# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=59 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 60 --- ## [Potato in the tailpipe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-in-the-tailpipe/622680)
**Author:** [@missileer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missileer)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/potato-in-the-tailpipe/622680 "2012-05-23T15:53:08Z")
Cecil is correct, the car will not run if the tailpipe is completely blocked. however, if you really want it to work well, core out the middle of the potato, then insert it deep into the tailpipe with a broom handle (car… --- ## [Correction to Straight Dope Article: Cat Poop/Birth Defects/LSD](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correction-to-straight-dope-article-cat-poop-birth-defects-lsd/622759)
**Author:** [@johnm21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnm21)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 23, 2012, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/correction-to-straight-dope-article-cat-poop-birth-defects-lsd/622759 "2012-05-23T11:29:51Z")
I believe I’ve recognized an error in the Straight Dope article “If cat poop is so toxic to pregnant women, why aren’t there more birth defects? Can cat poop cause schizophrenia?”, at If cat poop is so toxic to pregnant … --- ## ["Clutch Cargo" cartoon series](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clutch-cargo-cartoon-series/553971)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 37\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/clutch-cargo-cartoon-series/553971 "2012-05-21T00:00:35Z")
I’ve never heard of this show before, or this freaky dialogue technique. I can see why it was never too popular: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFnLirXjjto --- ## [Fishy Spaghetti Explanation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-spaghetti-explanation/434537)
**Author:** [@yheffen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yheffen)\ **Replies:** 139\ **Last updated:** [May 20, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-spaghetti-explanation/434537 "2012-05-20T16:40:53Z")
In the How does one suck in a piece of spaghetti? classic column, the explanation of what is happening on the molecular level does not hold up, Yes, most air particles hit obliquely, but as we all know, for every mole… --- ## [Sangry! \[...and words ending in -gry\]](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sangry-and-words-ending-in-gry/621597)
**Author:** [@bowlweevils](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bowlweevils)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2012, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sangry-and-words-ending-in-gry/621597 "2012-05-18T10:55:27Z")
As in, I’m sangry that sangry wasn’t included in the list of English words ending in -gry. Also sangry that I was not allowed to use SANGRY! as the title of this thread. LINK TO COLUMN: What are the three English word… --- ## [ditch nukes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ditch-nukes/621961)
**Author:** [@mdtljt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mdtljt)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ditch-nukes/621961 "2012-05-15T13:47:40Z")
it doesn’t matter how much power the 3rd world countries need, when they can’t get it the population will die off to what they can produce and live with we will not need anywhere near as much as this article predicted … --- ## [Word with vowels in sequence](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-with-vowels-in-sequence/621978)
**Author:** [@Ardent1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ardent1)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 15, 2012, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/word-with-vowels-in-sequence/621978 "2012-05-15T11:23:43Z")
Besides facetious, the word is aerious denoting airy. --- ## [Schmidt Sting Pain Index](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schmidt-sting-pain-index/621645)
**Author:** [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2012, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/schmidt-sting-pain-index/621645 "2012-05-14T11:31:44Z")
I didn’t see the sting of a puss caterpillar, Megalopyge in Justin’s list. I guarantee you he hasn’t been stung by one or I promise you it would have been included. Puss caterpillars are apparently encountered from F… --- ## [Origin of the Birds and the Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-birds-and-the-bees/620765)
**Author:** [@Bubbaclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubbaclaw)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2012, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-birds-and-the-bees/620765 "2012-05-13T03:21:37Z")
Cecil, what about the song that had the chorus, “The birds do it, the bees, do it, even educated fleas do it,”? LINK TO COLUMN: What’s the origin of the phrase, “the birds and the bees”? - The Straight Dope --- ## [Five Vowels](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-vowels/374877)
**Author:** [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Replies:** 33\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-vowels/374877 "2012-05-12T04:18:16Z")
Re the column on five-consecutive-vowel words http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3\_237.html The OED also includes the word Rousseauian (influenced by the philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau). --- ## [Artificial Insemination of Animals](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-insemination-of-animals/620719)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-insemination-of-animals/620719 "2012-05-11T23:01:51Z")
Link to column. I think it was Popular Science magazine that some years ago listed the top-10 worst jobs in the world. (“Astronaut” made the cut. I guess it’s not all glamor.) I distinctly recall “bull-semen collector” … --- ## [Is marijuana stronger now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-stronger-now/619402)
**Author:** [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [May 9, 2012, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-marijuana-stronger-now/619402 "2012-05-09T18:38:40Z")
Today’s column: Is marijuana stronger than it used to be? - The Straight Dope The lead-in question was from the SDMB from 2007, original thread found here: Is pot stronger these days? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope… --- ## [Why do many people repeat the urban legend myth that Hitler was part Jewish?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064)
**Author:** [@GermanicPride](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GermanicPride)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-many-people-repeat-the-urban-legend-myth-that-hitler-was-part-jewish/621064 "2012-05-08T13:28:10Z")
It seems this is repeated all over the internet, do people really believe rumours over truth? The third possibility is that Adolf Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish. Rumours to that effect circulated in Munich cafes in the… --- ## [Extra cost of being overweight](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-cost-of-being-overweight/620256)
**Author:** [@gargunkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gargunkle)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 8, 2012, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/extra-cost-of-being-overweight/620256 "2012-05-08T06:55:44Z")
Regarding: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/3048/followup It’s very interesting reading about the fuel difference. What is the additional effect of greater passenger weight on things like wear and tear on car … --- ## [Why is the "missionary position" called that?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-missionary-position-called-that/619305)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-the-missionary-position-called-that/619305 "2012-05-06T12:27:27Z")
