# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=298 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 299 --- ## [Why does the male butt look so attractive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-male-butt-look-so-attractive/1097)
**Author:** [@Kunimitsu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kunimitsu)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2000, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-the-male-butt-look-so-attractive/1097 "2000-04-02T23:39:00Z")
Why does males or females butt’s look so good??? It’s just like you would love to grab a guys butt during sex. Or hold a females butt. --- ## [Spuggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spuggy/1092)
**Author:** [@ndorward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ndorward)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2000, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spuggy/1092 "2000-04-02T06:12:00Z")
Cecil’s bafflement at “spuggy” in the “Classic” column on “Ollie, ollie, &c.” can be easily remedied. See the poem “Briggflatts” by the British (Northumbrian) poet Basil Bunting: its epigraph is “The spuggies are fledged… --- ## [Straight Dope vol. 6 ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-vol-6/1096)
**Author:** [@MrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrKnowItAll)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2000, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-vol-6/1096 "2000-04-02T00:57:00Z")
Ok. I’m getting antsy, I know. It’s only been a year since Triumph of the Straight Dope came out. I’m just wondering when we can expect the next one. God is my co-pilot. Blame Him. --- ## [Sunday Sabbath and Ressurection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-sabbath-and-ressurection/1088)
**Author:** [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2000, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sunday-sabbath-and-ressurection/1088 "2000-04-01T07:09:00Z")
Loved the archived column on Saturday vs. Sunday as the sabbath. However, you claim that Sunday was the day of ressurection. The bible says that Jesus was in the earth for three days, and that the Sabbath was the day aft… --- ## [Why do Nuns wear black?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-nuns-wear-black/1084)
**Author:** [@brittainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brittainy)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2000, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-nuns-wear-black/1084 "2000-04-01T05:52:00Z")
I am sure this is a rather easy question to answer, so you probably will like it. =) I just thought that white was considered the Holy color, you know pure and stuff since that is what brides wear. --- ## [Will sitting too close to the TV ruin your eyes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-ruin-your-eyes/1082)
**Author:** [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2000, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-sitting-too-close-to-the-tv-ruin-your-eyes/1082 "2000-04-01T03:25:00Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a920724.html I was kind of surprised with some of the reported empirical evidence in this article. Basically it suggests that straining your eyes leads to myopia or near-sidedness. I… --- ## [perfect pitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch/1077)
**Author:** [@Wack4Zac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wack4Zac)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2000, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch/1077 "2000-04-01T00:06:00Z")
I found your article on perfect pitch interesting. I have perfect pitch, and I think the article was not completely accurate. While perfect pitch is sometimes an advantage, I go almost insane when I hear someone singing … --- ## [RE: Why do dogs circle before they lie down?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-do-dogs-circle-before-they-lie-down/1666)
**Author:** [@Eric\_Poppleton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric_Poppleton)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-do-dogs-circle-before-they-lie-down/1666 "2000-03-31T20:49:00Z")
In response to this question which appeared in Cecil’s mailbag, I think there is more to the answer. Canadian author Farley Mowat wondered the same things about wolves in his book, “Never Cry Wolf”. He did some experimen… --- ## [Which is better a $1,000 a year raise or a $300 raise evry six months?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-a-1-000-a-year-raise-or-a-300-raise-evry-six-months/1073)
**Author:** [@H3Knuckles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/H3Knuckles)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-better-a-1-000-a-year-raise-or-a-300-raise-evry-six-months/1073 "2000-03-31T19:37:00Z")
On April 10th, 1992, Cecil wrote a column in which he said that it would be better to take the 300 every 6 months. But where he's demontstrating that, he says that it would be the same as a 600 raise every year (duh), bu… --- ## [Humpty Dumpty](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humpty-dumpty/1660)
**Author:** [@london](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/london)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humpty-dumpty/1660 "2000-03-31T17:34:00Z")
Just thought you may want a little information that deals with the answer to the Humpty Dumpty question. Humpty Dumpty was King Richard III of England. He was removed from the throne by Henry Tudor in a two hour battle o… --- ## [bills of many colors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bills-of-many-colors/1071)
