# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=215 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 216 --- ## ['literally'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literally/178389)
**Author:** [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/literally/178389 "2003-06-16T04:17:10Z")
How does a bullet or knife kill somebody? If Cecil is so smart, how come he doesn’t know what literally means, or does he think that bullets really turn your insides into beef patties with lettuce and onions in a sesame… --- ## [Do lightning rods really work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lightning-rods-really-work/180048)
**Author:** [@frokeefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/frokeefe)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 16, 2003, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-lightning-rods-really-work/180048 "2003-06-16T01:59:16Z")
There is a large body of modern scientific literature demonstrating that lightning rods really do work, and nothing works better (alternatives usually offer inferior, but much more expensive protection). Current testing … --- ## [Spontaneous combustion.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-combustion/181836)
**Author:** [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-combustion/181836 "2003-06-14T18:08:52Z")
Here is a link to the relevant article. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_205b.html Part way down it mentions the ‘wick effect’ and smouldering. I was always under the impression that free flame fire could only … --- ## [Right to bear arms (10 Feb '95)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-to-bear-arms-10-feb-95/175268)
**Author:** [@ph317](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ph317)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-to-bear-arms-10-feb-95/175268 "2003-06-14T17:52:36Z")
I’ve been perusing the archives, and I enjoyed the balanced insight you brought to the 2nd amendment debate in this column. However, I’d like to push further in a certain direction of research here: To quote from the c… --- ## [Jesus H Christ](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-h-christ/172798)
**Author:** [@mwmcmahan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mwmcmahan)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-h-christ/172798 "2003-06-14T07:49:23Z")
referring to the question of why people say Jesus H Christ goes back to a 60s joke. Something happens and a guy says Jesus H Christ and someone asks why. He says it stands for Hallmark because GOD only sent the very be… --- ## [Bulldogs...and their real purpose](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulldogs-and-their-real-purpose/179532)
**Author:** [@Devron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Devron)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bulldogs-and-their-real-purpose/179532 "2003-06-14T05:11:25Z")
As cute as a bulldog is, though they do breathe really loudly \]…more than normal, bulldogs were used to drag bulls by there rings (ouchies) if you don’t believe me, or I’m totally wrong, go talk to my Bio teacher. We wer… --- ## [Re: Why do wrist slashers on TV, in movies, etc., run water during their exits?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-do-wrist-slashers-on-tv-in-movies-etc-run-water-during-their-exits/179937)
**Author:** [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-do-wrist-slashers-on-tv-in-movies-etc-run-water-during-their-exits/179937 "2003-06-14T05:06:13Z")
– CECIL Explosives? Really? More “in” than such tradional methods as poisoning (pills, radiator fluid, etc.) or suffocation (hanging, filling up the garage with exhaust fumes, etc.)? --- ## [Susceptibility to motion sickness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/susceptibility-to-motion-sickness/181564)
**Author:** [@chukhung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chukhung)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/susceptibility-to-motion-sickness/181564 "2003-06-14T04:43:17Z")
In regard to the staff report Why do people get car sick?: Is there any objective measurement of susceptibility to motion sickness? I think we’ve all encountered people who get car sick relatively easily, and while tra… --- ## [Regarding the Falling Elevator.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-falling-elevator/179574)
**Author:** [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-the-falling-elevator/179574 "2003-06-14T04:41:01Z")
I was fascinated by this article. I really enjoyed reading the physics of the problem, but was amazed no one mentioned low-level falls from older elevator’s, or the braking system in all elevators since 1950. I saw The … --- ## [courts and drives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courts-and-drives/181456)
**Author:** [@neminem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neminem)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2003, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/courts-and-drives/181456 "2003-06-13T22:50:51Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a990423.html “The U.S. Postal Service, exhibiting rare common sense, has decided suffixes aren’t worth worrying about. It merely requests that street names be unique without regard t… --- ## [Independency at sea](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independency-at-sea/178022)
**Author:** [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/independency-at-sea/178022 "2003-06-13T16:39:50Z")
In the column How do I go about starting my own country?, Cecil writes: How does this work? Let’s say my boat is registered with such a country (I understand Panama used to be all the rage in this regard, but that may … --- ## [How does a bullet or knife kill somebody?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-bullet-or-knife-kill-somebody/178125)
**Author:** [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-bullet-or-knife-kill-somebody/178125 "2003-06-13T01:47:28Z")
How does a bullet or knife kill somebody? So, there are bullets that can actually transform human flesh into ground beef? How do they work, Cece? :wink: --- ## [Caligula and the Cesarean Operation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caligula-and-the-cesarean-operation/181177)
**Author:** [@DeepField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepField)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/caligula-and-the-cesarean-operation/181177 "2003-06-12T20:48:53Z")
On the staff report on Caligula I was surprised to find that there is no proof of incest by Caligula. I am not a historian, and my only “knowledge” of the matter is from Peter Grave’s I, Claudius, but I understood that … --- ## [Something straight men should know about "gaydar"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-straight-men-should-know-about-gaydar/170581)
**Author:** [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-straight-men-should-know-about-gaydar/170581 "2003-06-12T01:19:41Z")
In Why is lisping stereotypically associated with homosexuality? Cecil wrote This explains an experience I had years ago. I was spending time with the step daughter of an army major who had married, I later guessed, s… --- ## [cats and olives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-olives/180491)
**Author:** [@romperwebby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romperwebby)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2003, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cats-and-olives/180491 "2003-06-11T16:25:14Z")
i was curious why my cat was flipping out when she’d smell the faintest scent of an olive on my finger tips so i was searching online about it when i came across your column on cats and catnip. the reader that asked yo… --- ## [Disturbing Suicide Advice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disturbing-suicide-advice/179551)
