# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=70 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 71 --- ## [Animal adjectives?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-adjectives/1008633 "2024-10-14T19:55:09Z")
Following on a thread I started last year to list names of visual patterns: What are all the animal-specific adjectives? Here are the ones I know: Bear: ursine Pig: porcine Horse: equine Cow: bovine Fish: piscin… --- ## [Why do hurricanes stay organized?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hurricanes-stay-organized/1008574)
**Author:** [@EdwardFound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EdwardFound)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2024, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-hurricanes-stay-organized/1008574 "2024-10-14T16:15:25Z")
I do understand that hurricanes are “fueled” by warm water - that is, the energy that drives the wind, rain, and pressure differentials comes ultimately from heat flowing from ocean water to the cold, upper atmosphere. B… --- ## [Simple tax Q--Schedule D](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728)
**Author:** [@LynnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LynnM)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simple-tax-q-schedule-d/1008728 "2024-10-13T21:26:01Z")
If you have a capital-loss carryover on line-13 of the Cap-Loss Carryover Worksheet, you’re supposed to enter that amount on Schedule-D, line-14. Should it be entered on Sched-D line-14 as a positive amount, or negative… --- ## [Can the U.S. President Order Reimbursement of Generator Purchases?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-u-s-president-order-reimbursement-of-generator-purchases/1008675)
**Author:** [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 13, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-the-u-s-president-order-reimbursement-of-generator-purchases/1008675 "2024-10-13T16:05:04Z")
Donald Trump today pledged a tax credit for the full cost of generators purchased since September 1 in states hit by natural disasters: Newsweek quoting Truth Social: Is there any emergency provision, in current law, … --- ## [What is this room in the White House?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-room-in-the-white-house/1008696)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2024, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-room-in-the-white-house/1008696 "2024-10-12T22:19:46Z")
Here. Obviously a dining room, but not THE dining room – I’ve seen pictures of THE White House dining room and that ain’t it. Almost certainly not the POTUS’ private dining room in his quarters, because no civilian is g… --- ## [Aurora Borealis (Austral) southern hemisphere - red?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-borealis-austral-southern-hemisphere-red/1008656)
**Author:** [@Al128](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al128)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2024, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aurora-borealis-austral-southern-hemisphere-red/1008656 "2024-10-12T21:04:12Z")
Hi there, a few pics on Auroras borealis from the southern tip of South-America (Punta Arenas, Chile): Here a few - current - pics (note: this is not sunset, but an aurora at midnight) … --- ## [Does the strength of a hurricane over the water affect its impact on land?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-strength-of-a-hurricane-over-the-water-affect-its-impact-on-land/1008582)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2024, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-strength-of-a-hurricane-over-the-water-affect-its-impact-on-land/1008582 "2024-10-12T19:55:52Z")
Milton is currently a category 5 hurricane over the warm and deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is predicted to hit the west coast of Florida as a category 3 which implies wind speeds between 111 - 129 miles/hour. Doe… --- ## [Singular, Plural, and Numbers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singular-plural-and-numbers/1008605)
**Author:** [@Ynnad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ynnad)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2024, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singular-plural-and-numbers/1008605 "2024-10-12T19:02:59Z")
Using copy and paste this morning I had to change “… 1 hour …” to “… 0.5 hours … .” However, if I had changed the 1 to ½ it would have remained “ … hour … .” Also, why is it that we say “1 mile” but we say “1.0 miles”?… --- ## [Can a bar and a dispensary be in the same building if there are two addresses? suite A and B?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bar-and-a-dispensary-be-in-the-same-building-if-there-are-two-addresses-suite-a-and-b/1008613)
**Author:** [@HeatherRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeatherRae)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 12, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bar-and-a-dispensary-be-in-the-same-building-if-there-are-two-addresses-suite-a-and-b/1008613 "2024-10-12T16:48:07Z")
Wanting to open a bar beside a dispensary and can not find info on the rules. --- ## [When the usual name is a no-go](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056)
