# Factual Questions **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=923 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 924 --- ## [Large financial transactions in the past](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-financial-transactions-in-the-past/751386)
**Author:** [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/large-financial-transactions-in-the-past/751386 "2016-04-09T08:04:57Z")
Yes, as I am wont to do, I’ve been reading Roman history. You’ll often hear about transactions of huge sums of money, such as taxes or tribute paid to the state or between nations, to the tune of bazillions of sestertii.… --- ## [How does privatiziation save any money?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-privatiziation-save-any-money/751268)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 68\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-privatiziation-save-any-money/751268 "2016-04-09T07:17:54Z")
The state recently privatized the operation of the Casco Bay Bridge , and I am wondering where the advantage is supposed to be. They did this under the guise of saving money. This is a drawbridge that must have operators… --- ## [actions that are only criminal when committed with another crime](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actions-that-are-only-criminal-when-committed-with-another-crime/751516)
**Author:** [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/actions-that-are-only-criminal-when-committed-with-another-crime/751516 "2016-04-09T04:59:45Z")
I remember hearing that some states have an additional penalty for wearing body armor in the course of another crime (e.g. bank robbery). It seems like this should violate some legal principle, but my only study of the … --- ## [Does the word 'Jew' have a negative connotation?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-word-jew-have-a-negative-connotation/751431)
**Author:** [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-word-jew-have-a-negative-connotation/751431 "2016-04-09T03:03:44Z")
I was thinking about this the other day, I’ve never seen anybody or heard of anybody being called a jew as an insult, i.e. “You Jew,” (except in fictional media), but when I think of saying something about Judaism, I fee… --- ## [Discount store owned by Walmart?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discount-store-owned-by-walmart/751535)
**Author:** [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discount-store-owned-by-walmart/751535 "2016-04-09T02:36:07Z")
Yes, I know, some people would call Walmart a discount store anyway. But I saw a news article this morning about a potential Walmart expansion that said “Wal-Mart has 25 locations in Maine, including three discount stor… --- ## [Excessive runout on cordless drill. Can it be fixed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-runout-on-cordless-drill-can-it-be-fixed/751563)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excessive-runout-on-cordless-drill-can-it-be-fixed/751563 "2016-04-09T00:48:59Z")
I have a DeWalt DCD780 cordless drill. I’ve had it for about four years. Yesterday my son and I were using it to build a small, wooden car. I was trying to drill some small and “accurate” holes through the car, and I no… --- ## [Lawnmower engine runs rough after 30 - 45 minutes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmower-engine-runs-rough-after-30-45-minutes/734110)
**Author:** [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lawnmower-engine-runs-rough-after-30-45-minutes/734110 "2016-04-08T23:56:50Z")
I have a Husqvarna ZTR with a 25 hp Kawasaki engine. It’s about 5 years old but only has about 50 hours on it. The last few times that I’ve used it, it has run fine for a while but after 30 - 45 minutes, it would start t… --- ## [Why Do Ships Zig-Zag to Avoid Subs?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ships-zig-zag-to-avoid-subs/425522)
**Author:** [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-ships-zig-zag-to-avoid-subs/425522 "2016-04-08T23:21:47Z")
I always hear about ships zig-zagging in WWII in order to avoid submarines. I’ve never really understood why. To me it would make most sense to steam as straight of a line as possible in order to minimize the amount of… --- ## [Can a bad battery cause electrical problems in a running car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bad-battery-cause-electrical-problems-in-a-running-car/751493)
**Author:** [@Evil\_Economist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Economist)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-a-bad-battery-cause-electrical-problems-in-a-running-car/751493 "2016-04-08T23:18:08Z")
Any car gurus here? I’ve been having electrical problems with my car–while I’m driving the electrical system occasionally flickers, and has gone out entirely for a few seconds in a couple of cases. Basically everything … --- ## [Marsh Hawks and prey animals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsh-hawks-and-prey-animals/751569)
**Author:** [@MikeF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeF)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/marsh-hawks-and-prey-animals/751569 "2016-04-08T22:09:56Z")
I live in coastal new Jersey and Northern Harriers are quite common. I see them daily cruising over the wetlands. I understand that they eat mice and voles and things like that. My question is this. When there are very h… --- ## [Whatever happened to Sarah Ferguson's criminal trial?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-sarah-fergusons-criminal-trial/751581)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-sarah-fergusons-criminal-trial/751581 "2016-04-08T18:43:24Z")
