# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=766 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 767 --- ## [Why so many guineas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-many-guineas/781565)
**Author:** [@Haunted\_Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Haunted_Pasta)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-so-many-guineas/781565 "2017-03-07T16:31:36Z")
OK, I’ve had enough. You’ve got Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, and Guinea-Bissau as countries in western Africa. You’ve got Papua New Guinea as a country in the south Pacific. Guinea pigs are rodents from South America. … --- ## [Gun based suicide Temple vs Mouth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-based-suicide-temple-vs-mouth/631605)
**Author:** [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Replies:** 128\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gun-based-suicide-temple-vs-mouth/631605 "2017-03-07T15:22:38Z")
Many movies and TV shows prior to the 80’s depicted people with the gun to the side of their head method for self termination. However starting in the 80’s, it seemed to get more and more common for the barrel to be in t… --- ## [Phone taps: Flynn vs. other Trump staff](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-taps-flynn-vs-other-trump-staff/781617)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/phone-taps-flynn-vs-other-trump-staff/781617 "2017-03-07T15:01:33Z")
Why is Trump is frothing at the mouth at the thought that calls with Russia by people who happened to be on Trump’s staff might have been recorded, but there no outrage over the fact that Michael Flynn’s phone calls with… --- ## [Did whispering on submarines really make a difference?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-whispering-on-submarines-really-make-a-difference/18329)
**Author:** [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Replies:** 97\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-whispering-on-submarines-really-make-a-difference/18329 "2017-03-07T13:07:30Z")
Every war movie I’ve seen with submarine warfare has scenes where the guys are whispering while trying to be undetected by the enemy. Did whispering vs. talking really make a difference as to whether or not they were de… --- ## [Do People Still Say 'Surf the 'Net' ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-still-say-surf-the-net/781315)
**Author:** [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-people-still-say-surf-the-net/781315 "2017-03-07T05:34:17Z")
Is this phrase antiquated or dumb, or is it still in use? Someone asked me what I do in the morning and I say I often 'surf the ‘net’. I don’t know what else to call it. Do I sound like an old dork? --- ## [Fighting Cancer using Anti-bodies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-cancer-using-anti-bodies/781456)
**Author:** [@Mrdeals](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrdeals)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fighting-cancer-using-anti-bodies/781456 "2017-03-07T04:14:39Z")
I had a conversation today with a gentlemen and he was telling me about an article he read about a certain new cancer treatment. The treatment went as follows: 1.) Cancer cells are taken from patient. 2.) Cells are in… --- ## [Windshield wiper clip broke - what now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windshield-wiper-clip-broke-what-now/781386)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windshield-wiper-clip-broke-what-now/781386 "2017-03-07T01:46:30Z")
A 5 cent clip broke on a $25 windshield wiper and apparently I have to buy a whole new wiper blade. I do not accept this result. Possible options include An online site I have yet to find A junkyard Making my own - s… --- ## [What is an "Associate Physician"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-associate-physician/772120)
**Author:** [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-an-associate-physician/772120 "2017-03-07T01:07:46Z")
AIUI, an “Associate Professor” is one who serves at will of employer - NOT Tenured, never will be. But: My PCP (for a bit yet) works for a UC clinic. She has been swapped around from campus to campus (not the only one … --- ## ["If You Bought This Book Without A Cover.....](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-bought-this-book-without-a-cover/571979)
**Author:** [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2017, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-you-bought-this-book-without-a-cover/571979 "2017-03-07T00:49:01Z")
… you should know it was stolen and the author receives no royalties." (IIRC, that’s what it says on the inside cover of the book). So… what? I’m going to steal a book, tear off the cover and try to sell it? Can someon… --- ## [Could Obama sue for slander? (Wiretap accusation.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-sue-for-slander-wiretap-accusation/781545)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-sue-for-slander-wiretap-accusation/781545 "2017-03-06T21:02:27Z")
