# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=50 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 51 --- ## ["What's the origin of the piggy bank?" revisited](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-piggy-bank-revisited/647571)
**Author:** [@elysdir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elysdir)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [January 23, 2013, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-piggy-bank-revisited/647571 "2013-01-23T05:20:00Z")
I recently came across the staff report titled “What’s the origin of the piggy bank?”. (Not sure when it was published, but I gather it was sometime before 2005.) I’d like to respectfully suggest that the source that Sci… --- ## [Stop abusing Bernoulli when describing lift](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-abusing-bernoulli-when-describing-lift/647933)
**Author:** [@waddlingeagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waddlingeagle)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 22, 2013, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-abusing-bernoulli-when-describing-lift/647933 "2013-01-22T19:22:02Z")
Many references and encyclopedias, even some published by the FAA, give incorrect explanations of lift. Cecil repeats one of the more common theories in his explanation of why golf balls have dimples. He says, “The Berno… --- ## [Was there really a Robin Hood?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-really-a-robin-hood/647915)
**Author:** [@Lorenc7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenc7)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [January 21, 2013, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-there-really-a-robin-hood/647915 "2013-01-21T16:48:10Z")
The Straight Dope email highlights columns from the archive and one of the recent messages recalled the column “Was there really a Robin Hood?” (Was there really a Robin Hood? - The Straight Dope). I think \[relatively\] … --- ## [Tasers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tasers/496745)
**Author:** [@S\_Bild](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/S_Bild)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2013, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tasers/496745 "2013-01-20T23:13:36Z")
I want to take exception to the contention that tasers are low current. The electrical impedance of subcutaneous needle electrodes used in monitoring the nervous system during surgery range from 1-3 K Ohms. I would exp… --- ## [Selling your hair](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-your-hair/529371)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [January 20, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/selling-your-hair/529371 "2013-01-20T14:05:55Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/234/can-i-make-money-selling-my-hair-to-a-wigmaker Even if you can’t sell it, you can still donate it to help cancer survivors coping with hair loss. A friend of mine has donate… --- ## [The professional thread written by a proffesional.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-professional-thread-written-by-a-proffesional/647507)
**Author:** [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [January 18, 2013, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-professional-thread-written-by-a-proffesional/647507 "2013-01-18T21:12:58Z")
I have no objections to Cecil’s definition, but I hate the word professional. It seems to me that most the people I’ve heard use it mean “unemotional”. Oh yeah? Why don’t you try being unemotional you jerk. --- ## [Dinosaur size](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dinosaur-size/647623)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 18, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dinosaur-size/647623 "2013-01-18T20:52:38Z")
Original post Cecil, one good reason why Mammals couldn’t grow to compete with the big Dinosaurs is that being warm blooded means you have a higher metabolic rate and thus need an awful lot more food. Certain mammals (… --- ## [Why Is Space Photography in B&W?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-space-photography-in-b-w/647155)
**Author:** [@RichardSRussell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RichardSRussell)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2013, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-space-photography-in-b-w/647155 "2013-01-14T17:13:58Z")
Reflect back on images you saw of downtown New York after the Twin Towers came down on 9/11, or on what northern Japan or Indonesia looked like after their respective tsunamis, or what downtown Aleppo looks like after it… --- ## [Origin of Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/646501)
**Author:** [@AEmerson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AEmerson)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 14, 2013, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-supercalifragilisticexpialidocious/646501 "2013-01-14T06:41:37Z")
This word was originally written in 1931 by Helen Herman, a journalism student at Syracuse University, as “Supercaliflawjalisticexpialadoshus.” See: http://photos.syracuse.com/post-standard/2013/01/supercalifragilist… --- ## [Ref: Hickok vs Dave Tutt.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ref-hickok-vs-dave-tutt/646935)
**Author:** [@Gunslinger9378](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gunslinger9378)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ref-hickok-vs-dave-tutt/646935 "2013-01-13T20:14:52Z")
I am a naturalised Citizen of the U.S.A., and at this date I have been in the country for 35 years, and a Citizen for over 30 years. I was born and raised in England, and from the age of seven, when a doting aunt gave m… --- ## [More Calories when you thnk hard?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-calories-when-you-thnk-hard/643502)
