# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=841 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 842 --- ## [What penalties are possible when a US State is held in contempt?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-penalties-are-possible-when-a-us-state-is-held-in-contempt/766515)
**Author:** [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-penalties-are-possible-when-a-us-state-is-held-in-contempt/766515 "2016-09-23T13:49:20Z")
Mods: I put this in GQ rather than Elections because there (I believe) is a factual answer to this question, and, even though the impetus for this question is a voter ID issue, the real answer doesn’t depend on the issue… --- ## [Infrasound speaker size](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infrasound-speaker-size/766561)
**Author:** [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/infrasound-speaker-size/766561 "2016-09-23T12:02:52Z")
Can normal computer speakers play actual infrasound? What about normal cell phone speakers Or, more precisely, how big would the speakers have to be to get low enough? And what about recording it? The background: Cracke… --- ## [Trademarks and obious knock-offs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademarks-and-obious-knock-offs/766347)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 10:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trademarks-and-obious-knock-offs/766347 "2016-09-23T10:53:56Z")
There’s a popular brand of soft drink in the UK called “Irn-Bru”. Several supermarkets sell a virtually identical own brand drink and call it “Iron Brew” in a flagrant attempt to cash in on Irn-Bru’s popularity. There ar… --- ## [What is the etymology of the word 'dreadlocks?'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-dreadlocks/766580)
**Author:** [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-etymology-of-the-word-dreadlocks/766580 "2016-09-23T06:12:30Z")
I have heard some very different stories. --- ## [Please help me identify this fruit bearing plant.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-identify-this-fruit-bearing-plant/766599)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-identify-this-fruit-bearing-plant/766599 "2016-09-23T03:26:05Z")
Just now, I saw a plant I’ve never seen before. It was a small tree, with egg shaped fruits that were turning red with dark purple striations. Please excuse the aphids, it’s not in my garden or it’d have ladybugs to the … --- ## [Childhood question II: origin and extent of the "shame, shame!" gesture?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-question-ii-origin-and-extent-of-the-shame-shame-gesture/542875)
**Author:** [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childhood-question-ii-origin-and-extent-of-the-shame-shame-gesture/542875 "2016-09-23T03:16:07Z")
How many of you are familiar with the “shame, shame!” gesture consisting of stroking the forefinger and middle finger of one hand (held together) crosswise on top of the same fingers of the other hand? Is there any rese… --- ## [Floating white particles in my tap water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-white-particles-in-my-tap-water/517466)
**Author:** [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-white-particles-in-my-tap-water/517466 "2016-09-23T01:41:27Z")
My tap water seems to have some kind of white particles suspended in it. When I pour a glass of water (that has passed through a Brita filter as well), the white particles seem to settle near the bottom of the glass (but… --- ## [Ethics and legality of reporting Colin Powell's email contents](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-and-legality-of-reporting-colin-powells-email-contents/766594)
**Author:** [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2016, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-and-legality-of-reporting-colin-powells-email-contents/766594 "2016-09-23T01:02:30Z")
May be more IMHO, but I’ll leave it to the mods. Questions about Powell and privacy: suppose Colin Powell’s emails had not been sent all over cyberspace by an anonymous foreign hacker but had just been emailed to NBC or… --- ## [Declining an Amazon Gift Card Sent Through Email?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declining-an-amazon-gift-card-sent-through-email/766535)
**Author:** [@gracefulfatsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracefulfatsheba)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declining-an-amazon-gift-card-sent-through-email/766535 "2016-09-22T22:20:56Z")
I was sent an email-based Amazon Gift Card by a harasser and would like to decline the gift without responding directly to the person. Is there a way I can do this? --- ## [left groceries in the trunk for 2 hours](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-groceries-in-the-trunk-for-2-hours/766132)
