# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=219 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 220 --- ## [the green flash](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-green-flash/67)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-green-flash/67 "2003-05-03T02:40:48Z")
just wanted to mention my interest in the explanation for the green flash. my dad has been looking for the green flash at sea or at coast for as long as i can remember–as a result i have always looked, but never found– … --- ## [Catch-22 answer needed spoiler warning!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-22-answer-needed-spoiler-warning/171970)
**Author:** [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2003, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-22-answer-needed-spoiler-warning/171970 "2003-05-01T23:26:32Z")
Why didn’t Cecil give a spolier warning when discussing the book’s plot? --- ## [Ahoy: Edison invented "hello"??](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ahoy-edison-invented-hello/124893)
**Author:** [@KenP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KenP)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ahoy-edison-invented-hello/124893 "2003-05-01T15:42:29Z")
The answer to the question about “Ahoy” says that, “‘Hello,’ was previously unknown and may have been invented by the man who proposed it, Thomas Edison.” Really? Am I reading that correctly? Link to Staff Report: Wh… --- ## [Catch-22](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-22/171904)
**Author:** [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2003, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/catch-22/171904 "2003-05-01T12:27:09Z")
Oh, moderator C K Dexter Haven. I assume you are staff writer DEX who wrote the reply to the Catch-22 question, and you will be examining this post at some point. I just wanted to take a moment to applaud your response. … --- ## [streetlight out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetlight-out/171855)
**Author:** [@Mommamia77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mommamia77)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 29, 2003, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/streetlight-out/171855 "2003-04-29T11:41:29Z")
I personally seem to carry some type of electrical charge on my body. I CONSTANTLY shock myself and others. When I get out of the car, when I touch a grocery cart or door. Doorknobs, light switches, anything really that … --- ## [Are the earth's poles going to shift soon?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-earths-poles-going-to-shift-soon/164194)
**Author:** [@Gumbercules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gumbercules)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2003, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-the-earths-poles-going-to-shift-soon/164194 "2003-04-28T20:40:58Z")
Regarding this question, I understood the question to refer to the fact that the North and South poles actually reverse every half-million years or so. This is supported by evidence taken from oceanic crust going away f… --- ## [meanings in music](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meanings-in-music/171551)
**Author:** [@Delius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Delius)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/meanings-in-music/171551 "2003-04-28T15:31:24Z")
The Stairway to Heaven thread is interesting, but I think it is somewhat missing the point. Music is a fundamentally different medium for artistic expression than literature. That’s obvious in one way, but I think it b… --- ## [How many times does your heart beat per year ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-does-your-heart-beat-per-year/171488)
**Author:** [@sj1hoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj1hoo)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 28, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-times-does-your-heart-beat-per-year/171488 "2003-04-28T12:49:08Z")
I recall David Attenborough talking about the lifespan of mammls all being roughlky the same when it was counted in heartbeats instead of time - thus nutty little shrews that fight and have sex all the time for their sho… --- ## [The Spaghetti Incident?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spaghetti-incident/476)
**Author:** [@Kellinjar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kellinjar)\ **Replies:** 89\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2003, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-spaghetti-incident/476 "2003-04-27T21:13:20Z")
Didn’t see a topic created on this yet (maybe I’m blind… it happens) So I thought I’d add my two cents. They didn’t seem to get a clear cut answer on how spaghetti is sucked into your mouth. To me it’s rather obvious, wh… --- ## [baseball bat followup](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-followup/170442)
**Author:** [@dannyv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dannyv)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-bat-followup/170442 "2003-04-27T17:13:11Z")
in http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbat.html, Ken misses the point of the question, i think. the question was, basically, can you hit a ball farther with a heavy bat or a light bat. Ken talks about how the force th… --- ## [FLoating Bread Loaves of Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-bread-loaves-of-mercury/170684)
**Author:** [@schunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schunder)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2003, 11:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/floating-bread-loaves-of-mercury/170684 "2003-04-27T11:24:19Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcannonbody.html The floating bread techinique could work if a corpse is floating down a river, and gets stuck in an eddy, then over time sinks there. It would stand to reason that a… --- ## [stuffing envelopes scam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuffing-envelopes-scam/171337)
**Author:** [@Kennymac45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kennymac45)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2003, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stuffing-envelopes-scam/171337 "2003-04-26T20:53:47Z")
My son has shown me a form letter he got in the mail from “Supreme Mailing Services, Inc.” He wants to invest $59.00 since this form letter says he does not have to place newspaper ads or do any handing out of flyers or… --- ## [Animal Sacrifice by Jews](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-sacrifice-by-jews/170745)
**Author:** [@mmdtkw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmdtkw)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/animal-sacrifice-by-jews/170745 "2003-04-26T14:53:13Z")
Ref: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msacrifice.html Some Jews still participate in animal sacrifice, although most other Jews I know say it’s an aberation. Do a quick google search for “kaparot” and you will find… --- ## [Five-cent piece in Huck Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-cent-piece-in-huck-finn/170716)
**Author:** [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-cent-piece-in-huck-finn/170716 "2003-04-26T14:46:24Z")
In yesterday’s mailbag article about superstitions in Huckleberry Finn, at http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcannonbody.html, Dex and/or Hawk write: SInce Huckleberry Finn is set pre-Civil-War, the only kind of 5-ce… --- ## [Ark of the Covenant](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ark-of-the-covenant/170998)
**Author:** [@Roz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roz)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2003, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ark-of-the-covenant/170998 "2003-04-26T00:14:15Z")
:smiley: Did an internet search to check out the above - am reading the works of Josephus, the Old World Jewish historian, but have been researching (in addition) Joseph of Arimethea, the Gnostics, and to many areas of … --- ## [Dew point](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dew-point/170700)
