Department Index
Explainer 2009:
Answers to your questions about the news.
If you'd like to sort this department listing by headline, author or date, please use the Slate search.
- Un-American Independence Day What are Fourth of July celebrations like abroad?
July 3, 2009 - You Survived a Plane Crash! Now What? Don't move.
July 2, 2009 - Grave Concerns Is it legal to bury Michael Jackson at Neverland Ranch?
July 1, 2009 - Roommates for Life How do prisons deal with overcrowding?
June 30, 2009 - Gov. Sanford Is a Cheater. Is He Also a Criminal? Technically, yes.
June 30, 2009 - Is It Easier To Grow Poppy Than Wheat? Yes, but it's a pain to harvest.
June 29, 2009 - Michael Jackson, RIP, FAQ Lunar moonwalking, child custody, and made-up words.
June 26, 2009 - Will Sarah Jessica Parker's Surrogate Get Visitation Rights? No.
June 25, 2009 - They Know It When They See It Is all pornography banned in China?
June 24, 2009 - Is the Emergency Room More Expensive Than the Doctor's Office? It depends on whom you ask.
June 23, 2009 - No News Is Good News Is it ever a smart idea to publicize a kidnapping?
June 22, 2009 - Why Do Doctors Wear White Coats? Because they say "science."
June 19, 2009 - How Long Can You Keep a Deadly Virus on Ice? Until the end of human civilization, probably.
June 18, 2009 - Prints of Persia Why are Iranian police markings written in English?
June 17, 2009 - What's With All the Prayer Breakfasts? Why can't they do a prayer lunch instead?
June 16, 2009 - Beautiful Two-Bedroom on One Disputed Acre How much does an Israeli-settlement home cost?
June 15, 2009 - The Iranian Baby Boom Why the Islamic republic has such a youthful population.
June 12, 2009 - Do Judges Get To Look at Classified Documents? Only if they promise to store them in a safe.
June 11, 2009 - After Gitmo What happens when the Uighurs get to Palau?
June 10, 2009 - Islamic Greenwashing Why is the color green so important in the Muslim world?
June 9, 2009 - Why Would Lebanon's Christians Side With Iran? Because they're afraid of Saudi Arabia.
June 8, 2009 - Strangle With Care David Carradine may have died attempting autoerotic asphyxiation. Is there a safe way to do that?
June 5, 2009 - How Many Balloons Would It Take To Lift a House? The physics of Pixar's Up.
June 4, 2009 - Tussle in Tiananmen Square What does the Chinese government say happened on June 4, 1989?
June 3, 2009 - How Do You Find a Missing Plane? With lots more planes.
June 2, 2009 - What Made George Tiller So Special? He did the abortion procedures that other doctors couldn't or wouldn't do.
June 1, 2009 - Once More, With Less Pixelation! What does the director of an animated movie do?
May 29, 2009 - How Do They Pick the Words for the National Spelling Bee? By looking in shopping catalogs.
May 28, 2009 - Is Hispanic the Same Thing as Latina? Not quite.
May 27, 2009 - Are We at War With North Korea? Um, sort of, in a way …
May 26, 2009 - The Devil You Know Are Tasmanian devils really as aggressive as the Looney Tunes character?
May 22, 2009 - How Many Times Will Paleontologists Find the "Missing Link"? The fossil hunter's favorite phrase.
May 21, 2009 - Deal or No Dealership Why is Chrysler closing 789 car dealerships?
May 20, 2009 - Do Aviators Wear Aviators? Pilots and their sunglasses.
May 19, 2009 - Life on $2 a Day How far does two bucks take you in India?
May 18, 2009 - Old and Fat Were there obese people 35,000 years ago?
May 15, 2009 - Objection, Dear Leader! How do court trials work in North Korea?
May 14, 2009 - Hands Off My Garbage! Once you put something in the trash, do you still own it?
May 13, 2009 - Do Jockeys Matter in Horse Races? Just a little bit.
May 12, 2009 - Can You Die From Lack of Sleep? The dangers of being really, really tired.
May 11, 2009 - Manny Being Woman-y Why might a doctor prescribe HCG to a guy?
May 8, 2009 - A Dog's Life How do you really calculate dog years?
May 7, 2009 - The Rise of Yeast Why do scientists always experiment on this fungus?
May 6, 2009 - The Six Flavors of White Supremacy Do you have to pick just one?
May 5, 2009 - Sneezes on a Plane When do they divert a flight for a health reasons?
May 4, 2009 - Swine Flu FAQ Will getting swine flu now protect me later? Why is winter flu season? Why do vaccines take so long?
May 1, 2009 - How Strong Is a Wolverine? It's the toughest weasel on earth.