**Author:** [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-groceries-in-the-trunk-for-2-hours/766132 "2016-09-22T18:47:28Z")
After work I went grocery shopping and picked up a few items. On the way home, I got a call from work and had to go back. I was irritated that I had to deal with the issue and totally forgot about my groceries! I was … --- ## [Pilgrimage for Muslims born in and residing in Mecca and Medina](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrimage-for-muslims-born-in-and-residing-in-mecca-and-medina/765595 "2016-09-22T16:31:14Z")
All Muslims in the world who are financially and physically capable of making a pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in their lifetimes are required to do so at least once. So I wonder about Muslims who were born in Mecca and hav… --- ## [What is physically needed to fly a jet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-physically-needed-to-fly-a-jet/766534)
**Author:** [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-physically-needed-to-fly-a-jet/766534 "2016-09-22T15:08:07Z")
For example, could a person with leg prosthetics qualify to be a fighter jet pilot? --- ## [Microsoft Word (Mac): turning off Track Changes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-mac-turning-off-track-changes/766392)
**Author:** [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/microsoft-word-mac-turning-off-track-changes/766392 "2016-09-22T14:28:32Z")
I open the Word doc. Go to Tools menu --\> Track Changes --\> Highlight changes. Uncleck all check boxes. OK. Save document. Close document. Reopen document. There are all the #%^$## change-balloons off to the right… --- ## [Stability of alkoxide](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stability-of-alkoxide/766495)
**Author:** [@Spyraxis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spyraxis)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stability-of-alkoxide/766495 "2016-09-22T11:03:20Z")
I’m a PhD chemist and I am working on an asymmetric alkylation. After many test, i found the better base for this reaction is KHMDS (LiHMDS works too but the yield is only about 25%). But, to lock the chiral inductor gro… --- ## [Harmonics in Electrical Systems](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harmonics-in-electrical-systems/766107)
**Author:** [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/harmonics-in-electrical-systems/766107 "2016-09-22T05:39:17Z")
I run a public library and just got a call from a salesman who saw we’d recently installed some solar panels. He said he had a device he can plug in to the inverter to “clean up” the electricity, taking care of “harmonic… --- ## [Weird partitioning of new SSD in Win10](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-partitioning-of-new-ssd-in-win10/766554)
**Author:** [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-partitioning-of-new-ssd-in-win10/766554 "2016-09-22T04:29:17Z")
I just installed a new solid state drive on my Windows 10 box. I cloned the existing HDD using Samsung’s data migration tool, and then ran Samsung’s Magician tool to optimize it for the OS. But the latter seems to have … --- ## [Male orgasm and lifespan](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-orgasm-and-lifespan/766422)
**Author:** [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/male-orgasm-and-lifespan/766422 "2016-09-22T04:17:21Z")
Hello Everyone I remember reading that males who orgasm 3 to 4 times per week tend to live longer. While trying to convince my wife of this fact she asked if the orgasms needed to be from sex with a partner or will sel… --- ## [Is it possible to determine if an AC generator is a "Y" or "delta" from electrical measurements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-determine-if-an-ac-generator-is-a-y-or-delta-from-electrical-measurements/766255)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-determine-if-an-ac-generator-is-a-y-or-delta-from-electrical-measurements/766255 "2016-09-21T23:53:16Z")
You are given a small, three-phase, permanent-magnet generator. There are three windings inside the generator spaced 120° apart. Each winding has identical characteristics, i.e. each winding has the exact same resistance… --- ## [Why is heroin Sched. 1?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-heroin-sched-1/766183)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-heroin-sched-1/766183 "2016-09-21T23:06:56Z")
It is a dangerous drug, but is it any more so than the other opioids? There are legal options that are much more powerful than heroin. In Canada and the UK, hospital patients sometimes are given heroin, under the name … --- ## [When insecivores catch bees, do they get stung?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-insecivores-catch-bees-do-they-get-stung/766450)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-insecivores-catch-bees-do-they-get-stung/766450 "2016-09-21T19:32:35Z")
Birds, mainly - when they’re flying around nabbing tiny flying critters, don’t they occasionally get a bee or a wasp? And don’t they get stung? Bats, I presume, don’t run into this problem since I think most bees and w… --- ## [Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whiskey-tango-foxtrot/766361)
