# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=8 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 9 --- ## [On Zombie Creation...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-zombie-creation/818839)
**Author:** [@Major\_Matt\_Mason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Major_Matt_Mason)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [August 7, 2018, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-zombie-creation/818839 "2018-08-07T19:40:26Z")
Bob Hope has the best all-time quote on zombies, IMHO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWpU8sX10\_4 \*Lawrence: “You live here?” Montgomery: “Yes.” Lawrence: “Then maybe you know what a zombie is” Montgomery: “When a… --- ## [Would a gun work in space?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-gun-work-in-space/818970)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 35\ **Last updated:** [August 5, 2018, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-gun-work-in-space/818970 "2018-08-05T19:10:14Z")
In today’s question about firearms needing oxygen to work in space, Bricker’s answer is spot on so far as chemistry is concerned but I would be more concerned about lubrication. Even if the lube is not affected by vacuu… --- ## [Oz and the French Revolution](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-and-the-french-revolution/818683)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [August 4, 2018, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oz-and-the-french-revolution/818683 "2018-08-04T19:20:00Z")
If Cameron G’s high school buddy had “collected several of the Oz books” and referred to the initial one of the series as The Wizard of Oz, he was not paying attention. The book is titled The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Be… --- ## [Zebra mussels and bioaccumulation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zebra-mussels-and-bioaccumulation/818140)
**Author:** [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [August 2, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zebra-mussels-and-bioaccumulation/818140 "2018-08-02T19:03:27Z")
One point that Cecil could have gone into more detail on, in his zebra mussel column: In the last paragraph, he mentions that it’s inadvisable to eat zebra mussels, because, as filter feeders, they tend to have high lev… --- ## [Sluggo’s Wizard of Oz drawing...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sluggo-s-wizard-of-oz-drawing/818713)
**Author:** [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [July 28, 2018, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sluggo-s-wizard-of-oz-drawing/818713 "2018-07-28T12:49:37Z")
… in which Glenda is portrayed as a turkey in drag. Umm, what am I missing? I know Slugs plays a little fast and loose with the illustrations occasionally but there’s usually a tie in. --- ## [Leprosy in other animals.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leprosy-in-other-animals/696974)
**Author:** [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 23, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/leprosy-in-other-animals/696974 "2018-07-23T04:21:51Z")
Original column. There is an outbreak of the bacterium that causes leprosy in red squirrels in Scotland (already suffering from other problems leading to losing out to gray squirrels). Note the research is credited to … --- ## [Thank you, Unca Cece](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-unca-cece/816894)
**Author:** [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Replies:** 41\ **Last updated:** [July 21, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-unca-cece/816894 "2018-07-21T15:02:28Z")
Rough week. Thanks, Cecil. Thanks, Ed. Love you both like mad. You brightened an often shitty adolescence and adulthood. And still do. As was the fashion of the day, link to column: A note from Cecil Adams about T… --- ## [Where Is Route 66?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-route-66/817879)
**Author:** [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2018, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-route-66/817879 "2018-07-16T04:48:55Z")
Link to column I wonder why Amarillo and Gallup are mentioned in the song but not Albuquerque. Possibly too awkward to fit in, although it has the same number of syllables as Amarillo and Los Angeles. I lived for a spel… --- ## [Swearing in atheists](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swearing-in-atheists/504774)
**Author:** [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Replies:** 77\ **Last updated:** [July 16, 2018, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swearing-in-atheists/504774 "2018-07-16T02:22:27Z")
From here: How do courts swear in atheists? - The Straight Dope Cecil said: I’ll put my money on the court tossing someone’s butt in jail for perjury over the idea of Big Juju In The Sky getting him in the head with a… --- ## [Where's my flying car?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-my-flying-car/704593)
**Author:** [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Replies:** 25\ **Last updated:** [July 13, 2018, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-my-flying-car/704593 "2018-07-13T00:19:28Z")
Why were Midcentury Futurists Predictions Like Flying Cars So Wrong. One of the reasons why midcentury futurists were so wrong is that they were focusing on the big changes. Since the industrial revolution, big was mode… --- ## [References](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/references/817614)
