# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=889 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 890 --- ## [Practicing medicine vs. advanced first aid](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practicing-medicine-vs-advanced-first-aid/705046)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/practicing-medicine-vs-advanced-first-aid/705046 "2016-06-17T14:19:56Z")
Prompted by tonight’s episode of NCIS, which is now on. A former corpsman with field experience renders more-than-first-aid at the scene of a car crash. She is taken into custody because she practiced medicine without … --- ## [Update on the EmDrive? Warp bubble speculated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-emdrive-warp-bubble-speculated/718623)
**Author:** [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Replies:** 119\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-the-emdrive-warp-bubble-speculated/718623 "2016-06-17T12:31:48Z")
We had a thread on the EmDrive and Cannae drive last year and the consensus on here at the time was that it would probably be down to experimenter error or otherwise fail to live up to its promise. There’s been a recen… --- ## [Why not use rubber for pool cue tips?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-use-rubber-for-pool-cue-tips/527603)
**Author:** [@Dahu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahu)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 28, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-use-rubber-for-pool-cue-tips/527603 "2012-05-28T13:30:41Z")
Or snooker cues. Players rub chalk on the tip to get better grip on the cue ball, but why not have a thin layer of rubber on the tip instead? Surely this would give better, consistent grip and make for a more reliable s… --- ## [Why is my available credit not equal to my credit limit minus my current balance?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-available-credit-not-equal-to-my-credit-limit-minus-my-current-balance/757538)
**Author:** [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-my-available-credit-not-equal-to-my-credit-limit-minus-my-current-balance/757538 "2016-06-17T12:04:42Z")
I was checking my financials today, and noticed something odd. For the credit card I have with my bank, I have a $4,000 limit. I have a $0 balance. My available credit is $3943, or $57 less than my limit. My facial expr… --- ## [Do South Korean airliners regularly bypass North Korea](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-south-korean-airliners-regularly-bypass-north-korea/757491)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-south-korean-airliners-regularly-bypass-north-korea/757491 "2016-06-17T09:45:32Z")
If South Korean airliners regularly have to bypass North Korea on their way to North America (the shortest route from Seoul to San Francisco, for instance, involves flying over the North,) does that add up to significant… --- ## [Can someone explain the Scottish "Not Proven" verdict to me?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-scottish-not-proven-verdict-to-me/757504)
**Author:** [@JoseB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoseB)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-someone-explain-the-scottish-not-proven-verdict-to-me/757504 "2016-06-17T09:26:14Z")
I was reading a book about famous criminal cases of the past. One chapter was dedicated to a certain John Donald Merrett (aka Ronald Chesney) who, when he was a teenager, was tried for the murder of his mother and forgin… --- ## [Toaster Single Slice Slot](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-single-slice-slot/757261)
**Author:** [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toaster-single-slice-slot/757261 "2016-06-17T08:27:39Z")
We have a 4 slice toaster with a designated slot for a single slice. A quick bit of research indicates that you should use it for singles slices because that’s likely where the thermostat is located. Otherwise without t… --- ## [Usage of the words 'catharsis' and 'cathartic'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-the-words-catharsis-and-cathartic/757574)
**Author:** [@davidmich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidmich)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usage-of-the-words-catharsis-and-cathartic/757574 "2016-06-17T08:00:39Z")
Hi, When using the words ‘catharsis’ and ‘cathartic’, can they be used when expressing an emotional release/“purgation of emotions” when reading Greek myths as opposed to the tragedies based on the myths. My feeling is … --- ## [Metaphor : metaphorically :: simile : ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metaphor-metaphorically-simile/757584)
**Author:** [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metaphor-metaphorically-simile/757584 "2016-06-17T05:51:55Z")
If you are speaking in metaphors, you are said to be speaking metaphorically. But if you are speaking in similes, how are you said to be speaking? Similarly? --- ## [Greenland - 1 Island or 3 Islands?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-1-island-or-3-islands/634724)
