# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=74 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 75 --- ## [Thanks for a balanced report on 2012](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-for-a-balanced-report-on-2012/582305)
**Author:** [@Interlingua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Interlingua)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2011, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanks-for-a-balanced-report-on-2012/582305 "2011-05-19T00:11:00Z")
People ranting about 2012 drive me nuts. Thanks for a balanced and informative report on this and the much overblown “Mayan predictions”. --- ## [Why the magi broght frankincense, gold, and myrrh](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-magi-broght-frankincense-gold-and-myrrh/581878)
**Author:** [@Nuimshaan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nuimshaan)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 18, 2011, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-magi-broght-frankincense-gold-and-myrrh/581878 "2011-05-18T18:16:53Z")
When they saw baby Jesus they fell upon their knees and opened up their treasures. They gave to Jesus those three treasures. They helped Joseph take his wife and son through territory. Because they were given gold and … --- ## [On Roger McGuinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-roger-mcguinn/582227)
**Author:** [@john\_willow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/john_willow)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 17, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-roger-mcguinn/582227 "2011-05-17T20:14:23Z")
If Roger McGuinn said he played the lead on Eight Miles High, it must be true. I think one possible reason that people question it is, because from my point of view as a guitar player, his leads on the song live don’t sh… --- ## [Ahma bin Ladlin'](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ahma-bin-ladlin/581762)
**Author:** [@ragerdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragerdude)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [May 16, 2011, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ahma-bin-ladlin/581762 "2011-05-16T15:31:55Z")
In reference to this column: Does voice-activated eavesdropping technology listen in on phone conversations for suspicious “keywords”? - The Straight Dope Slug’s cartoon quite creatively depicts a guy “ladling,” and the… --- ## [Swlabr](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swlabr/239528)
**Author:** [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swlabr/239528 "2011-05-14T16:33:38Z")
I always wondered about this … She Was Like A Bearded Rainbow? No wonder I could never guess what it stood for. But I think the explanation is a little off, or at least leaves out an important aspect of the song. Readi… --- ## [Civets](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civets/581213)
**Author:** [@blunt.brother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blunt.brother)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 14, 2011, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/civets/581213 "2011-05-14T22:13:27Z")
“Paradoxurus hermaphroditus”…? That sounds like a Wile E. Coyote nomenclature! :smiley: --- ## [Did aspartame (NutraSweet) cause Gulf War Syndrome?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-aspartame-nutrasweet-cause-gulf-war-syndrome/579378)
**Author:** [@Villies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Villies)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-aspartame-nutrasweet-cause-gulf-war-syndrome/579378 "2011-05-13T19:08:01Z")
A fact has been missed. Diet soda is as acid in ph as a car battery. The body has to work in a flurry to balance the Ph to its slightly alkaline ideal state. One of the ways to do this is using minerals from the body,… --- ## [Origin of the word "Yankee"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-word-yankee/581757)
**Author:** [@rosella\_alm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rosella_alm)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-word-yankee/581757 "2011-05-13T14:28:39Z")
My grandparents name was Yanke. One ‘e’ at at the end of the name. My grandfather was of northern German origin, from Breslau, in what is now part of Poland. I offer this as a point of information, no more. --- ## [Banana Bliss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banana-bliss/581123)
**Author:** [@JohnOShock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnOShock)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/banana-bliss/581123 "2011-05-12T14:52:44Z")
Having read Cecil’s article on whether bananas will be extinct in 10 years time, I must add that I live in Borneo where an abundance of bananas is noteworthy. Mainly because it consists of other varieties than the Cavend… --- ## [Is there a word for the jig you do trying to get around someone on the sidewalk?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-the-jig-you-do-trying-to-get-around-someone-on-the-sidewalk/580669)
**Author:** [@Klaus\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaus_K)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 12, 2011, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-word-for-the-jig-you-do-trying-to-get-around-someone-on-the-sidewalk/580669 "2011-05-12T11:59:20Z")
On the topic of finding words for things that ought to have a word for them, I strongly recommend Douglas Adams’s ‘Meaning of Liff’ and ‘Deeper Meaning of Liff’. Although he doesn’t cover sidewalk dancing, he does have … --- ## [Whatever Happened to Planet X?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-planet-x/574928)
