# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=68 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 69 --- ## [No love for Stanislav Petrov?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-love-for-stanislav-petrov/599201)
**Author:** [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 11, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-love-for-stanislav-petrov/599201 "2011-10-11T00:11:42Z")
Cecil’s column here could use updating for Stanislav Petrov. While we didn’t know until the 90s, in 1983 Petrov took the initiative in deciding that equipment reporting a US launch of nuclear missiles were malfunctionin… --- ## [Photic Sneeze Reflex](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photic-sneeze-reflex/585713)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2011, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photic-sneeze-reflex/585713 "2011-10-10T22:24:04Z")
At the end of this column, Cecil said As the note shows, Cecil solved “the pompatus of love”. So, how’s he coming on that PSR issue? :wink: --- ## [About Kennedy Prediction](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-kennedy-prediction/358560)
**Author:** [@alcondragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alcondragon)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-kennedy-prediction/358560 "2011-10-10T20:14:40Z")
Actually Jeane DIxon was right about Kennedy, that he would not win the 1960 presidential election. John Kennedy actually did not win the election, so to speak. John Kennedy’s father had bought the presidential election … --- ## [Do cats always land unharmed on their feet, no matter how far they fall?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-always-land-unharmed-on-their-feet-no-matter-how-far-they-fall/597442)
**Author:** [@Gaijininja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaijininja)\ **Replies:** 28\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2011, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cats-always-land-unharmed-on-their-feet-no-matter-how-far-they-fall/597442 "2011-10-10T20:07:03Z")
After reading this very interesting article, it came to mind, did hair length have anything to do with the cat’s survival? Surely a short haired cat will fall faster (and have less padding) than a fluffy, long haired one… --- ## [Amalgam paranoia wrong font](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amalgam-paranoia-wrong-font/598691)
**Author:** [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\ **Replies:** 30\ **Last updated:** [October 10, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amalgam-paranoia-wrong-font/598691 "2011-10-10T18:26:43Z")
Are you being poisoned by your silver tooth fillings?. User response. Second paragraph. Should be italicized. Isn’t. --- ## [Photographic Memory ... Real or Myth ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory-real-or-myth/594469)
**Author:** [@mrclusters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrclusters)\ **Replies:** 58\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/photographic-memory-real-or-myth/594469 "2011-10-07T19:34:47Z")
I followed a link to this site after reading about photographic memory. A person posted the question “Is it real or not” and the moderator’s answer was that it was most likely a myth. So, in response to that, I would lik… --- ## [Was J Edgar Hoover a cross dresser?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-j-edgar-hoover-a-cross-dresser/568022)
**Author:** [@Totally\_Curious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Totally_Curious)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 7, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-j-edgar-hoover-a-cross-dresser/568022 "2011-10-07T01:05:54Z")
Cecil, When you write “Would a man with so many enemies put himself in a position to be blackmailed by waltzing around a hotel in drag?”, I have to question your judgement. How many people who feel politically powerful… --- ## [Why are the seeds on the outside of the strawberry?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-seeds-on-the-outside-of-the-strawberry/597907)
**Author:** [@botanyprofessor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botanyprofessor)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [October 6, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-seeds-on-the-outside-of-the-strawberry/597907 "2011-10-06T18:45:18Z")
I’m new to this site, so I hope this comment ends up in the right place. You’re answer concerning the seeds of the strawberry is on the right track, but needs a little more explaining. The edible part of the strawberry… --- ## [When are you dead enough to be an organ donor?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-you-dead-enough-to-be-an-organ-donor/597799)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [October 5, 2011, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-are-you-dead-enough-to-be-an-organ-donor/597799 "2011-10-05T02:12:42Z")
Thanks for this - very interesting. I think this paragraph should also appear in ital: The reward to the grieving families is the knowledge that otherwise terminally-ill patients suffering from end-stage organ failur… --- ## [Back cracking](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-cracking/597850)
**Author:** [@Tyrannorabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyrannorabbit)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [October 4, 2011, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/back-cracking/597850 "2011-10-04T17:24:42Z")
A Rosie O’Donnell reference from 1985? I’m not sure I buy it. (sorry if this is an old point - trying to search on this just broke the search function, and when I tried again in two minutes it just broke it again) LIN… --- ## [why we jerk when falling asleep, con't](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-jerk-when-falling-asleep-cont/598462)
