# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=62 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 63 --- ## [Will using expired drugs kill you?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-using-expired-drugs-kill-you/614564)
**Author:** [@jimarnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimarnett)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [March 6, 2012, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-using-expired-drugs-kill-you/614564 "2012-03-06T12:30:46Z")
Wow, really important information! It refers to the the U.S. military’s Shelf Life Extension Program, which could be a really valuable resource for people on limited means, who could keep using medicines that are still … --- ## [interstate highways ... in Hawaii?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstate-highways-in-hawaii/614767)
**Author:** [@joelalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joelalan)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2012, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstate-highways-in-hawaii/614767 "2012-03-05T23:31:04Z")
Hello. I just returned from a trip to Oahu, the island with the city Honolulu, and Pearl Harbor. I did a lot of driving, which included the freeway. I did notice the freeway designation signs were marked “H-1” and “H-201… --- ## [Re: Remove shells before Eating peanuts.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-remove-shells-before-eating-peanuts/614839)
**Author:** [@Coolbreezy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coolbreezy)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-remove-shells-before-eating-peanuts/614839 "2012-03-05T23:28:17Z")
As always, warnings that are simply common sense are to ward off the attacks from the combination of a stupid idiot and and a greedy lawyer. --- ## [What was the average of the purple states?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-average-of-the-purple-states/610147)
**Author:** [@kfraser34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kfraser34)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-average-of-the-purple-states/610147 "2012-03-04T21:30:48Z")
Near the end of the article it is mentioned that Una separated the states into three categories: red, blue, and purple. Then, in the last paragraph the averages for the red and the blue states were given but not the pur… --- ## [The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on Gein?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-gein/614093)
**Author:** [@toni\_rocka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toni_rocka)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 4, 2012, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-texas-chainsaw-massacre-based-on-gein/614093 "2012-03-04T00:52:51Z")
I recently watched a re-run of the prequel: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre-The Beginning. As the movie ends, a text announcement indicates that the movie was inspired by a series of actual murders that occurred between 1969… --- ## [What's so great about the Dewey Decimal System?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-the-dewey-decimal-system/614582)
**Author:** [@PaulN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulN)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 3, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-great-about-the-dewey-decimal-system/614582 "2012-03-03T23:54:52Z")
I have a bias in favor of the Library of Congress system, having worked with it for 30 years. I now find myself trying to come up to speed with the Dewey Decimal System, but find myself confused by the classification I f… --- ## [Why can’t we use lasers as ray guns?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-t-we-use-lasers-as-ray-guns/612707)
**Author:** [@66Scorpio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/66Scorpio)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-can-t-we-use-lasers-as-ray-guns/612707 "2012-03-01T19:33:44Z")
I’m no scientist but I am ex-military and a sci-fi game designer. The problems with energy weapons are the amount of energy you need to generate, and the speed at which you release it. A .22 caliber pistol has a typica… --- ## [Cow Carcass as shelter](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-carcass-as-shelter/609437)
**Author:** [@INtrepid\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/INtrepid_T)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cow-carcass-as-shelter/609437 "2012-03-01T18:11:01Z")
While you have thought out the problem as to hours till hypothermia, have you asked yourself, “If I should fall asleep in the cozy cow, how will i get out when I wake inside a frozen beef?” Rocky Balboa was able to brea… --- ## [The oldest profession](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-profession/613863)
**Author:** [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-oldest-profession/613863 "2012-03-01T16:59:24Z")
Column: Is excess American body fat a potential energy resource? Plus: why is prostitution called the oldest profession? - The Straight Dope I don’t know why Cecil suggests that agriculture could be considered the olde… --- ## [Jevon and a Better Light Bulb](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jevon-and-a-better-light-bulb/614332)
