# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=49 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 50 --- ## [Do other languages call Earth "Earth"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-call-earth-earth/384266)
**Author:** [@teuf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teuf)\ **Replies:** 55\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2013, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-call-earth-earth/384266 "2013-02-17T17:44:28Z")
Regarding Do other languages call Earth “Earth”?, I have 2 issues with that reply. For one thing the stated French translation is quite wrong. For the other thing, perhaps the original question was not about a littera… --- ## [Thinking in a language](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-in-a-language/648942)
**Author:** [@HehpyF1pct](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HehpyF1pct)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 17, 2013, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thinking-in-a-language/648942 "2013-02-17T15:01:28Z")
Cecil, I read with interest your response about the language of the deaf. As a language acquisition specialist, I would like to point out that “thinking in a language” is a common misperception about language and thoug… --- ## [Empedocles Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empedocles-death/650474)
**Author:** [@Archaic\_Entity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archaic_Entity)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2013, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/empedocles-death/650474 "2013-02-16T22:04:02Z")
As far as I had ever read about Empedocles, he threw himself into the volcano, not as a sacrifice, but to prove his immortality. The, probably, apocryphal story is that he walked into the volcano so that people would th… --- ## [waive not wave](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waive-not-wave/650094)
**Author:** [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waive-not-wave/650094 "2013-02-16T18:12:27Z")
Yet again, the dim-sighted Little Ed has tarnished the polish on Uncle Cecil’s writings. In the final paragraph of Taking another shot, we see the phrase “simply wave that right away”. Our esteemed Cecil undoubtedly mean… --- ## [Charles Manson](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-manson/650258)
**Author:** [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 16, 2013, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/charles-manson/650258 "2013-02-16T14:39:36Z")
About Why did Charles Manson think “Helter Skelter” was about a race war? I realize this is an older column, but I thought the idea that Manson supposedly was trying to start a race war had been debunked. Manson was cra… --- ## [War of the Regulation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-regulation/650086)
**Author:** [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 14, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/war-of-the-regulation/650086 "2013-02-14T21:10:25Z")
After reading Cecil’s column on the right to bear arms, I read this Wikipedia page on the War of the Regulation. I don’t recall ever reading about it before. According to the opening sentence, “The War of the Regulation… --- ## [No-drone-fly-zone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-drone-fly-zone/649375)
**Author:** [@Abby\_M.Rojas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abby_M.Rojas)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 12, 2013, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-drone-fly-zone/649375 "2013-02-12T18:35:57Z")
Dear Cecil, I know this thread is a decade old, but with daily threats of the coming police state, I’d like to put it back on the table. I read both of your replies and they were very informative, (especially enjoyed… --- ## [Dark Web](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-web/649702)
**Author:** [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2013, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-web/649702 "2013-02-11T20:27:08Z")
from the Dark Web column: after all, the anonymity of the dark Web means you can’t tell if the party looking for frozen human pineal glands is a mere ghoul or a state DEA agent . . .\* Frozen human pineal glands? Is… --- ## [Shiny/Matte foil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shiny-matte-foil/649705)
**Author:** [@mfergurson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mfergurson)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shiny-matte-foil/649705 "2013-02-11T19:30:54Z")
you said: The truth is that the shiny side is not treated with a dangerous chemical. Mineral oil is used as a lubricant during the rolling process, some trace of which may remain on the finished foil — but it’s not dang… --- ## [corn, maize](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corn-maize/150683)
**Author:** [@manyolkars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manyolkars)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [February 11, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/corn-maize/150683 "2013-02-11T03:55:02Z")
I’ve been reading the archives and enjoyed the info on corn and maize, 14, April, 1978 but my childhood question is still not answered. In grade school, our history books told us that corn(maize) was unique to America, … --- ## [Ornithologist metamorphoes?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ornithologist-metamorphoes/649467)
