# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=846 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 847 --- ## [Is my Sleep Mate (noise generator) going to kill me in my sleep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-sleep-mate-noise-generator-going-to-kill-me-in-my-sleep/765752)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-sleep-mate-noise-generator-going-to-kill-me-in-my-sleep/765752 "2016-09-12T21:26:47Z")
Wife and I have slept with a noise generator under the bed for the past ~10 years. It’s on a timer, set to run it from about 11PM to 8AM, so at this point it’s probably accumulated about 33,000 hours of operation. A co… --- ## [Do laundromats re-use the same water over and over?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-laundromats-re-use-the-same-water-over-and-over/765722)
**Author:** [@brujaja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brujaja)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-laundromats-re-use-the-same-water-over-and-over/765722 "2016-09-12T21:19:43Z")
My best friend, who is usually impressively well informed, told me recently that laundromats do not use fresh water for each wash, but instead use the same water all day. I am torn between thinking, oh my god this can’t… --- ## [Long-term mouth-to-mouth (or, could Socrates have been saved?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-mouth-to-mouth-or-could-socrates-have-been-saved/765748)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/long-term-mouth-to-mouth-or-could-socrates-have-been-saved/765748 "2016-09-12T21:19:30Z")
The Athenian philosopher Socrates is famous (among other things) for his manner of death: he was executed by being made to drink a concoction of poison hemlock. Let’s say that a group of modern doctors travelled back in… --- ## [Would Voyager return to the solar system if stopped?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-voyager-return-to-the-solar-system-if-stopped/765341)
**Author:** [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-voyager-return-to-the-solar-system-if-stopped/765341 "2016-09-12T20:28:16Z")
If it were possible to stop the Voyager I craft from moving away from the solar system, i.e. stop it in reference to the location of the sun, would it eventually return to the solar system? Is the solar system, particul… --- ## [Managing Berry Bushes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-berry-bushes/765734)
**Author:** [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/managing-berry-bushes/765734 "2016-09-12T20:21:18Z")
I planted some berry bushes in my fenced-in garden a few years ago. I live in Northwest Montana. For the first two years nothing much happened. I would tie the new canes to the fence to control them and would get some be… --- ## [What's the sustained rate of fire for a minigun?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sustained-rate-of-fire-for-a-minigun/765245)
**Author:** [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-sustained-rate-of-fire-for-a-minigun/765245 "2016-09-12T20:12:25Z")
We’ve all heard about 6000 rounds per minute, but I doubt like hell that one of those things could continue to fire for a full minute. Assuming an unlimited supply of ammunition, how long could they keep shooting? It’s… --- ## [Lawyer and client are under criminal investigation, lawyer claims "L-C privilege." For how long?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyer-and-client-are-under-criminal-investigation-lawyer-claims-l-c-privilege-for-how-long/765541)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawyer-and-client-are-under-criminal-investigation-lawyer-claims-l-c-privilege-for-how-long/765541 "2016-09-12T16:42:21Z")
Police want to investigate a lawyer and his client, both of whom are suspected. Ordinarily, each would be interviewed separately, to see if their stories conflict, etc. But lawyer says other guy’s his client, so he mu… --- ## [Is this scenario self-defense](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-scenario-self-defense/765736)
**Author:** [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-scenario-self-defense/765736 "2016-09-12T14:44:17Z")
Inspired by the bad horror movie “Would You Rather”. A psycho dinner host lays two guns in front of me and another guest and offer $1,000,000 to whomever shoots the other. Would it be self-defense for me to shoot the o… --- ## [Two GFCIs in series - OK or not?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-gfcis-in-series-ok-or-not/369149)
**Author:** [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-gfcis-in-series-ok-or-not/369149 "2016-09-12T12:28:58Z")
One for the electricians… What would be the likely result of having two GFCIs (ground-fault interrupters) in series? At the moment, there is some UF cable trenched around a garden. In an ideal world, there would be jus… --- ## [What's an "Insurance Claim" for rate-raising purposes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-insurance-claim-for-rate-raising-purposes/764660)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-insurance-claim-for-rate-raising-purposes/764660 "2016-09-12T03:41:24Z")