**Author:** [@radarksu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/radarksu)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dew-point/170700 "2003-04-24T14:37:48Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdewpoint.html http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdewpoint.html I just wanted to let everyone know about a dew point experience I had recently. My friend asked me what the dew poin… --- ## [U. S. companies use handwriting analysis when hiring?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545)
**Author:** [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2003, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-companies-use-handwriting-analysis-when-hiring/169545 "2003-04-24T02:45:53Z")
Is handwriting analysis legit science? I find this pretty hard to believe, unless it just means that employers discount applicants because of sloppy penmanship. Has anybody here experienced this first hand? --- ## [Im having trouble following up on your report.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-having-trouble-following-up-on-your-report/170638)
**Author:** [@Von\_moltke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Von_moltke)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-having-trouble-following-up-on-your-report/170638 "2003-04-24T01:53:16Z")
I read your report titled “Did the U.S. plan an invasion of Canada in the 1920s?” and found it to be very informing. My dilema is this. I want to find the documentation on War Plan White, Green, Grey etc… I really want … --- ## [Handwriting analysis comments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-analysis-comments/170398)
**Author:** [@DCFDE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCFDE)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2003, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-analysis-comments/170398 "2003-04-23T21:36:47Z")
Dear Cecil, I would like to commend you on your response to “Is handwriting analysis legit science?” There was definitely evidence that you had conducted research on the topic. However, as a forensic document examiner,… --- ## [Another Source](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-source/170467)
**Author:** [@Ninjagrapefruit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninjagrapefruit)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2003, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-source/170467 "2003-04-23T20:31:21Z")
On the topic http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mcannonbody.html , it reminded me of the short story by Edgar Allen Poe “THe Myster of Marie Roget”, a sequel to the “Murders in the Rue Morgue”. Its a really cool read, … --- ## [A \[I\]real\[/I\] doctor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-i-real-i-doctor/167830)
**Author:** [@jimbobboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimbobboy)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2003, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-i-real-i-doctor/167830 "2003-04-22T23:20:48Z")
Re/ SDStaff Ken’s excellent report http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mbachelor.html As “Ceux-là du souffle du canard” bade us remember about Dr. Science, --- ## [Buh bye Cecil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buh-bye-cecil/168277)
**Author:** [@dmunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dmunter)\ **Replies:** 75\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buh-bye-cecil/168277 "2003-04-21T14:59:30Z")
As a long time and loyal Straight Dope fan, your “damn fool war” line was a huge bummer to me. I can indulge your hippy self indulgence only to a point, and now you have gone to far. Buh bye Cecil. --- ## [Map copyright traps](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/map-copyright-traps/61788)
**Author:** [@loislane138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/loislane138)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/map-copyright-traps/61788 "2003-04-21T14:20:37Z")
Hi, I’m new to the boards. I recently read one of the straight dope columns about Map copyright traps. In one example Rand McNally accidentally included a “Paper Street” in New York map. If you guys will remember in “Fi… --- ## [4 out of 5 dentists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-out-of-5-dentists/167582)
**Author:** [@JohnStracke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnStracke)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2003, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/4-out-of-5-dentists/167582 "2003-04-21T03:53:11Z")
Cecil wrote: …or perhaps by somebody that was worried about sugarless gum being a health risk. Wasn’t that back in the Saccharine Age? --- ## [How can light be both a wave and a particle?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-light-be-both-a-wave-and-a-particle/166199)
**Author:** [@crywalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crywalt)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-light-be-both-a-wave-and-a-particle/166199 "2003-04-20T23:33:06Z")
Commenting on Chronos’ excellent explanation of wave/particle duality at http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mlightwaveparticle.html I can bring in good old Robert Heinlein to answer the question more fully. This is n… --- ## [Handwriting, fingerprints, and the admissibility of evidence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-fingerprints-and-the-admissibility-of-evidence/169548)
**Author:** [@minty\_green](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minty_green)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2003, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/handwriting-fingerprints-and-the-admissibility-of-evidence/169548 "2003-04-20T19:39:14Z")
Re: Is handwriting analysis legit science? Just some short follow-ups and additional info on the legal points Cecil mentions in the column. First of all, the case in which the federal court ruled against the admissibil… --- ## [Electromagnetic Fields](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electromagnetic-fields/166209)
**Author:** [@Chavardz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chavardz)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2003, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electromagnetic-fields/166209 "2003-04-20T18:29:32Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mlightwaveparticle.html I belive the answer cronos gave and Ed’s simplification isn’t all that complete. Of course, volumes have been dedicated to such hot topics. Something that cou… --- ## [Joaquin Murietta & Zorro](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joaquin-murietta-zorro/168249)
**Author:** [@darwindarius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darwindarius)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joaquin-murietta-zorro/168249 "2003-04-19T22:51:52Z")
It seems as the Joaquin Murietta (insert any alternate surname you wish) backstory was very likely the source for the Zorro novel (“The Curse of Capistrano”). This was the same novel upon which the “Mask of Zorro” movie… --- ## [A Few Sacraficial Comments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-sacraficial-comments/169344)
**Author:** [@Skott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skott)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-few-sacraficial-comments/169344 "2003-04-18T20:17:37Z")
Just a few comments/questions regarding Jewish sacrifices, timely posted on Passover/First Day of Unleavened Bread. :slight\_smile: Didn’t David, in one of his psalms somewhat challenge sacrifices? I remember something… --- ## [Holmes and Friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holmes-and-friends/166504)
**Author:** [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holmes-and-friends/166504 "2003-04-18T18:03:13Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/msherlock.html Of course he still lives. So do Watson (John or James\[?\]) and Mrs. Hutson (Hudson?). Holmes, being also a great chemist, concocted a special elixir providing for a l… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=218) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=220)