**Author:** [@salsalover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salsalover)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2011, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-we-jerk-when-falling-asleep-cont/598462 "2011-10-03T20:09:37Z")
The answer to that is given really well in “A Layman’s Guide to Psychiatry and Psychoanalysis” by Eric Bern, MD. The jerk is caused by the release or interaction of a hormone and is a standard ingredient of “normal” slee… --- ## [Coca-Cola: Sucrose vs HFCS -- the battle continues](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-sucrose-vs-hfcs-the-battle-continues/596283)
**Author:** [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Replies:** 49\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2011, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coca-cola-sucrose-vs-hfcs-the-battle-continues/596283 "2011-10-03T14:11:31Z")
Way back in 1985, in this column about Coca-Cola and cocaine, Cecil mentions agreeing with sugar companies about the superiority of sugar over high-fructose corn syrup in the drink’s formulation. (He has said the same i… --- ## [I know why there are "single shoes" on the side of the road!!!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-why-there-are-single-shoes-on-the-side-of-the-road/598301)
**Author:** [@krisbethrose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krisbethrose)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [October 3, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-know-why-there-are-single-shoes-on-the-side-of-the-road/598301 "2011-10-03T14:00:08Z")
Okay, I have TOTALLY figured it out! Years and years of wondering, and absolutely no answer, here it is. It dawned on me today: I had seen an episode of “Cops” once where a person was asked to step out of the car for a … --- ## [Hollow earth physics](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollow-earth-physics/597385)
**Author:** [@sailorman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailorman)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hollow-earth-physics/597385 "2011-10-01T22:49:40Z")
In today’s Hollow Earth column, Cecil claims that someone suspended inside a hollow spherical shell of an earth would experience zero net gravity regardless of position. This seems very unintuitive to me, given that pres… --- ## [Re "War Plan Red" The U.S. plan to invade Canada](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-war-plan-red-the-u-s-plan-to-invade-canada/597366)
**Author:** [@Little-John](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little-John)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [October 1, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-war-plan-red-the-u-s-plan-to-invade-canada/597366 "2011-10-01T04:36:29Z")
Re the reply to ‘Biggles.’ Here in the U.K. on the evening of 22nd Sept on Channel 5 Television was a programme detailing how the U.S. military planned a joint Naval and ground assault on Canada to provoke a war with Br… --- ## [Cheek Bone Implants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheek-bone-implants/597090)
**Author:** [@Zyanthia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyanthia)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheek-bone-implants/597090 "2011-09-28T16:02:52Z")
I have a question for clarification for the article Cheek Bone Implants. The first paragraph reads Does this mean that there have been multiple years where this procedure was discussed, or is there an implied “ago” a… --- ## [The whole nine yards](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/597781)
**Author:** [@T.S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.S)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2011, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-whole-nine-yards/597781 "2011-09-28T13:42:35Z")
Being something of a military historian, I would like to comment about this topic. The post that maintained that “belly gunners” manned guns that used cloth belts is suspect. The term “belly gunner” refered to an aircr… --- ## [Was pink originally the color for boys and blue for girls ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pink-originally-the-color-for-boys-and-blue-for-girls/597838)
**Author:** [@FrotoBaggins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrotoBaggins)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 28, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-pink-originally-the-color-for-boys-and-blue-for-girls/597838 "2011-09-28T03:41:29Z")
Did the Chinese recognized the pink blush of a maidens cheek, the reddening of a sexually excited breast flushed with blood, or the symbolic shape and color of a pink flower that enhanced their receptive feminine qualiti… --- ## [cubical Earth](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubical-earth/594166)
**Author:** [@czarinatx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/czarinatx)\ **Replies:** 61\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cubical-earth/594166 "2011-09-27T23:33:21Z")
What’s the matter with you guys? You’re such smartypants with all your scientific jargon, but you’ve forgotten your third grade grammar lessons. It wouldn’t be a problem if you weren’t putting things in writing, but if y… --- ## [Did cigarettes distributed to WWII GIs kill more men than died in battle? Yes.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cigarettes-distributed-to-wwii-gis-kill-more-men-than-died-in-battle-yes/597747)
**Author:** [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-cigarettes-distributed-to-wwii-gis-kill-more-men-than-died-in-battle-yes/597747 "2011-09-27T14:13:50Z")
Back in 1994, the Master pondered: Did cigarettes distributed to WWII GIs kill more men than died in battle? Cecil suspected the answer was yes. Another study concurs: 2,000,000 \> 416,800 US WWII military casualties … --- ## [Mecurochrome](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414)
