# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=197 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 198 --- ## [What's the true story on South American Nazis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-true-story-on-south-american-nazis/226796)
**Author:** [@Bookkeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bookkeeper)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 5, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-true-story-on-south-american-nazis/226796 "2004-02-05T12:01:48Z")
What’s the true story on South American Nazis? I would suggest that another factor was the strong German influence in many South American countries. There were significant minorities of German and German-descended resid… --- ## [Otzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/otzi/227198)
**Author:** [@Jeremiah\_22\_7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeremiah_22_7)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2004, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/otzi/227198 "2004-02-04T13:58:10Z")
\[/FONT\] I would like to dedicate this thread to Otzi It seems as though there are so many different stories about this man i find it quite interesting. Does anyone know the complete details , please tell me what you a… --- ## [I want eyebrow bugs!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-eyebrow-bugs/225122)
**Author:** [@Skeptico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeptico)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-eyebrow-bugs/225122 "2004-02-04T13:47:15Z")
I knew about these little arachnids from before (saw them on TV, you know?), but I had no idea they were beneficial. I have bad complexion and oily skin, regardless (or maybe because of) my attempts to remedy it with cre… --- ## [Swedish boxer Ingemar J?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-boxer-ingemar-j/227166)
**Author:** [@Niels\_Hovmoller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Niels_Hovmoller)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2004, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swedish-boxer-ingemar-j/227166 "2004-02-03T14:44:06Z")
Ingemar Johansson name was misspelled in your column about the worst saint. Maybe it’s spelled Johanson, but NOT Johannson. I’d like to gush, but … Niels Hovmoller --- ## [Homeopathy is a con job???](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-is-a-con-job/1099)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 91\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy-is-a-con-job/1099 "2004-02-03T06:05:04Z")
In your article about “color therapy”, you stated: The reason that you haven’t seen this type of treatment around lately is that fleecing in the medical profession has become far more technologically advanced. It should… --- ## [Johnny Appleseed trees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-appleseed-trees/224928)
**Author:** [@JPearl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JPearl)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2004, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/johnny-appleseed-trees/224928 "2004-02-03T04:15:44Z")
Okay, I don’t get it. If you can’t grow good apples from seeds, then how is it that it was a great service for him to plant apple seeds in frontier areas? Wouldn’t he have sown the seeds of bad apples all over America?… --- ## [What is the holy grail?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-holy-grail/224882)
**Author:** [@Cebby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cebby)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-holy-grail/224882 "2004-02-03T00:23:44Z")
One person asked, “what is the holy grail” and the reply was that it did notexist. If you read the book “the Da Vinci Code” u will c the holy grail described as religous documents that supposedly prove that Jesus was mar… --- ## [Thee, Thou, Thine, and Ye Olde...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thee-thou-thine-and-ye-olde/215197)
**Author:** [@InfntJest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InfntJest)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2004, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thee-thou-thine-and-ye-olde/215197 "2004-02-02T22:23:10Z")
Regarding the old/middle English “Thou,” etc., discussed at: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/m971211c.html I remembered reading that part of the confusion regarding “thou” becoming “you” and “ye” becoming “the” was… --- ## [BZZZT re 2-letter Scrabble words](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bzzzt-re-2-letter-scrabble-words/224428)
**Author:** [@jormundgondir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jormundgondir)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2004, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bzzzt-re-2-letter-scrabble-words/224428 "2004-02-02T15:45:04Z")
Cecil’s post here IMHO Cecil ought to have updated this classic rerun; things have changed in Scrabble land. In American play, the Official Word List (OWL) and Total Word List (TWL) utilized in tournament play each incl… --- ## [Happy 31st Anniversary Cecil!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-31st-anniversary-cecil/227173)
**Author:** [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 2, 2004, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-31st-anniversary-cecil/227173 "2004-02-02T12:01:00Z")
Today marks the glorious 31st annual celebration of Uncle Cecil’s February 2, 1973 debut column in the Chicago Reader. Obviously ignorance has yet to be eliminated – some might be hard pressed to find evidence it has eve… --- ## [Who was more popular, Elvis or the Beatles?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-more-popular-elvis-or-the-beatles/226438)
