# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=128 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 129 --- ## [Beethoven and the 9th Symphony](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-and-the-9th-symphony/349712)
**Author:** [@clambam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clambam)\ **Replies:** 38\ **Last updated:** [November 20, 2007, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/beethoven-and-the-9th-symphony/349712 "2007-11-20T19:56:03Z")
The way I heard ther story, Beethoven was conducting just the chorus and soloists. The conductor secretly gave the singers the instructions not to follow Beethoven’s conducting, but his (the conductor’s) instead.That’s h… --- ## [Re: Why does my husband stop snoring when I nudge him?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-does-my-husband-stop-snoring-when-i-nudge-him/425835)
**Author:** [@Cabercatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabercatcher)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2007, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-does-my-husband-stop-snoring-when-i-nudge-him/425835 "2007-11-18T04:52:10Z")
The column on “Why does my husband stop snoring when I nudge him?” is accurate based on personal experience, but should have included some additional information and advice. See: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/071… --- ## [Yet Another "Whole Nine Yards"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-whole-nine-yards/425124)
**Author:** [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 18, 2007, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yet-another-whole-nine-yards/425124 "2007-11-18T01:27:18Z")
I cannot find any comment to date on What’s the origin of “the whole nine yards”? that cites this ribald tale reported by Barry Popik. I have heard a version of the song, myself, and if, as Capt. Stratton’s account has i… --- ## [Vasectomies & Wet Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomies-wet-dreams/426781)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2007, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vasectomies-wet-dreams/426781 "2007-11-17T23:40:06Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/071116.html Intersting anecdotal report: I’ve exactly one wet dream in my entire life (that I’m aware of). And it took place well over a year after the vasectomy. --- ## [Cheating the lottery](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheating-the-lottery/425666)
**Author:** [@SuaSponte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuaSponte)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheating-the-lottery/425666 "2007-11-17T18:53:41Z")
Re: this column. I’m a little surprised the Cecil failed to address in his column the only known attempt to cheat a U.S. government lottery, the 1980 Pennsylvania Lottery Scandal. It was actually rather clever, and if t… --- ## [Why is a football called a pigskin?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-football-called-a-pigskin/426841)
**Author:** [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-football-called-a-pigskin/426841 "2007-11-17T17:35:52Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_121.html All that clever info, and Cecil didn’t reveal what a modern football is made of. So, what is it? There’s (or was) kind of a joke among (some in) the gay community that … --- ## [pumpernickel bread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumpernickel-bread/425218)
**Author:** [@EvilGenius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGenius)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [November 17, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pumpernickel-bread/425218 "2007-11-17T05:24:22Z")
I just read the “definition” of pumpernickel bread and how it came to be named. I too, have always thought that it came from Napoleon’s comment about the “black bread” he encountered when invading Russsia, and that he g… --- ## [Freezing Hot WAter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-hot-water/425833)
**Author:** [@cookingwithfat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cookingwithfat)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezing-hot-water/425833 "2007-11-16T21:01:01Z")
Now, I don’t know about the whole “hot water freezes faster” thing, but I do know this: hot water produces a better ice cube. As in all things, patience is a virtue, and if you are in a hurry and need your ice 15 minutes… --- ## [Revisited: Is there a gender-neutral substitute for "his or her"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revisited-is-there-a-gender-neutral-substitute-for-his-or-her/376994)
**Author:** [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Replies:** 94\ **Last updated:** [November 16, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/revisited-is-there-a-gender-neutral-substitute-for-his-or-her/376994 "2007-11-16T18:06:07Z")
Is there a gender-neutral substitute for “his or her”? Personally, I prefer “hisher”(pronounced hizer) for “his or her”, “heshe”(pronounced hishee) for “he or she”, and “himherself”(pronounced himerself) for “him or her… --- ## [Head-butting example before 1980](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-butting-example-before-1980/426485)
**Author:** [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 15, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-butting-example-before-1980/426485 "2007-11-15T14:21:15Z")
In “Is head-butting for real?”, SDSTAFF Gfactor writes: I think I may have discovered a much earlier depiction. Norm McLaren’s Neighbours was made in 1952 and prominently features a headbutt in a long fight sequence b… --- ## [Regarding Ear Hair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-ear-hair/426266)
