# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=886 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 887 --- ## [Pollution concerns - who would know if it is safe to eat fish caught in my area?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pollution-concerns-who-would-know-if-it-is-safe-to-eat-fish-caught-in-my-area/758167)
**Author:** [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pollution-concerns-who-would-know-if-it-is-safe-to-eat-fish-caught-in-my-area/758167 "2016-06-23T22:10:50Z")
Long Beach, CA - fishing is allowed from the shore in areas south of the actual port, so these are places open to the sea and not part of any harbor, but they are just south of the Los Angeles River outfall, an obvious s… --- ## [Why do airplanes have buttholes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-airplanes-have-buttholes/758096)
**Author:** [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-airplanes-have-buttholes/758096 "2016-06-23T21:51:41Z")
Whenever I’m taxiing into or out of the gate, and I’m looking out the window, every airplane has an…orifice on the tail thingy. What’s it for? --- ## [Have any mathmeticians ever become millionaires?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-mathmeticians-ever-become-millionaires/213270)
**Author:** [@Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xavier)\ **Replies:** 98\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-any-mathmeticians-ever-become-millionaires/213270 "2016-06-23T21:20:26Z")
Have any skilled mathmatecians ever made a killing in the stock market or combined financial, economic and mathmatical knowledge to generate loads of money? How did they do it? Is mathmatical knowledge useful in the wor… --- ## [What is the legal liability for internet advertisements?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-liability-for-internet-advertisements/757695)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-liability-for-internet-advertisements/757695 "2016-06-23T21:00:10Z")
What is the legal liability for internet advertisements? They’re everywhere, and support a lot of worthy sites, but they’re also a prime vector for malware, particularly on mobiles. Suppose I go to a website with adverts… --- ## [How much would this weigh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-this-weigh/758105)
**Author:** [@ginman999](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ginman999)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-would-this-weigh/758105 "2016-06-23T20:52:55Z")
I have an area in my yard that’s 20 x 25 feet with pea gravel mixed in with the dirt. If I use a Bobcat to scrape down 3 inch’s how much would this approximately weigh? I’m thinking of using a dumpster bag with a weight … --- ## [How Bad Are Carpenter Ants?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-are-carpenter-ants/758106)
**Author:** [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-bad-are-carpenter-ants/758106 "2016-06-23T19:54:32Z")
I googled around for information on carpenter ants. On one hand, reliable sources (like University agricultural extension services) emphasize carpenter ants do not eat wood like termites. OTOH, it is mentioned they tunne… --- ## [is there a website to see if you identify as a baby boomer or GenXer?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-website-to-see-if-you-identify-as-a-baby-boomer-or-genxer/758143)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-website-to-see-if-you-identify-as-a-baby-boomer-or-genxer/758143 "2016-06-23T19:16:00Z")
My wife was born in 1965 to a WWII veteran and his wife. Her mom was born in 1927 and her dad in 1923. Her dad was older than mine and I was born in 1964. She insists that she is NOT a baby boomer because she wasn’t bo… --- ## [Silicon plus water is subjected to gamma radiation. What happens?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122)
**Author:** [@Islandplaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Islandplaya)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/silicon-plus-water-is-subjected-to-gamma-radiation-what-happens/758122 "2016-06-23T18:46:46Z")
If there are any chemists here I’d also like to know how much silane is produced. --- ## [Joe Rosenthal's Iwo Jima flag-raising misidentification - How?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rosenthals-iwo-jima-flag-raising-misidentification-how/758163)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joe-rosenthals-iwo-jima-flag-raising-misidentification-how/758163 "2016-06-23T18:13:36Z")
Story today. In short, in the second, better known, flag-raising photo, Pfc. Harold Schultz participated, and not Corpsman John Bradley. Bradley had indeed participated in the first raising. The GQ: It seems as thoug… --- ## [Repairing concrete piece](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-concrete-piece/757923)
**Author:** [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/repairing-concrete-piece/757923 "2016-06-23T18:00:24Z")
I have a concrete water feature in the yard. There is a small (4x4x5/8) square that sits in the water and thru which projects the pump nozzle. This past winter, possibly through freeze/thaw, that piece broke into four fa… --- ## [Whatever happend to Herbert O'Dell Smith aka 'Digger O'Delll'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happend-to-herbert-odell-smith-aka-digger-odelll/757693 "2016-06-23T17:43:26Z")