**Author:** [@bowlweevils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowlweevils)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greenland-1-island-or-3-islands/634724 "2016-06-17T01:15:20Z")
Various articles mention that Greenland may be 3 islands under the icecap instead of one, but are very sketchy with the details. I have tried to find a reliable source for this hypothesis and have failed, and wonder if … --- ## [Can a person survive off of avocados indefinitely?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2016, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-person-survive-off-of-avocados-indefinitely/757482 "2016-06-17T00:01:21Z")
With the usual talk about what a person could survive off of if they had only one food on a desert island, I started wondering: The avocado, from a nutritional standpoint, seems to have it all: Fiber, fat, protein, mos… --- ## [Are all planets virtually round?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-planets-virtually-round/757439)
**Author:** [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-all-planets-virtually-round/757439 "2016-06-16T22:09:21Z")
Why is there no large asymmetrical heavenly body then? Or are there? --- ## [TMI: the gunk at the back of my tongue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-the-gunk-at-the-back-of-my-tongue/757520)
**Author:** [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tmi-the-gunk-at-the-back-of-my-tongue/757520 "2016-06-16T21:53:59Z")
Occasionally, even after brushing my teeth, my mouth still tastes foul, and I end up using a tongue scraper to rake a thick film of…something off of the back of my tongue. What exactly is it that I’m scraping off? Is i… --- ## [Questions on the common cold](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-on-the-common-cold/757531)
**Author:** [@YamatoTwinkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YamatoTwinkie)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-on-the-common-cold/757531 "2016-06-16T19:48:58Z")
Random quesions on the common cold that I’m clueless on: Is it possible to get two (or more) colds simultaneously, or back-to-back? Is this any more severe than one? Say I ended up marooned by myself for a few year… --- ## [Based on its structural mechanics and gravitational forces, what is the largest avian egg possible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/based-on-its-structural-mechanics-and-gravitational-forces-what-is-the-largest-avian-egg-possible/757475)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/based-on-its-structural-mechanics-and-gravitational-forces-what-is-the-largest-avian-egg-possible/757475 "2016-06-16T19:02:51Z")
See query. Both on earth and in a vacuum in microgravity. A spinoff from the current thread, “Are all planets virtually round?” http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=795834 The ultimate shape of any mass… --- ## [How to extract stuck screw in back of oven?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-extract-stuck-screw-in-back-of-oven/757347)
**Author:** [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-extract-stuck-screw-in-back-of-oven/757347 "2016-06-16T17:45:18Z")
I’ve been cleaning my oven. At the back of the oven is a fan with a cover. The cover is held in by two screws with cross heads. One of the screws comes out easily. The other is stuck. I tried it yesterday and it was stuc… --- ## [What do mayors actually do?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mayors-actually-do/757487)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-mayors-actually-do/757487 "2016-06-16T17:20:46Z")
Most of the operation and executive decision in a city is done by the city manager, not the mayor. Is the mayor just a ceremonial post? I live in Portland, Maine. Many other towns in Maine have similar arrangements. … --- ## [What Are Humans Good At Compared To Other Animals \[Better Explanation of Question in Post\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-humans-good-at-compared-to-other-animals-better-explanation-of-question-in-post/757186)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 65\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-humans-good-at-compared-to-other-animals-better-explanation-of-question-in-post/757186 "2016-06-16T15:01:23Z")
Besides our intelligence, bi-pedalism, and opposable thumbs, are there any other things H. Sapiens are good at compared to other animals? I know, for example, that dogs and cats have us beat in smell; many prey animals (… --- ## [Major differences between Catholicism & Protestantism in the 17th century?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-differences-between-catholicism-protestantism-in-the-17th-century/756445)
**Author:** [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-differences-between-catholicism-protestantism-in-the-17th-century/756445 "2016-06-16T14:31:57Z")
I am a bit of a Tudor fanatic, and I am very, very familiar with the way in which England broke with Rome… at least, Henry’s part in it. (I say that because I have almost no grasp on the other forces shaping non-Catholic… --- ## [billions of ancestors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-of-ancestors/757495)