**Author:** [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2007, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-ear-hair/426266 "2007-11-14T19:35:00Z")
I’d like to point out that Cecil’s column, here, seems to have missed some of the low-hanging fruit here. As someone who has hairy ears I can assure Cecil that the hair did not simply start growing when I reached maturi… --- ## [sneakers on power lines](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneakers-on-power-lines/426226)
**Author:** [@brodel34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brodel34)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2007, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sneakers-on-power-lines/426226 "2007-11-14T19:06:42Z")
was searching google for something and came across this page… http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_274.html i was surprised to find out that you left out the fact that sneakers being hung from power lines usually an… --- ## [Six feet under](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under/426274)
**Author:** [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 14, 2007, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/six-feet-under/426274 "2007-11-14T19:04:43Z")
Lots of the references in this Staff Report indicate that caskets must be covered with x amount of earth. That’s not the same thing as an x-foot grave, right? I always imagine the depth of a grave being the dug depth, wi… --- ## [Was President Bush's great-grandfather a Nazi? Post from 14-Feb-2003](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-president-bushs-great-grandfather-a-nazi-post-from-14-feb-2003/424653)
**Author:** [@Liegnitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liegnitz)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-president-bushs-great-grandfather-a-nazi-post-from-14-feb-2003/424653 "2007-11-13T16:40:44Z")
www.straightdope.com/columns/030214.html Dear Cecil: My friend in Germany wrote me that she had heard that President Bush (now in office) ,his great-grandfather was a Silesian person. She said she heard that from her … --- ## [6 Feet Under Question Missing Link](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-feet-under-question-missing-link/426230)
**Author:** [@SharkB8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SharkB8)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [November 13, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/6-feet-under-question-missing-link/426230 "2007-11-13T12:54:53Z")
Am I the only one not seeing the link for Cecil’s answer to this question today? --- ## [Get your kicks, Allah 66](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-kicks-allah-66/425948)
**Author:** [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [November 12, 2007, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-your-kicks-allah-66/425948 "2007-11-12T03:38:43Z")
I’m afraid the phrase “66, the number of Allah” would not scan for any Ïrön Mäïdën songs. But Nat King Cole could swing it. http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m666.html Nope! Dex, where did you get that from? Arabic… --- ## [Mas Hysteria/Twitching Disease. Update?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mas-hysteria-twitching-disease-update/425910)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mas-hysteria-twitching-disease-update/425910 "2007-11-10T19:18:35Z")
Didn’t Cecil print an article on Mass Hysteria or neurological disease causing large outbreaks of unexplained twitching in schools? I can’t find it. Anyway, this was in the news– http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,30… --- ## [error in the "will the plane take off"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-in-the-will-the-plane-take-off/415537)
**Author:** [@Dr\_tk\_maxX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_tk_maxX)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/error-in-the-will-the-plane-take-off/415537 "2007-11-10T10:00:43Z")
a friend put this the will the plane take off question up on our forums and basically it turned into a debate about how was right and in the end this info of nugget popped up from me: Quote “Once the pilot fires up the … --- ## [Certified Angus Beef](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/certified-angus-beef/424967)
**Author:** [@Danbgrubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danbgrubb)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/certified-angus-beef/424967 "2007-11-10T04:55:33Z")
This discussion relates to Certified Angus Beef certification. My family has raised over 4,000 head of fat cattle per year for over seventy years. Since 2002 we have established that we would feed out as many Source Ve… --- ## [68 + (3x1) = 70?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/68-3x1-70/424859)
**Author:** [@Colossal\_Yak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colossal_Yak)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [November 10, 2007, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/68-3x1-70/424859 "2007-11-10T01:54:36Z")
Link Is it not possible for the magician to simply take 2 of the coins (leaving the 3rd) dance across the bridge and return to pick up the 3rd and final coin, thus completing his task without damaging the bridge or hims… --- ## [Green potato chips: correction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-potato-chips-correction/425429)