For decades he did publicity stunts being buried alive. Here’s an article from 1979, one of the last easily searchable public records of him. In the unlikely event he’s still alive, he’d be about 100. --- ## [Is there really a village/town in France called 'Mort-aux-Juives' (death to Jews)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-village-town-in-france-called-mort-aux-juives-death-to-jews/298998)
**Author:** [@Fortean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fortean)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-really-a-village-town-in-france-called-mort-aux-juives-death-to-jews/298998 "2016-06-23T15:20:02Z")
Yeah, it sounds unlikely, but a French pal of mine assures me that there is indeed a French place called ‘Mort-aux-Juives’ or ‘Mort-aux-Juifs’ or ‘Mors-aux-Juifs’ or however you want to contract it. He says the name date… --- ## [iPad 2](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipad-2/758075)
**Author:** [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ipad-2/758075 "2016-06-23T13:39:30Z")
I have an old iPad 2 that I’m not quite ready to give up on. After all these years, is there anything I can do to improve its performance? --- ## [Which explosive is the most powerful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-explosive-is-the-most-powerful/757903)
**Author:** [@blood63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blood63)\ **Replies:** 42\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-explosive-is-the-most-powerful/757903 "2016-06-23T13:24:54Z")
Which explosive releases the most energy per gram? Also, what process put the chemical energy into the explosive? I am assuming that vast amounts of electrical energy are used to create these explosives. --- ## [How did California report presidential election results in 1852-56](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-california-report-presidential-election-results-in-1852-56/758089)
**Author:** [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-california-report-presidential-election-results-in-1852-56/758089 "2016-06-23T02:59:41Z")
Then as now, the electors didn’t have to travel to Washington themselves but they met in their home states. By federal law, they then met on the “first Wednesday in December” (Dec. 1, 1852 and Dec. 3, 1856) \[cite\]. They … --- ## [Shelf life of aerosol cans](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelf-life-of-aerosol-cans/758102)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shelf-life-of-aerosol-cans/758102 "2016-06-23T02:06:56Z")
How long can they be kept before they rust thru? I have heard of spray paint cans failing after several years and launching their contents into the room. --- ## [How are rabbits feet charms made?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-rabbits-feet-charms-made/757863)
**Author:** [@sara20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sara20)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 23, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-rabbits-feet-charms-made/757863 "2016-06-23T01:45:24Z")
I got a rabbits foot charm online that I can tell is real, and I noticed it has an acrid odor like I have smelled inside a large mausoleum I was in, and imagine to be formaldehyde. How are rabbits feet made/cured? Are th… --- ## [How do you redirect a domain to a different landing page on a website?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-redirect-a-domain-to-a-different-landing-page-on-a-website/758076)
**Author:** [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-redirect-a-domain-to-a-different-landing-page-on-a-website/758076 "2016-06-22T19:48:30Z")
Hopefully this will make sense. Say I have a website called www.test.com (it probably exists but I am making all the URLs up for this post). I have a second website called www.oldsite.com. I want to have the website w… --- ## [Ugh what are these bugs eating my potatoes? (In my kitchen, not in the ground.)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045)
**Author:** [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ugh-what-are-these-bugs-eating-my-potatoes-in-my-kitchen-not-in-the-ground/758045 "2016-06-22T19:24:08Z")
This keeps happening and it is so gross! Every time I put some potatoes in my kitchen, especially in my potato crock that’s in the most convenient place to keep potatoes, something burrows into them. It leaves holes ri… --- ## [Identify this accent (or is it a non-standard mannerism?)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-accent-or-is-it-a-non-standard-mannerism/757990)
**Author:** [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-this-accent-or-is-it-a-non-standard-mannerism/757990 "2016-06-22T14:07:28Z")
For some reason, YouTube has been serving me up suggested videos on gold panning, including some from this guy He has an accent that seems to deliver the end sounds of words like water, river, here, there, as ‘or’ or ma… --- ## [Do you need to wear sandals / flip-flops in changing rooms?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-to-wear-sandals-flip-flops-in-changing-rooms/757871)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-need-to-wear-sandals-flip-flops-in-changing-rooms/757871 "2016-06-22T07:11:05Z")