**Author:** [@Qburn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qburn)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2004, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-was-more-popular-elvis-or-the-beatles/226438 "2004-02-01T01:40:19Z")
This post is not to refute Cecil’s answer, but to point out that there are other yardsticks to measure popularity by. In the article Who was more popular, Elvis or the Beatles? dated 18 June, 1976, there are many questi… --- ## [Glen Campbell and the Wrecking Crew](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glen-campbell-and-the-wrecking-crew/225583)
**Author:** [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2004, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/glen-campbell-and-the-wrecking-crew/225583 "2004-01-31T01:56:02Z")
Glen Campbell didn’t play on “8 Miles High,” but the suggestion isn’t so ridiculous. Campbell was, after all, a steady member of the Wrecking Crew, for several years. The Wrecking Crew was a loose association of veteran… --- ## [Air Fresheners](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-fresheners/226777)
**Author:** [@JAPrufrock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JAPrufrock)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/air-fresheners/226777 "2004-01-30T17:05:40Z")
I’ve been having trouble using the Archives search function the last couple of days, and I need to find that article Cecil wrote about air fresheners (or, maybe it was written by one of the SD stafff…) Can someone pleas… --- ## [Why are Sadie Hawkins dances now called, 'tolos'?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sadie-hawkins-dances-now-called-tolos/222054)
**Author:** [@Rox4Jox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rox4Jox)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2004, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-sadie-hawkins-dances-now-called-tolos/222054 "2004-01-29T19:38:01Z")
It was great to read the derivation of ‘Sadie Hawkins’ dance: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msadiehawkins.html I’m trying to figure out why these dances are now called, ‘tolos’? --- ## [What's the origin of horny ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-horny/226511)
**Author:** [@Willmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Willmore)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2004, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-horny/226511 "2004-01-29T15:47:21Z")
\*Cecil wrote: If you were to apply your vestigial mental faculties to the problem, “Ben,” it would probably occur to you that “horny” is vaguely related to “horn,” the phallic possibilities of which are self-evident. Th… --- ## [Baseball and a nine-ball walk, according to Cecil.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-and-a-nine-ball-walk-according-to-cecil/221677)
**Author:** [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2004, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-and-a-nine-ball-walk-according-to-cecil/221677 "2004-01-29T08:44:14Z")
Given this column: Is there a link to “baseball law”? Being a hockey player myself, I understand there are current regulations and rules, but baseball still seems to mystify me as to certain origins. Not pickin’ a deb… --- ## [Qwerty, Dvorak, XPeRT keyboards](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qwerty-dvorak-xpert-keyboards/222695)
**Author:** [@caterpiller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caterpiller)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 28, 2004, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/qwerty-dvorak-xpert-keyboards/222695 "2004-01-28T20:43:19Z")
This is a comment on a very old topic, the Qwerty keyboard of 1878, which was designed to slow down typing and prevent mechanical keys from jamming in early typewriters. It is the same inefficient layout we are stuck wit… --- ## [Holy Crap! I'm a Star!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-im-a-star/226258)
**Author:** [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-im-a-star/226258 "2004-01-27T19:13:17Z")
I can’t believe it! Me and Cecil had a little falling out a while back over handwriting, and I’m ashamed to admit that as a result I haven’t read his column in some time. Today I went back and caught up what I’d missed … --- ## [Left-Handed Catchers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-handed-catchers/222507)
**Author:** [@zeker434](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeker434)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [January 27, 2004, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-handed-catchers/222507 "2004-01-27T00:29:06Z")
Although Cecil answered the question in general, but there are some nuances that help to clarify why there are no regular left-handed catchers. Visualize a catcher behind the plate, with a right-handed batter up, and … --- ## [Datum/Datums/Data](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/datum-datums-data/224569)
**Author:** [@epepke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epepke)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/datum-datums-data/224569 "2004-01-26T05:29:15Z")
Thanks for the excellent article on Latin plurals. One thing I don’t think is emphasized strongly enough is that what “data” has become is a mass noun. Like other mass nouns, it agrees with singular verb conjugations, … --- ## [Someone give Cecil a remedial grammar lesson!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-give-cecil-a-remedial-grammar-lesson/224825)
