My friend says Christians weren’t actually thrown to the lions in ancient Rome, but when I was at the Colosseum, I saw a big cross there in honor of all […]
The Straight Dope
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How not to avoid a DUI
In The Bad Girl’s Guide to the Open Road, Cameron Tuttle suggests this technique for getting out of a DUI: Immediately step out of the car with a bottle of […]
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The cry for cryogenics
I’ve been hearing a lot lately about miraculous improvements in auto engine parts, golf balls and clubs, razors, and even brass and stringed musical instruments, all by subjecting the object […]
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How do you launder money?
BEING THE fount of all knowledge, could you tell me the best way to launder money? The information may come in useful one day. —Ben Vicken, Asia I’m confident you’re […]
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Is Yellowstone gonna blow?
My friend Melanie loves to watch the Discovery Channel and share what she has watched with others. The problem is she can never get the story straight. Her latest tale […]
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Do satellites crash into each other?
As I stare into the beautiful dark sky above my home in Hawaii and see the stars and satellites, I ponder the possibility of “space accidents.” With all those satellites, […]
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Blue for boys, pink for girls. Why?
I came across a piece of information that said that in the first half of the 20th century, pink was a boy’s color while blue was a girl’s color. But […]
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Can animals sense earthquakes?
Can animals sense earthquakes? I’ve heard stories about cats carrying their litter of kittens out of a building just prior to a quake. Is there any truth in it? We’ve […]
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The Irish diet
I heard it’s possible to live for an extended period of time on nothing but potatoes and milk. Any truth to this? If I could get all the nutrients I […]
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Girls in Space
Without gravity, how do female astronauts menstruate while in space? — Gayle, Ventura, CA For a while there, Gayle, the question wasn’t how women would menstruate in space but whether […]
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When life begins, redux
I was shocked by your highly ignorant column on “when life begins” [October 24]. You have a very conservative approach, and a misogynistic one at that. I appreciate your attempt […]
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‘Concrete shoes’: Real or bogus?
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “concrete shoes,” mobsters’ choice of swimwear for fellas with rodent traits and other individuals that ran afoul of them. Is there any truth to […]