")
Domestic chickens lay eggs, if I understand correctly, every day, fertilized or not. Is this true of birds generally? Or is it something particular just to domestic chickens? Or is it something some birds do but not othe… --- ## [Canada Tax question - My 17 year old son is ruining me!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-tax-question-my-17-year-old-son-is-ruining-me/809866)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canada-tax-question-my-17-year-old-son-is-ruining-me/809866 "2018-03-07T02:09:26Z")
It is tax time and I am using a free program called Simple Tax. It gives me a running total of my return as I enter the data. When I enter my son’s 11,000 dollar income from McDonald’s, my return dropped from $2260 to … --- ## [Is there any evidence of African migration to Europe across the Mediterranean after the Neolithic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-evidence-of-african-migration-to-europe-across-the-mediterranean-after-the-neolithic/810004)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-evidence-of-african-migration-to-europe-across-the-mediterranean-after-the-neolithic/810004 "2018-03-06T22:44:49Z")
Hi Is there any evidence of African migration to Europe across the Mediterranean after the Neolithic Period? Would those Africans living across the Strait of Gibraltar in what is now Morocco have sailed across to Spain?… --- ## [Is there a word for an acronym that DOES spell a word?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-an-acronym-that-does-spell-a-word/810050)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-an-acronym-that-does-spell-a-word/810050 "2018-03-06T22:25:53Z")
I had always thought that an “acronym” was an abbreviation comprising the first letters of each of the words (or major words) to be subsumed under the abbreviation,–in cases where the abbreviation itself is a word (e.g.,… --- ## [Hey Colibri, what's this bird doing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-colibri-whats-this-bird-doing/810078)
**Author:** [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-colibri-whats-this-bird-doing/810078 "2018-03-06T20:39:42Z")
Is that a mating dance? Challenging a rival? --- ## [Economics 101: Dumping Steel.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-101-dumping-steel/810080)
**Author:** [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/economics-101-dumping-steel/810080 "2018-03-06T19:20:52Z")
I’ve been hearing a lot about “dumping” steel. It is never explained but from context it is clear this is seen as a bad thing. I fail to understand why. Isn’t the Chinese government subsidising every consumer of steel? (… --- ## [How big can a "rocky planet" get?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-can-a-rocky-planet-get/810135)
**Author:** [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-big-can-a-rocky-planet-get/810135 "2018-03-06T18:55:58Z")
Is there a theoretical limit to how big an earth-like planet (or one like Mercury, Venus, or Mars) can get? (I seem to remember that several earthy exo-planets were at least a bit bigger than our ball of rock, dirt, and … --- ## [Links change color when visited, how to unmark?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/links-change-color-when-visited-how-to-unmark/810087)
**Author:** [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/links-change-color-when-visited-how-to-unmark/810087 "2018-03-06T18:35:57Z")
When you click on any link, it changes color to indicate you have visited it.Is there a way to unmark it so it stills shows as an unvisited link? I thought old Netscape had a right click option to do this. I am running F… --- ## [Lake Pontchartrain Causeway](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-pontchartrain-causeway/810047)
**Author:** [@Dobbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dobbs)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-pontchartrain-causeway/810047 "2018-03-06T18:23:37Z")
I’m planing a trip to the Big Easy, and meeting friends and family. Any and all bits of advice are welcome and encouraged. But one factual point I find my google-flu is weak - can you u-turn on the Lake Pontchartrain ca… --- ## [Why does extreme OCD sometimes overlap with hoarding/squalor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-extreme-ocd-sometimes-overlap-with-hoarding-squalor/810024)
**Author:** [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-extreme-ocd-sometimes-overlap-with-hoarding-squalor/810024 "2018-03-06T17:40:22Z")
Obviously the “why” is complicated and depends on an extensive set of proprietary mental rationalizations that the individual establishes. But is there anything approaching a neurological or psychological explanation as … --- ## [Violent crime reduction from legalizing marijuana](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-crime-reduction-from-legalizing-marijuana/769201)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/violent-crime-reduction-from-legalizing-marijuana/769201 "2018-03-06T15:40:27Z")
Are there any statistics or studies on this from the states that have legalized marijuana? I have often heard this as an argument in favor of legalization, that it reduces violent crime by bringing marijuana out of the … --- ## [How do you get rid of sick smell in a car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-sick-smell-in-a-car/183250)
**Author:** [@The\_Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Griffin)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-get-rid-of-sick-smell-in-a-car/183250 "2018-03-06T14:47:42Z")
A mate vomitted in my car a couple months ago and the smell keeps coming back! I’ve washed the affected areas with domestic cleaner, a month ago I tried using a Bicarbonate of Soda slution on it to neutralise any acid, a… --- ## [Conversion of electric power between AC and DC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conversion-of-electric-power-between-ac-and-dc/810029)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conversion-of-electric-power-between-ac-and-dc/810029 "2018-03-06T00:32:36Z")
The thread about long distance power transmission reminds of something I have long wondered. Back in the 1950s when I was learning about electric circuits, there were choppers that turned DC into AC and rectifiers that … --- ## [Slammed door hard - damage to wall wiring?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slammed-door-hard-damage-to-wall-wiring/809826)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slammed-door-hard-damage-to-wall-wiring/809826 "2018-03-05T23:12:05Z")
