# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=9 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 10 --- ## [Nuts and bananas = crazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-and-bananas-crazy/814419)
**Author:** [@DChord568](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DChord568)\ **Replies:** 10\ **Last updated:** [May 21, 2018, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nuts-and-bananas-crazy/814419 "2018-05-21T04:32:32Z")
Cecil traces the use of “bananas” to mean crazy to 1968, but ignores the 45 rpm release of the novelty song “Loving You Has Made Me Bananas” by Guy Marks, which failed to crack the Top 40 but did receive some AM radio ai… --- ## [Hate Shaving Your Face Every Day?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-shaving-your-face-every-day/813978)
**Author:** [@fd10801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fd10801)\ **Replies:** 20\ **Last updated:** [May 19, 2018, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hate-shaving-your-face-every-day/813978 "2018-05-19T01:12:39Z")
RE: I hate shaving my face every day. What else can I use? I have shaved every other day for more than 50 years - even in the Army! It’s better for your skin, and I have been told, by some, that I look as much as twenty… --- ## [Why does South America grow all the coca?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-south-america-grow-all-the-coca/814002)
**Author:** [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 13, 2018, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-does-south-america-grow-all-the-coca/814002 "2018-05-13T04:16:55Z")
Why does South America grow all the coca? I thought this was an excellent summary, using the approach people in my field (academic geography) call “political ecology.” The US as primary banner AND customer, indeed! --- ## [That Extra-Long Pinkie Nail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-extra-long-pinkie-nail/813432)
**Author:** [@Little\_Brother\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Brother_1)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-extra-long-pinkie-nail/813432 "2018-05-11T15:37:31Z")
https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2650/why-do-some-people-have-that-one-extra-long-fingernail-on-the-pinkie-finger/ I’m a bit surprised that the comprehensive list of reasons for having an extra-long pinkie didn… --- ## [What are the long-term effects of marijuana?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 11, 2018, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-long-term-effects-of-marijuana/813053 "2018-05-11T05:38:05Z")
Cecil’s column from 2006. There surely must be a whole ton of research since then. Has any consensus been reached? I’d love to read an update by Cecil on this one. --- ## [Astral traveling](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astral-traveling/813801)
**Author:** [@mikecurtis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikecurtis)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [May 10, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/astral-traveling/813801 "2018-05-10T20:13:30Z")
This column from 1999 popped up on the home page today. In the twenty years since, the air force has been doing studies on how g-loc is associated with out of body experiences (OBE’s) and near death experiences (NDE’s) … --- ## [Questions that Cecil has thought about for 12 years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-that-cecil-has-thought-about-for-12-years/812588)
**Author:** [@pieceoftheuniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pieceoftheuniverse)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2018, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-that-cecil-has-thought-about-for-12-years/812588 "2018-05-01T17:12:09Z")
At the bottom of the article How can waves be crashing on all sides of an island at once?, there are some questions that have been “thought about” for over a decade now. Here are my attempts at answers. Please, fact-chec… --- ## [Is global warming for real?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-global-warming-for-real/812840)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 18\ **Last updated:** [May 1, 2018, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-global-warming-for-real/812840 "2018-05-01T06:08:56Z")
Is global warming for real? NB: This is a column from 2006. I’m commenting on it because it was on the front page (very briefly) recently. But it doesn’t seem to be listed in the history of recent columns, so maybe it w… --- ## [No love for \[people in developing countries\]? -edited title](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-love-for-people-in-developing-countries-edited-title/813213)
**Author:** [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 27, 2018, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-love-for-people-in-developing-countries-edited-title/813213 "2018-04-27T17:18:58Z")
In today’s question, Thank you for dying: Did 250 million people worldwide die from smoking over 10 years? the 1992 Lancet article, “Mortality From Tobacco in Developed Countries: Indirect Estimation from National Vital … --- ## [How dangerous are cows?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-cows/809136)