**Author:** [@OxyMoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OxyMoron)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bills-of-many-colors/1071 "2000-03-31T17:15:00Z")
I seem to recall that in the late 80s/early 90s, around the time the BEP starting planning the current redesign, there indeed were proposals to go to multicolored money, with the argument that it helped make bills less e… --- ## [Lefties dying young](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefties-dying-young/1069)
**Author:** [@RifleChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RifleChick)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lefties-dying-young/1069 "2000-03-31T14:54:00Z")
I read the column about lefties, and noticed that an interesting fact was not included. Left handed fencers have a distinct advantage over righties because it is just too unusual to swordfight against a lefty for most fe… --- ## [Airline Doors](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-doors/1065)
**Author:** [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 31, 2000, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airline-doors/1065 "2000-03-31T04:21:00Z")
A couple of recent news articles made me think of Cecil’s column on opening airplane doors in flight. (Cecil’s column at http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_390.html)) From: http://www.cnn.com/2000/TRAVEL/NEWS/03/09… --- ## [Jerry Lewis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis/1064)
**Author:** [@macoule30](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/macoule30)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2000, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-lewis/1064 "2000-03-30T21:41:00Z")
In regard to Jerry Lewis’ popularity in France, I had heard that the Frenchman who dubbed Jerry’s movies in France, died somewhere in the mid-eighties. Since that time, there had been a perceptible dip in the popularity … --- ## [up, down, around and around](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/up-down-around-and-around/1659)
**Author:** [@woodja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodja)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2000, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/up-down-around-and-around/1659 "2000-03-30T19:30:00Z")
I was reading the up/down discussion ( www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mgeoid.html ) and remembered a cute little commentary on the effects of deforestation. If I remember correctly it was intended as a spoof on certain … --- ## [Eyebrows](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyebrows/1654)
**Author:** [@Ursa\_Major](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ursa_Major)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2000, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eyebrows/1654 "2000-03-30T09:08:00Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/meyebrow.html Let’s not forget how eyebrows are used in human communication. They are, in my opinion, the most versatile body parts used in non-verbal communication. Think about how t… --- ## [How are "down" and "up" defined?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-down-and-up-defined/1651)
**Author:** [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Replies:** 54\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-are-down-and-up-defined/1651 "2000-03-30T06:42:00Z")
I disagree with the answer given in the mailbag: http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mdownup.html The question was: I agree with the first paragraph of the answer, when they define “down” as the direction that an obje… --- ## [Quackwatch is a biased web page.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quackwatch-is-a-biased-web-page/1055)
**Author:** [@mlondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlondon)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [March 30, 2000, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quackwatch-is-a-biased-web-page/1055 "2000-03-30T06:31:00Z")
Cecil - At the end of your column on accupuncture, you made reference to the web page www.quackwatch.com I think you are not aware of just how biased that web page is. I was not aware myself until I was doing researc… --- ## [Eating--Bisqueware??!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-bisqueware/1062)
**Author:** [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2000, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eating-bisqueware/1062 "2000-03-29T23:26:00Z")
In the column Is it crazy to eat clay? (25-Sep-1995) , the questioner mentions eating not only greenware (unfired ceramic), but bisqueware (fired ceramic)! Now unfired clay is no big deal. In modest amounts, it can have… --- ## [Conciousness](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conciousness/1647)
**Author:** [@pekaxmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pekaxmon)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2000, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/conciousness/1647 "2000-03-29T14:31:00Z")
The secret is in the Truth that the only GOD there is , is Conciousness , and since GOD is the One Conciousness , the conciousness of a human being is Its Creator , Maintainer and Substainer . Out of the Conciousness o… --- ## [Exploding Rice Birds !!!Cecil!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-rice-birds-cecil/1053)
