Department Index
Explainer 2004:
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.
- Fake Out! How forgers made grime seem ancient.
Dec. 30, 2004 - Surviving the Tsunami What Sri Lanka's animals knew that humans didn't.
Dec. 30, 2004 - Earthquakes vs. the Earth's Rotation How major tremors alter the planet's wobble.
Dec. 28, 2004 - How To Avenge a Shark Attack First, find your shark.
Dec. 17, 2004 - Can Lasers Really Bring Down Planes? Actually, yes.
Dec. 14, 2004 - What Is Dioxin, Anyway? Where does it come from? And are its effects reversible?
Dec. 14, 2004 - How To Rig a Ukrainian Election Five ways Yushchenko might have gotten screwed.
Dec. 9, 2004 - How High Can a Fire Hose Shoot? And is it a good idea to aim high in the first place?
Dec. 7, 2004 - How To Govern From the Clink Lessons for Marwan Barghouti.
Dec. 2, 2004 - How Buddhism Got to Russia Despite the best efforts of Stalin and Catherine the Great.
Nov. 30, 2004 - The $28K Sandwich That Grew No Mold How the Virgin Mary's grilled cheese stayed mold-free for 10 years.
Nov. 23, 2004 - Counting Poppies in Afghanistan How the United Nations did it.
Nov. 19, 2004 - How They Count the Enemy Dead Why's it so hard? Let us count the ways.
Nov. 18, 2004 - How Often Is Atlantis Discovered? The lost city that's always being found.
Nov. 17, 2004 - What's That Flower on Blair's Lapel? The bloomin' thing, explained.
Nov. 15, 2004 - Flak Jackets vs. Bulletproof Vests What's the difference?
Nov. 12, 2004 - How Deep Is Arafat's Coma? And how can doctors tell?
Nov. 9, 2004 - Do Diplomats Still Use Telegrams? Don't they have e-mail like the rest of us?
Nov. 6, 2004 - Could the Blue States Secede? Is there a legal way to opt out of the Union?
Nov. 6, 2004 - How To Move to Canada Will they take us in?
Nov. 3, 2004 - What Is Voter Intimidation? Is it one thing in Ohio and another in South Dakota?
Nov. 3, 2004 - What Happens in a SCOTUS Tie? How the court operates with a justice out sick.
Nov. 2, 2004 - Whence "October Surprise"? How it got its name.
Oct. 29, 2004 - Who Got To Name the Tiny Humans? Species identification 101.
Oct. 28, 2004 - How Does a Tracheotomy Work? Will Rehnquist be able to talk next week?
Oct. 25, 2004 - What Are Stun Grenades? And when do they come in handy?
Oct. 22, 2004 - How Fair Is Sinclair's Doctrine? Is John Kerry entitled to avenge his Stolen Honor?
Oct. 20, 2004 - Skip Law School, Be a Lawyer Anyway Can law school dropouts really join the bar?
Oct. 19, 2004 - Why Develop Vaccines In Space? What scientists have against gravity.
Oct. 15, 2004 - How the Feds Define Poverty What's food got to do with it?
Oct. 12, 2004 - I Want a Flu Shot Does the doctor have to give it to me?
Oct. 8, 2004 - Can You Buy Votes With Underwear? How about ramen noodles and chicken?
Oct. 7, 2004 - How To Predict a Volcanic Eruption Can they know when Mount St. Helens will blow?
Oct. 5, 2004 - Can Bush Stump With Troops? And when can Kerry?
Oct. 1, 2004 - Where Does Space Begin? Eighty kilometers above the Earth's surface? 100 km? 600 km?
Sept. 30, 2004 - American Indian vs. Native American Which is the proper term?
Sept. 24, 2004 - What Is Blood Doping? And how does it work?
Sept. 23, 2004 - How Deadly Are Scorpions? Not very.
Sept. 21, 2004 - What Is an Assault Weapon? At last, you can get a semiautomatic rifle with a bayonet.
Sept. 16, 2004 - The (Other) NFL Blackout Rule Why you didn't see the Dolphins-Titans game live.
Sept. 14, 2004 - How NASA Uses Sapphires in Space Precious gems with lofty ambitions.
Sept. 8, 2004 - How Does Bypass Surgery Work? What they'll do to Clinton's heart.
Sept. 3, 2004 - Why Do We Get Labor Day Off? Raise a glass to the desperate politicking of Grover Cleveland.
Sept. 2, 2004 - What's a Stemwinder? A long speech? A rousing one? A speech that bores your pants off?
Aug. 31, 2004 - How Long Do Cops Keep Evidence? Five years? Forty years? Until the end of time?
Aug. 27, 2004 - Why Are Killer Bees So Slow? Aren't they supposed to be here already?
Aug. 26, 2004 - What, Exactly, Is a Swift Boat? A vessel that hails from the Gulf of Mexico, of course.