April 30, 2009 - Ooh, Is That a Hitler? Do Adolf Hitler's descendants get a cut of his painting profits?
April 29, 2009 - Where Have All the Doctors Gone? They're retired.
April 28, 2009 - Does Every Animal Have Its Own Kind of Flu? No, but whales and seals do.
April 27, 2009 - Why Are Some Countries Banning Pork Imports? Do they know something about swine flu that we don't?
April 27, 2009 - Are Pigs Dying of Swine Flu, Too? No, it's just another day in the sty.
April 27, 2009 - How Does a Pandemic Ever End? It runs out of victims.
April 27, 2009 - Pandemic Alert! What happens during a "public health emergency," and what's a "pandemic alert level"?
April 27, 2009 - The Fake Sheikh Are reporters allowed to misrepresent themselves?
April 24, 2009 - Can You Get Used to Being Water-Boarded? Or is it still scary after you've been through it 182 times before?
April 23, 2009 - How Old Are Ye, Matey? Can science determine the age of a Somali pirate?
April 23, 2009 - What's a High-Seas Truce? Was it against the rules of maritime warfare to nab that Somali pirate?
April 22, 2009 - Payback Time What happens to returned TARP money?
April 21, 2009 - Hey, Mongolia, Can You Get My Mail While I'm Gone? What happens to an embassy when the ambassador leaves?
April 20, 2009 - Iiiiiiiiiieeeeaaaaaayyyyeeee Can anyone sing with vibrato like Susan Boyle?
April 17, 2009 - Is It Really Illegal To Put Boogers in a Sandwich? Food tampering laws, explained.
April 16, 2009 - Taxes, Schmaxes What happens if I don't file my tax return?
April 14, 2009 - An Explainer Exclusive Why would the White House offer news to just one reporter?
April 14, 2009 - Open Sea Sniping How hard is it to shoot someone in a lifeboat 100 feet away?
April 13, 2009 - Let Him Go! Please? How hostage negotiations work.
April 10, 2009 - Getting High by Going Down Can oral sex make you fail a drug test?
April 9, 2009 - Heated Controversy Do firefighters believe 9/11 conspiracy theories?
April 8, 2009 - Why Is Gmail Still in Beta? It's been around for five years already!
April 7, 2009 - It's 11:48 a.m. Do You Know Where Your Missile Is? Do the North Koreans have more information about their test launch than we do?
April 6, 2009 - World Wad What would a new global reserve currency look like?
April 3, 2009 - The Executive Gift Exchange Have U.S. presidents always traded tchotchkes with foreign leaders?
April 2, 2009 - The Undemocratic People's Republic of Korea Why do the most totalitarian countries always have the most democratic-sounding names?
April 1, 2009 - Could My iPhone Really Crash My Airplane? What about an onboard Wi-Fi network?
March 31, 2009 - Why Does Obama Want To Combine Chrysler and Fiat? Because their products and markets are complementary.
March 30, 2009 - What's So Great About White Phosphorus? Why an army might use a weapon that gets human rights groups upset.
March 27, 2009 - Murder, She Wrote How forensic handwriting identification works.
March 26, 2009 - Jailhouse Doc What's the health care system like in prison?
March 25, 2009 - States' Rights Why can't governors spend stimulus money however they want?
March 24, 2009 - Have Prostate Exams Been Discredited? Not quite yet.
March 23, 2009 - Is Barack Obama Good Enough To Bowl at the Special Olympics? Yes, but he's not good enough to win.
March 20, 2009 - How Does Blood Money Work? What an arm and a leg will cost you.
March 20, 2009 - When Did Drunks Start Wearing Lampshades? A history of tipsy tomfoolery.
March 18, 2009 - What Happens to the Archives of Defunct Newspapers? They end up in a library.
March 17, 2009 - The Bonus Explainer How did the AIG executive "bonuses" become a legal obligation?
March 16, 2009 - Cosmic Lifeboats How do you escape a sinking space station?
March 13, 2009 - Global Motherf*ckers Does every culture use the suggestion of maternal incest as an insult?
March 12, 2009 - The Mile High Club How aerial refueling works.
March 11, 2009 - Madoff's "Information" Why didn't the Ponzi schemer get indicted instead?
March 11, 2009 - Elf Detection 101 How to find the hidden folk of Iceland.
March 10, 2009 - Break a Leg! What's the best way to fracture your own tibia?
March 9, 2009 - Man's First Friend What was the original domesticated animal?
March 6, 2009 - Do Psychologists Still Use Rorschach Tests? Plus: Are the inkblots on Rorschach's mask in Watchmen the real deal?
March 5, 2009 - Party's Over How does the Coast Guard decide when to call off a search-and-rescue mission?
