# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=837 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 838 --- ## [What happens when an asteriod hits the Earth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-an-asteriod-hits-the-earth/767349)
**Author:** [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-an-asteriod-hits-the-earth/767349 "2016-10-03T14:51:43Z")
The Time Machine thread got me to thinking about the extinction event 65M years ago. Say you were somehow (time machine) able to observe the day that rock hit the earth. What events happen? Would the approaching rock be… --- ## [Why does the bible forbid mixed cloth?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-bible-forbid-mixed-cloth/765291)
**Author:** [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Replies:** 50\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2016, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-bible-forbid-mixed-cloth/765291 "2016-10-03T14:51:27Z")
The bible is quite specific. Leviticus 19:19 says “You are to keep My statutes. You shall not breed together two kinds of your cattle; you shall not sow your field with two kinds of seed, nor wear a garment upon you of t… --- ## [Last minute (very) commute help? Atlantic Highlands to UWS.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-minute-very-commute-help-atlantic-highlands-to-uws/767541)
**Author:** [@MikeDeruki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeDeruki)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-minute-very-commute-help-atlantic-highlands-to-uws/767541 "2016-10-03T13:22:14Z")
Anyone have some solid commute advice (other than stay home) for rush hour commute from Atlantic Highlands NJ to Upper West Side (89th)? Seastreak to Wall Street? NY Waterways to W 39th? I need to do this commute for … --- ## [French practice of dropping first name "Joseph"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-practice-of-dropping-first-name-joseph/692654)
**Author:** [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Replies:** 59\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2016, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/french-practice-of-dropping-first-name-joseph/692654 "2016-10-03T06:46:08Z")
In researching the names book (that I just published, by the way), I discovered a curious pattern in notable men of French heritage or culture from the late 19th century through about the 1970s: a given first name of Jos… --- ## [Stepped up workout schedule, muscle soreness DEcreases](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stepped-up-workout-schedule-muscle-soreness-decreases/767348)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2016, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stepped-up-workout-schedule-muscle-soreness-decreases/767348 "2016-10-03T05:22:12Z")
(May not have a factual answer) I have been doing weight training for years on a schedule of three times a week, doing all major muscle groups each time, about 12 different exercises. I would rotate emphasis, so that ea… --- ## [N.Y. Times reporter's dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-y-times-reporters-dialect/767529)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/n-y-times-reporters-dialect/767529 "2016-10-02T22:38:09Z")
Here is CNN’s interview with Susanne Craig, the reporter who received part of Donald Trump’s 1995 tax filings. She speaks a totally standard “middle” American dialect, with the exception of the short “a”, e.g. pronouncin… --- ## [Question regarding ascertaining the age of the universe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-ascertaining-the-age-of-the-universe/767337)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-regarding-ascertaining-the-age-of-the-universe/767337 "2016-10-02T21:42:21Z")
First things first - I am not that knowledgable is cosmological things. I will probably make some wrong boneheaded statements and show my ignorance but I hope the spirit of my question comes through. Anyway… I was liste… --- ## [last names chosen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-names-chosen/767339)
**Author:** [@centuryland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/centuryland)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/last-names-chosen/767339 "2016-10-02T21:01:46Z")
last names i get some like smiths and cooks and bakers are from past careers and some other like Harris son to get Harrison but when did we get to choose our last name … i mean you had no choice nor did many generations … --- ## [Can a President unilaterally declare that the U.S. won't pay its debts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-president-unilaterally-declare-that-the-u-s-wont-pay-its-debts/766710)
**Author:** [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-president-unilaterally-declare-that-the-u-s-wont-pay-its-debts/766710 "2016-10-02T20:15:09Z")
A lot of hay has been made about this Trump statement, and that got me wondering whether anybody else has any say in whether the United States is planning to pay back its debt, as a practical matter. SD? --- ## [Windows Install](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-install/767458)