**Author:** [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Replies:** 90\ **Last updated:** [April 25, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-dangerous-are-cows/809136 "2018-04-25T01:30:41Z")
Many years ago I was deer hunting on my friend’s farm in SE Ohio. We set out at 4:30 AM. I walked along with my flashlight and found a tree to stand under. As the sun rose I noticed I was in the middle of a large cow pa… --- ## [ZIP codes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zip-codes/812342)
**Author:** [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2018, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/zip-codes/812342 "2018-04-21T12:47:12Z")
With reference to the latest Cecil Column, Where did two-letter postal abbrevs. come from, I’d like to expand on this a bit, as I worked on mailing & shipping software, including barcoding, in the last century. While ZI… --- ## [On ice boxes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ice-boxes/812315)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2018, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-ice-boxes/812315 "2018-04-13T14:28:12Z")
Comment of Cecil’s column today: How was ice made and sold in pre-industrial times? - The Straight Dope. Despite what Cecil suggested at the end that only non-electrified rural areas had ice boxes by 1950, my grandmothe… --- ## [If a plane can take off on a conveyer belt, then why not use conveyer belts?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-plane-can-take-off-on-a-conveyer-belt-then-why-not-use-conveyer-belts/811279)
**Author:** [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\ **Replies:** 190\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-plane-can-take-off-on-a-conveyer-belt-then-why-not-use-conveyer-belts/811279 "2018-04-12T22:11:15Z")
This is in reference to column An airplane taxies in one direction on a moving conveyor belt going the opposite direction. Can the plane take off? - The Straight Dope Obviously, the main technical limitation would be de… --- ## [What’s the origin of the term "jaywalking"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-origin-of-the-term-jaywalking/811361)
**Author:** [@sbunny8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sbunny8)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 5, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-s-the-origin-of-the-term-jaywalking/811361 "2018-04-05T05:16:49Z")
According to Adam Ruins Everything, the word “jay” was an offensive pejorative term meaning something like “dirty hillbilly”. --- ## [If head trauma is so bad for humans, how do woodpeckers manage?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-head-trauma-is-so-bad-for-humans-how-do-woodpeckers-manage/811078)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 9\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2018, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-head-trauma-is-so-bad-for-humans-how-do-woodpeckers-manage/811078 "2018-03-28T16:25:34Z")
The column: If head trauma is so bad for humans, how do woodpeckers manage? - The Straight Dope Interesting column - I learned a lot. I noticed two typos, both bolded below. A misspelled word in this paragraph: As yo… --- ## [Nazi human skin lampshades](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nazi-human-skin-lampshades/548113)
**Author:** [@dgdavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dgdavis)\ **Replies:** 104\ **Last updated:** [March 28, 2018, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nazi-human-skin-lampshades/548113 "2018-03-28T01:27:53Z")
As to whether Nazi human-skin lampshades are only an “urban legend,” I have a personal story to relate. I'm a 72-year-old Denver resident who, in 1948-52, was a boy in grade school in the small farming town of Las Ani… --- ## [Is self-representing in court a bad idea?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-self-representing-in-court-a-bad-idea/811038)
**Author:** [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [March 24, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-self-representing-in-court-a-bad-idea/811038 "2018-03-24T16:26:37Z")
Link to Bricker’s Staff Report. A couple of questions. Could a client who self-represents and loses have any basis for an appeal based on inadequate representation? Secondly is self-representing still a bad idea if the … --- ## [how to do a search now?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-do-a-search-now/810985)
**Author:** [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [March 23, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-to-do-a-search-now/810985 "2018-03-23T18:30:57Z")
How does one search the archives? --- ## [On phages](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-phages/810312)
**Author:** [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-phages/810312 "2018-03-20T17:36:35Z")
Today’s column discussed bacteriophages, generally called phages, for the purpose of fighting bacteria. One problem with them is that bacteria can evolve to avoid them and rather quickly. More than 60 years ago, I help… --- ## [Canadian Club ads -- formatting issue](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-club-ads-formatting-issue/810833)
**Author:** [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Replies:** 7\ **Last updated:** [March 20, 2018, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canadian-club-ads-formatting-issue/810833 "2018-03-20T14:37:00Z")
I have no idea who is responsible for this, but somebody ought to fix it. Most of the answer to the question is run together with the question, and it’s all in italics. --- ## [Swiss Army knives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-army-knives/810382)
