# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=168 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 169 --- ## [Re: Who gets the most pleasure from sex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-who-gets-the-most-pleasure-from-sex/310573)
**Author:** [@biffgunderson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/biffgunderson)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-who-gets-the-most-pleasure-from-sex/310573 "2005-07-11T08:14:28Z")
Although a female may have a more pleasing orgasm, I think it’s safe to say the vast majority of vaginal sex ends with the male orgasm. The occurence of a female orgasm during sex depends largely on the skill of her part… --- ## [The sound of one hand clapping](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/311954)
**Author:** [@Johnlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnlee)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2005, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sound-of-one-hand-clapping/311954 "2005-07-11T06:43:09Z")
Re your recent discussion, the sound of one hand clapping is, as any true friend of Jimmy Rockford can tell you, the sound of a slap in the face. --Evelyn M., San Quentin, California that is actually a valid response to… --- ## [Why is the sound of fingernails scraping a blackboard so annoying?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sound-of-fingernails-scraping-a-blackboard-so-annoying/311260)
**Author:** [@nagendra\_pratap\_singh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nagendra_pratap_singh)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2005, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-sound-of-fingernails-scraping-a-blackboard-so-annoying/311260 "2005-07-11T03:10:02Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_317b.html Well I used to be annoyed to but during my engineering studies, I had to work on grinding/milling/filing. The annoyance dissapeared then. Some people find tactile feedb… --- ## [Is coprophagia dangerous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-coprophagia-dangerous/307737)
**Author:** [@Mr\_Freakazoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Freakazoid)\ **Replies:** 69\ **Last updated:** [July 11, 2005, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-coprophagia-dangerous/307737 "2005-07-11T01:41:35Z")
Is coprophagia dangerous? Ok, I’ve now officially seen it all! A shit eating fetish!? :eek: No, no…One has to be mentally ill to be into this sort of thing. There is no other explaination. Now, excuse me while I g… --- ## [Streetlamp Dousers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetlamp-dousers/310543)
**Author:** [@Ciphergnome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ciphergnome)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 10, 2005, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetlamp-dousers/310543 "2005-07-10T20:19:31Z")
Regarding the article on whether personal emmantions can extinguish streetlamps, I submit for your approval an account told to me by a friend twenty-odd years ago. I don’t mean to suggest this explains the mystery in gen… --- ## [Do more convicts = less crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-more-convicts-less-crime/228873)
**Author:** [@Mr.Milton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Milton)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [July 10, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-more-convicts-less-crime/228873 "2005-07-10T20:14:34Z")
This is a follow on to the prison population question/column. Do more convicts = less crime? Rates of crimes following enactment of “Three strikes” laws seem to indicate so, especially in California. --- ## [Aversive therapy and addiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversive-therapy-and-addiction/310845)
**Author:** [@wolfman97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman97)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aversive-therapy-and-addiction/310845 "2005-07-08T20:05:39Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_233.html Re the question of adversive therapy curing addiction. First, we will set aside the question of whether “addiction” really exists and assume, for the sake of argument th… --- ## [What, literally, makes us laugh?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-literally-makes-us-laugh/311476)
**Author:** [@Corner\_Case](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corner_Case)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2005, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-literally-makes-us-laugh/311476 "2005-07-08T01:08:03Z")
In reference to the Staright Dope Classic Column here, I think we now have an insight into why Cecil is so knowledgeable. The article was dated 1-Jan-1984 and it referenced a 7-Dec-1984 article from the Journal of the Am… --- ## [Homeopathy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy/311253)
**Author:** [@nagendra\_pratap\_singh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nagendra_pratap_singh)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2005, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy/311253 "2005-07-06T18:07:14Z")
Hi I am from India where homeopathy is widely practiced and people cured as well (maybe due to placebo effect). However I had a wart on my finger which kept on going bigger. I got it surgically removed but some small o… --- ## [Desensitizing toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desensitizing-toothpaste/311078)
