# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=124 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 125 --- ## [Do low-flush toilets actually save water?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-low-flush-toilets-actually-save-water/440464)
**Author:** [@wclark\_xoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wclark_xoom)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2008, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-low-flush-toilets-actually-save-water/440464 "2008-03-10T09:47:27Z")
Do low-flush toilets actually save water? I blew my nose on toilet paper — better to flush it or throw it in the trash can? The question Cecil didn’t address, and the one I wonder most about is: Why should we be concern… --- ## [BMI Obese Bunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bmi-obese-bunk/439634)
**Author:** [@TomBohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomBohan)\ **Replies:** 44\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2008, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bmi-obese-bunk/439634 "2008-03-09T06:38:56Z")
I just read the answer made to the guy inquiring about BMI. I have the impression that a few years ago the Overweight-Obese line was moved to the left on the BMI chart instantly creating (by medical definition) millions… --- ## [Cecil has finally admitted his less than total erudition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-has-finally-admitted-his-less-than-total-erudition/439937)
**Author:** [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 8, 2008, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-has-finally-admitted-his-less-than-total-erudition/439937 "2008-03-08T13:42:18Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_225.html notwithstanding the magnitude of the question asked (“post-micturition convulsion syndrome” wow!) and its bearing on the future of humanity. :slight\_smile: But my confi… --- ## [Diet and ADHD](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-and-adhd/437951)
**Author:** [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 7, 2008, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-and-adhd/437951 "2008-03-07T12:30:10Z")
Kids and sugar rush Toward the end of the column, it says, “…studies have suggested there’s some correlation between ADHD and diet, so maybe every so often you’ll get a kid whose condition really is exacerbated by sugar… --- ## [Folding paper in half more than 7 times](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-paper-in-half-more-than-7-times/440305)
**Author:** [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/folding-paper-in-half-more-than-7-times/440305 "2008-03-06T18:36:49Z")
In this column Cecil explained how plastic could be folded in half 12 times. But in fact it works with paper too. Britney Gallivan has successfully folded paper twelve times (after figuring out mathematically how it coul… --- ## [finally, you can see cecil....](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-you-can-see-cecil/440327)
**Author:** [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/finally-you-can-see-cecil/440327 "2008-03-06T15:39:21Z")
here cecil makes his rare appearance, and it should settle the Ed vs Cecil debate… :smiley: by the way , why do a msater columnist pump iron ?? :dubious: only Ms Cecil can answer ,I suppose :stuck\_out\_tongue: --- ## [Thank You](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you/428674)
**Author:** [@Jfeldman17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jfeldman17)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you/428674 "2008-03-06T14:14:16Z")
I’m sure you are very aware of this, but there are a lot of stupid people out there. You have made my day. As a pre-med student, I was teased by my best friend and her parents that if I don’t come to realize that blood… --- ## [Are the signs printed in English??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-signs-printed-in-english/440300)
**Author:** [@Kim\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kim_Bean)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-signs-printed-in-english/440300 "2008-03-06T11:06:52Z")
I was just wondering if the signs were all in English. --- ## [Taxes:](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes/440120)
**Author:** [@Dwarf\_Caiman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dwarf_Caiman)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/taxes/440120 "2008-03-06T09:07:34Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/001201.html Do these figures for the US then include STATE taxes, capital gains, etc? Of course not. The chart then is very deceptive. Most other nations in the world have unitary … --- ## [Christmas (DEC 25th) Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-dec-25th-cheer/440128)
**Author:** [@Dwarf\_Caiman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dwarf_Caiman)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2008, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-dec-25th-cheer/440128 "2008-03-06T00:08:27Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_034b.html FALSE: I’ll forgive Cecil for not keeping up–or having the time on his hands–with the finer points of how the eartly Church fathers made such dates happen. Feast of Sa… --- ## [What happens when you drive between two countries that drive on opposite sides of the](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-drive-between-two-countries-that-drive-on-opposite-sides-of-the/439503)
**Author:** [@NotMarc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMarc)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2008, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-when-you-drive-between-two-countries-that-drive-on-opposite-sides-of-the/439503 "2008-03-01T02:05:36Z")
A quick search on Flickr returned this picture of the border between China and Pakistan with the “Keep To The Left Side” visible on the Chinese side. It helps to remember that not all border crossings are four-lane high… --- ## [Mayan Calendar](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayan-calendar/437294)
**Author:** [@Jamaika\_a\_jamaikaiake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamaika_a_jamaikaiake)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayan-calendar/437294 "2008-02-29T12:28:45Z")
From here: Report Nice report, Dex, but I recall that the longest unit in the Long Count calendar is the Alautun, which represents 23,040,000,000 days, or approximately 63 million years, so the Count will not fully cyc… --- ## [RE: What Do Scotsmen Wear Under Their Kilts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-do-scotsmen-wear-under-their-kilts/436785)
**Author:** [@kimballk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kimballk)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-what-do-scotsmen-wear-under-their-kilts/436785 "2008-02-29T02:40:03Z")
REF: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_211.html To see the answer, go to Google Images and search with the keywords: Scotsman kilt Queen Elizabeth On the first page expand the picture with rows of Scots Guards … --- ## [Perfect Pitch and touch tone phones.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-touch-tone-phones/439117)
**Author:** [@tobiah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tobiah)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2008, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-touch-tone-phones/439117 "2008-02-28T21:47:36Z")
In http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_236b.html Cecil states that there was an individual who could whistle into a telephone and cause it to ‘dial’ a number by matching the pitches that a touch tone telephone gen… --- ## [Hashish brownies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hashish-brownies/438735)