A few years back, Turkey issued an international arrest warrant for Sarah Ferguson (the Duchess of York, for the monarchically minded), alleging she had entered the country under false pretences, trespassed on government… --- ## [Primaries: legality of selecting private organizations nomination with public resouces](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primaries-legality-of-selecting-private-organizations-nomination-with-public-resouces/751380)
**Author:** [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/primaries-legality-of-selecting-private-organizations-nomination-with-public-resouces/751380 "2016-04-08T17:37:16Z")
It continues to befuddle me how entrenched the two party system has become de facto required for our government. Part of this I realized was the fact that we use public resources in a primary election to select nominati… --- ## [What kind of bird of prey is this?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bird-of-prey-is-this/751543)
**Author:** [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-bird-of-prey-is-this/751543 "2016-04-08T17:16:05Z")
Picture here - found it eating a squirrel on my front lawn when leaving for work the other day. It tried to fly off with the carcass when I pulled my car out of the garage but wasn’t strong enough to lift off with it, ap… --- ## [Oldest DNA discovered; Why did "oldest" H. Sapiens not interbreed with Neanderthals and Denisovans?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-dna-discovered-why-did-oldest-h-sapiens-not-interbreed-with-neanderthals-and-denisovans/749449)
**Author:** [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oldest-dna-discovered-why-did-oldest-h-sapiens-not-interbreed-with-neanderthals-and-denisovans/749449 "2016-04-08T16:59:24Z")
In light of the current (and ever present) GQ threads on Neanderthals, I was hoping someone with more knowledge than me could comment on the recent discovery described here in the lay press: Where do Neanderthals come fr… --- ## [Question about money and prison](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-money-and-prison/751435)
**Author:** [@JakeRS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JakeRS)\ **Replies:** 32\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-money-and-prison/751435 "2016-04-08T11:10:23Z")
Say that a person steals a lot of money and hides it somewhere, however the person does get eventually arrested and gets 5 or 10 years in prison, but the money never gets found, 5 or 10 years later the thief gets out of … --- ## [Does the dollar value of a stock have anything to do with control of the stock's company?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-dollar-value-of-a-stock-have-anything-to-do-with-control-of-the-stocks-company/751458)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-dollar-value-of-a-stock-have-anything-to-do-with-control-of-the-stocks-company/751458 "2016-04-08T10:32:10Z")
Let’s say a company issues 100 shares of stock and I buy 51 of them at a buck a piece. Then they produce something great and the stock price goes through the roof. Someone else comes along and pays $10 grand a piece fo… --- ## [Dispute on the actual definition of availible](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispute-on-the-actual-definition-of-availible/750299)
**Author:** [@DrPengin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrPengin)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dispute-on-the-actual-definition-of-availible/750299 "2016-04-08T01:20:16Z")
I said that if a public toilet is engaged it is still available. I used the example of a hotel opening a new block of toilets, that were available for the next few months until the main toilets are fixed. Even if all the… --- ## [What happened to the commercials for brand name gasoline?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-commercials-for-brand-name-gasoline/751327)
**Author:** [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Replies:** 45\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happened-to-the-commercials-for-brand-name-gasoline/751327 "2016-04-07T21:01:14Z")
For decades oil companies advertised on TV how their gasoline was better than the rest, better detergents, more power from your car, yadda, yadda, yadda. I haven’t seen an ad like that for a long time. Now if there is e… --- ## [Thumbdrive Question:](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thumbdrive-question/751339)
**Author:** [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thumbdrive-question/751339 "2016-04-07T20:55:12Z")
Is there any truth to this statement? Fake Drive “All \[Thumb\] drives being sold are fake. The flash memory controller has been modified to report an overstated memory capacity. They work fine until you exceed the true … --- ## [Electric hair trimmers. Always break down at the charger. Why](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-hair-trimmers-always-break-down-at-the-charger-why/751456)
**Author:** [@nansbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nansbread)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-hair-trimmers-always-break-down-at-the-charger-why/751456 "2016-04-07T20:53:38Z")
I have been through about 3 electric hair trimmers. They work great for a few months and then this happens. The charger does not work. The red light comes on only when the charger lead is placed in a particular position… --- ## [Any suggestions to repair/salvage my leather bag?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-to-repair-salvage-my-leather-bag/751390)
