Explainer Reader Takeover: Brian Palmer will answer your top question about today’s news.

Tell the Explainer What Question You Want Answered About Today’s News

Tell the Explainer What Question You Want Answered About Today’s News

Answers to your questions about the news.
Oct. 31 2012 8:05 AM

The Explainer Is At Your Service

Tell Slate’s chief Explainer what you really want to know about today’s news.

Voting is now closed.
Brian Palmer

"What do you want to know?"

Brian Palmer

Slate Chief Explainer

For 14 years, Slate's Explainer has been answering your questions about today's news. As Slate's current chief Explainer, I've covered everything from sports ("How Do You Fix a Soccer Game?") to combat ("Could You Beat Up a Neanderthal?") to animal rights ("Is It Illegal to Eat Your Cat?"). Readers are always invited to submit their questions, but the final decision about the day's topic usually belongs to my editor and me. Not today. For the Slate Reader Takeover, you have the chance to tell me what you really want to know about today's news. I've culled five questions from hot news stories, and you get to vote for the one that most piques your interest. By the end of today, the Explainer will have an answer for you.

Which question about today's news should I answer?

At the height of Hurricane Sandy, many news channels showed footage of floodwater carrying away parked cars. How do you repair a car that has been completely submerged in water?
10 votes
The Supreme Court will hear on Wednesday a pair of cases about the qualifications of drug sniffing police dogs. Opponents of the canine cops say they make too many mistakes and respond to cues from their handlers. Do dogs have the best sense of smell in the animal kingdom?
10 votes
A conservative campaign bankrolled in part by the Koch Brothers is seeking to vote three Florida Supreme Court justices off the bench in upcoming retention votes. Federal supreme court justices are appointed, while some states have elected justices. Florida has a hybrid system, involving appointment by the governor and retention by voters. Is there any evidence that one of these systems produces more qualified, more competent, more productive, or more impartial judges?
10 votes
The mother of a slain nine-year-old girl raised money so she could travel to the Sioux Falls execution of her daughter's killer on Tuesday night. She refused to sit, preferring to stand right in front of the glass while they executed the convict. Is it psychologically healthy to watch the execution of a person who killed a family member?
10 votes
Some activists are rebelling against breast cancer awareness slogans like "Save the Ta-Tas" and "Feel Your Boobies," according to a story in USA Today. They say the slogans trivialize the disease and objectify women. When did we develop so many colloquialism for women's breasts?
10 votes

 

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This poll will close at 10 a.m. Oct. 31.

Brian Palmer covers science and medicine for Slate.