# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=150 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 151 --- ## [Grammaticians needed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammaticians-needed/358386)
**Author:** [@cheeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheeg)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 10, 2006, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grammaticians-needed/358386 "2006-06-10T05:13:21Z")
My five year old has been wearing out a new song from the Disney DVD “High School Musical,” and I’ve found myself singing along in the car. But when I get to the line: You know the world can see us in a way that's … --- ## [Hi Cecil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-cecil/359538)
**Author:** [@\_Leigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Leigh)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2006, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-cecil/359538 "2006-06-09T19:04:30Z")
Hi I’m a 13 year old boy from Australia and i came across this site from a link after reading some forums about why there is always one shoe on the side of the road and others, i can already say that this site is a good … --- ## [Completely different interpretation of 'bloody'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/completely-different-interpretation-of-bloody/359868)
**Author:** [@Levik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Levik)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/completely-different-interpretation-of-bloody/359868 "2006-06-09T15:15:55Z")
I read the following mailbag entry and was a little surprised: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbloody.html When I studied German, I learned the word bloed (The e can also be represented by an umlaut over the o), w… --- ## [Tampons - gfactor delivers!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tampons-gfactor-delivers/359634)
**Author:** [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2006, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tampons-gfactor-delivers/359634 "2006-06-09T00:40:17Z")
Just wanted to be the first to say “Good Job!” on the tampon report. Well written, informative and exhaustive. I think I know about 17 times as much as I ever wanted to on the subject of tampons and sanitary napkins. A… --- ## [Sidekick](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidekick/359686)
**Author:** [@pudgala2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pudgala2)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2006, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidekick/359686 "2006-06-08T17:21:50Z")
Hi, I came here from Wikipedia where you were referenced as the source for the origin of sidekick. I am interested in this word and posted this message at Wikipedia for more info. I couldn’t find the original string her… --- ## [How does body hair know it's been cut and grow back?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-body-hair-know-its-been-cut-and-grow-back/359863)
**Author:** [@scotpages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotpages)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2006, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-body-hair-know-its-been-cut-and-grow-back/359863 "2006-06-08T16:05:35Z")
This question has been answered here: Clicky! I have an exception to the rule! Hair does generally seem to have a growth then a dormant phase, followed by more growth where the old hair is pushed out by a new strand. … --- ## [Regarding Ball Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-ball-lightning/359726)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2006, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-ball-lightning/359726 "2006-06-08T07:51:47Z")
Cecil’s Timeless Screed on Ball Lightning. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040917.html And now, we do know. And knowing is half the…I just can’t say it. --- ## [Shaving alternatives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-alternatives/359139)
**Author:** [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-alternatives/359139 "2006-06-07T17:39:24Z")
A good and highly opinionated sample for information on facial hair removal that Cecil might have contacted would have been transsexual women. A number of options, of whose precise details I am ignorant, are available f… --- ## [Diet Coke and foam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-coke-and-foam/359745)
**Author:** [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2006, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diet-coke-and-foam/359745 "2006-06-07T15:00:02Z")
In reference to Cecil’s column My Nutrasweetened soft drinks make huge mounds of foam! What gives? , these guys used Diet Coke for a grander version of The Perfect Master’s experiment. --- ## [Re:How does marijuana cause "the munchies?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-does-marijuana-cause-the-munchies/359114)
**Author:** [@Lenoxus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lenoxus)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2006, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-does-marijuana-cause-the-munchies/359114 "2006-06-07T08:33:49Z")
Quote: "Dear Cecil: I know that this really isn’t the type of thing that is asked about frequently, but I gotta ask. When someone smokes marijuana, they get the much-fabled “munchies.” I know that this occurs, I am just… --- ## [Meaning of colitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-colitas/359617)
**Author:** [@kushman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushman)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meaning-of-colitas/359617 "2006-06-06T21:31:06Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_001 Enough of these distractions. By and by a denizen of soc.culture.spain wrote: “Colitas is little tails, but here the author is referring to ‘colas,’ the tip of a marijuana bra… --- ## [Morocco religion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morocco-religion/359094)
**Author:** [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2006, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/morocco-religion/359094 "2006-06-05T19:55:23Z")
In Is there such a thing as a snuff film=, Cecil writes I’m unaware of any religion, in Morocco or elsewhere, that involves tearing hunchbacked kids apart with horses, complete with spectatorial masturbation. What reli… --- ## [Why is Blue Cheese Blue?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-blue-cheese-blue/359255)
**Author:** [@TBL67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBL67)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 3, 2006, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-blue-cheese-blue/359255 "2006-06-03T06:22:10Z")
SD staff member Una wrote: “The name Penicillium roqueforti sounds like penicillin because it’s related to the common and useful antibiotic mold. This relation is more than just skin-deep, as blue ripened cheeses do see… --- ## [Is Some Candy Coated With Beetle Juice?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-some-candy-coated-with-beetle-juice/358722)
**Author:** [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2006, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-some-candy-coated-with-beetle-juice/358722 "2006-06-02T19:48:10Z")
Sigh Cecil - from Is Some Candy Coated With Beetle Juice \[quote} ONE MORE FOR THE ICK LIST To the Teeming Millions: Pursuant to our recent disquisition on insect extracts in candy, a reader has sent us a newsletter … --- ## [Garlic Oil lethality](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-oil-lethality/357401)
**Author:** [@lucasthegray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucasthegray)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2006, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/garlic-oil-lethality/357401 "2006-06-01T01:51:20Z")
I know this is a bit of a nitpick, but in his article on the lethality of garlic oil Cecil says that the LD50 of diallyl disulfide is 130mg/kg of body weight, and therefore for a 70kg person would require 9.1g of garlic… --- ## [Organ and Tissue Donation in Illinois (Donating Your Body to Science)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-and-tissue-donation-in-illinois-donating-your-body-to-science/358369)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/organ-and-tissue-donation-in-illinois-donating-your-body-to-science/358369 "2006-05-30T23:52:11Z")
