# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=116 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 117 --- ## [Common Law marriage: why?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-law-marriage-why/465086)
**Author:** [@Apocalypso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apocalypso)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [October 21, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-law-marriage-why/465086 "2008-10-21T15:29:53Z")
I know Cecil wrote a column about this, but I tried the search on the front page and can’t find it. The gist of the column was: The 7 years commonly cited is a myth, and it’s not automatic by any means. You have to … --- ## [Biblical Jokes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biblical-jokes/467165)
**Author:** [@jbaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jbaker)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [October 21, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biblical-jokes/467165 "2008-10-21T15:10:23Z")
In his discussion of biblical jokes, Cecil omits my favorite, from Acts 9:11: “And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, … --- ## [Dead Reckoning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-reckoning/137907)
**Author:** [@Coises](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coises)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 20, 2008, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-reckoning/137907 "2008-10-20T00:54:33Z")
Huh… the meaning of Dead Reckoning seems obvious to me. In all the other forms of determining one’s position, current information (the position of the stars, sightings of landmarks, etc.) are used: hence, “live” reckoni… --- ## [The meaning of Kumbaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-kumbaya/468173)
**Author:** [@missx3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missx3)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 16, 2008, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-kumbaya/468173 "2008-10-16T18:34:55Z")
Just as one brief example of my superior intelligence, I asked the question ‘What does kumbaya mean’ to my mother when I was a mere child, but apparently an adult was asking it here. Mommy always told me it meant ‘come… --- ## [Pilgrims and Beer: The Real Story](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrims-and-beer-the-real-story/467772)
**Author:** [@toddlintown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toddlintown)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 15, 2008, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pilgrims-and-beer-the-real-story/467772 "2008-10-15T21:20:45Z")
I was a bit hesitant to write about another popular bit of U.S. beer folklore, beginning with the silly notion that the “Pilgrims” chose to land at Plymouth Rock simply because they had run out of beer. But after reading… --- ## [Mr. Huges in Dylan shoes...Nelson's Garden Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-huges-in-dylan-shoes-nelsons-garden-party/467562)
**Author:** [@JoeBaron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JoeBaron)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2008, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mr-huges-in-dylan-shoes-nelsons-garden-party/467562 "2008-10-14T23:42:40Z")
Reading the analysis of Ricky Nelson’s “Garden Party” by Rico was interesting, and seems spot on in many ways. I would suggest a more plausible identity for “Mr. Hughes”. If we take Mr. Hughes to be billionaire Howard … --- ## [Cyanoacrylate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cyanoacrylate/467852)
**Author:** [@ALAN\_BRIDGE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ALAN_BRIDGE)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2008, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cyanoacrylate/467852 "2008-10-14T13:25:00Z")
When this adhesive was first used for surgery I found other uses for it in dentistry. Amongst these was to replace sutures for gum surgery and the improved retention of pins placed for crown & other restorations. My f… --- ## [Fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain not the same condition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fibromyalgia-and-chronic-myofascial-pain-not-the-same-condition/467308)
**Author:** [@magpye100](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magpye100)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [October 14, 2008, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fibromyalgia-and-chronic-myofascial-pain-not-the-same-condition/467308 "2008-10-14T04:31:27Z")
I finally learned I had Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP) as a direct result of someone suggesting that my pain might be fibromyalgia. It was not, nor are CMP and fibromyalgia the same condition, although they are frequently… --- ## [Gfactor's presidential immunity column](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactors-presidential-immunity-column/466318)
**Author:** [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gfactors-presidential-immunity-column/466318 "2008-10-10T20:09:15Z")
Linky. Great column, as always, but there’s loads of broken non-link URLs in the middle of the text. To wit: It’s a tad difficult to read. :frowning: --- ## ["carbamate bomb,"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbamate-bomb/467329)
**Author:** [@uptownjyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uptownjyd)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2008, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carbamate-bomb/467329 "2008-10-10T18:41:21Z")
Cecil, Where can “I” Buy a “carbamate bomb,” ??? Lou --- ## [Are there any jokes in the Bible?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-jokes-in-the-bible/462446)
