# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=75 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 76 --- ## [Is it possible to freeze your cojones off?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-freeze-your-cojones-off/572568)
**Author:** [@Villies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Villies)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-possible-to-freeze-your-cojones-off/572568 "2011-04-21T18:24:56Z")
While I have no medical knowledge to contribute to the answer, I must note that the expression : “Cold enough to freeze/shake the balls off a brass monkey” comes from the yesteryears of powder canons. The monkey is a br… --- ## [Ancient artifacts - depth = age](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-artifacts-depth-age/578710)
**Author:** [@sterling963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sterling963)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2011, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ancient-artifacts-depth-age/578710 "2011-04-20T17:39:42Z")
Hello Mr Adams - I read the article on “Why Ancient Cities are buried”, and it was informative, as far as it goes. However, there is still a related mystery - that is, why are inorganic artifacts (like pottery pieces) d… --- ## [How do we wake up just before the alarm goes off?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-wake-up-just-before-the-alarm-goes-off/578344)
**Author:** [@DaBeev](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaBeev)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-we-wake-up-just-before-the-alarm-goes-off/578344 "2011-04-18T14:48:37Z")
The answer in a column from the 80’s indicated that people were hearing minute sounds from the alarm clock, and were conditioned to wake up then. But I always wake up 5 to 10 minutes before the time I’m trying to wake u… --- ## [Perils of aspartame](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perils-of-aspartame/578479)
**Author:** [@psythe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psythe)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perils-of-aspartame/578479 "2011-04-18T14:08:27Z")
Original article here This is slightly non-sequitur but it seems as good a time as any to bring up relatively new research which seems not widely known to vets, let alone pet owners - namely that dogs in particular (als… --- ## [American Women & Shaving Column](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-women-shaving-column/578752)
**Author:** [@reigningtrue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reigningtrue)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-women-shaving-column/578752 "2011-04-18T01:00:59Z")
I just wanted to say that the main movement towards hairless legs started in WWII. America entered into total war, which means that all of the country’s resources were devoted toward it. Women became very active and patr… --- ## [Graphology](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graphology/577499)
**Author:** [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2011, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/graphology/577499 "2011-04-17T21:46:50Z")
Unca Cecil’s column and related thread 1and thread 2. Are there any new studies in this field? --- ## [the pompatus of love and those peaches](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pompatus-of-love-and-those-peaches/578316)
**Author:** [@CarolBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarolBeth)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2011, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-pompatus-of-love-and-those-peaches/578316 "2011-04-17T08:33:14Z")
Well, about the "Really love your peaches let me shake your tree…try going back a little further. Irving Berlin wrote "If You Don’T Want My Peaches (You’d Better Stop Shaking My Tree) somewhere around 1915. … --- ## [How do I avoid a holiday hangover?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-avoid-a-holiday-hangover/576274)
**Author:** [@Scotadrift](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotadrift)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-avoid-a-holiday-hangover/576274 "2011-04-15T19:40:00Z")
With regard to the above named article I thought I’d submit a theory. I cannot, sadly, verify this in its entirety but I think it has a ring of truth to it. A friend of mine has a degree in Brewing and Distilling. Whe… --- ## [My Dad was with Glenn Miller in his final moments](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dad-was-with-glenn-miller-in-his-final-moments/502509)
**Author:** [@erynnsmama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erynnsmama)\ **Replies:** 64\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-dad-was-with-glenn-miller-in-his-final-moments/502509 "2011-04-13T14:25:11Z")
I just learned from my 74 year old brother (I’m female 52) that my father, Charles “Red” Lackey was a drummer with Glenn Miller when he was stabbed by a French dancer, after the US saved France from Germany. My dad w… --- ## [Passing on the right/left](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-on-the-right-left/578108)
**Author:** [@LivingInThePast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingInThePast)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/passing-on-the-right-left/578108 "2011-04-12T22:42:44Z")
Related to the “sidewalk dance” column, I noticed J.G. proposed that passing on the right was the “right” way to do it. 'Way back when there were pedestrians walking along roads without sidewalks, the rule was to walk o… --- ## [Can man live by anything alone?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-man-live-by-anything-alone/577252)