Aug. 25, 2004 - How To Earn a Purple Heart Which injuries are medal-worthy?
Aug. 23, 2004 - What's With That Weird New Vault? Goodbye, horse. Hello, tongue!
Aug. 20, 2004 - Is a $10 Bag of Ice Illegal? When it's price gouging, and when it's just really expensive.
Aug. 18, 2004 - We Have How Many Troops in Europe? Plus, the skinny on what they do there.
Aug. 18, 2004 - Why Puerto Rico Has Its Own Team How the insular territory made it to Athens.
Aug. 17, 2004 - How To Conduct a Prairie Dog Census First, round up some remote-control planes.
Aug. 13, 2004 - Eleven Angry Men Who says juries have to be unanimous?
Aug. 11, 2004 - How To Renounce Your Citizenship Tips from Bobby Fischer.
Aug. 6, 2004 - Could You Run for Senate in Illinois? And where else is carpetbagging allowed?
Aug. 6, 2004 - Who's a "Likely Voter," Anyway? How pollsters get you to admit you're a lousy citizen.
Aug. 3, 2004 - The Third Black Sen. Since When? Barack Obama would be the third "since Reconstruction." What gives?
July 28, 2004 - Who Gets the 9/11 Report Profits? The publisher's printing at least 800,000 copies. Where will all the money go?
July 27, 2004 - How Would Insulin Help Marion Jones? Does it make athletes faster?
July 23, 2004 - Who Are the Janjaweed? A guide to the Sudanese militiamen.
July 22, 2004 - Who Pays Enron's Legal Bills? The bankruptcy has generated a $700 million tab.
July 15, 2004 - Why Is Antifreeze So Delicious? Engine Fluid 101.
July 13, 2004 - Why Does Saturn Have Rings? And how come Earth has none?
July 9, 2004 - How the Dems Got Such Nice Teeth Could you get an equally campaign-worthy smile?
July 9, 2004 - Who Gets Edwards' $728,968? Can he spend the money he raised during the primary on the general election?
July 6, 2004 - Where Do Athletes Go to Court? Why, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, of course.
July 1, 2004 - You're in the Army Now (and Forever) How long do you have to be all you can be?
June 29, 2004 - What Makes Iraq a Sovereign Nation? No treaty power. An occupying army. What can the Iraqis do for themselves?
June 29, 2004 - When Do Papers Print the F-Word? How do newspaper editors decide?
June 25, 2004 - Why Unseal Ryan's Divorce Papers? Neither Jack nor Jeri wanted them unsealed. What gives?
June 23, 2004 - Why Did Gov. Rowland Resign? And is he a crook?
June 22, 2004 - Can Foreigners Give Money to Kerry? Or Bush? Or your local Senate candidate?
June 22, 2004 - What's the Point of a Byline Strike? How anonymity became a bargaining chip.
June 17, 2004 - Do Hindus Decry Homosexuality? A new Bollywood film features lesbians, but it's been met with protest. What gives?
June 15, 2004 - How Long Can You Go Without Food? Hunger strikes 101.
June 10, 2004 - What's a Catafalque? President Reagan's second-to-last resting place.
June 9, 2004 - Who Can Declare a Holiday? And how is it done?
June 8, 2004 - What Is a Companion Pony? For Smarty Jones, an animal named Butterscotch is both friend and foal.
June 4, 2004 - Why 3-Year-Olds Rule the Triple Crown And faster 4-year-olds don't get a shot.
June 3, 2004 - What Is the War College, Anyway? Who attends? And what do they learn?
May 25, 2004 - Jeremy Sivits: Fired and Demoted? Plus, a primer: How do courts-martial work? What are the punishments? Can you appeal?
May 19, 2004 - Why Athletes Pee on Their Hands Does urine really toughen the skin?
May 17, 2004 - Is Torture Against the Law? What Uncle Sam has to say about it.
May 13, 2004 - What's That Gizmo on GI Helmets? The lowdown on the gadget affixed to their heads.
May 11, 2004 - How Do You Pronounce "Abu Ghraib"? Hint: It doesn't rhyme with "babe."
May 10, 2004 - How Does a Sotheby's Auction Work? First, they let you touch the Renoir.
May 7, 2004 - How To Discipline Private Contractors What consequences do the companies involved in Abu Ghraib face?
May 4, 2004 - Who Protects David Souter? Do Supreme Court justices have bodyguards?
May 3, 2004 - Where Did We Get Our Oath? The origin of the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
April 30, 2004 - Why Is Najaf So Holy? Because of the man who's buried in Ali's tomb.
April 27, 2004 - What's With Our 15 Intel Agencies? The CIA, we know. But what are the other 14?
April 26, 2004 - How Do They Measure Calories? Did McDonald's have to torch its new Happy Meal?
