# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=673 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 674 --- ## [How do Indian (as in the country) names work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-indian-as-in-the-country-names-work/786165)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2017, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-indian-as-in-the-country-names-work/786165 "2017-09-20T02:17:11Z")
I have three students who are natives of India. They came to the USA as small children. All three are girls and have the same parents. However, their names differ from their parents. The girls names are Sue Smith, Sa… --- ## [How can cops give out speeding tickets on privately funded toll roads?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-cops-give-out-speeding-tickets-on-privately-funded-toll-roads/192940)
**Author:** [@leatherheather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leatherheather)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-cops-give-out-speeding-tickets-on-privately-funded-toll-roads/192940 "2017-09-20T00:20:54Z")
The subject is pretty much self explanatory… I just don’t understand how cops can issue speeding tickets on a toll road if the road is not being paid for/maintained by the government. I can understand the need for gene… --- ## [Outlook 365 calendar events no longer show up on my Outlook iPhone app](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlook-365-calendar-events-no-longer-show-up-on-my-outlook-iphone-app/796685)
**Author:** [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2017, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outlook-365-calendar-events-no-longer-show-up-on-my-outlook-iphone-app/796685 "2017-09-20T00:17:26Z")
See thread title. All the information I’ve found about making the app calendar sync up involve adding my Outlook address to Mail settings on the iPhone, but I don’t want to do that–I’d prefer to use “mail” for my person… --- ## [Could we make the Sahara desert bloom?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-make-the-sahara-desert-bloom/796655)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-we-make-the-sahara-desert-bloom/796655 "2017-09-19T23:23:45Z")
I’ve often wondered, if we could somehow bring in enough water, could we make vast swaths of desert like the Sahara turn into grasslands and eventually forests? Has there ever been such an attempt? I mean with so much h… --- ## [Toro Recycler Electric Start Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toro-recycler-electric-start-question/796354)
**Author:** [@vonmetzger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vonmetzger)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toro-recycler-electric-start-question/796354 "2017-09-19T20:00:00Z")
I have a Toro Recycler Electric start that will start fine with the pull rope, but will not turn over with the key. I have traced power back to the microswitch right before the starter. I have power coming from the key… --- ## [dog poop disposal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-poop-disposal/795057)
**Author:** [@f.coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/f.coli)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog-poop-disposal/795057 "2017-09-19T19:11:57Z")
When I walk my dog, rather than scoop up her poop with a plastic bag wrapped over my hand, I carry a small spade or trowel. I dig a shallow hole (not in a neighbor’s lawn), drop it in, and then cover it with about an in… --- ## [Information Encoded in DNA.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-encoded-in-dna/796744)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/information-encoded-in-dna/796744 "2017-09-19T19:06:27Z")
Human beings are amazing machines. Very complex, very self-sufficient. Truly in many ways “the paragon of animals!” as Shakespeare once put it. And consider the human mind. The most complex thing in the known universe, … --- ## [What "scrutiny" must be applied to "protected speech"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scrutiny-must-be-applied-to-protected-speech/796123)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-scrutiny-must-be-applied-to-protected-speech/796123 "2017-09-19T17:36:59Z")
The US court of appeals for the 10th circuit remanded a lower courts decision to uphold a Wyoming statue\* with the phrase What scrutiny has to be applied to statues regulating speech we definitely know is protected (i.… --- ## [Are There Really No Rats In Alberta?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-no-rats-in-alberta/532813)
**Author:** [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Replies:** 63\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-really-no-rats-in-alberta/532813 "2017-09-19T15:41:01Z")
I was reading this from National Geographic. I find it hard to believe there’s anywhere on Earth, without rats. I figured if there was such a place it’d have to be an island or something. So I’m asking people who live i… --- ## [Safe distance from North Korean nuclear warhead detonation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-distance-from-north-korean-nuclear-warhead-detonation/796556)