Cecil’s column on donating your body to science. Cecil wrote: If Cecil lives in Illinois, and I suspect he might, what with him being an employee of the Chicago Reader, he may need to do more than just sign the back o… --- ## [Hot/warm water can freeze faster that cold water](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-warm-water-can-freeze-faster-that-cold-water/357413)
**Author:** [@Al\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Al)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2006, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hot-warm-water-can-freeze-faster-that-cold-water/357413 "2006-05-30T04:29:56Z")
Warm/hot water can freeze faster than cold water only in older refigerators, before auto defrosters, where warm water would melt the accumulated frost, which acts like an insulater, and hence get closer to the coils remo… --- ## [Planes with "0" airspeed can fly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planes-with-0-airspeed-can-fly/358519)
**Author:** [@2MuchTrivia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2MuchTrivia)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/planes-with-0-airspeed-can-fly/358519 "2006-05-30T01:06:22Z")
Is it possible for someone to explain the answer better? http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060203.html I will agree the ‘theoretical’ question has holes in its wording, but, the answer seems to raise more questions t… --- ## [Canned Beer](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-beer/358178)
**Author:** [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-beer/358178 "2006-05-29T20:49:12Z")
Shortest column ever? --- ## [Why doesn't flour make microwaved water fizz?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-flour-make-microwaved-water-fizz/357987)
**Author:** [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-flour-make-microwaved-water-fizz/357987 "2006-05-27T15:38:21Z")
Recently the Straight Dope Front Page recycled the column, “Why does Sweet 'n Low make microwaved water fizz so strangely?” Cecil explains the principle at work with admirable succinctness, and notes that the phenomenon… --- ## [A fact (?) about spinach](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fact-about-spinach/358345)
**Author:** [@Steven\_Estes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steven_Estes)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2006, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-fact-about-spinach/358345 "2006-05-26T22:39:18Z")
Hi, Cecil– I seem to remember reading–I had assumed in your column–that much of spinach’s reputation is owing to a typo in a government report. The report did something like saying"seven times" instead of “point seven t… --- ## [Cops and cars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-and-cars/354291)
**Author:** [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2006, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cops-and-cars/354291 "2006-05-26T13:37:12Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcommandeer.html I don’t get it. Isn’t pretty clearly at odds with the fifth amendment? The government can’t deprive someone of their property without due process? In the case of Kat… --- ## [Why is there a "33" on Rolling Rock beer labels?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels/357938)
**Author:** [@dsgncr8or](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dsgncr8or)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 25, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-a-33-on-rolling-rock-beer-labels/357938 "2006-05-25T18:22:48Z")
ARTICLE: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_044 The following is STRAIGHT from some Rolling Rock press materials… 1.) 1933 was the year the US government lifted prohibition 2.) There are 33 words in the pledge on … --- ## [Warnings on consumer products](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-on-consumer-products/355583)
**Author:** [@BonnieP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BonnieP)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 25, 2006, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-on-consumer-products/355583 "2006-05-25T14:38:52Z")
Hello all. I once read a warning on an electric blanket that advised you not to give this appliance to a homeless person. The warning was printed on the plastic bag not the blanket itself. I thought it was so unusual… --- ## [Was Hitler a Christian(And why clarity is important on this issue)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian-and-why-clarity-is-important-on-this-issue/355018)
**Author:** [@thshdw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thshdw)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-a-christian-and-why-clarity-is-important-on-this-issue/355018 "2006-05-24T22:43:58Z")
Hitler’s own methods of propaganda and manipulation are still being used in all countries to justify hate crimes. On the part of the KKK, the Aryan Nation, and others more and less subtle, people are being twisted and ex… --- ## [International waters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-waters/357905)
**Author:** [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2006, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/international-waters/357905 "2006-05-24T21:32:59Z")
Regarding GFactor’s nicely done staff report about international waters: How does this affect gambling on a cruise ship? Is it that once the ship leaves US territorial waters that the gaming laws of the country of the … --- ## [m&m's and wisecracks](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-ms-and-wisecracks/357123)
**Author:** [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/m-ms-and-wisecracks/357123 "2006-05-24T17:50:24Z")
In this Straight Dope Classic, How do they get the M’s on M&M’s?, Cecil relates the following anecdote: Does this count as the first Doper drive-by? 'Cos it would be nice to have it documented for posterity. --- ## [Why is it so hard to get a good spork?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-a-good-spork/355485)
**Author:** [@selby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/selby)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2006, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-so-hard-to-get-a-good-spork/355485 "2006-05-24T07:56:09Z")
Umm a question…now I know what a spork is, but I have things in the cutlery drawer called splayds (also spelt splades depending on who you ask ) and I’d like to know if a splayd is a kind of spork? or a spork is a sort o… --- ## [Health benefits of garlic and other poisons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-benefits-of-garlic-and-other-poisons/357517)
**Author:** [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/health-benefits-of-garlic-and-other-poisons/357517 "2006-05-23T01:06:17Z")
One of my pet peeves is the American imbicility towards the truism that the dose makes the poison, not the substance. Water will kill you if you have too much, and so will vitamins, minerals, sugar, and just about every … --- ## [Humans naturally carni-/herbi-/omnivores?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-naturally-carni-herbi-omnivores/352364)
**Author:** [@stpierre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stpierre)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2006, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-naturally-carni-herbi-omnivores/352364 "2006-05-23T00:03:47Z")
With regards to http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_087.html : I think it’s worth noting that, subsequent to thousands of years of evolution and selection, local human populations are differently suited to different… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=149) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=151)