**Author:** [@VoronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VoronX)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whatever-happened-to-planet-x/574928 "2011-05-07T09:02:01Z")
The article http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1145/whatever-happened-to-planet-x or Whatever Happened to Planet X, originally written in 1996 is in serious need of an update. Starting in 1992, we discovered the f… --- ## [Why are the floors of a building called "stories"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-floors-of-a-building-called-stories/581033)
**Author:** [@dkimchi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dkimchi)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-the-floors-of-a-building-called-stories/581033 "2011-05-07T02:28:41Z")
Cecil’s response here, even though this is a “classic”, is way off the mark. The etymologists consulted must have given him a bum steer. Outside of the USA, the word for the number of levels in a building is storey, wit… --- ## [Citizens Arrest for Trespassing ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-arrest-for-trespassing/579346)
**Author:** [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [May 7, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/citizens-arrest-for-trespassing/579346 "2011-05-07T01:47:25Z")
Huzzah, there’s a new Staff Report here: http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2993 … to be posted on the website on April 26, 2011. The question came from a thread in the “General Questions” forum, back in 2009, wh… --- ## [On the origin of "hobo"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-origin-of-hobo/577549)
**Author:** [@grue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grue)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2011, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-origin-of-hobo/577549 "2011-05-06T18:14:43Z")
I had also heard that it was a portmanteau of “homeward bound,” from being a migrant/vagrant. It is also proposed as one of the possible etymologies on Wikipedia at Hobo - Wikipedia (citing Bryson’s “Made in America” … --- ## [Did the Middle Ages not Really Happen?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-middle-ages-not-really-happen/579373)
**Author:** [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Replies:** 27\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2011, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-middle-ages-not-really-happen/579373 "2011-05-06T01:27:34Z")
It’s not like there was NOTHING happening in Western Europe (except Charlemagne) during the whole period. The Catholics have a pretty comprehensive list of papal successionduring that period, and they’re even nice enoug… --- ## [Common words where W is a vowel](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-where-w-is-a-vowel/580052)
**Author:** [@SpyOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpyOne)\ **Replies:** 101\ **Last updated:** [May 6, 2011, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/common-words-where-w-is-a-vowel/580052 "2011-05-06T01:08:17Z")
Missed the really obvious one, IMO, and the one my brother always cited when telling a teacher that W was sometimes a vowel: owl. Owl is a two-syllable word, so you then ask what the vowel in the second syllable is, and… --- ## [Monkey brains](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkey-brains/580856)
**Author:** [@Gathled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gathled)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/monkey-brains/580856 "2011-05-05T17:17:35Z")
I have lived in Taiwan for the last 10 years and my friend who married a local aboriginal woman from the Atayal tribe in north Taiwan. Said that they did this once after a hunt. I will clarify with him what actually happ… --- ## [Shake 'em ups!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shake-em-ups/580781)
**Author:** [@contraband\_charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/contraband_charlie)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shake-em-ups/580781 "2011-05-05T05:25:14Z")
I call them “why did you buy me that’s?” --- ## [Does turning down the thermostat at night save energy?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-turning-down-the-thermostat-at-night-save-energy/580707)
**Author:** [@jfos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jfos)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [May 5, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-turning-down-the-thermostat-at-night-save-energy/580707 "2011-05-05T03:28:42Z")
Except for heat pumps which have two types of heaters: first the pump which moves heat from outside to inside and second the coil which generates by forcing electricity through a poor conductor that becomes hot. The pump… --- ## ["misogynist"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misogynist/579341)
**Author:** [@MidnightMagus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightMagus)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 4, 2011, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/misogynist/579341 "2011-05-04T05:24:46Z")
To answer the latest straight dope question… Men who hate women are called “misogynists”. Women who hate men are called “women”. Hope that clears it up a bit… --- ## [Was the QWERTY keyboard purposely designed to slow typists?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-qwerty-keyboard-purposely-designed-to-slow-typists/491841)