I have a feeling this is one of the dumbest questions ever asked here, but anyway: I started to read a lot of advice that says that you should wear sandals or flip-flops in changing rooms to avoid getting, for example, … --- ## [Massage table construction question](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/massage-table-construction-question/757573)
**Author:** [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/massage-table-construction-question/757573 "2016-06-22T04:21:06Z")
It seems to me that, on a message board where EVERYTHING has been discussed many times over, I’ve seen rather few threads about massage (notwithstanding that there’s one running just currently). Anyway, I have a questio… --- ## [Is "both sides of the pond" commonly used by the British?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-both-sides-of-the-pond-commonly-used-by-the-british/757963)
**Author:** [@oara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oara)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-both-sides-of-the-pond-commonly-used-by-the-british/757963 "2016-06-22T02:27:34Z")
Here in the US, I’d always thought we were borrowing a British expression, but when I was trying to check on the web just now, it looks more like a phrase that we are fond of and others don’t make much use of. --- ## [Legal Q: Is the Brexit referendum self-executing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-is-the-brexit-referendum-self-executing/757858)
**Author:** [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legal-q-is-the-brexit-referendum-self-executing/757858 "2016-06-22T01:49:06Z")
Is the referendum structured to have legal effect, such that if the vote is to leave, that in itself effects departure? Or is it purely hortatory, asking Parliament to pass enabling legislation? --- ## [Does Propane burn cleaner than natural gas?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-propane-burn-cleaner-than-natural-gas/757929)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2016, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-propane-burn-cleaner-than-natural-gas/757929 "2016-06-22T01:37:55Z")
I have heard both of them described as clean-burning. This website claims that propane is much cleaner. Of course, they are a propane company, so they might be exaggerating a little bit to sell more product. Which fue… --- ## [A minister, a rabbi, and a priest....\[TV prayer by Theodore Hesburgh\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-minister-a-rabbi-and-a-priest-tv-prayer-by-theodore-hesburgh/757989)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-minister-a-rabbi-and-a-priest-tv-prayer-by-theodore-hesburgh/757989 "2016-06-21T23:36:11Z")
Sounds like the start of a joke, doesn’t it? But it’s not. The thread about what kind of an inauguration speech you would give, if elected President, reminded me of an event I saw on TV. Something important, and natio… --- ## [What is really happening when one says "it's in the tip of my tongue"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-really-happening-when-one-says-its-in-the-tip-of-my-tongue/757920)
**Author:** [@mr\_wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_wolf)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-really-happening-when-one-says-its-in-the-tip-of-my-tongue/757920 "2016-06-21T22:36:58Z")
What is going on here? One ‘feels’ that the particular piece of information is about to be recalled but obviously it has not arrived otherwise one would say it. What exactly are we feeling? Do neurons have nerves that ‘… --- ## [Spanish exchange students need homes--what's up with this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-exchange-students-need-homes-whats-up-with-this/757632)
**Author:** [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2016, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spanish-exchange-students-need-homes-whats-up-with-this/757632 "2016-06-21T20:08:40Z")
Every summer here in NJ I see signs all around the state, hand written signs, proclaiming a desperate need to house exchange students from Spain. They even update the signs, counting down how many are still left that nee… --- ## [Does the lawyer usually know if their client is guilty?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lawyer-usually-know-if-their-client-is-guilty/718178)
**Author:** [@Danger\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danger_Man)\ **Replies:** 93\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-lawyer-usually-know-if-their-client-is-guilty/718178 "2016-06-21T19:56:30Z")
In say a murder case. The client is pleading not guilty even though he did it. Does he usually tell the lawyer everything, or does he lie to the lawyer too? Maybe it’s just implied, but not spoken about directly? I reali… --- ## [Does obesity make you shorter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-obesity-make-you-shorter/757970)
**Author:** [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 21, 2016, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-obesity-make-you-shorter/757970 "2016-06-21T19:03:22Z")
I mean so if an obese adult loses a significant amount of weight, does it impact their height one way or another? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=885) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=887)