# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=58 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 59 --- ## [Thank you for dying: Did 250](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-dying-did-250/625294)
**Author:** [@skottfree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skottfree)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 17, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-for-dying-did-250/625294 "2012-06-17T18:31:59Z")
Cecil, you need to do a little more research on deaths attributed to smoking! For one there is no where on a death certificate that list the cause as smoking only cancer is listed! As medical scientist have yet to determ… --- ## [Feral Children](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feral-children/604527)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [June 15, 2012, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feral-children/604527 "2012-06-15T20:22:40Z")
Obligatory link There was a case of a feral child on this side of the world recently, the Cambodian jungle girl, found almost five years ago. --- ## [Cecil Adams Quinine](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-quinine/625174)
**Author:** [@Professional](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Professional)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 14, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cecil-adams-quinine/625174 "2012-06-14T20:59:08Z")
:confused::confused:If you’ve taken a couple of Nurofen , dont take them with Indian tonic water. Dont know why or how, but the two do not mix well. I felt very very ill indeed,& it lasted ages. Anyone know why that shou… --- ## [Jesus Copied from Horus?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-copied-from-horus/623082)
**Author:** [@Raider\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raider_Duck)\ **Replies:** 67\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2012, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jesus-copied-from-horus/623082 "2012-06-12T12:23:59Z")
Column: Was Jesus copied from the Egyptian god Horus? - The Straight Dope As a former Christian who is now going from Deist to Atheist, I thought it was a good read on the subject, and one of the most objective treatmen… --- ## [Jeane Dixon](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeane-dixon/624826)
**Author:** [@Nannan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nannan)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [June 12, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeane-dixon/624826 "2012-06-12T11:26:20Z")
Trying to research: am in mid 70s and read in one of her messages, don’t know if it was an article or book…that " a baby born in the middle east in (1962 I think)? will enter the political world and make dramatic changes… --- ## [Blue states smarter than red states?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-states-smarter-than-red-states/610127)
**Author:** [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Replies:** 230\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/blue-states-smarter-than-red-states/610127 "2012-06-11T20:21:59Z")
Link to column Isn’t part of intelligence the ability to accept and evaluate facts contrary to belief? And don’t authoritarian personalities, who strongly self-identify as Republicans / conservatives, in many studies ha… --- ## [Do microwave ovens kill bacteria?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-microwave-ovens-kill-bacteria/624560)
**Author:** [@jeffl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeffl)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-microwave-ovens-kill-bacteria/624560 "2012-06-11T16:46:47Z")
The question here: “If I take a piece of pizza that’s been sitting on the table awhile and microwave it for one minute, would that kill bacteria and decrease the chance of food poisoning, or am I just eating nice hot … --- ## [Why do they call them station wagons?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-call-them-station-wagons/624482)
**Author:** [@Anthony\_Kaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anthony_Kaye)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [June 11, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-they-call-them-station-wagons/624482 "2012-06-11T13:27:11Z")
Over here we say "Why do we call those half-timbered cars ‘shooting brakes’? Enlightenment Cecil please. --- ## [Doomsday Scenarios: Solar Flares Should Not Be Blown Off](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-scenarios-solar-flares-should-not-be-blown-off/622300)
**Author:** [@bowlweevils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowlweevils)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [June 10, 2012, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-scenarios-solar-flares-should-not-be-blown-off/622300 "2012-06-10T04:52:32Z")
In the latest Straight Dope question about potential Doomsday events in our lifetimes, Cecil dismisses many with a wave of the keyboard - "For brevity I’ll exclude events so unpredictable, remote, or unlikely there’s no … --- ## [Prions](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prions/624557)
**Author:** [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 8, 2012, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prions/624557 "2012-06-08T21:54:06Z")
In his article about prions: Cecil wrote: “More importantly, prions reproduce without benefit of DNA or RNA, the only such instance in all of biology.” That’s not true. Prions need DNA and RNA, but it’s your normal … --- ## [Red Balloon things on power lines.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-balloon-things-on-power-lines/623842)