**Author:** [@And\_that\_s\_the\_bottom\_line](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/And_that_s_the_bottom_line)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/disturbing-suicide-advice/179551 "2003-06-11T13:16:26Z")
After reading Cecil’s answer to this question I have to say I was a little disturbed. Cecil pretty much tells you the best way to commit suicide (if you’re slashing your wrists anyway) with this little gem: I seriously… --- ## [History and Islamic and European cultures](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-and-islamic-and-european-cultures/180741)
**Author:** [@SlowMindThinking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlowMindThinking)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/history-and-islamic-and-european-cultures/180741 "2003-06-09T23:43:55Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030606.html At the risk of opening a can of worms, I’d like to start a thread similar to the previously canned thread. Perhaps the Tamarlanes of dopedom can correct my mistakes. I t… --- ## [Copacetic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copacetic/179832)
**Author:** [@barak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barak)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copacetic/179832 "2003-06-09T22:20:03Z")
The report http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcopacetic.html by Euty on Copacetic is excellent, I just had one nit to pick - In Hebrew, the phrase is “kol b’seder” not “hakol b’seder.” “kol” means all or everything, … --- ## [Dead reckoning vs ded](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-reckoning-vs-ded/175356)
**Author:** [@kdarling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kdarling)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dead-reckoning-vs-ded/175356 "2003-06-09T21:03:49Z")
Re: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdeadreckoning.html I totally agree with this article. I’ve researched this topic quite a bit myself, and the author nailed every item. Especially that the “deduced” theory only… --- ## [Why are dinosaurs so big?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dinosaurs-so-big/179667)
**Author:** [@scule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scule)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-dinosaurs-so-big/179667 "2003-06-09T19:52:42Z")
In the question posed by Andrew Murphy, April 8/94, he asked about the size of dinosaurs, and posited that gravity may have been a factor. Though the question was poorly worded, the gravity part wasn’t answered in Cecil… --- ## [Corection on Indian Greetings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corection-on-indian-greetings/180555)
**Author:** [@OkProf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OkProf)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 10:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corection-on-indian-greetings/180555 "2003-06-09T10:10:22Z")
I recently came across the response to someone who had inquired about the validity of the Native American stereotypical greeting “How!”, and I am afraid Cecil’s response was careless in at least one way. In the column, … --- ## [Greetings in Business Letters](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-in-business-letters/180558)
**Author:** [@OkProf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OkProf)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [June 9, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greetings-in-business-letters/180558 "2003-06-09T08:27:27Z")
In an old column, a reader asked about non-sexist greetings for business letters, and Cecil quoted Letitia Baldridge, who suggested switching to a memo-like format. Well, Ms. Baldridge wasn’t too far off the mark. The q… --- ## [boring](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring/180248)
**Author:** [@dontcare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dontcare)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2003, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/boring/180248 "2003-06-08T17:03:07Z")
Why cant he just answer the questions ‘yes or no’ and then why. i hate reading this whole spill on pigeons when he can just say ‘i dont know’. I go to bored.com to find something to do, like read this. but even this is b… --- ## [The disparity between islamic cultures and western ones.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disparity-between-islamic-cultures-and-western-ones/180105)
**Author:** [@xcalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xcalibre)\ **Replies:** 43\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-disparity-between-islamic-cultures-and-western-ones/180105 "2003-06-08T15:39:22Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030606.html In reference to Cecil’s recent article about why muslim and arab cultures lag behind european cultures in education and maybe even civility. I think there was one very im… --- ## [Question about old question about Andrew Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-question-about-andrew-jackson/180264)
**Author:** [@ReaperMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReaperMan)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-old-question-about-andrew-jackson/180264 "2003-06-08T08:14:00Z")
Hello, I was searching through the archives and came upon a question written in october of 2002 about where Andrew Jackson would be placed among history’s mass murderers. While my question is not about Andrew Jackson i… --- ## [Passive/Aggressive](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passive-aggressive/178547)
**Author:** [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passive-aggressive/178547 "2003-06-08T07:30:34Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030530.html I swear, think half the time the Passive/Aggressives are out to get me. --- ## [How does marijuana cause "the munchies?"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marijuana-cause-the-munchies/175821)
**Author:** [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2003, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-marijuana-cause-the-munchies/175821 "2003-06-07T01:00:00Z")
Uhhh… Um, I, like, had a question a minute ago but I, uh, forgot. huh huh huh heh heh huh … Yeah. Dude, quite hoggin all the ranch doritos! --- ## [In addition to Hawk's "car sickness" exlpaination](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-addition-to-hawks-car-sickness-exlpaination/179787)
**Author:** [@tc\_braden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tc_braden)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2003, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-addition-to-hawks-car-sickness-exlpaination/179787 "2003-06-06T23:55:58Z")
Hey, just thought I’d add a little something. We actually know now from historical research that becoming sick from cars or planes or just dizziness in general dates back to our not so intelligent cave days. Back when hu… --- ## [Christian denomination percentages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-denomination-percentages/180113)
**Author:** [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-denomination-percentages/180113 "2003-06-06T20:36:06Z")
In the Straight Dope column about Islam Cecil says, “For comparison, there are 1.9 billion Christians worldwide, most of them Catholics.” This may be just a nitpick, but according to David Barrett’s World Christian Enc… --- ## [correction on Louie Louie Column](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correction-on-louie-louie-column/179416)
**Author:** [@chrisalina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisalina)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 6, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correction-on-louie-louie-column/179416 "2003-06-06T18:36:46Z")
Hi, Thanks for writing the Louie Louie column… I would just like to point out that Jerry Mathers did not get blown up in Vietnam. He is alive and well, and raises money for diabetes research. My sister met him and … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=214) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=216)