Here’s the column in question: Why is the “missionary position” called that? Cecil in his 1992 column gives the earliest citation from OED as 1969 but it’s been antedated since then. From OED: NOTE FROM MODERATOR: L… --- ## [autoerotic asphyxiation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autoerotic-asphyxiation/619439)
**Author:** [@Allen\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allen_L)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2012, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/autoerotic-asphyxiation/619439 "2012-05-05T16:55:30Z")
That is what David Carradine died of. He was found hanging in the closet of a hotel in Thailand. He went to Thailand to Bangkok and ended up well hung.:smiley: --- ## [Smedley Butler](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471)
**Author:** [@BedleySmutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BedleySmutler)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smedley-butler/620471 "2012-05-02T20:28:25Z")
In 1934, Butler testified to the Special Committee on Un-American Activities Congressional committee (the “McCormack-Dickstein Committee”) on these claims.\[1\] In the opinion of the committee, these allegations were credi… --- ## [Hip Hip Hurray](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-hip-hurray/620662)
**Author:** [@oscaroscar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oscaroscar)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2012, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-hip-hurray/620662 "2012-05-02T19:54:13Z")
"This theory obliges us to believe that a significant fraction of the rioters were students of Latin. " – or that their priests were students of Latin. Church and state often colluded to foment pogroms. --- ## [What's the deal with angels?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-angels/620138)
**Author:** [@AuraWAlker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuraWAlker)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 2, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-angels/620138 "2012-05-02T19:20:01Z")
Fascinating! Thanks for doing the research for me. :slight\_smile: --- ## [Why is it easier to balance on a moving bike than a non-moving one?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-easier-to-balance-on-a-moving-bike-than-a-non-moving-one/141234)
**Author:** [@coachcraigb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coachcraigb)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2012, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-easier-to-balance-on-a-moving-bike-than-a-non-moving-one/141234 "2012-05-01T14:18:15Z")
In the answer to this question, January 2002, the staff claimed that the gyroscopic effect of the spinning wheels was the primary explanation. False. The main reason that a moving bike is easier to balance is that lean… --- ## [Why is it called a restroom, anyway?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-restroom-anyway/615642)
**Author:** [@Shoshi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoshi)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-called-a-restroom-anyway/615642 "2012-04-30T22:40:14Z")
In reference to “restroom” being a euphemism for a public toilet (Why is it called a restroom, anyway? - The Straight Dope), I came across the term being used in a 1906 report to President Teddy Roosevelt (on the conditi… --- ## [Four common English words ending in "-dous"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-common-english-words-ending-in-dous/618469)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 30, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/four-common-english-words-ending-in-dous/618469 "2012-04-30T18:15:14Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/744/what-are-the-four-common-english-words-ending-in-dous A lot of those towards the end there are uncommon, obviously. I’ve gone all these years without needing them and probab… --- ## [Hip Hip Hurrah](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-hip-hurrah/619282)
**Author:** [@Nunka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunka)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hip-hip-hurrah/619282 "2012-04-27T23:59:32Z")
The column focused on the “Hip Hip”, but what of the “Hurrah”? I used to be married to a Danish girl and they claim that “hurrah” was a viking battle cry used when slaughtering everyone, no special “hurrah” dispensation… --- ## [Turnpike](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turnpike/620170)
**Author:** [@Labdriver101](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdriver101)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turnpike/620170 "2012-04-27T20:57:05Z")
You left out Turnpike and pike --- ## [Artificial Insemination](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-insemination/620179)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2012, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/artificial-insemination/620179 "2012-04-27T20:38:01Z")
From here I can confirm the AV thing - our animal reproduction lecturer once demonstrated it’s use with gusto on a bull. If I recall correctly she waved the filled device around a little too vigorously afterwards and I… --- ## [Siphons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siphons/619431)
**Author:** [@zipmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zipmo)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/siphons/619431 "2012-04-27T17:21:13Z")
I’m somewhat new around here, so please pardon me if this has already been hashed. I was going through the archives and ran across the Cecil post on siphons. The conclusion seemed to be “well it could be air pressure o… --- ## [Sucking, and I don't mean through a straw](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucking-and-i-dont-mean-through-a-straw/619877)
**Author:** [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2012, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sucking-and-i-dont-mean-through-a-straw/619877 "2012-04-27T07:38:17Z")
We all know the scientific mechanism that allows us to suck liquids through a straw, but what about sucking in a limp spaghetti noodle ? I can’t believe that atmospheric pressure can push that limp noodle into my pursed … --- ## [Regarding Your article About Ben Franklin](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-your-article-about-ben-franklin/620003)
**Author:** [@Rick\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Mann)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2012, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-your-article-about-ben-franklin/620003 "2012-04-26T21:23:03Z")
Please send me your sources Thank you, Rick Mann --- ## [Saltpeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saltpeter/620015)
**Author:** [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2012, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/saltpeter/620015 "2012-04-26T20:28:44Z")
The reason saltpeter was in the Navy food was as a preservative, of course. Corned beef was a method of preserving meat at ambient temperature for an indefinate period. The nitrates and nitrites (sodium and potassium) a… --- ## [allergic to sex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-sex/619691)
**Author:** [@graceforseven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/graceforseven)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2012, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/allergic-to-sex/619691 "2012-04-26T01:23:50Z")
This is in response to an earlier post by someone asking if a person can be allergic to sex. You might consider this: Some people have a problem with prostaglandins. I have been diagnosed with Systemic Mast Cell Disea… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=60)