**Author:** [@rmdpgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rmdpgh)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [June 7, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-balloon-things-on-power-lines/623842 "2012-06-07T16:40:19Z")
In addition to the visibility factor for small aircraft pilots, I was always told (since most of these are found on high-voltage, long-haul transmission lines) that they were there to help prevent shorting. Such long … --- ## [Aged Angus Beef](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aged-angus-beef/623769)
**Author:** [@Jeff\_Beaucage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Beaucage)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2012, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/aged-angus-beef/623769 "2012-06-05T16:07:13Z")
Hi Just want to pass on a little information. You mentioned that how dry age is typically hung and aged in a Freezer. This was probably a miss print because beef dose not age after it is frozen . Once the enzymes in be… --- ## [Area codes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/area-codes/623729)
**Author:** [@Daun\_Eierdam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daun_Eierdam)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 5, 2012, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/area-codes/623729 "2012-06-05T05:16:36Z")
Boy, did you blow it, Cecil. 210 has been the area code for San Antonio, Texas, for, like, ever. And as for only 0 and 1 being legal for the middle digit, my area code is 956. --- ## [Re: Why is Peggy the nickname for Margaret?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-is-peggy-the-nickname-for-margaret/622902)
**Author:** [@Stylee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stylee)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-why-is-peggy-the-nickname-for-margaret/622902 "2012-06-04T17:58:57Z")
On this page one of your respondents suggests the name ‘Daisy’ is derived from the name ‘Margaret’. I would venture that this is almost certainly not true. According to Chambers Dictionary of Etymology, the word daisy … --- ## [Why you can't start all the train cars at once](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-cant-start-all-the-train-cars-at-once/623578)
**Author:** [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [June 4, 2012, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-you-cant-start-all-the-train-cars-at-once/623578 "2012-06-04T16:37:26Z")
From Why don’t freight trains have cabooses anymore: At the risk of being obnoxiously pedantic… It seems to me that it’s probably an issue of too much friction, not too much inertia. The friction on a non-moving obje… --- ## [do cell phones cause explosions at gas stations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cell-phones-cause-explosions-at-gas-stations/187)
**Author:** [@gary\_horaczek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gary_horaczek)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [June 2, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cell-phones-cause-explosions-at-gas-stations/187 "2012-06-02T02:20:02Z")
The gas stations in my area have recently begun posting signs that not only must the ignition be off, but all cell phones must be off also. This is obviously because of a fear that the electronics might ignite the fuel f… --- ## [5.1 sound and the middle channel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-1-sound-and-the-middle-channel/623799)
**Author:** [@david\_42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/david_42)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2012, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/5-1-sound-and-the-middle-channel/623799 "2012-06-01T22:28:55Z")
One aspect of 5.1 sound is the middle channel, typically used for voice. This is fine if your system has a middle channel speaker, but a serious problem if it doesn’t. Some systems with only two speakers will blend the v… --- ## [Earliest usage of "dollar"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-usage-of-dollar/617951)
**Author:** [@harwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harwell)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 1, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-usage-of-dollar/617951 "2012-06-01T12:00:43Z")
Can anyone top this for earliest appearance of the word “dollar” in English? ROSS That now Sweno, the Norways’ king, craves composition: Nor would we deign him burial of his men Till he disbursed at Saint Colme’s in… --- ## [Humans as Carnivores ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-as-carnivores/620349)
**Author:** [@realfood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/realfood)\ **Replies:** 146\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2012, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/humans-as-carnivores/620349 "2012-05-31T23:33:36Z")
Sure we can tolerate eating flesh, blood vessels, arterial plaque, fat and even hair just as we can tolerate smoking tobacco and using heroin. That is not a rational argument in favor of ingesting these substances or tha… --- ## [Comment on "head over heels:.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-head-over-heels/621192)
**Author:** [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 31, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comment-on-head-over-heels/621192 "2012-05-31T22:42:11Z")
In the Head Over Heelscolumn, reprinted recently, Cecil said: I had always thought that “cheap at half the price” was a humorous dig at an earlier “cheap at twice the price.” Was this really not the case? --- ## [Why are pound and ounce abbreviated "lb." and "oz."?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pound-and-ounce-abbreviated-lb-and-oz/623565)