**Author:** [@teddybound](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teddybound)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-suggestions-to-repair-salvage-my-leather-bag/751390 "2016-04-07T19:42:10Z")
My bag is mostly canvas except for a few parts where it is leather. Unfortunately, I did not keep the leather well and it peeled very badly. Here’s a picture: A big portion has pee… --- ## [Tablet, phone, Roku, Computer clocks don't agree](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tablet-phone-roku-computer-clocks-dont-agree/751433)
**Author:** [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tablet-phone-roku-computer-clocks-dont-agree/751433 "2016-04-07T18:19:35Z")
The phone is part of the Sprint network although it also accesses my wifi. The computer, Roku, and tablet are all wifi devices on my home Comcast account. All are configured to set their clocks through their network an… --- ## [1700s and belief in the limits of mosquitoes' flight ability?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1700s-and-belief-in-the-limits-of-mosquitoes-flight-ability/751376)
**Author:** [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1700s-and-belief-in-the-limits-of-mosquitoes-flight-ability/751376 "2016-04-07T17:35:36Z")
One of the local legends is that city streets in Columbia SC were designed to be wide was that in olden times it was believed that mosquitoes could not fly more than 60 feet at one time. I’ve been unable to find anythin… --- ## [Inertial Navigation - How Accurate/How to Reset/Update?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inertial-navigation-how-accurate-how-to-reset-update/751405)
**Author:** [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inertial-navigation-how-accurate-how-to-reset-update/751405 "2016-04-07T17:33:46Z")
I’ve never had any exposure to INS, but am aware that they are/were standard on large aircraft. I take they “drift” with time/distance, so the question becomes: I land/dock/splash down at a point for which I have exact… --- ## [Official WWII notices](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-wwii-notices/751416)
**Author:** [@Sodakker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sodakker)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-wwii-notices/751416 "2016-04-07T16:05:31Z")
Where can one find examples of War Dept. communications notifying U.S. citizens and residents of South Dakota in particular of the fate of their service-member relative during WWII? --- ## [Excel: Circular Reference Mystery/Oddity](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-circular-reference-mystery-oddity/751368)
**Author:** [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excel-circular-reference-mystery-oddity/751368 "2016-04-07T14:57:05Z")
A couple of years ago I developed a certain model in Excel. The model did not have any circular references in it - I would definitively have noticed it (among other things, Excel gives you a warning every time you open a… --- ## [How fake-able is a nuclear test?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fake-able-is-a-nuclear-test/750889)
**Author:** [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-fake-able-is-a-nuclear-test/750889 "2016-04-07T14:13:11Z")
If North Korea piled 50,000 tons of TNT (don’t ask how they could acquire that much TNT) into an underground chamber, then detonated it, and then released Xenon-131, Xenon-133, Xenon-135 and the other element byproducts … --- ## [How do sites like "Celebrity Movie Archive" stay in business?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sites-like-celebrity-movie-archive-stay-in-business/473386)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-sites-like-celebrity-movie-archive-stay-in-business/473386 "2016-04-07T14:06:30Z")
www.celebritymoviearchive.com and others make money by selling copyrighted clips. They do it quite openly, and have many clips I’m sure the legal owners would like taken down. How do they manage to keep those clips up wi… --- ## [Why do we roll our eyes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-roll-our-eyes/751437)
**Author:** [@egospoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/egospoon)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-roll-our-eyes/751437 "2016-04-07T13:50:46Z")
When I’m exasperated, or mildly contemptuous of something, I look up at the inside of my (open) eyelids, without moving my head. “Eye-rolling” is an adjective to describe something particularly fatuous. Why is that? Th… --- ## [Technical term for people moving side to side](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technical-term-for-people-moving-side-to-side/751316)
**Author:** [@bomberswarm2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bomberswarm2)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2016, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/technical-term-for-people-moving-side-to-side/751316 "2016-04-07T13:25:14Z")
When two people are walking together and they both move the same way, what’s this called? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=922) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/factual-questions/9.md?page=924)