**Author:** [@doodinthemood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doodinthemood)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-man-live-by-anything-alone/577252 "2011-04-12T00:44:07Z")
Following on from Cecil’s answer to “can man live by bread alone” (see here. Basically, no, and it would be a horrible, painful demise.) I wonder, is there any one simple thing that man can live on alone? And if not, wh… --- ## [CPAP acronym error?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cpap-acronym-error/577753)
**Author:** [@Taeran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taeran)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2011, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cpap-acronym-error/577753 "2011-04-12T00:07:36Z")
Just regarding the “Why does my body jerk when I’m falling asleep” article found here, there may have been some creative license taken with the CPAP acronym, described in the article as a “constant pressure air pump”. C… --- ## [Re: How do I get myself excommunicated?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018)
**Author:** [@Wygtya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wygtya)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 9, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-how-do-i-get-myself-excommunicated/467018 "2011-04-09T17:52:52Z")
I have a question about the bell, book and candle ritual. (I always thought it was something to do with witches until now). I get the book - the bishop reads from it. I get the candle - the priests hold them and dash the… --- ## [Eye eye](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-eye/577415)
**Author:** [@Gilamonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilamonster)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eye-eye/577415 "2011-04-08T12:49:58Z")
Regarding the column about whether eyeballs can be knocked out of the head, I just thought I’d share this (probably apocryphal) story. It’s France, 1794, and things are not going quite as planned for Robespierre and his… --- ## [Experimental design: Monty Hall](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experimental-design-monty-hall/577115)
**Author:** [@Beruang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beruang)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/experimental-design-monty-hall/577115 "2011-04-08T10:42:35Z")
Regarding the infamous Monty Hall problem: I’ve sketched out all the possible answers on paper, and still can’t see how switching doors would have any effect. Rather than revel in ignorance, I’ve decided to take Cecil’… --- ## [What does the filler text "lorem ipsum" mean?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-filler-text-lorem-ipsum-mean/575141)
**Author:** [@SteveG23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG23)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-the-filler-text-lorem-ipsum-mean/575141 "2011-04-07T13:28:26Z")
The source would seem to be the 1914 translation by H. Rackham, which I found browsing on openlibrary.org (specifically http://openlibrary.org/books/OL6568594M/De\_finibus\_bonorum\_et\_malorum). Check the .pdf version: on… --- ## [How is A Raven like a Writing Desk](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-raven-like-a-writing-desk/577217)
**Author:** [@madwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madwriter)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-is-a-raven-like-a-writing-desk/577217 "2011-04-07T04:49:49Z")
My friends and I did Alice in wonderland for our school play and wanted to figure out the answer. After about a month of thinking we figured it out. A raven is like a writing desk because Edgar Allen Poe wrote The Raven … --- ## [Regarding Bug Bombs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-bug-bombs/577262)
**Author:** [@MiMivsBugs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MiMivsBugs)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/regarding-bug-bombs/577262 "2011-04-05T14:22:03Z")
Dear Cecil: Our mother is moving to a new apartment and has really nice furniture. Unfortunately, the apartment she is living in now has roaches! Not wanting to bring the buggers along, we are trying to find ways to k… --- ## [Panorama "miles" in length?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panorama-miles-in-length/577166)
**Author:** [@LivingInThePast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LivingInThePast)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2011, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/panorama-miles-in-length/577166 "2011-04-05T14:04:42Z")
In the classic column on “-arama,” Cecil claims that Ripley’s claims that Robert “Barker’s paintings were … up to three miles long…” For a period spanning the 1790s, I think this is a bit far-fetched. How long might it … --- ## [But that isn't why dogs' noses always wet](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-that-isnt-why-dogs-noses-always-wet/577121)