**Author:** [@jezzaOZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jezzaOZ)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [January 13, 2013, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/more-calories-when-you-thnk-hard/643502 "2013-01-13T01:29:10Z")
In Cecil states that Oxygen consumption doesn’t increase when you think hard. As any athlete knows, Oxygen is not required for any short-term effort - e.g. Sprinting. In fact most short distance races rely on Glycoge… --- ## [Metric System](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-system/646972)
**Author:** [@Mr.Fantastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Fantastic)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 12, 2013, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/metric-system/646972 "2013-01-12T22:55:06Z")
For those living in the U.S., there is a petition to convert to the metric system if you’re interested. --- ## [Science puts wrinkled fingers to the test](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-puts-wrinkled-fingers-to-the-test/646615)
**Author:** [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/science-puts-wrinkled-fingers-to-the-test/646615 "2013-01-10T13:23:50Z")
Regarding the column “Why do your fingers and toes wrinkle in the bathtub?”. Now researchers have apparently concluded that wrinkled fingers provides a survival advantage when trying to forage for items in wet areas: C… --- ## [What exactly causes "new car smell"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-causes-new-car-smell/646251)
**Author:** [@einsteinjive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/einsteinjive)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-causes-new-car-smell/646251 "2013-01-10T11:40:27Z")
I hadn’t smelled that scent in 6 years. Then I had to have my windshield replaced. Like magic, as I drove out of windshield wierdo’s, I noticed the smell was back in all of it’s new fangled glory. I am no Einstein, but I… --- ## [Is grass-fed beef better for you than Grain-finished beef?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-grass-fed-beef-better-for-you-than-grain-finished-beef/646646)
**Author:** [@markomark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markomark)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [January 10, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-grass-fed-beef-better-for-you-than-grain-finished-beef/646646 "2013-01-10T02:07:18Z")
The definitive answer to the question “Is grass-fed beef better for you than Grain-finished beef?” is: Who cares!!! If I was really worried about what is or is not good for me I would not eat beef at all, I would become … --- ## [Lake Lillian](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-lillian/646295)
**Author:** [@Rosalie\_Richfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rosalie_Richfield)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [January 7, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lake-lillian/646295 "2013-01-07T16:55:55Z")
Dear Cecil, as a descendant of the town of Lake Lillian, I have to say that admittedly, Lake Lillian is a tiny town of about 360 people at any given time. While many (or even most) of its citizens are descendants of th… --- ## [Gram Parson's Mysterious Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gram-parsons-mysterious-death/645467)
**Author:** [@richelieu\_jr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/richelieu_jr)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2013, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gram-parsons-mysterious-death/645467 "2013-01-04T18:26:01Z")
Something has driven me crazy for years about this story, any tie I would see it in the press, etc… Is the ‘Phil Kauffman’ involved n the whole body-stealing, etc, the same as the guy who later directed The Right Stuff,… --- ## [The the Deja Vu article](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-the-deja-vu-article/453459)
**Author:** [@SeanArenas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeanArenas)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2013, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-the-deja-vu-article/453459 "2013-01-04T16:25:00Z")
Article Title: What is déjà vu? Link: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5\_113.html Is the repetition of the word the intentional, to impress that we are experiencing the the thing twice? By the way, I seem to r… --- ## [Do some cultures perform sex acts on babies to help them sleep?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-cultures-perform-sex-acts-on-babies-to-help-them-sleep/645932)
**Author:** [@Brenda9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brenda9)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [January 4, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-some-cultures-perform-sex-acts-on-babies-to-help-them-sleep/645932 "2013-01-04T02:53:54Z")
For feedback to the Cecil article “Do some cultures perform sex acts on babies to help them sleep?” of December 14, 2012. Both deMause as well as Alice Miller (whose books include “For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in C… --- ## [The Piss Shiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piss-shiver/645894)
**Author:** [@Bi-PolarBear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bi-PolarBear)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [January 3, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-piss-shiver/645894 "2013-01-03T03:55:00Z")
I just want to reiterate that women, in fact, DO experience piss shiver. In my own experience, it only happens when I have waited far too long to relieve myself. I have noticed this in my 5 year old granddaughter too; ch… --- ## [santa claus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus/644722)