**Author:** [@Swarfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swarfinger)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [March 18, 2018, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swiss-army-knives/810382 "2018-03-18T02:52:27Z")
I just chanced upon Cecil’s column on Does the Swiss Army really use the Swiss Army knife? and feel moved to comment, some 23 years later! It’s not just the Swiss Army who use them - I own a Victorinox knife issued to … --- ## [Small penises](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-penises/809741)
**Author:** [@toefungus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toefungus)\ **Replies:** 52\ **Last updated:** [March 13, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/small-penises/809741 "2018-03-13T19:33:28Z")
Common sense tells us that if women actually preferred large penises then evolution would have stepped up to the plate and made it universal. --- ## [What do we know about the effects of marijuana legalization?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-know-about-the-effects-of-marijuana-legalization/809897)
**Author:** [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Replies:** 24\ **Last updated:** [March 10, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-we-know-about-the-effects-of-marijuana-legalization/809897 "2018-03-10T19:54:26Z")
This joke went over my head: “Municipalities can impose their own levies, too, which is how Pueblo County ended up spending $420,000 (heh heh) on scholarships for 210 local students in 2017.” --- ## [Mailing yourself](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-yourself/810276)
**Author:** [@mort0002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mort0002)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [March 9, 2018, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mailing-yourself/810276 "2018-03-09T12:04:50Z")
The cases quoted by Cecil were mere beginners compared to Reg Spiers of Adelaide. In 1964 he had himself air-freighted in a wooden box from England to Australia to attend his daughter’s birthday. It took 63 hours and he … --- ## [Weed vs. road deaths.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weed-vs-road-deaths/809958)
**Author:** [@toefungus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toefungus)\ **Replies:** 8\ **Last updated:** [March 5, 2018, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weed-vs-road-deaths/809958 "2018-03-05T19:14:27Z")
“what we’ve got is data to confirm anyone’s preexisting prejudices. Opposed to recreational marijuana? Legalization’s made the roads deadlier. In favor? Plenty of evidence suggests that’s not really happening. This was a… --- ## [Inbred families in Appalachia? Or elsewhere?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inbred-families-in-appalachia-or-elsewhere/808311)
**Author:** [@Euphrosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphrosyne)\ **Replies:** 36\ **Last updated:** [February 27, 2018, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/inbred-families-in-appalachia-or-elsewhere/808311 "2018-02-27T15:09:28Z")
Those of us who are history buffs and / or royalty buffs will know that “the Queen” (don’t we Americans think of Her Brittannic Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II as simply “the Queen”?) . . . the Queen and her husband the Duke… --- ## [Greeks and Egyptian trading](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeks-and-egyptian-trading/809634)
**Author:** [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greeks-and-egyptian-trading/809634 "2018-02-26T23:51:07Z")
Only a small snark, but I felt it needed to be made because of how I first read it. As fans of xkcd might tell you, that’s much different than a Greek-free trade zone. --- ## [Do other languages call Earth earth (non-answer)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-call-earth-earth-non-answer/808858)
**Author:** [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Replies:** 22\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2018, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-other-languages-call-earth-earth-non-answer/808858 "2018-02-26T22:47:05Z")
Column: Do other languages call Earth “Earth”? - The Straight Dope Was Cecil in a grouchy mood? It’s pretty clear what the question meant but Cecil instead answers the question in a very literal way, which plainly no-on… --- ## [Re: Who first invented Pi ?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-who-first-invented-pi/809374)
**Author:** [@DonLehner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLehner)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [February 26, 2018, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/re-who-first-invented-pi/809374 "2018-02-26T19:44:59Z")
Who first invented Pie ? ( Sorry ’ couldn’t resist ) … :stuck\_out\_tongue\_closed\_eyes: --- ## [Bugs Bunny and racist cartoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-and-racist-cartoons/809130)
**Author:** [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Replies:** 15\ **Last updated:** [February 21, 2018, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bugs-bunny-and-racist-cartoons/809130 "2018-02-21T16:58:27Z")
I haven’t seen most of the “cansored” cartoons listed. But Cartoon Network did do a program once on those cartoons, with clips from some. They also showed, and I recorded, “Herr Meets Hare” That one was likely selecte… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=10)