**Author:** [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-install/767458 "2016-10-02T20:12:38Z")
I am thinking of buying a used PC. It is a Dell with Windows 7 currently installed. When I get it the hard drive will be totally wiped, there will be no OS. If I buy a repair/reinstall Windows 7 CD will I be able to r… --- ## [Netflix auto logon quirk.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-auto-logon-quirk/767450)
**Author:** [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/netflix-auto-logon-quirk/767450 "2016-10-02T19:50:27Z")
Widows 7, Firefox up to date. Only began recently. I have my Netflix login bookmarked with saved username and password. Recently, it does not work the first time. Sometimes it takes a few clicks of the bookmark to get i… --- ## [Protecting the Identity of a Child Criminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-the-identity-of-a-child-criminal/767309)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/protecting-the-identity-of-a-child-criminal/767309 "2016-10-02T16:28:22Z")
Can someone explain why we can’t know the name of a child murderer? I can see why we might want to protect the identity of a child victim, but why protect a perpetrator? What are we protecting that child from? If the cas… --- ## [Okay, so congress is regretting overriding the President's veto.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-so-congress-is-regretting-overriding-the-presidents-veto/767311)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/okay-so-congress-is-regretting-overriding-the-presidents-veto/767311 "2016-10-02T16:26:08Z")
Can’t the just pass another bill making everything right as rain again? --- ## [Question about Kaiser Wilhelm II's culpability in encouraging the outbreak of WWI](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-kaiser-wilhelm-iis-culpability-in-encouraging-the-outbreak-of-wwi/767360)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-kaiser-wilhelm-iis-culpability-in-encouraging-the-outbreak-of-wwi/767360 "2016-10-02T15:28:38Z")
Hi How culpable was Kaiser Wilhelm in starting WWI? The reason I ask is because there are a whole spectrum of analyses of the Kaiser’s mental state and degree of responsibility. Who to date offers the most balanced view… --- ## [City limits / boundaries - why not contiguous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-limits-boundaries-why-not-contiguous/766944)
**Author:** [@Squallous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squallous)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/city-limits-boundaries-why-not-contiguous/766944 "2016-10-02T13:37:49Z")
Please Google “Greenville NC” and look at the city limits / borders. Why are they like that? (Greenville is just a good example, but this question is not necessarily about that town specifically. It’s about towns with… --- ## [Public suicide](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-suicide/767364)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/public-suicide/767364 "2016-10-02T09:18:00Z")
i.e., someone (or perhaps two or three people) who commits suicide in front of an unsuspecting audience. An ultra-rare event, thankfully. Of the top of my head, the only one I can think of is Christine Chubbuck. Any o… --- ## [Legal Weight of Letterhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-weight-of-letterhead/767166)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-weight-of-letterhead/767166 "2016-10-02T02:16:15Z")
You often see where someone wants something on “company letterhead”. Is the content of correspondence on letterhead legally privileged in any way? If I write a letter to CenturyLink’s CEO, telling him to fuck himself or… --- ## [What is this uniform or costume I found at Goodwill?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-uniform-or-costume-i-found-at-goodwill/766744)
**Author:** [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-this-uniform-or-costume-i-found-at-goodwill/766744 "2016-10-02T01:43:29Z")
It’s adult sized, but small adult. It’s well-made, with heavy zippers and solid hardware on the belt. https://scontent-dft4-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/14469653\_1158463177530294\_3956975044780136474\_n.jpg?oh=2d83417d6e799910… --- ## [Mini-Trust Fund?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-trust-fund/767024)
**Author:** [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-trust-fund/767024 "2016-10-02T01:13:36Z")
I am trying to help a friend to get some body art and offered to pay for it. However, I want to ensure that the funds go directly to the artists (or, at least, reimburse payments on proof that the work was done). But I a… --- ## ["spike" on the Moon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-on-the-moon/766781)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2016, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spike-on-the-moon/766781 "2016-10-02T00:53:03Z")