**Author:** [@Vicsage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vicsage)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/billions-of-ancestors/757495 "2016-06-16T13:15:20Z")
I have 2 parents. I have 4 grandparents. 8 great grandparents. If I go back 30 generations, I have millions of ancestors. 40 generations billions if not trillions. 50 generations, its astronomical. Why is this not… --- ## [What Is '70% of Our Immune System' DOING in Our Digestive Track?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-70-of-our-immune-system-doing-in-our-digestive-track/757402)
**Author:** [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-70-of-our-immune-system-doing-in-our-digestive-track/757402 "2016-06-16T09:55:48Z")
There is this yogurt commercial, that shall remain nameless, that brings up an interesting fact. A full 70% of our immune system, is actually found in our digestive track. As I said, it shall remain nameless. So I don’t… --- ## [Grammar question re: Muslim and Islamic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-re-muslim-and-islamic/757397)
**Author:** [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammar-question-re-muslim-and-islamic/757397 "2016-06-16T08:05:13Z")
When is it appropriate to use the word “Muslim” and when is it appropriate to use “Islamic”? What is the difference? --- ## [Experimental/Pioneering Cosmetic Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experimental-pioneering-cosmetic-surgery/757421)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experimental-pioneering-cosmetic-surgery/757421 "2016-06-16T06:07:43Z")
I imagine if you’re pioneering a new technique for medical surgery, you would practice on animals first. Then you would offer the surgery to people who were desperately ill and had no viable alternatives. Then - as the s… --- ## [Q about Dark Matter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-dark-matter/757393)
**Author:** [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/q-about-dark-matter/757393 "2016-06-16T03:08:42Z")
IIRC the only way we have to detect Dark Matter is through gravity; it does NOT interact with normal matter as DM has no electrons to provide a “solid feel”…and apparently, is invisible. If DM also cannot interact with … --- ## [Are SWAT members always suited up as SWAT?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-swat-members-always-suited-up-as-swat/757227)
**Author:** [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-swat-members-always-suited-up-as-swat/757227 "2016-06-16T03:04:23Z")
The incident in Orlando reminded me of something that I have wondered about for a long time. I realized procedures are probably different in different jurisdictions, but in a city that has sufficient police resources to … --- ## [How to repair thermofoil cabinet?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-repair-thermofoil-cabinet/757435)
**Author:** [@idiotwind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/idiotwind)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-repair-thermofoil-cabinet/757435 "2016-06-16T03:00:45Z")
I have a kitchen cabinet door and a drawer front which have badly damaged thermofoil coverings. The thermofoil covering is peeling, and in one case a large portion of it is missing entirely. The MDF material beneath the … --- ## [Progressive glasses wearers: did I get some made by mistake?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-glasses-wearers-did-i-get-some-made-by-mistake/756707)
**Author:** [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/progressive-glasses-wearers-did-i-get-some-made-by-mistake/756707 "2016-06-16T02:33:15Z")
I just received mail-order glasses from Warby Parker. The order was held up because it turned out my eye doc wrote a prescription for progressives. (We talked briefly about reading music, but that’s all I remember about … --- ## [Why does head massage make you sleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-head-massage-make-you-sleepy/757336)
**Author:** [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-head-massage-make-you-sleepy/757336 "2016-06-16T02:29:17Z")
A head massage or just someone lightly rifling through your hair, can induce strong reaction of sleepiness. Many experience this. Why? --- ## [Chrome: Right-click to open link in new page or tab, comes up and immediately closes (just one site)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-right-click-to-open-link-in-new-page-or-tab-comes-up-and-immediately-closes-just-one-site/757372)
**Author:** [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chrome-right-click-to-open-link-in-new-page-or-tab-comes-up-and-immediately-closes-just-one-site/757372 "2016-06-16T02:22:40Z")
I am a regular user of an Excel users forum (www.excelforum.com). Today I got a pop-up from that site requesting me to allow notifications. I accepted. Since then, when I am on that site and right-click on a link to open… --- ## [Plural of Iron Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-iron-man/757306)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2016, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plural-of-iron-man/757306 "2016-06-16T00:13:32Z")
I have a T-shirt that shows all the different versions of comic book character Iron Man. Whenever I wear it, people always debate if it shows “Iron Men” or “Iron Mans”. Which is the correct form? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=888) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=890)