**Author:** [@Cantab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cantab)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2008, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-jokes-in-the-bible/462446 "2008-10-10T01:44:36Z")
RE: TSD Column “Are there any jokes in the Bible?” According to FFRF’s Dan Barker in a recent Harvard debate with nutter Dinesh D’Souza: It seems silly to us today, but to the Jews, circumcision was no laughing matter.… --- ## [Six Flags Over Where](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-flags-over-where/466019)
**Author:** [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2008, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-flags-over-where/466019 "2008-10-09T21:49:22Z")
Far be it from me to question the Master, but this statement puzzles me: “To forestall embarrassing inquiries the park was recently given the unobjectionable (because meaningless) name Six Flags St. Louis.” How is tha… --- ## [killing those pesky cockroaches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-those-pesky-cockroaches/466612)
**Author:** [@bellybaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bellybaby)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2008, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/killing-those-pesky-cockroaches/466612 "2008-10-09T15:51:44Z")
Dear Cecil, A friend of mine who lived in Ft. Lauderdale came up with a doozy of a concoction that worked within a matter of 2 weeks, and no cockroaches ever stepped foot into her home again! Even the ants left. Wear … --- ## [On Tattoos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-tattoos/466250)
**Author:** [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Replies:** 47\ **Last updated:** [October 9, 2008, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-tattoos/466250 "2008-10-09T14:07:33Z")
How was this statistic determined? And, uh, just how inaccessible were these “localities”? :smiley: --- ## [What happens to old movie costumes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-old-movie-costumes/466193)
**Author:** [@Wygtya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wygtya)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2008, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-to-old-movie-costumes/466193 "2008-10-05T19:24:01Z")
And then there’s this guy’s show. link to staff report: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2807/ --- ## [RE: Are Teflon-coated pans a health risk to birds and humans?- Irresponsible Answer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-teflon-coated-pans-a-health-risk-to-birds-and-humans-irresponsible-answer/466516)
**Author:** [@ggil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ggil)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2008, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-teflon-coated-pans-a-health-risk-to-birds-and-humans-irresponsible-answer/466516 "2008-10-05T04:56:47Z")
The answer to this question was extremely irresponsible. See: The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit consumer safety organization, has reviewed 16 peer-reviewed studies detailing experiments conducted over the pas… --- ## [What's really in Spam?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-spam/376372)
**Author:** [@LykaiosFreedom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LykaiosFreedom)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2008, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-really-in-spam/376372 "2008-10-04T15:13:22Z")
What’s really in Spam? Well after reading the parts about the oceanic I’ll like to reply with this: My class visted my cities main art gallery and there was a cow made out of cans of Spam (or Corned Beef as its know he… --- ## [Eelskin Wallets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eelskin-wallets/465859)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2008, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eelskin-wallets/465859 "2008-10-02T23:30:31Z")
I mentioned the findings in Cecil’s column on eelskin wallets to a co-worker (the column is here: Do eelskin wallets demagnetize bank teller cards? - The Straight Dope) Aha! Tested by actual experiment! My co-worker… --- ## [People who want to be more Jewish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-want-to-be-more-jewish/464561)
**Author:** [@2hotwater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2hotwater)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2008, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-want-to-be-more-jewish/464561 "2008-10-02T22:42:13Z")
Hi Mr.Cecil Adams, I’m guessing your about the same age as me. 61 It’s my understanding there’s world wide about 26.5 million people who call themselves Jews and almost all of them had to learn Hebrew, go figure, and abo… --- ## [re: What happens to old movie costumes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-happens-to-old-movie-costumes/466197)
**Author:** [@LonesomePolecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LonesomePolecat)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2008, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-happens-to-old-movie-costumes/466197 "2008-10-02T21:52:05Z")
Old movie costumes were often recycled by the studios. The B movies of the 40s were often made with costumes and sets left over from major productions. Sometimes they would actually tell B movie scriptwriters to come up … --- ## [Cherry Flavored Cough Syrup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cherry-flavored-cough-syrup/465312)