**Author:** [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/safe-distance-from-north-korean-nuclear-warhead-detonation/796556 "2017-09-19T12:34:18Z")
Lots of talk in Great Debates about North Korea and their nuclear capabilities. What is a safe distance to be away from the last zone if they set one off in an attack? I’m in Salem, Oregon. If they hit Seattle, would we… --- ## [The Truth about KAL 007 Shootdown?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-kal-007-shootdown/692211)
**Author:** [@Suicide](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suicide)\ **Replies:** 140\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-truth-about-kal-007-shootdown/692211 "2017-05-02T01:37:36Z")
I was talking to someone young about the 1980s incident where the Soviets shot down a Korean airliner, flight KAL 007, and realized a lot of questions are still unclear to this day…Internet research on this subject yield… --- ## [Words that mean something and it's opposite?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-mean-something-and-its-opposite/786068)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 70\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-mean-something-and-its-opposite/786068 "2017-09-19T11:49:32Z")
I know cleave is said to be one. I have two more for consideration: Resign: meaning quitting your job and also re-upping on your job. Oversight: Can be inspecting for flaws in a system, and also can be an error made i… --- ## [Can incense smoke harm a computer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-incense-smoke-harm-a-computer/537086)
**Author:** [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-incense-smoke-harm-a-computer/537086 "2010-04-23T13:04:21Z")
If I am burning incense a few feet away from my laptop, can the smoke end up getting sucked into the system by the fan and screwing up the electronics? --- ## [I want to confirm whether Gavrilo Princip was or was't an actual member of the Black Hand](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-confirm-whether-gavrilo-princip-was-or-wast-an-actual-member-of-the-black-hand/796641)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-confirm-whether-gavrilo-princip-was-or-wast-an-actual-member-of-the-black-hand/796641 "2017-09-19T05:38:40Z")
Hi I’ve read that Gavrilo Princip was a member of the Young Bosnians but not the Black Hand, yet many websites say he was. I look forward to your feedback. In Belgrade, Princip volunteered to join the Serbian guerril… --- ## [Two questions about my stupid cold.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-my-stupid-cold/796686)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-questions-about-my-stupid-cold/796686 "2017-09-19T05:22:07Z")
Hello Everyone, I’m currently down with a cold and I’m curious about a couple of things. Snot. I blow my nose and enough mucus is blown out to just about fill a tissue. Yet, almost instantly my nose fills back up … --- ## [Why Don't We Melt Snow?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-melt-snow/570161)
**Author:** [@ducati](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ducati)\ **Replies:** 96\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-we-melt-snow/570161 "2017-09-19T03:16:02Z")
I grew up in Michigan and Indiana. We had some good snows every year. Kids, of course, look forward to a foot or two of snow and getting out of school for a while. I know I did. But, the fact is that a few inches to … --- ## [Increase Win 10 Desktop folder size?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-win-10-desktop-folder-size/796583)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increase-win-10-desktop-folder-size/796583 "2017-09-19T02:39:21Z")
That’s probably not really the problem… Huh. I have all of 10 icons and 1 small .jpg saved on my desktop. A total of 60KB. When I try to save another icon to the desktop, I am told it’s full. Umm. Properties say tha… --- ## [Dates for Two Mass Killings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dates-for-two-mass-killings/796534)
**Author:** [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 19, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dates-for-two-mass-killings/796534 "2017-09-19T02:28:22Z")
My purpose in maintaining a list of American mass murders is so that they will not be forgotten. I am now working backwards to produce lists for the period before 2006. I have just come across two cases that I cannot h… --- ## [Where do the old pianos go?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-old-pianos-go/796273)
**Author:** [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-the-old-pianos-go/796273 "2017-09-18T23:20:47Z")
Like most families we have an old piano, maybe 50 years old, we got from someone. The kids had lessons on it for a few years but now it just sits in the corner. Thing is how and when do people get rid of pianos? I never… --- ## [I need some kind of electronic testing device, but I don't know what](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-kind-of-electronic-testing-device-but-i-dont-know-what/796610)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-some-kind-of-electronic-testing-device-but-i-dont-know-what/796610 "2017-09-18T23:03:10Z")