Can you sue for slander over twitter statements or fake news sites? According to the votemaster (http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2017/Pres/Maps/Mar05.html#item-2), Trump picked this up from Breitbart which got it from … --- ## [Did Elizabeth I Die A Virgin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-elizabeth-i-die-a-virgin/781079)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-elizabeth-i-die-a-virgin/781079 "2017-03-06T20:58:48Z")
A purely factual question, although I suspect it may create some debate (though I think GQ is still the best place for it). Did Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) really die a virgin? She was called the Virgin Queen. In fac… --- ## [Trying to identify what may be a religious order](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-what-may-be-a-religious-order/777337)
**Author:** [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-identify-what-may-be-a-religious-order/777337 "2017-03-06T19:29:49Z")
I’ve noticed a few people around the city centre of late, dressed in similar suits and overcoats and sporting wide brimmed hats with pink bands around them. Given how they seem to be doing long walks of the area and go … --- ## [Inconsistent fallout maps](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inconsistent-fallout-maps/781457)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inconsistent-fallout-maps/781457 "2017-03-06T17:00:29Z")
Why do the fallout maps I’ve seen of a nuclear attack on the continental USA vary so widely? Other than the obvious- being near a major city or military installation is not good- they don’t even agree on whether a partic… --- ## [Dial Thermometers Dying Quickly at Our House](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-thermometers-dying-quickly-at-our-house/781197)
**Author:** [@llfraezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/llfraezy)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dial-thermometers-dying-quickly-at-our-house/781197 "2017-03-06T15:16:57Z")
Several years ago, I moved to a country home in the foothills of a mountain range, we’re about 1,000 feet above sea level. My outdoor thermometer, a dial type, never worked here, though it had been registering the tempe… --- ## [Gold foil and surface tension](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-foil-and-surface-tension/781440)
**Author:** [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gold-foil-and-surface-tension/781440 "2017-03-06T15:05:34Z")
I recently bought some gold foil. I knew it was thin, but this is really thin. It’s actually kind of astonishing that anything solid can be this thin and still hold together somewhat. It breaks apart with no perceptib… --- ## [State Troopers guarding football coaches.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-troopers-guarding-football-coaches/781086)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/state-troopers-guarding-football-coaches/781086 "2017-03-06T14:55:45Z")
I think this may have started with Bear Bryant; I’m not sure. My question is: Has there ever been a coach,\* IN THE US\*, physically attacked, requiring a bodyguard? --- ## [Not bowing to queen/king](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-bowing-to-queen-king/775041)
**Author:** [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-bowing-to-queen-king/775041 "2017-03-06T13:55:39Z")
I assume there are people who refuse to bow or curtsy to a queen or king in UK and other places. How common is this? I guess it’s just considered bad taste but nothing else happens. BTW I know that non citizens … --- ## [Any truth to this DOJ "Slush fund" claim?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-truth-to-this-doj-slush-fund-claim/781361)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-truth-to-this-doj-slush-fund-claim/781361 "2017-03-06T13:53:07Z")
Currently a right wing talking point: So I take anything on Foxnews with a grain of salt so large it’s actually a boulder. Whats the straight dope on this? --- ## [Can a car antenna be painted, without reception issues?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-car-antenna-be-painted-without-reception-issues/781503)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-car-antenna-be-painted-without-reception-issues/781503 "2017-03-06T11:58:45Z")
I bought a new, White Kia Rio, with a satellite radio antenna. I use the AM/FM, & don’t care to pay for the satellite channels. I has wanted to put a little Dayglo Green paint on the antenna, so I could find it in the … --- ## [How many benzocaine condoms would be required to numb 'thicker' areas of the skin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-benzocaine-condoms-would-be-required-to-numb-thicker-areas-of-the-skin/781533)
**Author:** [@femmejean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femmejean)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-benzocaine-condoms-would-be-required-to-numb-thicker-areas-of-the-skin/781533 "2017-03-06T10:41:43Z")
Don’t need an answer fast and this is a hypothetical thread and not a DIY thread. I saw that certain Durex Condoms contain 5% of the local anesthetic, benzocaine. This is in a gel form. I don’t know biochemistry but I … --- ## [What would happen if you tried to legally marry somebody with no identification or proof of birth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-tried-to-legally-marry-somebody-with-no-identification-or-proof-of-birth/781185)