April 21, 2004 - Your Planetary Protection Officer What on Earth does he do?
April 20, 2004 - How Much Did The Alamo Really Cost? $100 million? Or $140 million? How to call a studio's bluff.
April 14, 2004 - Can the Witmer Sisters Stay Home? One sister died in Iraq. Can the other two be reassigned?
April 13, 2004 - What Is Summer-Blend Gas? And if it's so clean, why don't we use it year-round?
April 12, 2004 - Which Are Safer, Trains or Planes? Explainer weighs the odds.
April 9, 2004 - Why Eat Peeps at Easter? How the marshmallow chicks found Jesus.
April 8, 2004 - So You Want To Be an Ayatollah How Shiite clerics earn the name.
April 6, 2004 - What's With All the Dutch Ecstasy? Why it's not made in the USA.
April 1, 2004 - When Can a Judge Declare a Mistrial? Whenever jurors drink beer with lunch.
March 31, 2004 - Who Vetted Clarke's Book? How the White House decided which tidbits were classified.
March 30, 2004 - How Did Suharto Steal $35 Billion? Cronyism 101.
March 26, 2004 - Do Unbuilt Architects Get Paid? How an architect who produces countless designs but few buildings can be a success.
March 25, 2004 - Prozac vs. Wellbutrin How do newer antidepressants work?
March 23, 2004 - Why Is It Called "March Madness"? How did the NCAA tournament get its nickname?
March 18, 2004 - Can an Army Volunteer Be a CO? Who's eligible to be a conscientious objector?
March 17, 2004 - How Do You Test for Mad Cow? First, kill Flossie. Then send her brain to Iowa.
March 16, 2004 - How Do You Say Pres. Roh's Name? Korean Romanization demystified.
March 12, 2004 - When Is Hockey Violence Illegal? Roughhousing versus assault.
March 11, 2004 - Can an Opera Singer Be Too Fat? Do Pavarotti's extra pounds help make him great?
March 10, 2004 - The Gall of John Ashcroft How he'll live without a non-vital organ.
March 9, 2004 - How's Choreography Recorded? Pirouette, port de bras, plié—is there a way to write it down?
March 5, 2004 - Could Kerry Pick McCain for VP? How a Democrat could choose a Republican running mate.
March 3, 2004 - Same-Sex Marriage for Transsexuals? Why it's legal in Texas, but not California.
March 3, 2004 - What's a Boston Brahmin? And has Kerry really earned the name?
March 1, 2004 - FAQ: Gay Marriage Your nagging questions answered.
Feb. 27, 2004 - Why Can't Arnold Be President? What the Founding Fathers were afraid of.
Feb. 26, 2004 - How Do You Join an Indian Tribe? You might need to get a "white card" first.
Feb. 25, 2004 - Why Is It Called The Passion? How Jesus' suffering got its name.
Feb. 25, 2004 - How Secret Service Agents Are Allotted And why some candidates prefer not to have them around.
Feb. 20, 2004 - Is Aristide Still a Priest? What the Vatican thinks of the Haitian ruler.
Feb. 17, 2004 - How Does Sweeps Week Work? Why networks roll out the big guns—and why advertisers put up with it.
Feb. 16, 2004 - Can the FCC Regulate HBO? Michael Powell promises to crack down on cable. Can he?
Feb. 12, 2004 - What Happens to Clark's Delegates? One hundred and two are up for grabs.
Feb. 11, 2004 - Why Are Poodle Haircuts So Weird? How their coifs once helped them hunt.
Feb. 10, 2004 - What's a Maoist, Anyway? How to tell Nepal's Maoist rebels from garden-variety Communists.
Feb. 5, 2004 - How Do They Name New Elements? You can name them for mythical creatures, but you can't name one after your mom.
Feb. 3, 2004 - Who Gets Punished for Janet's Strip? What are the fines for baring a breast?
Feb. 2, 2004 - Wait, Dean Has the Most Delegates? In this race, he's beating Kerry by 19.
Jan. 28, 2004 - Is President Bush a Deserter? How the military defines the crime.
Jan. 27, 2004 - Bush Aims To Raise Whose Budget? The skinny on the National Endowment for Democracy.
Jan. 22, 2004 - Who Pays $15,000 for a Dress? How couturiers turn a profit.
Jan. 21, 2004 - Who Gets Gephardt's Cash? Where war chests go when campaigns fold.
Jan. 20, 2004 - Why Does Iowa Get To Go First? How Iowans came by their kingmaker role in presidential elections.
Jan. 16, 2004 - Why Is Mars Red? Basically, the whole planet is rusty.
Jan. 12, 2004 - Why Is Kashmir So Hotly Disputed? The conflict began with a gift of goats.
Jan. 8, 2004 - What Does Civet Cat Taste Like? Why you'll find it in soups, sweets, and cigarettes.
Jan. 6, 2004
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