**Author:** [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/someone-give-cecil-a-remedial-grammar-lesson/224825 "2004-01-25T18:01:49Z")
Cecil, in a fit of insanity, titled this column “Does it take less muscles to smile than it does to frown?” Now, we all know that “less” is used with mass nouns, and “fewer” with nouns referring to discrete entities. “… --- ## [Copy machines and radiation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-machines-and-radiation/223306)
**Author:** [@koobermate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koobermate)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2004, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copy-machines-and-radiation/223306 "2004-01-25T14:09:06Z")
I was wondering (since I work at Kinko’s) after I read the column on copy machines emitting radiation, is toner dangerous? It seems like it would be, what with it being a powder, and recycled from plastic things. --- ## [Martin Luther King's plagiarism](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-luther-kings-plagiarism/225235)
**Author:** [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2004, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/martin-luther-kings-plagiarism/225235 "2004-01-25T07:34:54Z")
Was Martin Luther King, Jr. a plagiarist? (I know there was a previous thread, but a search didn’t find it.) Does anyone know where I can find the specifics of this study? I’d like to know more about this too. Is th… --- ## [Coffee: You'll stunt your growth, kid!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-youll-stunt-your-growth-kid/225798)
**Author:** [@Max\_Heck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Heck)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2004, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coffee-youll-stunt-your-growth-kid/225798 "2004-01-25T06:06:22Z")
I’d say nutrition has a lot to do with growth, but I don’t know if coffee makes such a difference that it can’t be offset by say… drinking a lot of milk. When I was growing up (hah!) a lot of my friends were zero’th-gen… --- ## [Eyebrow bugs: couldn't you just have lied?!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyebrow-bugs-couldnt-you-just-have-lied/224936)
**Author:** [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2004, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyebrow-bugs-couldnt-you-just-have-lied/224936 "2004-01-25T02:32:51Z")
I am itching all over after reading this one: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meyebrowmites.html And only “essentially invisible” to the naked eye? That means with good light, and peering closely, one can probably… --- ## [Cockroaches and mammals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroaches-and-mammals/225768)
**Author:** [@JohnStracke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnStracke)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2004, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cockroaches-and-mammals/225768 "2004-01-24T23:20:43Z")
SDSTAFF Doug wrote: In fact, if you exclude birds and mammals, most of the world’s present-day life forms \[…\] date back at least 100 million years. Why exclude mammals? Mammals predate the dinosaurs. Granted, we were … --- ## [We get nostalgic for Victorian Christmases. What did Victorians get nostalgic for?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-get-nostalgic-for-victorian-christmases-what-did-victorians-get-nostalgic-for/221119)
**Author:** [@curtains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curtains)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2004, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-get-nostalgic-for-victorian-christmases-what-did-victorians-get-nostalgic-for/221119 "2004-01-23T23:34:59Z")
In his 1992 column on Victorian Christmases… http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_014.html Cecil mentions “Clement Clarke Moore’s poem ‘A Visit from Saint Nicholas’” It now seems that Moore’s authorship of this poe… --- ## [Date of Eight Miles High Column](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-of-eight-miles-high-column/225511)
**Author:** [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2004, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/date-of-eight-miles-high-column/225511 "2004-01-23T22:29:04Z")
Something is fishy about Cecil’s Eight Mile High Column here . The date of the column is given as May 1977, but Cecil mentions Roger McGuinn posting on alt.music.byrds. I’m not sure when this group started, but Iot ver… --- ## [Plastic Bags & Credit Card](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-bags-credit-card/224794)
**Author:** [@trevlyn13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trevlyn13)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2004, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plastic-bags-credit-card/224794 "2004-01-23T07:50:20Z")
After working at a certain mass merchandiser for a few years, I can testify to the bag trick. I would say that it usually works 90% of the time. And why cashiers don’t type the card number in – the retailer I worked fo… --- ## [How did Johnny A where no shoes in Winter?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-johnny-a-where-no-shoes-in-winter/225320)
**Author:** [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2004, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-johnny-a-where-no-shoes-in-winter/225320 "2004-01-22T13:38:26Z")
I realize that this may be better suited to GQ, but because it was inspired by the Johnny Appleseed report, I am posting here. Link The report says that Johnny didn’t where shoes, even in Winter. I have read the same … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=196) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=198)