March 4, 2009 - Philatelists' Republic of China Why are the Chinese such incorrigible stamp collectors?
March 3, 2009 - Were There Sex Shops in the Time of George Washington? No, but there were plenty of brothels.
March 2, 2009 - Blood Mail Are you allowed to send your bodily fluids through the post?
Feb. 27, 2009 - Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap How much does it cost to put a hit on someone?
Feb. 26, 2009 - They Shoot Horses, Don't They? No, they put a bolt through their brain.
Feb. 25, 2009 - Financial Gangster's Paradise I got busted by the SEC. Where should I flee to?
Feb. 24, 2009 - Can You Shoot Down a Helicopter With a Pistol? Yes—try to aim for the tail or the pilot.
Feb. 23, 2009 - Monaco Is the New Switzerland My Swiss bank got busted. Where do I hide my money now?
Feb. 21, 2009 - What Does a Hollywood Producer Do, Exactly? Everything—or nothing.
Feb. 20, 2009 - Decapitation and the Muslim World Is there any special significance to beheading in Islam?
Feb. 20, 2009 - Late Model What will happen to Hummer dealers when GM stops making Hummers?
Feb. 18, 2009 - Sub Standard Why are submarines always bumping into things?
Feb. 17, 2009 - Purgatory Parole How Catholic "indulgences" work.
Feb. 13, 2009 - Un-Guilty! Do corrupt judges get their decisions erased?
Feb. 12, 2009 - When Sharks Don't Attack The science of shark repellants.
Feb. 11, 2009 - What Can You Open With a Key to the City? Capt. Sully Sullenberger just got a key to New York. Can I call him if I lock myself out?
Feb. 10, 2009 - Why Do Americans Love Peanut Butter? They fell for it during World War II.
Feb. 9, 2009 - Adolf Who? What makes someone a Holocaust denier?
Feb. 6, 2009 - A Snake the Size of a Plane How did prehistoric animals get so big?
Feb. 5, 2009 - You're Trashing My Scene! Was Christian Bale's Terminator tirade illegal?
Feb. 4, 2009 - Olympic-Size Bong Hits Michael Phelps has extraordinary lung capacity. Does that mean he can get extraordinarily stoned?
Feb. 3, 2009 - Who Decides Which Drugs Athletes Can Take? Why Olympians can't get high.
Feb. 2, 2009 - Total Recall I just ate salmonella-tainted peanut butter. What do I do now?
Jan. 30, 2009 - Debbie Does Salad Do vegetarians really have better sex?
Jan. 29, 2009 - You're Grounded! How do you qualify for house arrest?
Jan. 28, 2009 - Womb for More How many babies can fit inside one woman?
Jan. 27, 2009 - Why Do Cellos Sound Lousy in Cold Weather? The optimal climate for musical instruments.
Jan. 27, 2009 - Jihadis Anonymous What happens in terrorist rehab?
Jan. 23, 2009 - Microsoft Oval Office Will President Obama have a personal computer?
Jan. 22, 2009 - One Ecstatic Inauguration Attendee, Two Ecstatic Inauguration Attendees How do you measure a crowd?
Jan. 21, 2009 - Does the Kevlar Number Come in a French Cuff? Obama was wearing "bullet-resistant clothing." What's that?
Jan. 20, 2009 - Why Doesn't Every President Use the Lincoln Bible? And other tidbits about the Inauguration Day scripture.
Jan. 19, 2009 - How Not To Get Trampled at the Inauguration Don't go with the flow.
Jan. 19, 2009 - It's a Bird, It's a Plane … Everything you need to know about bird strikes, water landings, and other airplane emergencies.
Jan. 16, 2009 - Aren't These Confirmation Hearings a Bit Early? Why is the Senate approving Cabinet members when Obama isn't even president yet?
Jan. 15, 2009 - Big Bird What are the rules for flipping someone off on network television?
Jan. 13, 2009 - Why Don't Indonesians Know How To Swim? Plus, why are their ferries always sinking?
Jan. 12, 2009 - First Movers How exactly will Obama get all his stuff into the White House?
Jan. 9, 2009 - Dry Pumping How do you shut off a gas pipeline?
Jan. 8, 2009 - Self-Mutilation for Dummies Is there a right way for Shiites to lash themselves on Ashura?
Jan. 7, 2009 - What Is the Most Disloyal Dog Breed? An answer to the Explainer's 2008 Question of the Year.
Jan. 7, 2009 - How Many Albinos Are in Tanzania? More than you might think.
Jan. 7, 2009 - Uh … Mind if I Sit Here? What's going to happen to the Minnesota and Illinois Senate seats?
Jan. 5, 2009
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