**Author:** [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Replies:** 145\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2024, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-the-usual-name-is-a-no-go/1007056 "2024-10-11T15:45:21Z")
I’m looking for examples of objects, places, etc. that would have normally been given a certain name, except that the name in question would have sounded too silly or awkward. Two that spring to mind: The Super Bowl i… --- ## [Concrete Construction Barrier Question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-construction-barrier-question/1008629)
**Author:** [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2024, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concrete-construction-barrier-question/1008629 "2024-10-10T23:27:31Z")
We’ve all seen them. Concrete barriers used to demarcate lanes on the highway during construction projects. Typically 4 to 6 feet long, around 3 feet tall, made of concrete, possibly with reflectors attached. Obviousl… --- ## [“Californ-eye-ay”](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californ-eye-ay/1007648)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/californ-eye-ay/1007648 "2024-10-10T18:53:39Z")
In the Beach Boys song Surfin’ USA, the state of California is, in one instance, pronounced the way I tried to represent phonetically in the subject line, rather than the usual way for geographical entities ending in -ia… --- ## [Why this runaway Honda?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-runaway-honda/1008369)
**Author:** [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-this-runaway-honda/1008369 "2024-10-10T17:29:28Z")
There are news stories from northwest Minnesota about a state trooper who was able to stop a runaway 2022 Honda Pilot driven by a teenager. According to the stories, the teen wasn’t able to use his brakes or the emergen… --- ## [If I took out a HELOC and didn't pay it back](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-took-out-a-heloc-and-didnt-pay-it-back/1008557)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2024, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-took-out-a-heloc-and-didnt-pay-it-back/1008557 "2024-10-10T15:33:53Z")
What happens if you take out a HELOC and don’t pay it back? From what I understand, the bank puts a lien on your property. But what does that mean, exactly? My understanding is that it means that the bank gets their mone… --- ## [What are "Adjustments" to my medical bill?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-adjustments-to-my-medical-bill/1007398)
**Author:** [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2024, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-adjustments-to-my-medical-bill/1007398 "2024-10-10T11:55:44Z")
Last month, I had to go to the emergency room after midnight for what turned out to be a kidney stone. I was very lucky in that the pain subsided after I finally had to pee that night and the next morning, the stone imme… --- ## [Total number of major-specific courses for BS and PhD in STEM at U.S. universities](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-number-of-major-specific-courses-for-bs-and-phd-in-stem-at-u-s-universities/1007792)
**Author:** [@Caribbean\_cruiser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caribbean_cruiser)\ **Replies:** 60\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/total-number-of-major-specific-courses-for-bs-and-phd-in-stem-at-u-s-universities/1007792 "2024-10-09T22:54:55Z")
In the United States, students must complete about 120 credit hours of coursework to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. In my scenario, imagine Monica wants to earn her B.S. and PhD in chemistry at a flagship university,… --- ## [Trouble with Login.Gov and Social Security Account](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-with-login-gov-and-social-security-account/1007143)
**Author:** [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trouble-with-login-gov-and-social-security-account/1007143 "2024-10-09T22:40:03Z")
I believe I set up a user name for SS mid 2021. When I try to attach my account to login.gov it says it can’t attach my social security number. I’ve tried 3 different browsers. I already had a login.gov account from a c… --- ## [Is there a female word for 'putz'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-female-word-for-putz/1008581)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-female-word-for-putz/1008581 "2024-10-09T21:44:47Z")
What’s the female equivalent of ‘putz’? --- ## [Does cooking berries ruin the anti-oxidants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624)
**Author:** [@GailForce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GailForce)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cooking-berries-ruin-the-anti-oxidants/1007624 "2024-10-09T20:14:42Z")
I ate plenty of berries even before I came across, years ago, a quote from nonagenarian zagillionaire Sumner Redstone attributing his health at an advanced age to eating loads of blueberries, something about all the ant… --- ## [Question about Apple calendar](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-apple-calendar/1008562)
**Author:** [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-apple-calendar/1008562 "2024-10-09T14:05:08Z")
(I swear, it’s so much easier to ask questions here than to grind through Apple support) There are things on my phone’s calendar that stay around forever. And then there are things that disappear. For instance: I make… --- ## [Finding the internal angle of lines drawn on a cube](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-internal-angle-of-lines-drawn-on-a-cube/1008573)