**Author:** [@ktel60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ktel60)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pound-and-ounce-abbreviated-lb-and-oz/623565 "2012-05-30T22:33:32Z")
Let’s not forget James Joyce’s emigmatic references to “LSD” - which refers to Pounds (L) Shillings (S) and Pence (D)/ --- ## [Difference between a "ship" and a "boat"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-a-ship-and-a-boat/622303)
**Author:** [@LairBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LairBob)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/difference-between-a-ship-and-a-boat/622303 "2012-05-30T18:00:22Z")
As far astoday’s “classic” column on the difference between a “ship” and a “boat”, I had always understood the difference to be much more straightforward: \[ul\] \[li\]A “ship” is a vessel that is intended to travel betwee… --- ## [Why is a Raven Like a Writing Desk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writing-desk/542839)
**Author:** [@Skarath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skarath)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-a-raven-like-a-writing-desk/542839 "2012-05-30T16:59:34Z")
Well, I’ve read the column on it, and it’s wonderful in answering. Yet…there’s one small problem, with the provided answers and with the author’s own attempt at an answer. It seems that the answers are aimed more at HO… --- ## [Was Hitler Jewish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-jewish/621322)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2012, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-hitler-jewish/621322 "2012-05-30T11:10:28Z")
The recent thread by GermanicPride has brought up a question. The column argues that Hitler was not Jewish because the claim that his grandfather might have been Jewish is not substantiated. However, there is another c… --- ## [In Britain, what's the difference between a pound and a guinea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481)
**Author:** [@TMStone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TMStone)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2012, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-britain-whats-the-difference-between-a-pound-and-a-guinea/617481 "2012-05-30T09:47:50Z")
I was living in the UK around the time that you wrote this article and I assure you that the tuppence and half-penny were still in use. The half-penny has now gone the way of the guinea - just like the Canadian penny wil… --- ## [The Difference between a Boat and a Ship](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-a-boat-and-a-ship/465407)
**Author:** [@madlax44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madlax44)\ **Replies:** 51\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-difference-between-a-boat-and-a-ship/465407 "2012-05-29T16:13:58Z")
I have read Cecil’s answer on the difference between a boat and a ship and he is WRONG. The size of the vessel and whether it can carry a boat, does not determine it’s definition. Simply put, when a vessel turns at spee… --- ## [Re: Are poor spellers stupid?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-poor-spellers-stupid/622312)
**Author:** [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-are-poor-spellers-stupid/622312 "2012-05-29T04:51:42Z")
Cecil, One thing you neglected to tell Lily is that Spell-Check can make things worse instead of better. This is particularly true when you’re dealing with homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled different… --- ## [Re:Is there a gender neutral substitute for his or her](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-there-a-gender-neutral-substitute-for-his-or-her/620943)
**Author:** [@zeprider1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeprider1)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [May 29, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-there-a-gender-neutral-substitute-for-his-or-her/620943 "2012-05-29T01:23:48Z")
@Deborah Cameron points out, the sentence “The man went berserk and killed his neighbor’s wife” is unobjectionable on its surface. But stop to think: why “his neighbor’s wife” instead of “one of his neighbors”? ~~Can y… --- ## [Water fountains and momentum cancellation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-fountains-and-momentum-cancellation/622859)
**Author:** [@Powers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Powers)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2012, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-fountains-and-momentum-cancellation/622859 "2012-05-27T02:15:32Z")
Come again? How can two momenta cancel each other out in the very vector that they share? Powers &8^\] --- ## [The environmental cost of chubbies](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-environmental-cost-of-chubbies/621425)
**Author:** [@Simon\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simon_G)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2012, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-environmental-cost-of-chubbies/621425 "2012-05-23T17:28:34Z")
Hi Cecil & co, A possible oversight on the environmental impact of the overweight. Have you considered, that while the porkers might consume more, they will have a much shorter timescale to do it in given that their li… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=57) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=59)