Last night I had a overflowed washing machine, which drenched the carpet and also leaked downstairs to the kitchen (ruining a light fixture in the process) and from there down to the basement. The appliance guy suggested… --- ## [Why is no awakening to "rubbing on the sternum" a sign of an "opoid emergency?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [September 12, 2016, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-no-awakening-to-rubbing-on-the-sternum-a-sign-of-an-opoid-emergency/765652 "2016-09-12T03:35:04Z")
See subject. This from the home page of the makers of Narcan, an emergency inhalant drug to give people with “opoid emergencies”–overdoses–when one of the signs is stupor: Use NARCAN® Nasal Spray right away if you or y… --- ## [California and Stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-and-stucco/765242 "2016-09-11T23:38:21Z")
I relocated many years ago to the Bay Area from Chicago, and then to Southern California. Especially in So Cal, the vast majority of homes are constructed with stucco siding. Anyone know why this is so and why it’s rar… --- ## [Where does the "15%" mark come from for Independent candidates?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-15-mark-come-from-for-independent-candidates/765712)
**Author:** [@Barack\_Obama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barack_Obama)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-15-mark-come-from-for-independent-candidates/765712 "2016-09-11T23:38:00Z")
I know it’s in polls, but what polls? Is voting for Gary Johnson or Jill a worthless vote? I’ve always been confused on how the independent party works, especially in the presidential races. Now it seems I’m going to vot… --- ## [Swelling while wearing cast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swelling-while-wearing-cast/765627)
**Author:** [@Billy-o](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy-o)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swelling-while-wearing-cast/765627 "2016-09-11T22:36:49Z")
I’m not looking for medical advice, but simply an explanation of this phenomenon. Toward the end of July, I fractured one of the fifth metacarpal bones of my right foot. I’ve been in a cast or splint for 7 weeks now (i… --- ## [Using hardware cloth in heating vents](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hardware-cloth-in-heating-vents/765281)
**Author:** [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/using-hardware-cloth-in-heating-vents/765281 "2016-09-11T18:58:03Z")
Since moving into my house almost two years ago, I have had a continuous problem with mice. We kill them, plug up the holes, everything is fine for a while, and then a new bunch move in. From what I have been reading, … --- ## [How much would an airplane's performance be reduced if it were enclosed in a fairing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-an-airplanes-performance-be-reduced-if-it-were-enclosed-in-a-fairing/720244)
**Author:** [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\ **Replies:** 57\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-an-airplanes-performance-be-reduced-if-it-were-enclosed-in-a-fairing/720244 "2016-09-11T17:58:04Z")
Take an aircraft of your choosing, whether it’s a little Cessna, a business jet, a cargo plane or an airliner. Now, enclose it nearly completely in a fairing with the density of fiber glass or carbon-fiber reinforced pol… --- ## [Why Are Bugs Attracted To My Paper Plates (And How Do They Get There Without Me Spotting Them)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bugs-attracted-to-my-paper-plates-and-how-do-they-get-there-without-me-spotting-them/629807)
**Author:** [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-bugs-attracted-to-my-paper-plates-and-how-do-they-get-there-without-me-spotting-them/629807 "2016-09-11T17:36:32Z")
There are a horde of small black bugs living in my stash of white paper plates in the top cupboard. Why are they attracted to paper, and how did they get up there without me spotting them on the move? I don’t remember ho… --- ## [Russian authorities warned the FBI in 2011 about Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-authorities-warned-the-fbi-in-2011-about-tamerlan-tsarnaev-why/765572)
**Author:** [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russian-authorities-warned-the-fbi-in-2011-about-tamerlan-tsarnaev-why/765572 "2016-09-11T15:33:22Z")
Russian authorities (FSB) warned the FBI in 2011 about Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the “Boston Bombers”. After WW2, relations between Russia and the United States have been strained at best. The situation in 2011 was no d… --- ## [Liberace/Facelifts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberace-facelifts/163825)
**Author:** [@lemmielou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lemmielou)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberace-facelifts/163825 "2016-09-11T14:04:22Z")
Does anyone know if it is strange truth or urban legend that Liberace had so many facelifts he was incapable of closing his eyes and therefore had to have a servant put eyedrops in his eyes every two hours when he was sl… --- ## [1945 Dollars - 2016 Dollars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1945-dollars-2016-dollars/765571)
**Author:** [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1945-dollars-2016-dollars/765571 "2016-09-11T13:45:55Z")
The USS Midway cost about $85 million in 1945 dollars. How do I get an estimate of what that means in 2016 dollars? --- ## [So how do oil sales by evil regimes work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-oil-sales-by-evil-regimes-work/765482)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-how-do-oil-sales-by-evil-regimes-work/765482 "2016-09-11T12:00:33Z")