**Author:** [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desensitizing-toothpaste/311078 "2005-07-06T14:47:31Z")
In this article: What’s the best toothpaste?, Cecil says This is a surprising statement, since it certainly works for me. And probably for millions of others. I guess it’s all just a placebo effect… I’ve been meaning … --- ## [Subliminal Audio Tapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subliminal-audio-tapes/310693)
**Author:** [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/subliminal-audio-tapes/310693 "2005-07-05T16:40:40Z")
From this article. For the record, I always had a great deal of trouble sleeping. I went through most of my school days exhausted from insomnia the night before. I just could never get to sleep, starting from the onset … --- ## [So answer your own question, already!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-answer-your-own-question-already/310838)
**Author:** [@wolfman97](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman97)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-answer-your-own-question-already/310838 "2005-07-05T06:38:01Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_225.html Cecil, You asked a great question at the end of this response, but I don’t see an answer anywyhere. Why is marijuana illegal while alcohol and tobacco are legal? --- ## [Washers: Thanks, Una!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washers-thanks-una/309660)
**Author:** [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [July 4, 2005, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washers-thanks-una/309660 "2005-07-04T01:12:53Z")
This was a very good read, Una. Thanks. This alone was worth the price of admission: --- ## [Lactating male mammals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lactating-male-mammals/310842)
**Author:** [@Vreemdeling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vreemdeling)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2005, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lactating-male-mammals/310842 "2005-07-02T19:39:06Z")
In this column the all knowing Cecil seems to not want to refer to this article, which seems to indicate the presence of male lactating bats. It isn’t clear from the article - although one could infer this - that they ac… --- ## [Question about the "Can I make a no-fly zone" thing.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-can-i-make-a-no-fly-zone-thing/310826)
**Author:** [@nairanvac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nairanvac)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-the-can-i-make-a-no-fly-zone-thing/310826 "2005-07-02T14:45:15Z")
Link According to the column it says that you only can do anything about the are over the house you use and enjoy. DOes that mean (hypothetically) if you have a large bird, trained to stay in the property lines of your … --- ## [The suitcase nuke question.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-suitcase-nuke-question/309650)
**Author:** [@buckminsterfutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buckminsterfutt)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 2, 2005, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-suitcase-nuke-question/309650 "2005-07-02T10:06:59Z")
Regarding Recent column on suitcase sized tactical nukes entitled Could a nuclear weapon be built and carried in a suitcase? Here’s a little more specific info on the topic. Back in the mid 1970’s, I was a grad student … --- ## [Zed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zed/306519)
**Author:** [@mrrealtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrrealtime)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zed/306519 "2005-07-01T20:35:52Z")
“Zed” is clearly the most practical pronounciation of the last letter of the alphabet, “Zee” is easily confused with “Cee”, particularly when spelling something over the phone. --- ## [Have Great Britain's restrictive gun laws contributed to the rise in violent crime?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-great-britains-restrictive-gun-laws-contributed-to-the-rise-in-violent-crime/310661)
**Author:** [@nagendra\_pratap\_singh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nagendra_pratap_singh)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [July 1, 2005, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-great-britains-restrictive-gun-laws-contributed-to-the-rise-in-violent-crime/310661 "2005-07-01T11:30:25Z")
There have been such a case in New Zealand, which is a pretty much agriculture based country. There have been several cases where police took 51 minutes to turn up and so on. farm thefts are rampant http://www.nzherald.… --- ## [Hi-Jacking Feminism and Gay Science.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-jacking-feminism-and-gay-science/310337)
**Author:** [@uchtungbaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uchtungbaby)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2005, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hi-jacking-feminism-and-gay-science/310337 "2005-06-29T11:39:43Z")
Enough games Majees! A young child who pondered the clouds once said: “…If Jesus loves me St Mathew, why does he make one of ‘wax and wire’ do the job of real human beings? Why am I compelled to tell you that they do … --- ## [Washers and Bolts](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washers-and-bolts/310222)
**Author:** [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washers-and-bolts/310222 "2005-06-28T23:40:51Z")
First off, let me say that I particularly love Una’s reports, because they’re always about gearhead stuff. The engineer in me prefers these kinds of articles to the historical ones. However, I wonder if I should nit-pi… --- ## [Mary Shelley didn't write Frankenstein!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-shelley-didnt-write-frankenstein/309331)