**Author:** [@fotoguzzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fotoguzzi)\ **Replies:** 56\ **Last updated:** [May 3, 2011, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/was-the-qwerty-keyboard-purposely-designed-to-slow-typists/491841 "2011-05-03T22:25:06Z")
Rather than slowing the typist down, it would seem that the design was more random. I haven’t found an authoritative source for the contention that Amos Densmore broke up common letter combinations, putting them in sepa… --- ## [Tattoos and copyright violations](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-and-copyright-violations/577622)
**Author:** [@Deeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deeg)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [April 26, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tattoos-and-copyright-violations/577622 "2011-04-26T18:23:47Z")
Original article here My impression of copyrights (usual disclaimer: IANAL) was that the copyright owner couldn’t knowingly ignore a possible infringement because that could be used in court by another party to have oth… --- ## [Bronx vs THE Bronx](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronx-vs-the-bronx/579369)
**Author:** [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bronx-vs-the-bronx/579369 "2011-04-25T14:54:31Z")
Article here. Alas, this begs the question: Why are the names of some geographic locations preceded by “the” and others not? Rivers - THE Bronx River, THE Rio Grande, THE Nile; but not creeks, streams, springs, etc. - … --- ## [Sidewalk dance](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-dance/577642)
**Author:** [@TheMadWoodpusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMadWoodpusher)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 24, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sidewalk-dance/577642 "2011-04-24T04:55:48Z")
In the Straight Dope Classic http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/493/is-there-a-word-for-the-jig-you-do-trying-to-get-around-someone-on-the-sidewalk a search for a proper word is launched. Of course, you are all fa… --- ## [The effects of hookworm on asthma](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-effects-of-hookworm-on-asthma/578553)
**Author:** [@Beebop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beebop)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-effects-of-hookworm-on-asthma/578553 "2011-04-23T19:50:39Z")
Slightly disappointed by Cecil’s coverage of this one. While I’ll admit that the literature on parasite infection vs. allergies is pretty sparse, there are two important facts I felt should have been in there: Most all… --- ## [re: Origin of "hunky dory"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-origin-of-hunky-dory/578269)
**Author:** [@horsefeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/horsefeathers)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2011, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-origin-of-hunky-dory/578269 "2011-04-23T04:51:40Z")
The term “hunky dory” was commonly used back when I was a kid. It has origins at least as far back as the 1700’s and likely well before then. Though it’s original meaning would be considered somewhat offensive these days… --- ## [re: ninja death touch...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ninja-death-touch/578222)
**Author:** [@smcpolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smcpolin)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2011, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-ninja-death-touch/578222 "2011-04-23T02:20:42Z")
If the window of vulnerability is 15-20ms, and resting heartbeat has a period of 10…16 msec (100…60 hz), is there possibly a units problem here? Could it be 1.5ms or 15us? Either way, does it have to be a mechanical s… --- ## [re: excommunication](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-excommunication/577643)
**Author:** [@j.wittenberg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j.wittenberg)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-excommunication/577643 "2011-04-23T02:04:03Z")
As the direct descendent of individuals excommunicated from the RC Church back about 1520s - 1530s, when this actually meant their lives were at risk, I find it odd that this type of question would seriously be asked in … --- ## [Shaking up old arguments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaking-up-old-arguments/295299)
**Author:** [@Butters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Butters)\ **Replies:** 48\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2011, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaking-up-old-arguments/295299 "2011-04-22T05:09:53Z")
To this day, there doesn’t seem to be any name for ‘Shake -em ups’ as far as I can tell. Not even the One Look Reverse Dictionary is no help! See http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2\_243a.html Does anyone find this … --- ## [Pair of Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pair-of-pants/578846)
**Author:** [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2011, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pair-of-pants/578846 "2011-04-22T04:05:41Z")
In the column Why do we say a pair of pants when theres only one of them, I don’t think Cecil actually answered the question. The closest he comes is saying The obvious next question is why pants are in this category,… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=73) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=75)