**Author:** [@brossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brossa)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finding-the-internal-angle-of-lines-drawn-on-a-cube/1008573 "2024-10-09T06:32:05Z")
Take a cube and chose two opposite vertices. Draw a line that runs straight from one vertex to a point on an edge of the cube, and from that point straight to the other vertex. Think of it as a surface diagonal(ish) that… --- ## [Was the German word "Vater" ever pronounced with a v sound?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-german-word-vater-ever-pronounced-with-a-v-sound/1008435)
**Author:** [@Xocomil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xocomil)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-german-word-vater-ever-pronounced-with-a-v-sound/1008435 "2024-10-09T05:13:13Z")
In modern German a v is usually pronounced like an f. Looking through the academic literature (Wiktionary), Vater is spelled with a v beginning in Middle German. Does that reflect the pronunciation of the word or merely … --- ## [Why do humans have such long lives after the end of their reproductive age?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-humans-have-such-long-lives-after-the-end-of-their-reproductive-age/1007431)
**Author:** [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-humans-have-such-long-lives-after-the-end-of-their-reproductive-age/1007431 "2024-10-09T00:39:19Z")
Humans, in particular women, have, on average, many decades left to live once their reproductive years are over. This is, of course, a great thing, and we’re all happy for every additional year we get; but I wonder how i… --- ## [Factual claims by Ta-Nehisi Coates about the Palestinian territories](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-claims-by-ta-nehisi-coates-about-the-palestinian-territories/1008555)
**Author:** [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/factual-claims-by-ta-nehisi-coates-about-the-palestinian-territories/1008555 "2024-10-08T23:51:37Z")
Coates recently wrote a book about his visit to the West Bank (among other things), and made a number of factual claims in it, arguing that Israeli treatment of Palestinians is akin to the old Jim Crow South or Apartheid… --- ## [Apple juice fermented?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-juice-fermented/1008513)
**Author:** [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apple-juice-fermented/1008513 "2024-10-08T23:35:38Z")
I bought a gallon of apple juice off of the specials rack and it is not very tasty. I suspect that it is fermented. It doesn’t taste sweet at all. If I were to boil it and I found the boiling point to be below 212 would … --- ## [What makes the "new moon" a moon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-the-new-moon-a-moon/1008477)
**Author:** [@OldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OldGuy)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-the-new-moon-a-moon/1008477 "2024-10-08T20:32:51Z")
The new moon won’t even make one complete orbit around the Earth so what makes it a new moon of the Earth. It can’t be that it’s affected by the Earth’s gravity – everything is. Is the local part of it’s orbit concave to… --- ## [Did or did not Trump say in Charlottetown, "There were some fine people on both sides"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-did-not-trump-say-in-charlottetown-there-were-some-fine-people-on-both-sides/1008382)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-or-did-not-trump-say-in-charlottetown-there-were-some-fine-people-on-both-sides/1008382 "2024-10-08T18:53:44Z")
That’s my question. I had assumed it was well documented and then I recently read somewhere the claim that it had been refuted. Let me make it clear that I am interested only in the factual question, not any political … --- ## [Are (US) military drill instructors particularly skilled in unarmed combat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-us-military-drill-instructors-particularly-skilled-in-unarmed-combat/1008457)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-us-military-drill-instructors-particularly-skilled-in-unarmed-combat/1008457 "2024-10-08T18:39:21Z")
DISCLAIMER: I know that what is depicted in the movies, as regards military life, is fiction. Anyhoo, there are several movie scenes where a recruit and his drill instructor fight it out. In An Officer and a Gentleman, … --- ## [Does the FAA keep a public registery of pilots?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-faa-keep-a-public-registery-of-pilots/1008426)
**Author:** [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-faa-keep-a-public-registery-of-pilots/1008426 "2024-10-08T18:08:17Z")
It would be interesting to know how long public figures held pilot licenses. What they were rated to fly. (Nothing private like addresses or disciplinary actions) For example, did either George Bush continue flying afte… --- ## [What happened to blindgossip.com?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-blindgossip-com/1008471)
**Author:** [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 8, 2024, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-blindgossip-com/1008471 "2024-10-08T17:24:33Z")
Used to be a fun site to follow, even though way too many of the items were about Harry/Meghan or the Kardashians. But in 2022, the new posts gradually petered out and just stopped; there’s nothing after December of tha… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=69) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=71)