**Author:** [@uchtungbaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uchtungbaby)\ **Replies:** 79\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-shelley-didnt-write-frankenstein/309331 "2005-06-28T18:38:47Z")
I was reading a comment where someone wondered whether Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein? I think I may be able to add fuel to the fire on that question. Mary’s father was a philosopher (William Godwin) of modest reputat… --- ## [Destroying the Moon: 10 Handy Methods](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/destroying-the-moon-10-handy-methods/310165)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2005, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/destroying-the-moon-10-handy-methods/310165 "2005-06-28T18:31:59Z")
In his October 2000 column, the Perfect Master addressed the inquiry, “I plan to destroy the moon. What effect would this have on the earth?”. Later that month, a poster wondered how that task might be accomplished. We… --- ## [Avocado pits and brown guacamole](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avocado-pits-and-brown-guacamole/306718)
**Author:** [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avocado-pits-and-brown-guacamole/306718 "2005-06-28T07:43:49Z")
In THIS excellent Staff Report by Una, it is written: Now, I know that avacado pits are rather large, but still, the amount of air physically blocked by the pit would be a small percentage of the overall surface area o… --- ## [Is coprophagia dangerous?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-coprophagia-dangerous/308825)
**Author:** [@StewardManscat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StewardManscat)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-coprophagia-dangerous/308825 "2005-06-28T01:34:10Z")
Re: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/050610.html Yes. And thirty years ago the same people said homosexuals were mentally ill. In fact, coprophilia occurs naturally among some percentage of humans, same as we have … --- ## [Jimmy Crack Corn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-crack-corn/310074)
**Author:** [@jweiner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jweiner)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jimmy-crack-corn/310074 "2005-06-27T21:03:52Z")
What does this mean anyway? Who was Jimmy? Was he the master that “went away” or is he the narrator of this ballad or what? The most plausible meaning of “crack corn” would be that Jimmy, whoever he is, has taken to d… --- ## [Cecil's Definition of Fire Is Partly Wrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-definition-of-fire-is-partly-wrong/309000)
**Author:** [@Genematrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Genematrix)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecils-definition-of-fire-is-partly-wrong/309000 "2005-06-27T20:39:03Z")
In the article What exactly is fire? Cecil states in his definition that oxygen is required to produce a flame. This is not true. In most typical flames, oxygen serves as the oxidizer for the fuel. An exception to this … --- ## [John the Apostle wrote Revelation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-the-apostle-wrote-revelation/309638)
**Author:** [@John\_for\_Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_for_Christ)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/john-the-apostle-wrote-revelation/309638 "2005-06-27T02:37:19Z")
In the article, Who wrote the Bible? (Part 4) , the last paragraph states that it seems implausible that the same John that wrote the Gospel also wrote the Revelation because, (1) The Greek style is different, (2) He men… --- ## [Do Male Mammals Ever Lactate](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-male-mammals-ever-lactate/309649)
**Author:** [@Randy\_Weaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Weaver)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-male-mammals-ever-lactate/309649 "2005-06-26T20:12:22Z")
From Jared Diamond’s Why is Sex Fun Chapter 3- Why Don’t Men Breast-feed Their Babies? If a developing embryo has a Y chromosome the bipotential gonad develops into a testicle in the 7th week. If no Y chromosome is pre… --- ## [tallest mountain -- ain't k2, ain't everest](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tallest-mountain-aint-k2-aint-everest/284588)
**Author:** [@trillich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trillich)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2005, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tallest-mountain-aint-k2-aint-everest/284588 "2005-06-25T15:01:00Z")
Last I checked, you’re TALL based on measurements from your toes to your head; standing on a bar stool doesn’t make you TALLER, only HIGHER. The main island of Hawaii, last I checked, is – and by a wide margin – the tal… --- ## [Biological Clocks/Time Intuition](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biological-clocks-time-intuition/309321)
**Author:** [@g\_zus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g_zus)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2005, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/biological-clocks-time-intuition/309321 "2005-06-25T13:42:27Z")
I have the odd problem of waking up not only a few seconds before my electrical alarm clock goes off, but also I have a tendency of getting up a second before the clock turns 3:33am. This is a non-mechanical clock, it m… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=167) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=169)