**Author:** [@bahimes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bahimes)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 9, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ornithologist-metamorphoes/649467 "2013-02-09T03:23:22Z")
This column: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2370/how-do-caterpillars-have-sex Bolding mine. In the first paragraph, Cecil introduces “…George Angehr. George is an \*\*ornithologist \*\*with the Smithsonian Tropi… --- ## [To-day all hail to the forty-ness of Unca Cece authorings!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-day-all-hail-to-the-forty-ness-of-unca-cece-authorings/649108)
**Author:** [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 7, 2013, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-day-all-hail-to-the-forty-ness-of-unca-cece-authorings/649108 "2013-02-07T01:57:09Z")
This day 40-years previous (104 Fahrenheit) appeared the debut – date of 2 February 1973 – of now two-kilo-articles of The Straight Dope, authorings of one Cecil Adams. First editoring conductor one Mike Lenehan. Went t… --- ## [Human vs Blue Whale energy consumption, revisited](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-vs-blue-whale-energy-consumption-revisited/649316)
**Author:** [@JHuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHuff)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 6, 2013, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-vs-blue-whale-energy-consumption-revisited/649316 "2013-02-06T03:06:41Z")
Dear Cecil: In the column “Does the average american use more energy than a blue whale”, I’d like to argue the point that the logic used is a bit flawed. You compare average per-person “energy” usage in the United St… --- ## [The boy in buster brown shoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boy-in-buster-brown-shoes/649228)
**Author:** [@jjwilc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjwilc)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2013, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-boy-in-buster-brown-shoes/649228 "2013-02-04T07:52:02Z")
I would like to know what has happened to the grown man who was “buster Brown” living in the shoe. In 1978 I was living at a Christian Conference Center in California. While there I met a man who was previously the “li… --- ## [Will masturbation shrink the penis?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-masturbation-shrink-the-penis/634078)
**Author:** [@mandala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mandala)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [February 4, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-masturbation-shrink-the-penis/634078 "2013-02-04T03:14:53Z")
I thought it is time the storehouse of human knowledge upgraded his knowledge on this subject, since this article dated circa 2001 was published, undoubtedly at the cutting edge of medical knowledge at that time. Here… --- ## [What's the origin of the words joint, roach, and stoned?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-words-joint-roach-and-stoned/647243)
**Author:** [@EBROOK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EBROOK)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-words-joint-roach-and-stoned/647243 "2013-02-03T14:26:54Z")
Many years ago I was told that the word “roach”, as in the smoked-down end of a marijuana cigarette, came from the fact that it looked like a cockroach. I found that explanation reasonably convincing, as the butt does in… --- ## [Are Shrinks Nuts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shrinks-nuts/648903)
**Author:** [@ShadyLayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadyLayne)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [February 3, 2013, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-shrinks-nuts/648903 "2013-02-03T05:23:28Z")
Regarding the Question: Are Shrinks Nuts? The last bit about “Maybe after I get this head case straightened out maybe Ill figure out what’s wrong with me.” I would think that if a person who gets a degree in psychology … --- ## [Vegemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegemite/648598)
**Author:** [@Michael\_Rogers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Rogers)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegemite/648598 "2013-02-01T23:33:07Z")
A taste for Vegemite must be built up slowly if you are not born with it in your bloodstream. Start with less than enough to cover a fingernail and then spread that portion thinly on bread or toast. From there you can wo… --- ## [Do 98% of women hover over public toilets?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-98-of-women-hover-over-public-toilets/648442)
**Author:** [@beaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beaz)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2013, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-98-of-women-hover-over-public-toilets/648442 "2013-02-01T18:32:03Z")
The former morning talk show host in Orlando, Erica Lee, stated on the air, regarding this subject…“well, I’m not going to be making ham sandwiches with my butt” (lol) LINK: Do 98% of women hover over public toilet sea… --- ## [Braille on drive thru ATMs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/braille-on-drive-thru-atms/648690)