My house has internal coax cabling. There is an outlet in each of several rooms. The input of ends of the cables come out of the wall at an exterior corner of the house. What I want to do is identify which cable goes … --- ## [Credit Freeze, Different Agencies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-freeze-different-agencies/796345)
**Author:** [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/credit-freeze-different-agencies/796345 "2017-09-18T22:07:17Z")
As a result of the Equifax data hack I have placed a credit freeze in 3 places: Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. According to USA Today, there is a 4th agency, Innovis. This one never gets a mention. My factual questio… --- ## [How to send private message on facebook](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-send-private-message-on-facebook/796643)
**Author:** [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-send-private-message-on-facebook/796643 "2017-09-18T19:39:54Z")
I’ve looked online for this and got confused rather than informed. "Click the Messages link on the left side of your home page." – There isn’t one. There’s a Messenger link, but that seems to be a whole different animal… --- ## [Fentanyl and versed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fentanyl-and-versed/796498)
**Author:** [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fentanyl-and-versed/796498 "2017-09-18T19:06:31Z")
I had an endoscopy yesterday, and they sedated me with fentanyl and versed—a narcotic and an amnesiac. Does this mean I didn’t feel any discomfort, or did I feel like I was choking and then forget about it. The latter po… --- ## [Can anyone explain these assertions on the number 3 to me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-these-assertions-on-the-number-3-to-me/796563)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-anyone-explain-these-assertions-on-the-number-3-to-me/796563 "2017-09-18T15:36:20Z")
The following is from Plutarch’s Life of Fabius. I’ve underlined the sentence that’s relevant. 3 the first odd number? What happened to 1? The beginning of quantity? What happened to 2? I can’t make head or tail of the… --- ## [Cassini "crashes" into Saturn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-crashes-into-saturn/796523)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-crashes-into-saturn/796523 "2017-09-18T15:16:14Z")
Several news reports this week referenced the spacecraft Cassini as having “crashed” into the planet Saturn. Saturn is composed of gas, so what exactly does this mean? What actually happened to Cassini? --- ## [Federal Minimum wage and people with no guarentee of income](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-minimum-wage-and-people-with-no-guarentee-of-income/796580)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-minimum-wage-and-people-with-no-guarentee-of-income/796580 "2017-09-18T14:47:08Z")
Has there been any mention of how federally required minimum wage applies to people with no guaranteed income. I’m talking about freelancers, and owners of small business. I have been both a freelancer and a small busi… --- ## [Tool for bad sector repair on hard drives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tool-for-bad-sector-repair-on-hard-drives/588290)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tool-for-bad-sector-repair-on-hard-drives/588290 "2017-09-18T12:29:32Z")
Can anyone recommend a good tool for repairing bad sectors on a hard drive? I have a 1 TB disk, it seems to work o.k. but it has a number of bad sectors. It passes all the other SMART tests. I have a tool running (HDD … --- ## [Motorized wheel chairs on airplanes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorized-wheel-chairs-on-airplanes/796506)
**Author:** [@copperwindow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/copperwindow)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/motorized-wheel-chairs-on-airplanes/796506 "2017-09-18T09:29:54Z")
Can I bring a motorized wheelchair on an airplane in any country in the world, or can some airlines refuse them? --- ## [Can Eating Lots of Sugar Make You Short of Breath?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eating-lots-of-sugar-make-you-short-of-breath/278302)
**Author:** [@DoperChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoperChic)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 18, 2017, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-eating-lots-of-sugar-make-you-short-of-breath/278302 "2017-09-18T03:33:19Z")
Um… can it? I’ve noticed lately that when I eat more sugar than I usually do (lots of ice cream, chocolate, etc,) I am often left short of breath - to the point to where I feel as though I’ve just ran around the block a… --- ## [Ice and Salt In Water Pipe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-and-salt-in-water-pipe/796575)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 17, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ice-and-salt-in-water-pipe/796575 "2017-09-17T22:58:59Z")
I put ice and water in the water reservoir in the water pipe I use for smoking… eucalyptus leaves. Knowing that salt helps lower the freezing point of water, if I added salt to the reservoir, would that cool the smoke ev… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=672) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=674)