**Author:** [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-you-tried-to-legally-marry-somebody-with-no-identification-or-proof-of-birth/781185 "2017-03-06T09:09:39Z")
Not talking about people who simply have had all their records destroyed (but it is related) but I’m talking about somebody with absolutely no proof they ever existed in the world. A number of fictional stories involve … --- ## [Vitamin C to treat drug addiction?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-c-to-treat-drug-addiction/697102)
**Author:** [@LostAlone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LostAlone)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 2, 2014, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vitamin-c-to-treat-drug-addiction/697102 "2014-09-02T06:05:32Z")
Hey guys I got into an argument with a guy online who claims that high dose vitamin C (in the realms of 30 grams per day) can be used to treat most addictions, but specifically at the time he said it would allow heroin … --- ## [Dyeing goat skin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dyeing-goat-skin/666028)
**Author:** [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dyeing-goat-skin/666028 "2017-03-06T05:20:16Z")
If I’m going to shoot a goat out of a PVC pipe, I might as well do it in style. I’d like to then celebrate with some music, but a couple of my djembes need new heads. The heads are goat skins of varying thickness (it de… --- ## [What is this website?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-website/781499)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-website/781499 "2017-03-06T00:20:06Z")
I ran across jodi.org on TVTropes and it’s just weird. I got out of it as soon as it came up, but now I’m curious and also a big chicken: what is it? --- ## [Camping/Hiking before plastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-hiking-before-plastic/781343)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/camping-hiking-before-plastic/781343 "2017-03-06T00:09:14Z")
Today we have the advantage of lightweight, sealable, waterproof containers. I presume that before plastics took off post-WW2 that wasn’t the case. Tightly woven canvas was adequate for tents, treated leather was somewha… --- ## [Optimal Strategy in a Free-falling Elevator](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optimal-strategy-in-a-free-falling-elevator/743587)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/optimal-strategy-in-a-free-falling-elevator/743587 "2017-03-06T00:08:18Z")
I’m thinking the best idea would be to lie down on the floor. Since the force of the impact will be directly down, it will press your body into the floor, but there wouldn’t be much if any external trauma, since the floo… --- ## [Why do engineered and solid wood floorcovering materials have grooves on the underside?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-engineered-and-solid-wood-floorcovering-materials-have-grooves-on-the-underside/781275)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-engineered-and-solid-wood-floorcovering-materials-have-grooves-on-the-underside/781275 "2017-03-05T23:15:48Z")
Hardwood timber is pricey here in the UK, so I have been investigating a number of alternative sources of hardwood for small home woodworking projects - including recycling of pallets and furniture, but also, buying and … --- ## [charcoal in grocery stores](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charcoal-in-grocery-stores/781312)
**Author:** [@odea911](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/odea911)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charcoal-in-grocery-stores/781312 "2017-03-05T22:13:53Z")
I have a “know it all” friend who says that Grilling charcoal briquettes like Kingsford is not supposed to be anywhere near regular grocery store food items such as BBQ sauce, for health inspection reasons. is this true?… --- ## [What would the photons do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-photons-do/781371)
**Author:** [@Mjolnir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mjolnir)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2017, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-the-photons-do/781371 "2017-03-05T21:51:03Z")
Given a box made with six “perfect” mirrors, and a light source that can be introduced without disrupting the reflections, could I turn on the light and “trap” it in the box for use at a later time? I’m planning a campi… --- ## [What is the longest a helicopter has hovered stationary? Specs for "stationary?" In-flight refuel?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-a-helicopter-has-hovered-stationary-specs-for-stationary-in-flight-refuel/760613)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-longest-a-helicopter-has-hovered-stationary-specs-for-stationary-in-flight-refuel/760613 "2017-03-05T19:24:38Z")
See first query in hed. I thought of it with a related sort-of- question, more of an amazement at looking at one above a police scene… Damn those things are stationary, like it’s parked. Are there design specs for “a… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=765) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=767)