**Author:** [@salter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salter)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [October 2, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cherry-flavored-cough-syrup/465312 "2008-10-02T02:13:06Z")
In regard to this report: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2806 I was surprised to find no reference to Cheracol, the cough syrup of choice in my childhood abode. I always assumed that it was named that because… --- ## [Circus Peanuts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circus-peanuts/465052)
**Author:** [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2008, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circus-peanuts/465052 "2008-10-01T19:56:18Z")
Regarding Cecil’s column about Circus Peanuts and the enjoyment thereof … I noticed a couple references to “grandma”, and that made me think of one possible reason why some of us honestly enjoy Circus Peanuts. I’d be wi… --- ## [Eating tapeworms to lose weight](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-tapeworms-to-lose-weight/465325)
**Author:** [@Adler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adler)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2008, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-tapeworms-to-lose-weight/465325 "2008-09-30T15:40:40Z")
In this article Cecil states that he’s unsure if the practice of ingesting tapeworms is (or was) real… I’d like to refer everyone to this page, which seems to confirm it… Yup… people do this… --- ## [Aerodynamic lift](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aerodynamic-lift/465595)
**Author:** [@ccrummer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccrummer)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 30, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aerodynamic-lift/465595 "2008-09-30T03:08:21Z")
Thanks for a very cogent article on aerodynamic lift. Among many articles on this subject, mine is \[nlin/0507032\] Aerodynamics at the Particle Level on ArXiV. (In order to see the animation, download the entire .zip fi… --- ## [Are there nine Eskimo words for snow (revisited)?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-nine-eskimo-words-for-snow-revisited/465162)
**Author:** [@Lexo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lexo)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-nine-eskimo-words-for-snow-revisited/465162 "2008-09-26T18:22:56Z")
In the above article, posted on February 2 2001, Cecil Adams criticised the “English composition skills” of a correspondent, who wrote this: “I myself am a Koniag Eskimo and was inflamed to see your ignorant, rude, raci… --- ## [Immagration, of fleeing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immagration-of-fleeing/465300)
**Author:** [@medhat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medhat)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2008, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/immagration-of-fleeing/465300 "2008-09-26T12:46:13Z")
On the question point of whether they immigrated or flee out of the city from their enemies, it is an order by God, through the peacful angel Gariel, to immigrate from the city. However, during the immigration away from … --- ## [Mistakes in: What's the difference between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-whats-the-difference-between-sunni-and-shiite-muslims/464670)
**Author:** [@papa\_bear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papa_bear)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2008, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mistakes-in-whats-the-difference-between-sunni-and-shiite-muslims/464670 "2008-09-26T06:58:59Z")
Just thought I’d point out some glaring and not so glaring errors: He wanted no pictures or images of himself (still a major tenet of Sunni Islam): This is also the rule in Shia Islam. The author himself testifies to … --- ## [Absorbine Jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorbine-jr/465224)
**Author:** [@Sir\_Not\_Appearing\_on\_This\_Site](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Not_Appearing_on_This_Site)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2008, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absorbine-jr/465224 "2008-09-26T05:07:16Z")
Before reading today’s Straight Dope on what happened to Absorbine Sr., I had never heard of Absorbine Jr. Maybe I just haven’t walked down the drugstore aisles enough, or maybe its because I have never had a need for a… --- ## [Plane on a treadmill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-on-a-treadmill/462380)
**Author:** [@Zhing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zhing)\ **Replies:** 78\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-on-a-treadmill/462380 "2008-09-25T20:23:56Z")
I’ve read both sides of the argument on various forums, and one argument I’ve never seen made against those that say the wheels will spin but the plane won’t take off is this: The question states that the treadmill w… --- ## [How exactly does a caterpillar morph into a butterfly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-does-a-caterpillar-morph-into-a-butterfly/463275)
**Author:** [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [September 25, 2008, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-exactly-does-a-caterpillar-morph-into-a-butterfly/463275 "2008-09-25T12:50:23Z")
Link here: How exactly does a caterpillar morph into a butterfly? Excellent article, Doug, and easily understandable, in only four paragraphs (although the last one is a bit on the long side). Why they can’t teach that… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=115) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=117)