**Author:** [@IAmBroom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmBroom)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2011, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-that-isnt-why-dogs-noses-always-wet/577121 "2011-04-05T05:25:48Z")
I googled this question, Why are dogs’ noses always wet? (more or less), and was delighted to see that The Straight Dope had covered it! “At last, I will know,” I thought to myself… According to SD veterinarian DrMat: … --- ## [Longterm health effects of marijuana](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longterm-health-effects-of-marijuana/574955)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longterm-health-effects-of-marijuana/574955 "2011-04-04T15:11:31Z")
Good column - last update was in 1997, though. Time for another update? Also, it looks like the first paragraph of Cecil’s answer should be broken at the italicized words “The ‘amotivational syndrome,’” as the other … --- ## [gerbil stufffing](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerbil-stufffing/573474)
**Author:** [@bertzpoet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bertzpoet)\ **Replies:** 11\ **Last updated:** [April 4, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gerbil-stufffing/573474 "2011-04-04T14:25:45Z")
Snopes, good for exposing hoaxes and urban legends, debunks gerbil stuffing (although, if anything is possible to happen, it will): --- ## [Can Coca-Cola be used as a contraceptive?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-coca-cola-be-used-as-a-contraceptive/575842)
**Author:** [@pwn1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pwn1)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-coca-cola-be-used-as-a-contraceptive/575842 "2011-04-03T12:52:36Z")
Can Coca-Cola be used as a contraceptive? In his book, “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask”, Dr Rubin mentions the Coca-Cola method, suggesting the acidic nature of the product, its e… --- ## [Vegans Consuming Semen](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegans-consuming-semen/575953)
**Author:** [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vegans-consuming-semen/575953 "2011-04-03T11:41:31Z")
You’ll have to scroll down past the main column, down to the “Question’s We’re Still Thinking About.” IMHO, a vegan who swallows semen is NOT cheating, for this reason: vegan moms nurse their babies. Since human milk … --- ## [re: Is it possible to land a punch at 2,000 pounds per square inch?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-it-possible-to-land-a-punch-at-2-000-pounds-per-square-inch/576991)
**Author:** [@ZephOnline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZephOnline)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-is-it-possible-to-land-a-punch-at-2-000-pounds-per-square-inch/576991 "2011-04-03T02:52:31Z")
It was good to distinguish between force and pressure. I’m not sure if the “pounds per square inch” thing is just hype confusion, or if there really is something meaningful to measure there (like using knuckles or hand… --- ## [kangaroo court](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-court/576868)
**Author:** [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kangaroo-court/576868 "2011-04-03T02:40:13Z")
The story I read was that “kangaroo courts” were British courts in the 19th century all too prone to give a guilty verdict to provide convicts for transport to the colonies. I can’t find the book right now but it was abo… --- ## [Trolls?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls/576252)
**Author:** [@donjack10](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donjack10)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trolls/576252 "2011-04-03T01:58:52Z")
\[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”\]\*\*\*\*\*\*\[/FIONT\] I was recently, in a political news forum, accused of being a “troll”, because I had posted what was mistakenly interpreted as being right-wing, in a predominately left-wing forum. … --- ## ["Rule of Thumb"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rule-of-thumb/576559)
**Author:** [@sjml](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sjml)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [April 3, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rule-of-thumb/576559 "2011-04-03T00:43:09Z")
Cecil - I challenge your information about the American legal system not supporting a man’s right to hit his wife. It has in fact been upheld by more than one court over the history of America. See http://www.libraryin… --- ## [Re: On maps, why is north always up?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-on-maps-why-is-north-always-up/575994)
**Author:** [@arlenmoller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/arlenmoller)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-on-maps-why-is-north-always-up/575994 "2011-04-01T16:19:35Z")
Thank you for this thoughtful answer, Cecil. I just wanted to add a link to a recently published article on the consequences of this north is up convention (i.e., north=up). Basically, across 4 experiments, we found th… --- ## [Where do cooties come from?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cooties-come-from/576565)
**Author:** [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2011, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-do-cooties-come-from/576565 "2011-04-01T06:14:25Z")
In reference to this classic: For over half a century I have not found a definitive answer to this question, “Do you get cooties from girls, or do you get cooties from boys?” So far, informal polling shows a 50-50 spli… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=74) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=76)