**Author:** [@prufrock01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/prufrock01)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [March 1, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jevon-and-a-better-light-bulb/614332 "2012-03-01T01:43:19Z")
I want to make sure that you meant to reference Jevon’s paradox. In order for something to qualify under Jevon’s paradox, consumption must increase - not just utility. So, in this case, people would have to use more elec… --- ## [Mercator projection](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mercator-projection/614162)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mercator-projection/614162 "2012-02-29T15:50:32Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/704/is-mercator-projection-on-maps-a-plot-to-reduce-the-importance-of-africa-s-america Cecil’s column is from 1989, when National Geographic used Robinson projection for maps of … --- ## [Could a super-bright light cause blindness?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-super-bright-light-cause-blindness/612924)
**Author:** [@Judgelog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Judgelog)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 29, 2012, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-a-super-bright-light-cause-blindness/612924 "2012-02-29T13:07:01Z")
Just a little refinement on your answer to question about a super bright light causing blindness. Actually it is the ultraviolet light that causes the damage. Yes, if you are close enough the heat would fry you. But if w… --- ## [Black Holes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes/261872)
**Author:** [@Deathblz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deathblz)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 28, 2012, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-holes/261872 "2012-02-28T09:54:20Z")
Article: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_200.html I know something else that would happen were you to be the oh-so unlucky person to meet this fate. Now, imagine that you are floating randomly through space (ign… --- ## [About time for Cecil to retire, who is he grooming to take over?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-time-for-cecil-to-retire-who-is-he-grooming-to-take-over/613911)
**Author:** [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2012, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-time-for-cecil-to-retire-who-is-he-grooming-to-take-over/613911 "2012-02-27T22:13:50Z")
Cecil’s getting ready to retire, or she should be as it’s about that time. You can feel it in the air, however like Virginia’s Santa Claus there must always be a Cecil. So who’s in the wings as batter up to be Cecil’s Ki… --- ## [Why Heinz "57" exists even though they have around 70 products](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-heinz-57-exists-even-though-they-have-around-70-products/613779)
**Author:** [@goolia\_27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goolia_27)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-heinz-57-exists-even-though-they-have-around-70-products/613779 "2012-02-27T15:31:59Z")
Although the company had more than 60 products in 1892, the number 57 was chosen because the numbers “5” and “7” held special significance to Henry J. Heinz. The number “5” was Henry Heinz’s lucky number; the number “7”… --- ## [Is excess American body fat a potential energy resource?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-excess-american-body-fat-a-potential-energy-resource/614143)
**Author:** [@eightoh9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eightoh9)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-excess-american-body-fat-a-potential-energy-resource/614143 "2012-02-27T15:14:25Z")
Cecil is skeptical about extracting the energy from body fat in a way that would reduce dependence on foreign oil? Here’s how: Get out of your friggin’ car and walk. I figure that walking instead of driving will save me … --- ## [Who are us?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-us/613989)
**Author:** [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-us/613989 "2012-02-26T17:20:43Z")
In his article about Pangaea: Cecil concludes about the new suprcontinent that happens in 250 million yers hence: “In short, the earth will stay lively, not that it’ll matter to us.” What does Cecil mean by ‘us’? Th… --- ## [Colourblind people: evolutionary advantage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colourblind-people-evolutionary-advantage/607946)
**Author:** [@Hagen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hagen)\ **Replies:** 74\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2012, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colourblind-people-evolutionary-advantage/607946 "2012-02-26T13:01:30Z")
I was reading up the article about traffic lights and Colourblind people when I recalled a story relayed to me by a friend. Yep a bad start already, I know. It was told to him by an ex-SADF soldier during the border war … --- ## [Airplane O2 bags](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplane-o2-bags/614027)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/airplane-o2-bags/614027 "2012-02-26T03:36:53Z")
Article here If the bag isn’t inflating at all during the pause between inhalation and exhalation you’d still be wasting quite a bit of the O2 - it is possible to get around this issue (google “Lack circuit” if you’re i… --- ## [Deaths in sauna](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-in-sauna/613943)
**Author:** [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 25, 2012, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/deaths-in-sauna/613943 "2012-02-25T10:28:54Z")
In the article about sauna and steam room: Cecil told that 221 out of 228 hyperthermia deaths in Finland 1986 was caused by sauna and commented that it was mainly drunk men. That’s true, but you just also put it into… --- ## [Interstate highways in Alaska and Hawaii](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstate-highways-in-alaska-and-hawaii/613756)
