The many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XVII

[aimeeandbeatles]

My mom randomly told me that my grandfather died with his mouth open. But it got stuck and whoever did the funeral had to break his jaw to get it to close. Is there any truth to this?

[Farm Boy]

I am not an expert on mortuary science, but it seems less plausible to me at first glance than more. The body will stiffen up during rigor mortis shortly following death, but it becomes pliable again afterward.

[aimeeandbeatles]

Well my mom said something about rigor mortis but I couldn't figure out how to spell it.

Question: I have a can of pop and am using a straw. However the straw keeps floating up and falling out. How do I make it stop doing that?

[timtofly]

Originally Posted by aimeeandbeatles

Well my mom said something about rigor mortis but I couldn't figure out how to spell it.

Question: I have a can of pop and am using a straw. However the straw keeps floating up and falling out. How do I make it stop doing that?

Just take the tab off part way; enough to get the straw into, and keep it in place.

[Farm Boy]

Heavier straws!

[Samez]

A wider (bigger diameter) straw might work.

[madviking]

Or get flatter soda.

[PlutonianEmpire]

If a grown man avoids any and all horror movies, as well as avoiding anything on tv or film that's even remotely scary or anything that shows people committing truly evil acts (such as torture or satanic rituals), is he not accepting reality?

[timtofly]

Originally Posted by PlutonianEmpire

If a grown man avoids any and all horror movies, as well as avoiding anything on tv or film that's even remotely scary or anything that shows people committing truly evil acts (such as torture or satanic rituals), is he not accepting reality?

What is reality? Is it everyday life, or is it some script that someone's imagination thought up? If one's imagination does not carry on in that fashion, then no. He is accepting his own reality and not trying to make one up.

[Atticus]

I don't find much resemblance of reality in any horror movies I've seen.

Also, while torture and violence are reality, is it a reason to watch them from television? I doubt people wanted to watch paint drying in TV either, although that is part of the reality. It doesn't mean they don't accept it.

I was going to say something funny about not watching reality shows, but won't since it would be pointed out very soon that they are often far from reality too.

[Skwink]

Why do Mexicans have much darker skin than most people in North America? It has a lot to do with Spanish and Native mixing right?

[Flying Pig]

Originally Posted by Skwink Caesar

Why do Mexicans have much darker skin than most people in North America? It has a lot to do with Spanish and Native mixing right?

Without being at all patronising, you do realise that Mexico is in the south of the continent and therefore the hottest part, and people from hot countries tend to have darker skin, right? But it's also to do with the fact that a far greater proportion of the US population are descended from white immigrants; comparatively very few poeple went to live in Mexico from Spain so their present population is closer to the original. Of course this leaves aside African-Americans, which rather mess up the original principle even if they're easy to explain.

[Cutlass]

Originally Posted by Skwink Caesar

Why do Mexicans have much darker skin than most people in North America? It has a lot to do with Spanish and Native mixing right?

And don't forget the blacks mixing as well. The native Mexicans are darker than the natives further north because of more sun. Spanish are darker than northern Europeans for the same reason, plus the Spanish mixed with Africans for centuries due to the proximity of Spain to North Africa.

[Farm Boy]

Just out of curiosity while we are skirting around ethnic predispositions towards living in certain climates, does anybody know any black people who ski?

I've been on several trips, including one glorious 4 day trip to Colorado to ski, and of all those times I have only ever seen one black family present and they were tubing.

I suppose it could be explained by the plausible socio-economic/cultural tendencies thing, but it's stretching my faith in that explanation when I see none.

[Flying Pig]

Originally Posted by Farm Boy

Just out of curiosity while we are skirting around ethnic predispositions towards living in certain climates, does anybody know any black people who ski?

I've been on several trips, including one glorious 4 day trip to Colorado to ski, and of all those times I have only ever seen one black family present and they were tubing.

I suppose it could be explained by the plausible socio-economic/cultural tendencies thing, but it's stretching my faith in that explanation when I see none.

I don't know many scots who ski, and they live in a relatively cold climate. In fact, most ski-ers I know come from the warmest part of the UK. Co-incidence? Is there an ethnic bias to getting away from your home climate?

[Yared]

The people that I know that are good at skiing either got it down good the first/second time they went skiing with their school, or they learned it from their parents. The former usually don't go skiing often, and are pretty much non-ethnic Swedes.

I'm dark-skinned myself (my parents are from Eritrea and we live in Sweden). As you might guess, my parents didn't grow up with a tradition of skiing themselves with their parents, so when they came here they didn't exactly know it themselves. Hence, it never passed down to myself. Though one day, I do intend to head up to somewhere nice and take some skiing lessons. The schools I have attended throughout my life have all organised skiing trips every once in a while, but I have never gone, since I didn't want to burden my friends.

I don't know how it is in the US, but I suppose it might be explained the same way: their parents don't ski. The lack of a proper skiing tradition (compare going to the beach to have a proper barbeque with your friends and family) along with the costs (renting skiing equipment, lift-passes, etc) it becomes a sound "meh".

[Farm Boy]

I suppose that makes a great deal of sense. I live exceptionally far from the ocean and going to the beach has close to nil appeal to me. Don't care for swimming much either, though I am a passable if not competent swimmer. Then again, maybe I am warped by my own personal experiences. My parents don't ski and if you are familiar with the geography of northern Illinois, you would understand why. It takes a 3 hour drive on the interstate to reach any sort of hill that takes more than 15 seconds to get from top to bottom(15 seconds might still be generous if taking a fast, straight line down).

I suppose I am just finding my own experience mirrors the "easy answer" of ethnic predispositions to cold climate activities being appealing and hotter ones having less draw. Was rather hoping to catch disparate experiences from elsewhere.

[AL_DA_GREAT]

Originally Posted by Farm Boy

Just out of curiosity while we are skirting around ethnic predispositions towards living in certain climates, does anybody know any black people who ski?

I've been on several trips, including one glorious 4 day trip to Colorado to ski, and of all those times I have only ever seen one black family present and they were tubing.

I suppose it could be explained by the plausible socio-economic/cultural tendencies thing, but it's stretching my faith in that explanation when I see none.

Skiing is a white sport. There are times when I have gone on longer ski holidays and completly forgotten that there are no whites. I would say your avrage skiresort in the US/Europe is 99.5 % white 0.5% adopted.

[madviking]

Would a person of mostly, if not entirely, European ancestry born and raised in South Africa qualify as an African-American if he would move to the US?

[Huayna Capac357]

I don't think so.

EDIT: They would technically qualify as "mixed race", but ultimately, since the majority of their pre-colonization ancestors come from Europe, they would be considered white by most people IMO.