**Author:** [@zhorika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zhorika)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [December 31, 2012, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/santa-claus/644722 "2012-12-31T09:43:50Z")
Santa can obviously deliver presents to everyone at the same time because as quantum physics shows us something can be in more than one place at the same time as long as it is not observed (the double slit experiment)… --- ## [Why was America named after Amerigo Vespucci?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-america-named-after-amerigo-vespucci/508159)
**Author:** [@sirsam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sirsam)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [December 31, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-america-named-after-amerigo-vespucci/508159 "2012-12-31T01:44:42Z")
I am writing in response to the post in the below link: I have heard that while it is true that America was named after Amerigo Vespucci the fact is that Amerigo was not actually Vespucci’s real name. He had been a c… --- ## [flat chested female athletes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-chested-female-athletes/639320)
**Author:** [@rustyrunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rustyrunner)\ **Replies:** 160\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flat-chested-female-athletes/639320 "2012-12-30T14:47:34Z")
In response to Cecil who in 1984 made rather flippant remarks about female breast size inhibiting elite athletes, it is now of no concern. Elite female athletes in 2012 don’t have them! The evolution is complete. Does … --- ## [Cycle synchronization between men and women.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cycle-synchronization-between-men-and-women/645435)
**Author:** [@Hoopy\_Frood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoopy_Frood)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [December 30, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cycle-synchronization-between-men-and-women/645435 "2012-12-30T14:12:36Z")
In this column: Does a guy’s mood synchronize with his girlfriend’s menstrual cycle? - The Straight Dope …Cecil addresses the idea of men’s cycles synchronizing with the women their with (in the case of the question as… --- ## [Burning wrapping paper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burning-wrapping-paper/644763)
**Author:** [@ksweetman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ksweetman)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [December 29, 2012, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/burning-wrapping-paper/644763 "2012-12-29T01:39:47Z")
Dear Cecil, The subject of burning wrapping paper and Christmas trees in wood stoves once led to one of my favorite headlines in my local newspaper: “Don’t Burn Tree, Wrap in Stove.” --- ## [origin of coon as racial slur](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-coon-as-racial-slur/487819)
**Author:** [@information](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/information)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 28, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-coon-as-racial-slur/487819 "2012-12-28T14:23:47Z")
baracoon is a spanish name for a place were the cubans kept slaves. coon for short is what the black slaves were called. --- ## [A possible way to keep cats from falling.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-way-to-keep-cats-from-falling/65144)
**Author:** [@gcrider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gcrider)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [December 28, 2012, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-possible-way-to-keep-cats-from-falling/65144 "2012-12-28T03:04:50Z")
Dear Cecil, I read your column about how cats seem to always land on their legs and then remembered another rumor that whenever a piece of bread falls it always lands buttered side down. I got to thinking that if we wer… --- ## [Bloodletting](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloodletting/645181)
**Author:** [@ghostie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ghostie)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2012, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bloodletting/645181 "2012-12-27T22:52:42Z")
re: Can high blood pressure be reduced through bloodletting? Plus: Did Kane Kramer invent the iPod in 1979? - The Straight Dope I think you are completely wrong. Physics tells us that if you reduce pressure then there i… --- ## [Rocks from Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocks-from-mars/645094)
**Author:** [@DonPippin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonPippin)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [December 27, 2012, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rocks-from-mars/645094 "2012-12-27T15:20:09Z")
Well, you know a few years ago I had a very bad head injury. I was in the hospital for a very long time. Before I was discharged a Doctor talked to me. He said I probably would have a full recovery and be fine. He did te… --- ## [Lost Column on Defenestration of Prague](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-column-on-defenestration-of-prague/614328)
**Author:** [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [December 26, 2012, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lost-column-on-defenestration-of-prague/614328 "2012-12-26T22:38:50Z")
Help! I have a vivid recollection of a column Cecil wrote about the (or just “a”) Defenestration of Prague, only instead of Hussites tossing out the screaming bodies of corrupt Catholic Church officials, this story invo… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=49) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=51)