The very many questions-not-worth-their-own-thread question thread XXII

[Traitorfish]

Why is that some police departments in the US wear blue or black uniforms, and others wear tan/khaki ones?

 

[ace99]

To illustrate what kind of beating you're going to get when you're arrested by them.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Mostly because they can, really. The police are very decentralized in the US, with multiple levels of authority and overlapping responsibilities and departments. We don't have much of a national police force but many different town, highway, state and even college police forces. They all do their own thing to a certain extent.

 

[ace99]

Isn't it usually city police departments that that's the one that wear blue and blacks, while the sheriffs and more rural police and I think state troopers tend to wear khaki?

My original post stands.

Also the downstairs carbon monoxide alarm went off, and we disconnected it because as far as I can see there's no carbon monoxide in the house the stove's not on, nor is the oven. Its all central heating so natural gas.

The upstairs one hasn't gone off so I figure it's just being strange. What might be causing it? And who are you supposed to call for this, other than I guess the landlord?

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Perhaps the gas company. Also I'd open the windows if I were you and if you start feeling tired or dizzy go outside. Carbon monoxide poisoning is nothing to fool around with.

 

[ace99]

Well this happened two days ago during the blizzard so I figure I'd be dead already if it was a real problem.

 

[Borachio]

If it's Gas there should be an emergency call out number. There is in the UK and it's free. But maybe that's just if you smell gas. They don't want an explosion after all.

Still, CO isn't explosive. Highly toxic though. I think gas boilers can emit CO from the exhaust.

My alarms beep when the batteries get low. Could it be that?

 

[Flying Pig]

I don't think you can smell carbon monoxide - the stuff you smell is (an additive to the odourless) gas which does ignite. Head down to the pet shop and buy a canary?

 

[Borachio]

A stenchant, they call it. Which has always tickled me, as a word.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

Carbon monoxide is odorless which is what makes it dangerous

Its terrible stuff to deal with.

 

[Borachio]

Indeed. Though the fact that it stops you absorbing oxygen might be the actual danger.

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I mean why it can be dangeorus, because you dont know its there unless you have alarm. If you smell a gas leak you'll go outside. But if the house fills with CO, and you dont have an alarm, you just think youre tired and go to sleep and then die because it takes up your bloodstream instead of oxygen.

 

[Borachio]

That can happen. I've heard.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Carbon-monoxide-poisoning/Pages/Symptoms.aspx

 

[aimeeandbeatles]

I guess you never saw the post where i mentioned that my mother and i almost got it from the car malfunctioning and the exhaust was going into the car instead of outside

I recognized it though i mean the drowsiness

 

[Flying Pig]

I have these little patches they used to give out, which take the form of a small white circle that you put on your wall near the boiler - it turns brown if there's any carbon monoxide around it.

 

[shadowplay]

Also the downstairs carbon monoxide alarm went off, and we disconnected it because as far as I can see there's no carbon monoxide in the house the stove's not on, nor is the oven. Its all central heating so natural gas.

The upstairs one hasn't gone off so I figure it's just being strange. What might be causing it? And who are you supposed to call for this, other than I guess the landlord?

Carbon monoxide detectors usually have a date stamped on them somewhere - they need to be replaced every 5 years or so, because they can start to malfunction.

 

[Borachio]

I guess you never saw the post where i mentioned that my mother and i almost got it from the car malfunctioning and the exhaust was going into the car instead of outside

I recognized it though i mean the drowsiness

Yeah. I remember.

Three friends of mine drove a couple of hundred miles with the exhaust fumes filling the car. They never realized till they all got out of the car at the end of the journey and promptly fell over.

 

[Cutlass]

Isn't it usually city police departments that that's the one that wear blue and blacks, while the sheriffs and more rural police and I think state troopers tend to wear khaki?

My original post stands.

Also the downstairs carbon monoxide alarm went off, and we disconnected it because as far as I can see there's no carbon monoxide in the house the stove's not on, nor is the oven. Its all central heating so natural gas.

The upstairs one hasn't gone off so I figure it's just being strange. What might be causing it? And who are you supposed to call for this, other than I guess the landlord?

You get CO2 when your burner is not burning efficiently, even with gas. But it normally goes up the chimney, so no problem. With a blizzard going on, the exhaust up the flue may have been partially obstructed. Or the wind could have been high enough to blow some of it back into the house.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Anyone know of any stores or websites that sell Peach flavored Jolly Ranchers?

 

[sophie]

Isn't it usually city police departments that that's the one that wear blue and blacks, while the sheriffs and more rural police and I think state troopers tend to wear khaki?

Yeah, it's like this for 'round my way. City police wear blue and drive the stereotypical black/white cars. County Sheriffs wear dark green and drive white cars with green writing (they are seriously difficult to discern from ordinary cars until they are really close to you :\). And Highway Patrol wears khaki uniforms and drive white and black cars with "highway patrol" written on the back. You can usually tell them by their siren lights which are much more prominent than your average cop car.