**Author:** [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whiskey-tango-foxtrot/766361 "2016-09-21T17:55:36Z")
What is the origin of this term as an “clean” alternate for “what the fuck”? Did it actually start in the military, or was the use of that military code later adapted by civilians for this purpose? --- ## [Did anyone witness the Apolo missions reenter Earth's atmosphere?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-witness-the-apolo-missions-reenter-earths-atmosphere/766481)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anyone-witness-the-apolo-missions-reenter-earths-atmosphere/766481 "2016-09-21T15:16:06Z")
It seems like amateur astronomers could have anticipated where and when it would happen. Did anyone actually do it? --- ## [Impact of heat or air on range of electric cars?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impact-of-heat-or-air-on-range-of-electric-cars/766163)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impact-of-heat-or-air-on-range-of-electric-cars/766163 "2016-09-21T15:08:35Z")
When you turn on the heat on a gasoline driven car, it just uses the heat of the engine. Air conditioning reduces the mileage a bit for sure. But an electric vehicle must use the battery both to heat and cool. Does th… --- ## [Why aren't politicians/organizations prosecuted for alleged crimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-politicians-organizations-prosecuted-for-alleged-crimes/766465)
**Author:** [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-arent-politicians-organizations-prosecuted-for-alleged-crimes/766465 "2016-09-21T13:19:55Z")
(Perhaps this belongs elsewhere but …) Today the Washington Post reported that Donald Trump used funds from one of his charities to pay for legal fees associated with his for-profit businesses. The article claims this i… --- ## [Purpose of a Separate Marine Corps](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purpose-of-a-separate-marine-corps/766344)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 39\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/purpose-of-a-separate-marine-corps/766344 "2016-09-21T12:37:45Z")
The army, air force and navy seem to have clear rationales, in that they represent 3 delineated types of movement/transport. But ISTM that the Marines are just a combination of some of the others, and I’m wondering why t… --- ## [GPS tracking/instamapper.com?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-tracking-instamapper-com/621152)
**Author:** [@pantheon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pantheon)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gps-tracking-instamapper-com/621152 "2013-10-09T14:05:25Z")
I would like, if needed, to be able to track my own vehicle online when others are using it. I don’t have the money to afford expensive solutions. I was wondering if anyone out there has any experience with DIY GPS track… --- ## [Human head transplant/reanimation: is this neurosurgeon a clown? Is the journal legit?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-head-transplant-reanimation-is-this-neurosurgeon-a-clown-is-the-journal-legit/766448)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-head-transplant-reanimation-is-this-neurosurgeon-a-clown-is-the-journal-legit/766448 "2016-09-21T01:08:36Z")
It’s in a journal Surgical Neurology International, which I’m not sure how legit it is; they’ve published a bunch of his previous work on spinal cord repair (cited in his self-identified “Heaven: The Frankenstein Effect”… --- ## [Need a heat proof glove for cooking with cast iron.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-heat-proof-glove-for-cooking-with-cast-iron/766445)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 21, 2016, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-a-heat-proof-glove-for-cooking-with-cast-iron/766445 "2016-09-21T00:55:39Z")
I’ve tried leather work gloves and welding gloves but they still let a lot of heat through when handling cast iron from the oven or grill. What can I get that won’t let the heat through. --- ## [Why does firetruck accompany ambulance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272)
**Author:** [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-firetruck-accompany-ambulance/766272 "2016-09-20T23:33:19Z")
This morning we woke to lights flashing. A fire department ambulance had been called for the lady 2 doors down, who had been ill for some time. Also in the residential street - engine idling and lights flashing - was … --- ## [WWII Barbarossa Encirclements](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-barbarossa-encirclements/766402)
**Author:** [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2016, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wwii-barbarossa-encirclements/766402 "2016-09-20T22:38:50Z")
In the first few months of the attack, the Germans encircled and captured massive amounts of Soviet soldiers, around 300,000 each at Minsk and Smolensk, and over 600,000 at Kiev. And, then right outside Moscow, they capt… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=840) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=842)