In the current campaign for US President, the American response to ISIS (or ISIL, if you prefer) has been prominently mentioned. The Republican nominee, Donald J. Trump, says that the US should seize Iraq’s oil and depr… --- ## [Why don't homemade hamburgers make me sleepy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-homemade-hamburgers-make-me-sleepy/765424)
**Author:** [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-homemade-hamburgers-make-me-sleepy/765424 "2016-09-11T07:51:51Z")
I have terrible insomnia. Melatonin works some of the time, but my most reliable solution is to go out and buy a burger, usually at Wendy’s. After some experiments, I’ve concluded that it’s the beef that’s doing the tric… --- ## [Is "My Liege" still correct for addressing British Nobility & Royalty?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-liege-still-correct-for-addressing-british-nobility-royalty/532876)
**Author:** [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)\ **Replies:** 85\ **Last updated:** [September 11, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-my-liege-still-correct-for-addressing-british-nobility-royalty/532876 "2016-09-11T02:38:34Z")
Since my experience of seeing English (UK, blah blah) royalty and nobility is limited to decades old BBC productions of Shakespeare, if I were to meet a noble or monarch of that Isle, would it be technically correct for … --- ## [Nomenclature of genealogy question (cousin, second cousin, etc.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nomenclature-of-genealogy-question-cousin-second-cousin-etc/765466)
**Author:** [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nomenclature-of-genealogy-question-cousin-second-cousin-etc/765466 "2016-09-10T20:54:18Z")
So, I’ve got a bit of a twisty one, re: What to call a certain person (cousin, second cousin, etc.) Let’s say my dad gave me up for adoption. He was never married (my mom died early). He gets married, and his wife’s cou… --- ## [NEED HELP DECIDING what heating and air to buy for home](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-deciding-what-heating-and-air-to-buy-for-home/765454)
**Author:** [@over\_under](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/over_under)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/need-help-deciding-what-heating-and-air-to-buy-for-home/765454 "2016-09-10T20:05:20Z")
I am in need of help deciding what heating and air unit to buy for our home. Tight budget & want to get something that won’t brake down often has good reviews isnt made from CHINA where I can get parts easy if there is a… --- ## [Help with bees, please](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-bees-please/765483)
**Author:** [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-with-bees-please/765483 "2016-09-10T18:48:35Z")
I am at the end of my rope with a bee infestation on my property. Normally I like bees, necessary little pollinators that they are, but these bees are causing literally tens of thousands of dollars in damage to my proper… --- ## [Silica Gel Desiccant and Salt.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silica-gel-desiccant-and-salt/481961)
**Author:** [@AquaPura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AquaPura)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silica-gel-desiccant-and-salt/481961 "2016-09-10T16:58:02Z")
I have a fairly large salt shaker to accommodate my fine ground snobby sea salt. It works great, however the salt clumps up from the dampness of the climate. My usual standby to compact this clumping, rice, will not work… --- ## [Where's the knoll? (no, not in Dallas)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-knoll-no-not-in-dallas/765233)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-knoll-no-not-in-dallas/765233 "2016-09-10T16:24:20Z")
Yesterday, I was out bicycling in an area I’ve never been to before. I went down to Newberg, Oregon and then went out of town going south on Oregon Highway 219. I stopped and turned around just after crossing the Willame… --- ## [Conversions within Islam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conversions-within-islam/765431)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conversions-within-islam/765431 "2016-09-10T15:27:12Z")
OK, I’ve read that renouncing Islam and becoming a Christian or atheist or whatever can have pretty dire consequences, even fatal. But what about changing your beliefs within Islam? Can a Shi’ite become a Sunni, or vice … --- ## [People with cystic fibrosis can't meet each other?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-cystic-fibrosis-cant-meet-each-other/765449)
**Author:** [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 10, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-cystic-fibrosis-cant-meet-each-other/765449 "2016-09-10T14:55:44Z")
A friend who is teacher told me that they have three kids with cystic fibrosis in her school. And that the staff must make sure that they never are together in the same place. Why is that? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=845) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=847)