**Author:** [@dianekostuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dianekostuk)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [September 27, 2011, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mecurochrome/597414 "2011-09-27T03:16:52Z")
Hey, Just thought about mecurochrome for the first time in years. It worked wonders when I was a kid. Stung like the devil! And, I, too, played with the mercury out of thermometers. Maybe all this helped build up my… --- ## [why do we call it the John?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-it-the-john/356869)
**Author:** [@gwenivere23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwenivere23)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [September 26, 2011, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-call-it-the-john/356869 "2011-09-26T09:14:24Z")
I’m wouldn’t place my bet on Mr. Tom Crapper. There are two famous “Johns” in toilet history. Sir John Harrington is credited with creating the first “flushing” pan (toilet) and Edward John made “potties” for the America… --- ## [Update on Satellites That Read Newspapers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-satellites-that-read-newspapers/596413)
**Author:** [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/update-on-satellites-that-read-newspapers/596413 "2011-09-23T18:45:47Z")
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/585/can-spy-satellites-read-the-headlines-of-a-newspaper-on-a-park-bench I would love to see an update to this column. Since it was written, it would appear that commercial sate… --- ## [Why does asparagus make your pee smell funny?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-your-pee-smell-funny/596701)
**Author:** [@tavaritz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tavaritz)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2011, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-asparagus-make-your-pee-smell-funny/596701 "2011-09-23T18:29:38Z")
Allthough there might be some questions how these two combounds are created in a human body, we do know where and how & why they leave from body. The culprit of course is liver. Liver’s function is to render non-water s… --- ## [Does a pig have a corkscrew-shaped penis? Or, wankers](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-pig-have-a-corkscrew-shaped-penis-or-wankers/594835)
**Author:** [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-pig-have-a-corkscrew-shaped-penis-or-wankers/594835 "2011-09-23T14:04:23Z")
In Cecil’s erudite column he uses the word “wanker” as a synonym for penis. Is this common usage anywhere? I was given to understand that Americans in general were not familiar with this (British) expression. In any case… --- ## [what-did-people-use-before-toilet-paper-was-invented](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-use-before-toilet-paper-was-invented/592549)
**Author:** [@Bubba\_Coondog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bubba_Coondog)\ **Replies:** 29\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2011, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-people-use-before-toilet-paper-was-invented/592549 "2011-09-23T12:22:08Z")
Dear Cecil: In reference to What did people use before toilet paper was invented? - The Straight Dope It is my understanding that when using the corn cobs, you had to keep a variety of cobs handy. Such as red one and … --- ## [Sleep Paralysis](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleep-paralysis/596832)
**Author:** [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [September 23, 2011, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleep-paralysis/596832 "2011-09-23T06:11:25Z")
I admit, I was hoping for a definitive answer when I saw it had been updated: I’ve had this for years and years and I don’t suffer from excessive sleepiness and certainly don’t have narcolepsy. I was just hoping for s… --- ## [Thomas crapper](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-crapper/595737)
**Author:** [@Nic\_Niewart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic_Niewart)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [September 22, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thomas-crapper/595737 "2011-09-22T17:44:11Z")
Yes, this fellow was real- he lived not a mile away from my home in South London, at 12 Thornsett Road London SE20, and only reluctantly and belatedly has a Blue Plaque been erected outside the house. Just round the cor… --- ## [Radioactivity in food](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactivity-in-food/596829)
**Author:** [@MacLir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacLir)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/radioactivity-in-food/596829 "2011-09-20T21:57:25Z")
Good Job, Cecil - you hit about every major point in the discussion. Two addenda: Cesium-137 has a long halflife, and so is still around in small quantities from the old atmospheric tests. As noted, it is a calcium mim… --- ## [Body Mass Index](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-mass-index/596973)
**Author:** [@jmmapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmmapp)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [September 20, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/body-mass-index/596973 "2011-09-20T19:43:44Z")
Has anyone ever compared differences between the populations originally used to establish the BMI (differences in bone density, for instance), and modern populations? As improvements in health and diet have led to greate… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=69)