# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=295 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 296 --- ## [IRS duly constituted?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-duly-constituted/1785)
**Author:** [@Jvanhorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jvanhorn)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2000, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/irs-duly-constituted/1785 "2000-04-24T16:48:00Z")
I heard this fellow on the radio recently. http://www.paynoincometax.com/all/Default.htm He seems to have a reasonable argument for not paying income tax. Would Cecil care to comment? Link to the original column:http:… --- ## [space program](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-program/1780)
**Author:** [@Jill\_J](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jill_J)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2000, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/space-program/1780 "2000-04-24T03:36:00Z")
Cecil’s comments about the space program in the last paragraph of his post about a candle in space were uncalled for. He insulted all the scientists at NASA and mentioned a budget of 6 jillion dollars. This kind of comme… --- ## [Fahrenheit versus Celsius](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-versus-celsius/1778)
**Author:** [@Fritz\_Keinert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fritz_Keinert)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2000, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fahrenheit-versus-celsius/1778 "2000-04-22T12:56:00Z")
In file a4\_188.html, the Straight Dope classic from Dec 15, 1989, Cecil writes: “Romer had decided that the boiling point of water should be 60 degrees … \[Fahrenheit\] multiplied Romer’s degrees by 4 … Then … he multiplie… --- ## [the flat-earth people](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flat-earth-people/1727)
**Author:** [@Uncle\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Ben)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2000, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-flat-earth-people/1727 "2000-04-22T00:30:00Z")
I was intrigued by the mention of people who continue to believe the Earth is flat. I assume we’re not talking about Zulu tribes here (and maybe they know better, I don’t know), so who are these people and what are their… --- ## [Alphabet song](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-song/1726)
**Author:** [@wombat1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wombat1138)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/alphabet-song/1726 "2000-04-21T14:29:00Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/malphabetsong.html This is nifty as far as this one tune goes, but due to the wonders of the alphabet’s inherent meter, it can be sung to the whole Greensleeves/Amazing Grace family o… --- ## [Another Composer with Variations on "Twinkle Twinkle"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-composer-with-variations-on-twinkle-twinkle/1725)
**Author:** [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/another-composer-with-variations-on-twinkle-twinkle/1725 "2000-04-21T14:28:00Z")
Regarding the excellent answer of Jill on the music to which we sing “Twinkle, Twinkle” and the “Alphabet Song”, found here: Who wrote the melody to the alphabet song? I finally dug up my box of piano music and looked u… --- ## [Does acupuncture really work?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work/1754)
**Author:** [@Seydell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seydell)\ **Replies:** 31\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-acupuncture-really-work/1754 "2000-04-21T11:59:00Z")
I’m supprised that Cecil didn’t mention any of the research that has shown that acupuncture causes the body to release endorphins. The June, 1999 American Journal of Physiology described a study where acupuncture re… --- ## [The whole nine yards](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/1753)
**Author:** [@tomrosetti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomrosetti)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/1753 "2000-04-21T08:32:00Z")
I have read in various “origin of” sources that the “whole nine yards” referred to the 27 feet of machine gun ammo carried by WWII fighter craft. A pilot who had given his all would have delivered the whole nine yards. T… --- ## [Increased woman battering on Superbowl Sunday](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increased-woman-battering-on-superbowl-sunday/1749)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/increased-woman-battering-on-superbowl-sunday/1749 "2000-04-21T05:15:00Z")
I, too, have heard anecdotal evidence that says that men behave more violently toward women during football games. I’m not familiar with the research. I do know, however, that there is documented a strong correlation b… --- ## [Since when do CD's skip?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-do-cds-skip/1746)
**Author:** [@Welkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Welkin)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-do-cds-skip/1746 "2000-04-21T05:09:00Z")
My parents bought their first CD player around 1987, and that thing skipped somethin’ fierce. It was just as well they didn’t have any fun CDs, because any attempt to dance, and sometimes walk, in the same room as the CD… --- ## [circumcision](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision/1741)
**Author:** [@lostindustrial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lostindustrial)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2000, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision/1741 "2000-04-21T02:14:00Z")
I read in Men’s health magazine, I think it was a 1998 issue, don’t remember the month…that circumcision may destroy newborn and therefore fragile synapses in the brain associated with the relationship between pain and s… --- ## [Not Esperanto again!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-esperanto-again/1719)
**Author:** [@Lawrence](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lawrence)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2000, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/not-esperanto-again/1719 "2000-04-20T20:13:00Z")
Come on, Monty, we’ve already been through all this Esperanto stuff on the boards before. Esperanto is just another example of late 19th century utopianism. Sure, it’d be great if we could all communicate with one anothe… --- ## [homeopathy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy/1335)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 218\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/homeopathy/1335 "2000-04-19T21:54:00Z")
(adding the link in here: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/000225.html - Jill) From Cecil’s mailbox (writer asked me to post it to the message board): To: cecil@chireader.com Your ignorance of homeopathy is e… --- ## [That business about trapped air in a vagina.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-business-about-trapped-air-in-a-vagina/1329)
**Author:** [@Quisling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quisling)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-business-about-trapped-air-in-a-vagina/1329 "2000-04-19T21:52:00Z")
In this particular topic of Cecil’s I couldn’t help but be intrigued by his saying that yes blowing into a vagina during oral sex can trap in air and cause an air embolism. At first I completely agreed cause I had heard … --- ## [Moon Landings](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-landings/1711)