**Author:** [@KarenRei](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarenRei)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/green-potato-chips-correction/425429 "2007-11-09T18:58:24Z")
I have to srongly disagree with the Strait Dope article on green potato chips ( http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_055b.html ). As Wikipedia notes about the poison solanine (which is associated with the green part… --- ## [Trailers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers/425403)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [November 9, 2007, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trailers/425403 "2007-11-09T13:54:03Z")
http://straightdope.com/mailbag/mtrailers.html 1.) Great report, Gfactor 2.) Hey! The first trailer is for the same movie that spawned the first novelization, The Adventures of Kathlyn, (The Adventures of Kathlyn - Wik… --- ## ["Why don't birds on wires get electrocuted?" revisited.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-birds-on-wires-get-electrocuted-revisited/425676)
**Author:** [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-birds-on-wires-get-electrocuted-revisited/425676 "2007-11-08T17:47:57Z")
Why don’t birds on wires get electrocuted? Just some visuals to accompany an oldy but a goody. Crispy Critter (Worksafe, but may be unsettling for PETA members.) As noted in the original article, the squirrel was fine… --- ## [Comment on: Why does the snooze button give 9 minutes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-why-does-the-snooze-button-give-9-minutes/425637)
**Author:** [@crazybob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazybob)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-why-does-the-snooze-button-give-9-minutes/425637 "2007-11-08T07:10:37Z")
In http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a991126.html, Cecil writes this line: Why not put the counter on the tens column and ignore the ones column? Because that would get you a snooze which varies from a few seconds … --- ## [Erotic Flea Art?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erotic-flea-art/277780)
**Author:** [@sitebright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitebright)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [November 8, 2007, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/erotic-flea-art/277780 "2007-11-08T00:54:32Z")
“Erotic Flea Art” was mentioned very briefly in the straight dope classic “Is there really such a thing as a flea circus?” back in 82. Here’s the quote, “The intimate association of fleas and humankind down through the a… --- ## [In baseball, why do batters pound the plate with the bat?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-why-do-batters-pound-the-plate-with-the-bat/425070)
**Author:** [@joemama24\_98](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joemama24_98)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [November 7, 2007, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-baseball-why-do-batters-pound-the-plate-with-the-bat/425070 "2007-11-07T14:21:20Z")
What a craptacular answer. At least try to explain it. Its partly nervous habit, partly to intimidate the pitcher (as is all the other “batter positioning” crap - twirling the bat, holding it at arms length and pointin… --- ## [Origins of the 'F' word](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-the-f-word/425196)
**Author:** [@Wills1954](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wills1954)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [November 6, 2007, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origins-of-the-f-word/425196 "2007-11-06T04:11:27Z")
It is of constant annoyance to me when this word is used in (inaccurate) historical films. Braveheart comes to mind and just last night the TV serial The Tudors has King Henry using the ‘f’ word. I have read Cecil’s co… --- ## [Rain seeded worms?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeded-worms/424773)
**Author:** [@icicicles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/icicicles)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2007, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rain-seeded-worms/424773 "2007-11-05T21:10:33Z")
Dear Cecil, A short time back I went to move my 2800 gal plastic tank that’s 8 foot tall and wide. I bought it new a year ago. To my surprize there was about three inches of standing water in it even thought it was semi… --- ## [Counterclockwise races](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterclockwise-races/424853)
**Author:** [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [November 5, 2007, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counterclockwise-races/424853 "2007-11-05T20:34:55Z")
In the column Why are races always run in a counterclockwise direction?, Cecil quotes Scot Morris as saying But it seems pretty obvious to me: People who are right-handed tend to be right-footed as well. such people ge… --- ## [99 little known facts about C.A.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-known-facts-about-c-a/425097)
**Author:** [@agile53](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/agile53)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [November 4, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/99-little-known-facts-about-c-a/425097 "2007-11-04T18:04:42Z")
Since the above thread is closed, I’m using this forum to add my 2 cents: 99 Little Known Facts About Cecil Adams: #whatever-- Cecil is so f\*\*king rich from this website and has so many “associates” that he cannot ans… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=127) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=129)