Supposedly a strange-looking thing has been spotted on the moon: UFO hunter claims to have found an 'alien antenna' on the surface | Daily Mail Online My skeptical eye notices that its “shadow” doesn’t match the angle o… --- ## [Rent -a-car company with BUILT in GPS](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-a-car-company-with-built-in-gps/767411)
**Author:** [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rent-a-car-company-with-built-in-gps/767411 "2016-10-01T22:48:12Z")
So… I’m looking for a rental car with built-in GPS that would operate out of Houston International TX. Airport code IAH. I reserved (for 10-7) an Alamo Premium Chevy impala, but the GPS is not built in. I can get a plug… --- ## [passenger train safety (in the US and elsewhere)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passenger-train-safety-in-the-us-and-elsewhere/767231)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passenger-train-safety-in-the-us-and-elsewhere/767231 "2016-10-01T19:12:01Z")
I’ve heard the advice before that for safety’s sake, one ought not sit near the front of a passenger train. Together with today’s disaster in Hoboken, I am now wondering: -what are the stats on passenger train safety i… --- ## [Daily Requirement of Protein.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-requirement-of-protein/767025)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daily-requirement-of-protein/767025 "2016-10-01T18:54:40Z")
I guess you could say I am more conscious of my daily intake of certain nutrients, than the average person. I have ulcerative colitis (presently in remission merci Dieu). And I have been told it is very important to eat … --- ## [Shortest Commercially Available Flight?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortest-commercially-available-flight/687442)
**Author:** [@Meltdown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meltdown)\ **Replies:** 80\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shortest-commercially-available-flight/687442 "2016-10-01T18:41:58Z")
What is the shortest commercially-available passenger flight? Exclude stuff like chartered flights, where you have to make special arrangements. Also, I want to keep the focus on transportation, so exclude stuff like s… --- ## [What happened to my vacuum?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-my-vacuum/767300)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-my-vacuum/767300 "2016-10-01T14:41:31Z")
I was vacuuming this morning; and as I held the cord out of the way, I accidentally pulled it out of the wall. This has happened before, to no ill effect, but this time my vacuum would not start up again when I plugged i… --- ## [Are Reuben sandwiches kosher?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reuben-sandwiches-kosher/767132)
**Author:** [@davey77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davey77)\ **Replies:** 53\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-reuben-sandwiches-kosher/767132 "2016-10-01T14:40:11Z")
When it comes to keeping kosher, is a reuben sandwich (corned beef, swiss cheese, kraut, 1000 island dressing on rye bread) considered a kosher meal? I’m asking because this has always been something that bugged me. Fr… --- ## [So what happens if the SCOTUS has to decide who won the election...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-happens-if-the-scotus-has-to-decide-who-won-the-election/767312)
**Author:** [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-happens-if-the-scotus-has-to-decide-who-won-the-election/767312 "2016-10-01T13:58:26Z")
And the SC is split 4-4? --- ## [Is there a name for the "binary" sizing scheme?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-binary-sizing-scheme/767147)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-name-for-the-binary-sizing-scheme/767147 "2016-10-01T12:40:36Z")
Not quite sure how to express what I’m thinking, but here goes: An integer expressed in base-2 notation looks like this: 10110 This requires five independent digits, each capable of two different states. To express t… --- ## [Questions regarding chimpanzees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-regarding-chimpanzees/767260)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-regarding-chimpanzees/767260 "2016-10-01T12:34:46Z")
Hi, Other than animal rights websites, I haven’t found any other websites or books advancing any of the following arguments, in particular that smiling causes them pain that they perform elaborate “rain dances” during… --- ## [towing cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/towing-cars/767115)
**Author:** [@stosh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stosh)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/towing-cars/767115 "2016-10-01T11:55:14Z")
I live in a apartment building and I have a reserved parking place with a sign that says that. Of course, this sign means very little and my space is taken often. There is another sign that states unauthorized cars wil… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=836) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=838)