# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=133 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 134 --- ## [Keys and fighter jets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keys-and-fighter-jets/411511)
**Author:** [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2007, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/keys-and-fighter-jets/411511 "2007-07-16T23:22:21Z")
In reference to the Cecil thread on keys to an F-16, is there even a code of some sort? In a Holywood scenario, could a spy, in however unlikely a scenario, joy ride one? --- ## [Great Wall of China](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-of-china/78213)
**Author:** [@Landiao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Landiao)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2007, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-wall-of-china/78213 "2007-07-16T16:23:29Z")
About Cecil’s Classic Question about the Great Wall of China & the moon. . . I’ve lived in China & been to the great wall nine times. At parts, it’s barely five feet high & about a foot wide, at least where it’s unrecon… --- ## [Cockroaches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroaches/411698)
**Author:** [@FreakedOutInYakima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FreakedOutInYakima)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 14, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroaches/411698 "2007-07-14T20:57:49Z")
Dear Cecil, I have read everything I could about Cockroaches. Last night I was cleaning up my kitchen when a cockroach came out of my cupboard and scared the crap out of me. I have never in my life seen one alive. I sq… --- ## [Star-Spangled Banner](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-spangled-banner/410770)
**Author:** [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maggie_the_Ocelot)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2007, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-spangled-banner/410770 "2007-07-13T03:52:55Z")
Sorry, Cecil & fellas, you muffed it on this part. Actually, um, no and no. They don’t “still exist”, they were formed from performers who met at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in the mid '90s. They’re not English - … --- ## [Vocals shattering glass](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocals-shattering-glass/411544)
**Author:** [@NinjaSpank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaSpank)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2007, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vocals-shattering-glass/411544 "2007-07-12T21:04:26Z")
I come to your aid! Whilst reading your artical about sound waves breaking glass, I was remiss to read about someone claiming it was impossable to do so with just the larynx \[ inset whomever you credit such things to\] g… --- ## [Feed a cold, starve a fever](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feed-a-cold-starve-a-fever/411540)
**Author:** [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2007, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feed-a-cold-starve-a-fever/411540 "2007-07-12T20:35:21Z")
Straight Dope Classic So yesterday I went into the office feeling fine. Then my throat became scratchy. I heard other people coughing more than usual. (It’s been hot, and the a/c was blowing.) By the end of the day … --- ## [What's up with "no copy blue"? 10 Jul 2007](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-no-copy-blue-10-jul-2007/410715)
**Author:** [@jeffreykopp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffreykopp)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2007, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-no-copy-blue-10-jul-2007/410715 "2007-07-12T19:05:36Z")
My father was a graphic artist, so I am familiar with the invisibility of certain shades of blue pencil to process cameras. However, there’s a new twist: My auto insurer only sends me one wallet card, and rather than re… --- ## [Martial Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law/410677)
**Author:** [@Southy82](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southy82)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 12, 2007, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martial-law/410677 "2007-07-12T10:57:10Z")
In your article on martial law, you stated that “Federal laws such as the Posse Comitatus Act and the Insurrection Act essentially forbid the military from exercising civilian police power unless specifically authorized … --- ## [Re: Is good personal hygiene a recent invention?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-good-personal-hygiene-a-recent-invention/411200)
**Author:** [@Jayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayk)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2007, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-good-personal-hygiene-a-recent-invention/411200 "2007-07-11T23:57:55Z")
Cecil–Note that when you write, “people in the old days did stink to high heaven,” you’re basically writing about Europeans–white folks. Most other peoples were cleaner. After Europe’s wholesale conversion to Christianit… --- ## [Jimmy Carter and the Killer Rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-carter-and-the-killer-rabbit/410794)
**Author:** [@David\_M.Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_M.Ryan)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 10, 2007, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-carter-and-the-killer-rabbit/410794 "2007-07-10T16:43:02Z")
I recently found the following website with very good photos of said Prez and the putative ‘killer rabbit’. There is both a close up of said bozo bunny and the original photograph, reproduced in high res. The rabbit ty… --- ## [Apricot Seed LD 50](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apricot-seed-ld-50/411041)
**Author:** [@acu\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acu_j)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 9, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apricot-seed-ld-50/411041 "2007-07-09T17:36:57Z")
This is a link and the text of a research article that accurately states the LD 50 of whole apricot seeds. Basically the LD 50 is 3.3g/kg by oral ingestion; http://www.home.zonnet.nl/galien8/amygdalin/amygdalin.html --- ## [Skipping CDs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skipping-cds/410876)
**Author:** [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 9, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skipping-cds/410876 "2007-07-09T14:49:10Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_007a.html I might be misguided in this assertion, but my understanding is that when CD technology came out, it went through a series of “up-grades” and changes that made the first… --- ## [Why do statues of Buddha have long earlobes ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-statues-of-buddha-have-long-earlobes/410720)
**Author:** [@Gymnopithys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gymnopithys)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2007, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-statues-of-buddha-have-long-earlobes/410720 "2007-07-08T06:19:07Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070706.html Funny, upon being introduced recently to a Cambodian Chinese, he immediately noticed my long earlobes (that was news to me) and told me I’ll enjoy a long life. --- ## [I vs J](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-vs-j/410895)
**Author:** [@Shatneresque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shatneresque)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-vs-j/410895 "2007-07-07T23:38:58Z")
With regard to the question of why there’s no J Street in Washington, I can add only that, based once again on my experience as a site guide with the Minnesota Historical Society, both letters were in common use by the e… --- ## [Buddha with snails](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881)