**Author:** [@kbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kbutler)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [July 9, 2018, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/references/817614 "2018-07-09T21:51:13Z")
The tumbleweed, also known as the Russian Thistle, came to the prairies of the United States in the late 1870’s. It found its way here in grains and seeds imported from Russia. The Mennonites imported the tumbleweed in f… --- ## [Washington, Jefferson & hemp](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washington-jefferson-hemp/520887)
**Author:** [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Replies:** 46\ **Last updated:** [July 8, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/washington-jefferson-hemp/520887 "2018-07-08T01:24:50Z")
linky: Did George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grow marijuana? - The Straight Dope It seem pretty obvious to me that the Founding Fathers were trying to grow a fiber crop. My question is, just when did Europeans beco… --- ## [Chicken poop](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-poop/817376)
**Author:** [@toefungus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toefungus)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [July 6, 2018, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chicken-poop/817376 "2018-07-06T13:58:23Z")
Your friend is forgetting to factor in the single biggest factor of chicken ownership: How long will it be before he’s sick and tired of cleaning the poop out of the coop? I’m betting he’ll soon be buying eggs in the s… --- ## [I miss Una and her friends](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-una-and-her-friends/817337)
**Author:** [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [July 5, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-miss-una-and-her-friends/817337 "2018-07-05T20:43:07Z")
https://www.straightdope.com --- ## [Plane on a Treadmill - SOLUTION](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-on-a-treadmill-solution/346954)
**Author:** [@Paradoxic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paradoxic)\ **Replies:** 347\ **Last updated:** [July 3, 2018, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plane-on-a-treadmill-solution/346954 "2018-07-03T23:30:46Z")
MODERATOR EDIT: Please note that this thread was started in 2006, has been revived several times since. Please be careful about what you’re responding to, since it could be way (way!) old. This thread is in response to… --- ## [Weird British pronunciation](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-british-pronunciation/814738)
**Author:** [@porkbroth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porkbroth)\ **Replies:** 92\ **Last updated:** [June 30, 2018, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-british-pronunciation/814738 "2018-06-30T18:23:48Z")
I remember reading that some British names and places weren’t pronounced phonetically as a shibboleth for the aristocracy to determine who was merely a bourgeoisie pretender with “new money”. A couple of other examples f… --- ## [Do Cruise ships dump raw sewage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cruise-ships-dump-raw-sewage/816600)
**Author:** [@jekronenfeld](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jekronenfeld)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [June 29, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-cruise-ships-dump-raw-sewage/816600 "2018-06-29T00:21:26Z")
Cecil In your recent column about pollution from cruise ships. You talked about their dumping of raw sewage into the ocean. On one of my cruises, we were told that the ship collected and processed all sewage and that … --- ## [Plurals of English nouns borrowed from other languages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plurals-of-english-nouns-borrowed-from-other-languages/816887)
**Author:** [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [June 28, 2018, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plurals-of-english-nouns-borrowed-from-other-languages/816887 "2018-06-28T02:30:23Z")
I loved bibliophage’s 2004 essay on English plurals of words borrowed from Latin and beyond … I’d missed it the first time around. I thought I’d already known this stuff, but I learned new things. And the interwoven hum… --- ## ["black sheep"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-sheep/816645)
**Author:** [@jpbarber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jpbarber)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [June 27, 2018, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/black-sheep/816645 "2018-06-27T00:41:44Z")
This reference to “black sheep” goes back further than I found in a post already on here. There is one that goes back even further than the one posted below, as a misinterpretation of a verse in Genesis. I don’t trust th… --- ## [The Mark of the Beast](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mark-of-the-beast/816375)
**Author:** [@waddlingeagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waddlingeagle)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [June 26, 2018, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-mark-of-the-beast/816375 "2018-06-26T01:07:33Z")
Link to original column: https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2245/whats-up-with-666-the-mark-of-the-beast/ One of the better explanations I have read is that apocalyptic revelations are deliberately vague so as to… --- ## [Who has the power to arrest the president?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [June 25, 2018, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-the-power-to-arrest-the-president/816717 "2018-06-25T17:59:50Z")