**Author:** [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [February 23, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interstate-highways-in-alaska-and-hawaii/613756 "2012-02-23T23:37:13Z")
Cecil wrote in October of 1988 (republished in February 2012): I don’t know if that was accurate in 1988, but it isn’t accurate now. The Federal Highway Administration reports here and here that Alaska has 1,082.22 mil… --- ## [Where is Podunk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-podunk/613657)
**Author:** [@Tenorissimo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenorissimo)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 23, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-podunk/613657 "2012-02-23T18:03:39Z")
There is a Podunk Lake a few miles southwest of Ann Arbor, Michigan. --- ## [Rescuing cats from trees](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescuing-cats-from-trees/613737)
**Author:** [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 23, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rescuing-cats-from-trees/613737 "2012-02-23T16:02:20Z")
Here in Helsinki, Finland we have an animal rescue section in Helsinki City Rescue Department. (A trivia question in Helsinki goes like this. Q: How many firestations there are in Helsinki? A; None, they are all rescue… --- ## [Comments on Cecil's reply about red and blue states - btw there is not a good way to comment directl](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-cecils-reply-about-red-and-blue-states-btw-there-is-not-a-good-way-to-comment-directl/613724)
**Author:** [@Sun\_Tzu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sun_Tzu)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [February 23, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comments-on-cecils-reply-about-red-and-blue-states-btw-there-is-not-a-good-way-to-comment-directl/613724 "2012-02-23T14:17:19Z")
I must live in a red state… I tried several times to comment directly on the reply about blue states having a higher IQ than red states, but found no direct way. I agree. The best thing to do here is always slam conser… --- ## [1975 Sears catalog penis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1975-sears-catalog-penis/583598)
**Author:** [@schitlman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/schitlman)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2012, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/1975-sears-catalog-penis/583598 "2012-02-21T22:19:32Z")
This contribution is strictly anecdotal. During my junior/senior year of high school, the Sears Penis was a topic greatly enjoyed by many of my classmates. For several weeks, thousands of student-hours were spent in dis… --- ## [Cloning a Woolly Mammoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cloning-a-woolly-mammoth/612406)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cloning-a-woolly-mammoth/612406 "2012-02-21T00:37:00Z")
linky: Are scientists trying to clone a woolly mammoth? - The Straight Dope Two things. First, Cecil points out that dinosaur fossils are actually lithic casts of the original bone and that you would not expect any orig… --- ## [Spinach](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinach/612722)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spinach/612722 "2012-02-20T18:16:42Z")
Original thread here Is there then no truth to the story that the alleged high iron content of spinach came from a misplaced decimal point when one researcher was listing a load of vegetables? --- ## [Is Nutmeg Hallucinogenic?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nutmeg-hallucinogenic/613037)
**Author:** [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [February 20, 2012, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-nutmeg-hallucinogenic/613037 "2012-02-20T08:12:04Z")
Cecil’s Column: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/691/is-nutmeg-hallucinogenic A recent column in The Atlantic describing one reporter’s experience: --- ## [where-does-that-1492-ocean-blue-thing-about-columbus-come-from](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-that-1492-ocean-blue-thing-about-columbus-come-from/613289)
**Author:** [@MetroPietro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MetroPietro)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-that-1492-ocean-blue-thing-about-columbus-come-from/613289 "2012-02-19T18:33:12Z")
Hi Cecil, I am commenting on a five-year-old post regarding the 1492 C. Columbus poem. This is just to add to what you already wrote there: Washington Irving (author of Sleepy Hollow) helped promote the Columbus myth w… --- ## [Tecumseh's Curse](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tecumsehs-curse/612794)
**Author:** [@Mark\_Linton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Linton)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [February 19, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tecumsehs-curse/612794 "2012-02-19T16:13:28Z")
Dear Cecil, Not only is “tecumseh’s curse” pretty creepy, so is the flip side: Of all the presidents NOT elected in a year ending with 0, only one died in office. That was Zachary Taylor, who died in (of couse!) 1850! … [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=61) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=63)