**Author:** [@Quisling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quisling)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2000, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exploding-rice-birds-cecil/1053 "2000-03-29T06:23:00Z")
Cecil, Whats up with your Exploding birds column. I went through a lot of painstaking work to bust out that experiment with the Uncle Ben’s Rice and the other types. Not asking a whole lot but ya gotta give me some cred… --- ## [Cannibalism?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism/1054)
**Author:** [@Joe\_Cool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joe_Cool)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 29, 2000, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cannibalism/1054 "2000-03-29T05:16:00Z")
As I type, I’m watching a piece on “History’s Mysteries” on the History channel about cannibalism. It seems so far to be saying that it is more prevalent than is commonly believed. There’s a guy saying that kissing deriv… --- ## [Head of Karolinska Institute in mid-late 80's](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-of-karolinska-institute-in-mid-late-80s/1051)
**Author:** [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2000, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/head-of-karolinska-institute-in-mid-late-80s/1051 "2000-03-28T21:58:00Z")
Okay… I feel like a dope for asking, but I’m hoping you’ll forgive me. I’m really not in the habit of asking people to do my homework for me. In the late 80’s, I skimmed some summaries of the work of the then-Head of th… --- ## [I make Streetlights go out](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-make-streetlights-go-out/1042)
**Author:** [@Ken\_Gammell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken_Gammell)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-make-streetlights-go-out/1042 "2000-03-28T17:00:00Z")
This is probably years since the subject came up, but for the record, I have experienced the phenomena of causing a streelight to go out when either driving or walking beneath it. I document these occasions to keep track… --- ## [Why is Greenland considered an island but not Eurasia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-greenland-considered-an-island-but-not-eurasia/1643)
**Author:** [@The\_Spam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Spam)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2000, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-greenland-considered-an-island-but-not-eurasia/1643 "2000-03-28T06:54:00Z")
Isn’t Australia called both a continent and a island? --- ## [He was born a pauper to a pawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-born-a-pauper-to-a-pawn/1644)
**Author:** [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2000, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/he-was-born-a-pauper-to-a-pawn/1644 "2000-03-28T05:03:00Z")
In the mailbag item In the Elton John song “Levon,” who is Alvin Tostig? , David B teams up with a peaceful honest person to, without coercion of any kind, explain some of the lyrics to this Elton John classic. But as a… --- ## [Hemp weaving](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemp-weaving/1036)
**Author:** [@KarmaComa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarmaComa)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hemp-weaving/1036 "2000-03-27T23:05:00Z")
Has anyone got any resources? I want to learn the fine art of twisting plant fibers! --- ## [america - named after amerigo v. or a mountain?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-named-after-amerigo-v-or-a-mountain/1027)
**Author:** [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2000, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/america-named-after-amerigo-v-or-a-mountain/1027 "2000-03-27T22:50:00Z")
In this column, “Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci? (16-Sep-1994),”, Cecil states that America was named after Amerigo Vespucci. However, I read in trivia meister L. M. “Lou” Boyd’s column of 25 January 2000 … --- ## [Scientology](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology/1018)
**Author:** [@areynaldos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/areynaldos)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2000, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scientology/1018 "2000-03-27T19:54:00Z")
Some time ago I remember having read an article saying that Hubbard founded Scientology based on a bet. He bid that it was possible to make a living (and a good one) by creating a religion. Does anyone know more about th… --- ## [The Star of Bethlehem, redux](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-of-bethlehem-redux/1642)
**Author:** [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [March 27, 2000, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-star-of-bethlehem-redux/1642 "2000-03-27T19:36:00Z")
I was unable to locate a thread whose title referred to the column about the Star of Bethlehem being a “conjunction,” or whatever. So I’ll take it up in a separate thread. Near as I have been able to determine, the acce… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=297) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=299)