The door in my apartment has been slammed shut at extreme force on more than one occasion (by wind/draft, not anger.) It was slammed so hard, in fact, that the walls and apartment shuddered. This has me wondering about … --- ## [Why are South American tribal people so fat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-south-american-tribal-people-so-fat/809956)
**Author:** [@Contemplation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contemplation)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-south-american-tribal-people-so-fat/809956 "2018-03-05T21:30:40Z")
Why are indigenous tribal people of central and South America so fat? I’d like to give an image example, but it would be NSFW. Just google “amazon tribal people”. The women and the older men are especially fat. They a… --- ## [Recycling batteries](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-batteries/810061)
**Author:** [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recycling-batteries/810061 "2018-03-05T19:08:05Z")
Having heard that small non rechargeable batteries are very toxic to landfills, I have long been careful to recycle them. But now the county division of solid waste tells me they are no longer recycled and should just go… --- ## [Auto Help - Reprogramming a Transmission - Ford Escape](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-help-reprogramming-a-transmission-ford-escape/810066)
**Author:** [@MeanJoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanJoe)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/auto-help-reprogramming-a-transmission-ford-escape/810066 "2018-03-05T17:52:15Z")
Hello teeming millions! I am not a mechanic nor did I play one on t.v. I have some basic automotive repair capabilities but any heavy lifting is left to the professionals. My mother owns a 2007ish (I don’t know exact … --- ## [Putin's Daughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putins-daughter/809946)
**Author:** [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/putins-daughter/809946 "2018-03-05T16:33:12Z")
At 39:35, is this Putin’s daughter? --- ## [What happened to the Japanese economy since the 1980's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-japanese-economy-since-the-1980s/809882)
**Author:** [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-japanese-economy-since-the-1980s/809882 "2018-03-05T16:27:14Z")
I remember back in the 1980’s the world marveled at how Japan rose from the ashes of WW2 to become the second largest economy in the world. It’s been referred to as the ‘Japanese economic miracle’. I recall taking busine… --- ## [Questions about ICOs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-icos/810037 "2018-03-05T15:21:41Z")
I’ve heard a lot about companies selling digital coins to investors to raise money. Many cryptocurrencies have no underlying value, do coins from ICOs represent anything such as ownership in the company or credit towar… --- ## [Looking for stock & bond certificates](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-stock-bond-certificates/810014)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-stock-bond-certificates/810014 "2018-03-05T14:37:12Z")
I teach finance so I thought I would decorate my classroom with a framed montage of stocks and bonds and currency. Yess I could buy old ones online but I was thinking of purchasing some cheap stock and bonds and having … --- ## [Reasonable shippers from the U.S. to the U.K.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasonable-shippers-from-the-u-s-to-the-u-k/810054)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reasonable-shippers-from-the-u-s-to-the-u-k/810054 "2018-03-05T13:55:26Z")
Does anyone know of any reasonable shippers from the U.S. to the U.K. I am gifting someone and English Longbow and it looks like shipping is over $200.00. Not in a hurry for it to get there. --- ## [Any medication out there which erases memory (retrograde amnesia)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-medication-out-there-which-erases-memory-retrograde-amnesia/809983)
**Author:** [@MaverocK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaverocK)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-medication-out-there-which-erases-memory-retrograde-amnesia/809983 "2018-03-05T13:02:27Z")
I know several medications which makes brain unable to create memories. They are also known as date rape drugs. Is there any medication out there which does the same thing to past memories (either temporarily or permanen… --- ## [What Exactly is hacking and how to do it?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-hacking-and-how-to-do-it/809852)
**Author:** [@DekaJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DekaJay)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-hacking-and-how-to-do-it/809852 "2018-03-05T11:24:12Z")
:confused: In the movies; you normally see a 30-something year old with a computer tap the keyboard for a few seconds, have a little montage, then say “I’m In!” then everyone celebrates and moves on. but what happens bet… --- ## [How do I design a computer document with a huge paper size?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-design-a-computer-document-with-a-huge-paper-size/809995)
**Author:** [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-design-a-computer-document-with-a-huge-paper-size/809995 "2018-03-05T09:53:06Z")
I guess Photoshop would do it, but I don’t have that, and I’d rather use something else anyway. I have a custom periodic table that I made for my chemistry classes, that frankly beats down every one I’ve seen. I have a … --- ## [Removing line numbers from document produced by court stenographer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-line-numbers-from-document-produced-by-court-stenographer/809281)
**Author:** [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/removing-line-numbers-from-document-produced-by-court-stenographer/809281 "2018-03-05T03:36:15Z")
I’m helping a friend produce a book about his brother. He hired a court stenographer to take down two interview sessions with the brother and now she has sent me the digital files. I’ve got a PDF, a text document, and a… --- ## [Why are gun sales down question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-gun-sales-down-question/809890)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-gun-sales-down-question/809890 "2018-03-04T19:40:41Z")
Mods: please change the title to “Why are gun sales down?” There should be a factual answer to this. Let’s try to keep it out of GD territory. If there’s a previous thread on this I can’t seem to find it. According to t… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=610) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=612)