**Author:** [@bbaker63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbaker63)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881 "2007-07-07T23:28:14Z")
Sometimes you see Buddha with snails on his head that look like curls. I believe these are because there is a legend where the Buddha was lost in the desert and all these snails came to him and covered his head to shiel… --- ## [Skipping CDs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skipping-cds/410875)
**Author:** [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 7, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skipping-cds/410875 "2007-07-07T17:26:17Z")
I might be misguided in this assertion, but my understanding is that when CD technology came out, it went through a series of “up-grades” and changes that made the first CDs to be created (okay, let’s be honest, to be co… --- ## [Cow Tipping](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-tipping/404209)
**Author:** [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2007, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-tipping/404209 "2007-07-05T16:22:43Z")
Cecil’s column on cow tipping really isn’t up to his usual standards. His sole evidence is one single person who claims to have seen a cow tipped. At the time, said person was drunk and unable to see the cow clearly in t… --- ## [Check Typeface](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-typeface/409904)
**Author:** [@paulsmedberg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paulsmedberg)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2007, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/check-typeface/409904 "2007-07-04T22:30:35Z")
As a sometimes type designer I was very interested in your ignorance fighting: Why do banks use that awful robotic looking type font for routing and account numbers? http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070629.html Typ… --- ## [U-Shaped Toilet Seats](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-shaped-toilet-seats/408978)
**Author:** [@gentleguyofpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gentleguyofpa)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2007, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-shaped-toilet-seats/408978 "2007-07-04T14:59:55Z")
While I can’t comment about ALL men, there are quite a few men who are piggish when it comes to both public and private (in-home) toilet seats. To my recollection, U-Shaped toilet seats were given a quick boot in the se… --- ## [Flatworms](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatworms/409474)
**Author:** [@Jay\_Livingston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jay_Livingston)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2007, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flatworms/409474 "2007-07-03T23:07:59Z")
One summer long ago, I worked in a univeristy psych lab. It was a small lab run by two professors whose main research was about communication in rhesus monkeys. The way they treated the monkeys would today probably put… --- ## [Federal Income Tax](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-income-tax/410395)
**Author:** [@overclockedkarma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overclockedkarma)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2007, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/federal-income-tax/410395 "2007-07-03T22:04:04Z")
Sort of related to this column: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_127.html I’ve heard arguments that federal income tax is unconstitutional (since it’s a non-apportioned direct tax), was never correctly ratified … --- ## [10 Lost tribes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-lost-tribes/408467)
**Author:** [@Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rain)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2007, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-lost-tribes/408467 "2007-07-02T02:11:20Z")
One minor point to add/correct here is that The Jews of Ethiopia do not generally claim to be descendents of the Lost Tribes but rather of King Solomon (tribe of Judah) and the Queen of Sheba. They say that Sheba convert… --- ## [Meaning of Stairway to Heaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-stairway-to-heaven/409784)
**Author:** [@DebbiefromNY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DebbiefromNY)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 30, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-stairway-to-heaven/409784 "2007-06-30T13:58:31Z")
The American Pie article mentioned Stairway to Heaven and how no one knows the song’s meaning…it’s simple. Stairway to Heaven is about shopping: There’s a lady who knows all that glitters is gold and she’s buying the s… --- ## [uncommon battery sizes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncommon-battery-sizes/409781)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 30, 2007, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uncommon-battery-sizes/409781 "2007-06-30T02:25:18Z")
Linky to Cecil column My questions are: Does anyone have a link to pictures of A and B batteries so we can see what they look like? Are the square nine-volt batteries part of this lettering scheme? And if I did pry apar… --- ## [Laundry Balls](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-balls/409734)
**Author:** [@balok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/balok)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2007, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/laundry-balls/409734 "2007-06-28T12:27:08Z")
In today’s (28 June 2007) “Straight Dope Classic,” http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_007b.html, Cecil tells us that the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board reports that increasing the hydroxide (OH-) concentratio… --- ## [Possible Explanation for Tunguska Event](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-explanation-for-tunguska-event/409555)
**Author:** [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/possible-explanation-for-tunguska-event/409555 "2007-06-27T20:17:59Z")
According to this story, there may finally be an explanation for the 1908 Tunguska event. You can read Uncle Cecil’s take: What caused the massive 1908 explosion in Tunguska, Siberia?. Italian scientists believe they h… --- ## [Home Field Advantage in MLB](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-field-advantage-in-mlb/408997)
**Author:** [@dave94703](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dave94703)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/home-field-advantage-in-mlb/408997 "2007-06-27T17:19:54Z")
re: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070622.html I hope Schwartz and Barsky didn’t forget to somehow correct for the huge advantage home-field teams get by going up to bat last, which the column neglected to deal wi… --- ## [The Whole Nine Yards](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/408851)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/408851 "2007-06-27T14:45:19Z")
The Whole Nine Yards Forgive me if it’s been noted elsewhere on the board, but congratulations, samclem, for antedating the Holy Grail of etymology! Language Log --- ## [Brooklyn Bridge for sale](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2007, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brooklyn-bridge-for-sale/408980 "2007-06-26T15:09:37Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbrooklynbridge.htm I don’t know if anyone ever bought the bridge, but certainly conmen have sold national monuments. For example, Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower. The trick is,… --- ## [Etymology of OK](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ok/408990)
**Author:** [@Shatneresque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shatneresque)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/etymology-of-ok/408990 "2007-06-25T14:10:02Z")
While the evidence presented for the origin of the term is impressive, I know as a former site guide for the Minnesota Historical Society that the earliest mention we had of it was in an 1832 court martial at Fort Snelli… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=132) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=134)