**Author:** [@macdaddie79](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/macdaddie79)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 1, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/braille-on-drive-thru-atms/648690 "2013-02-01T18:30:16Z")
Hello, Just been reading a question about drive-thru ATM machines and why they have braille. \[Why is there braille on drive-up teller machines? - The Straight Dope\] Now I know that this was asked a long time ago (1994)… --- ## [Bubblegum](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bubblegum/648910)
**Author:** [@ShadyLayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadyLayne)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2013, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bubblegum/648910 "2013-01-31T21:10:19Z")
Regarding the question: What is the flavor of bubblegum? Original chewing gum was originally part of a tree and was an all natural substance as far as I remember. Having tried a primal piece of this gum tasted woody…ear… --- ## [How to Make a Homemade Taser?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-homemade-taser/648773)
**Author:** [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [January 31, 2013, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-make-a-homemade-taser/648773 "2013-01-31T05:14:51Z")
How to Make a Homemade Taser? --- ## [Circumcision](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision/646048)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [January 30, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/circumcision/646048 "2013-01-30T20:19:25Z")
OP here Cecil mentioned that men circumcised as infants do not remember the procedure. This may be the case as far as conscious memory is concerned, but some research suggests that the ability of the brain to feel futu… --- ## [Apricot seeds](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apricot-seeds/648648)
**Author:** [@Ronnie\_Jeal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronnie_Jeal)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 29, 2013, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/apricot-seeds/648648 "2013-01-29T16:28:18Z")
Apricot seeds are safe to eat, don’t listen to Cecil he is talking rubbish. My family have been eating Apricot seeds for years to help prevent cancer and these Apricot seeds work wonders. Get a life Cecil and stop trying… --- ## [How to tell is one is anal retentive.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-is-one-is-anal-retentive/648408)
**Author:** [@MrFlimsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrFlimsky)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [January 28, 2013, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-tell-is-one-is-anal-retentive/648408 "2013-01-28T15:05:42Z")
I have tried this numerous times and feel that it is a valid process. If you suspect that someone is anal retentive, you ask them if anal retentive has a hyphen in it. If they say Yes or No, then they are. If they say… --- ## [antidepressants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants/645186)
**Author:** [@paul\_A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paul_A)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 28, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antidepressants/645186 "2013-01-28T05:48:12Z")
first time poster! anyway, you should know an alcoholic beverage is a depressant, therefore a poor choice for depressed people. LINK TO COLUMN: Do antidepressants only work because of the placebo effect? - The Straigh… --- ## [Straight Dope on Nitrogen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-nitrogen/589060)
**Author:** [@swann2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swann2001)\ **Replies:** 109\ **Last updated:** [January 26, 2013, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-on-nitrogen/589060 "2013-01-26T21:19:55Z")
I have been using Nitrogen for over 10 years and would never go back to using air again which by the way is no longer free in most places. First Cecil seems to think the only reason to get Nitrogen is for the cool green … --- ## [What’s the latest on peak oil?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-latest-on-peak-oil/648076)
**Author:** [@gbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gbell)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-latest-on-peak-oil/648076 "2013-01-25T17:30:18Z")
Excellent and interesting points on this critical issue. But I believe Cecil has ignored the critical concept of Energy Return on Energy Invested (EROEI). In short, if you dig 85 million barrels of oil out of the groun… --- ## [Dr Bronner's Mystical Soap](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-bronners-mystical-soap/647444)
**Author:** [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [January 25, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dr-bronners-mystical-soap/647444 "2013-01-25T13:46:35Z")
LINK TO ARTICLE I bought some today. It makes a great shampoo & bodywash. The Peppermint formula smells wonderful, & makes the skin tingle. No Cosmic Awareness per se, as yet. Perhaps I need more than one washing… --- ## [U. S. National Guard](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-national-guard/562525)
**Author:** [@Tom\_O\_Neill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_O_Neill)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 24, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/u-s-national-guard/562525 "2013-01-24T18:19:40Z")
Cecil, some of your comments about the use of the National Guard overseas are incorrect: You wrote something to the effect that the Guard was barely used overseas during WWI, WWII, and the Korean War, but in fact the Gua… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=50)