**Author:** [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moon-landings/1711 "2000-04-19T11:49:00Z")
From Was the Apollo moon landing a hoax? I am delighted that David has finally learned this. Whether its miracles or moon landings, some people will never belive. My mother (God rest her blessed soul) thought the moon… --- ## [Dr. Bronner's Soap vs. tear gas](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-bronners-soap-vs-tear-gas/1321)
**Author:** [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-bronners-soap-vs-tear-gas/1321 "2000-04-19T08:46:00Z")
In a recent activist meeting in preparation for \the protests in Washington\, I was advised to wash my clothes and my body with \ **Author:** [@Dystopos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dystopos)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/klutzy-southpaws/1319 "2000-04-19T04:41:00Z") RE: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_092.html quote “Looking through the medical literature, I find studies reporting that lefties have a higher accident rate, are more likely to have their fingers amputated due … --- ## [Snooze Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snooze-time/1316)
**Author:** [@Harley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harley)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [April 19, 2000, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snooze-time/1316 "2000-04-19T03:32:00Z")
I’ve noticed that the amount of snooze time I get from my alarm depends upon how long I take to get to the snooze bar. I think the nine minutes is simply the rounding (our digital clocks don’t display seconds) to the nea… --- ## [Moot?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moot/1709)
**Author:** [@Paul\_Hinrichs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_Hinrichs)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2000, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/moot/1709 "2000-04-18T10:41:00Z")
Look up the real definition of this word and you’ll be quite surprised! It means exactly the opposite of what you think it does! --- ## [Were hairballs once considered things of beauty?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-hairballs-once-considered-things-of-beauty/1302)
**Author:** [@plank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plank)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2000, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-hairballs-once-considered-things-of-beauty/1302 "2000-04-18T05:07:00Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_104.html . . . in which we learn of pearly treasures growing inside us and impeding our digestion. Was the photograph which the surgeon sent to Cecil ever posted online, and if so… --- ## [Why are manhole covers round?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-manhole-covers-round/1306)
**Author:** [@minghai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minghai)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2000, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-manhole-covers-round/1306 "2000-04-18T02:56:00Z")
“A circular manhole cover isn’t the only shape that won’t fall into the hole. A cover shaped like an equilateral triangle won’t fall in either.” An equilateral triangle manhole cover will easily fall in. I can’t descri… --- ## [Help me with this riddle...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-this-riddle/1304)
**Author:** [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2000, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-with-this-riddle/1304 "2000-04-17T22:31:00Z")
I was told the old “Sailors and the lost money” riddle a few years ago. I never could figure it out. Imagine my joy when finding Cecil figure it out for me. http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a910621.html Great! I eve… --- ## [Tick Removal](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-removal/1708)
**Author:** [@pjstamler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjstamler)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2000, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tick-removal/1708 "2000-04-17T19:17:00Z")
Another method of removing ticks that also helps sterilize the bite area: Cover the tick for about 30 sec. with a small cup filled with rubbing alcohol. (The cap of the alcohol bottle works fine.) The tick becomes drunk … --- ## ['Snooze Only When Man Bites Alarm Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snooze-only-when-man-bites-alarm-clock/1285)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2000, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snooze-only-when-man-bites-alarm-clock/1285 "2000-04-17T03:24:00Z")
Jus’ dunno ‘bout Cecil these days. Clearly he has no faith in the depth of thinking of engineers. But what’s worse is that when someone asks him why something is – like why all snooze alarms, on electronic devices having… --- ## [Why don't quarters and $20 bills match?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-quarters-and-20-bills-match/1284)
**Author:** [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-quarters-and-20-bills-match/1284 "2000-04-15T19:48:00Z")
Think about it: every other coin and bill has a 1/100 ratio (penny/dollar; nickel/five; dime/ten; fifty-cent piece/fifty; silver dollar/dollar. So how come it isn’t a twenty cent piece or a twenty-five dollar bill? --- ## [Benefits of Nicotine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benefits-of-nicotine/1281)
**Author:** [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benefits-of-nicotine/1281 "2000-04-15T15:59:00Z")
Regarding whether smoking has any benefits, I’ve always thought that the problem with nicotine wasn’t so much the drug as the delivery mechanism. I’m not a smoker (quit years ago), but I’ve toyed with the idea of startin… --- ## [Spy satellites -- time for an update?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-satellites-time-for-an-update/1280)
**Author:** [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spy-satellites-time-for-an-update/1280 "2000-04-15T11:09:00Z")
This column: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_397a.html originally appeared years ago. It was anthologized in one of the Master’s first books. But I believe it is now out-of-date. A couple Sundays ago, the Chica… --- ## [Humans from one ancestor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-from-one-ancestor/1706)
**Author:** [@Kyberneticist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyberneticist)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-from-one-ancestor/1706 "2000-04-15T07:42:00Z")
While I don’t wish to downplay the amount of research David put into his answer, is it possible he completely misunderstood the question? It seems to me the questioner may have heard of “mitochondrial Eve”, and wanted m… --- ## [Déjà vu delayed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deja-vu-delayed/1279)
**Author:** [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deja-vu-delayed/1279 "2000-04-15T07:11:00Z")
I sometimes have déjà vu like experiences but with me it seems to take a minute or so before the familiarity kicks in. Is that weird? --- ## [Drug Tests](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-tests/1278)
**Author:** [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2000, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drug-tests/1278 "2000-04-15T04:11:00Z")
In Will poppy-seed bagels cause you to fail a drug test? Unka Cece said: Did that ever happen? Eschew Obfuscation [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=294) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=296)