The column: Who has the power to arrest the president? - The Straight Dope A related earlier thread which wasn’t in the Comments on Cecil’s Columns forum: https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=811574 I … --- ## [Booby-trapped tombs](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booby-trapped-tombs/815571)
**Author:** [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 22, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/booby-trapped-tombs/815571 "2018-06-22T00:01:14Z")
Regarding booby-trapped tombs - Were ancient tombs really booby-trapped? - The Straight Dope Giant stones, poison arrows, crushing walls (even in Star Wars) - nah. Snakes, why did it have to be snakes. --- ## [Numerology (June 8, 2018)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numerology-june-8-2018/815690)
**Author:** [@clevecallison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clevecallison)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/numerology-june-8-2018/815690 "2018-06-18T15:46:31Z")
In reference to Shakespeare and the King James Bible – I enjoyed mentioning Gardner’s “46” discovery when teaching Shakespeare, but I never cited it as evidence. Alas, one year I looked up the Tyndale translation of the … --- ## [Prevention of tick borne diseases](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prevention-of-tick-borne-diseases/815686)
**Author:** [@scaeva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scaeva)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [June 18, 2018, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/prevention-of-tick-borne-diseases/815686 "2018-06-18T01:33:52Z")
One of your recent questions dealt with someone’s frustration over doing a tick-check after every walk in the woods. Your conclusion was that doing so was the best preventative, and I heartily agree. There is, however, a… --- ## [What's up with the Acme Company?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-acme-company/816033)
**Author:** [@waddlingeagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waddlingeagle)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [June 13, 2018, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-up-with-the-acme-company/816033 "2018-06-13T22:45:01Z")
Re: Does Wile E. Coyote ever catch the Road Runner. Yes. He caught him in the 1980 Chuck Jones special “Bugs Bunny is Bustin’ Out all Over,” in the segment “Soup or Sonic.” The segment can be seen here. Not that Wile E. … --- ## [Suet as a dessert](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suet-as-a-dessert/814402)
**Author:** [@leschulz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leschulz)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [May 30, 2018, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/suet-as-a-dessert/814402 "2018-05-30T01:48:35Z")
I just read the column on where the name “spotted dick” came from. What really struck me about the column is that the dessert is a type of suet pudding. Which leads to the inevitable question, why on earth do the Briti… --- ## [Human evolution and earwax](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-evolution-and-earwax/812931)
**Author:** [@am77494](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/am77494)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 27, 2018, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/human-evolution-and-earwax/812931 "2018-05-27T07:01:30Z")
“If you would describe yourself as white or black, your earwax is probably yellow and sticky. If you are East Asian or Native American, it’s likely to be dry and white.” Cite: https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/gory-detail… --- ## [ear was](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-was/814835)
**Author:** [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [May 26, 2018, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ear-was/814835 "2018-05-26T01:35:25Z")
There’s an usual editing error in todays report I hope it get’s re-edited: for some reason I find it oddly annoying. --- ## [How long did Jill stare at hole in her lawn? 3 years? 17 years? Still staring?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-jill-stare-at-hole-in-her-lawn-3-years-17-years-still-staring/814154)
**Author:** [@JHuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHuff)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [May 24, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-did-jill-stare-at-hole-in-her-lawn-3-years-17-years-still-staring/814154 "2018-05-24T06:08:24Z")
In this article, Jill says she’s gonna stare at a hole in her lawn for years on end to find how long a specific cicada larva spends underground. How’d it turn out? --- ## [Tumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tumbleweed/814614)
**Author:** [@senoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/senoy)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [May 22, 2018, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tumbleweed/814614 "2018-05-22T13:30:34Z")
The only thing I think the column misses is that the classic ‘Old West Tumbleweed’ is not an Amaranth, but rather Russian Thistle (Salsola Tragus) It’s an invasive that was introduced in the 1870s from Russian flax shipm… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=9)