**Author:** [@Beverly\_O\_Toole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beverly_O_Toole)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hashish-brownies/438735 "2008-02-28T01:06:32Z")
Gee, Cecil. If someone actually put all of that nutmeg into one dose of brownies, I think they would be plucking harp string. (or whatever alternative they qualify for) Nutmeg in large doses is poisonous. While one pe… --- ## [Tree falls in the woods:](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-falls-in-the-woods/437608)
**Author:** [@Cabyland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabyland)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tree-falls-in-the-woods/437608 "2008-02-27T20:15:16Z")
I usually answer by saying, “Wether it is heard or not, there is a displacement of air.” --- ## [Perfect Pitch and Instruments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337)
**Author:** [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337 "2008-02-27T18:04:20Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_236b.html Regarding this column I have a slight question. Cecil says that it’s nescessary to be able to recognize a note on listening, and to sing it. Is the latter part really … --- ## [Does "Roger that" need a comma?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-roger-that-need-a-comma/439029)
**Author:** [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2008, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-roger-that-need-a-comma/439029 "2008-02-26T20:38:08Z")
SDSAB thread: Why do pilots say “roger” on the radio? makes no mention of the larger phrase “roger that”. But “roger that” seems to be the preferred Hollywood phrase instead of just “roger”. It feels like it needs a co… --- ## [Jail Populations America and China](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jail-populations-america-and-china/438544)
**Author:** [@EggBandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EggBandit)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2008, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jail-populations-america-and-china/438544 "2008-02-26T02:27:50Z")
America has highest jail populations The article above seems fundamentally flawed in many respects. It is interesting that the main countries you claim have, or had, higher jail populations are all America’s enemies (m… --- ## [Hi-Yo Silver, away!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-yo-silver-away/438004)
**Author:** [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 22, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-yo-silver-away/438004 "2008-02-22T17:34:20Z")
In the old Lone Ranger series, what did “kemosabe” mean? is one of those questions that Cecil(praise be his name) got 99% correct. But, with the coming of electronically searchable databases, we can go the last 1%. Fac… --- ## [Sex In Space](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-in-space/438182)
**Author:** [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2008, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sex-in-space/438182 "2008-02-21T19:09:57Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_214.html This is purely anecdotal. I have a friend who works for NASA. He’s pretty highly placed. He says that if one were to be allowed to view the tapes of numerous flights, … --- ## [Hijras](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijras/437519)
**Author:** [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hijras/437519 "2008-02-21T15:01:41Z")
Presumably, then it is a bunch of Hijras who sing the “Who can tell you more about yin and yang?” verse in the “Marriage has come to town” number in Bride and Prejudice. I had been wondering about that. --- ## [BLK Irish](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blk-irish/438155)
**Author:** [@Bdijack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bdijack)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blk-irish/438155 "2008-02-20T22:55:47Z")
:smack: I’ve come on to comment on the black Irish. Being of such, I was a little off set by the answer given in the archive. But I haven’t been able to comment there. Honestly though the answer was basically correct, y… --- ## [Sugar rushes and glycemic issues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-rushes-and-glycemic-issues/438227)
**Author:** [@BrainFireBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainFireBob)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2008, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sugar-rushes-and-glycemic-issues/438227 "2008-02-19T07:14:41Z")
Hey- I know this probably happens quite a bit, but I had to sign on to respond to Cecil’s column about sugar rushes and children. Did any of those studies examine the effects on children with glycemic issues, either hyp… --- ## [Regarding Dim Mak](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-dim-mak/437550)
**Author:** [@ben1122us](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ben1122us)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [February 18, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-dim-mak/437550 "2008-02-18T12:43:57Z")
I was intrigued as a martial artist, and as a person in regards to the article on the mythical “DEATH TOUCH.” Before I begin I would like to say that the peoples of China and Japan have a good standing in keeping proper … --- ## [KKK and cross-burning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kkk-and-cross-burning/436353)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2008, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kkk-and-cross-burning/436353 "2008-02-17T17:15:48Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_196.html Very interesting - don’t remember reading that the first time around. Noticed a typo in the last sentence of the fourth paragraph of Cecil’s reply: “generally when nuts”… --- ## [alternative hypothesis for sugar rush](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-hypothesis-for-sugar-rush/437809)
**Author:** [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2008, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alternative-hypothesis-for-sugar-rush/437809 "2008-02-17T09:41:54Z")
Does giving sweets to kids produce a sugar rush? (bolding mine) OK, so Cecil’s explanation is basically: “Parents see what they want to see, and kids lower their behavior to their parents expectations.” No doubt that… --- ## [INSULIN high , sugar high and runners high](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insulin-high-sugar-high-and-runners-high/437531)
**Author:** [@justcrispin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justcrispin)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2008, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/insulin-high-sugar-high-and-runners-high/437531 "2008-02-16T21:35:17Z")
RE: Cecils’ definitive edict: “there is no such thing as Sugar High” As they say on the courts: “IN YOUR FACE !” The anecedotal observations of millions of parents, aunts, uncles and children care takers, can not b… --- ## [Correct Info on "suitcase" bomb answer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-info-on-suitcase-bomb-answer/436252)
**Author:** [@Pu239](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pu239)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2008, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correct-info-on-suitcase-bomb-answer/436252 "2008-02-16T19:03:17Z")
Dear Cecil, Just found your web page and read your answer to the “suitcase bomb” question on 24 June 2005. Having been a plutonium worker for 30 years I can say the idea that plutonium doesn't emit significant amounts… --- ## [Followup on steroids](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/followup-on-steroids/437855)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/followup-on-steroids/437855 "2008-02-16T03:47:42Z")
Steroids (along with HGH) are in the news these days. Cecil did a column once on one of their side effects: Bodybuilders in bed: using a jackhammer to drive a tack? Do currently used steroids still have this side effect… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=123) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=125)