# Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=90 [Latest](https://boards.straightdope.com/latest.md) · [Categories](https://boards.straightdope.com/categories.md) · [Tags](https://boards.straightdope.com/tags.md) **Page:** 91 --- ## [Classics should not be updated without prominent notice](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classics-should-not-be-updated-without-prominent-notice/536897)
**Author:** [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 23, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classics-should-not-be-updated-without-prominent-notice/536897 "2010-04-23T16:46:07Z")
Today’s column is supposedly dated from 1974. Where does the baseball term "bullpen" come from? - The Straight Dope Yet refers to Fernando Valenzuela as a pitcher of prowess. Alas, Fernando did not become famous until t… --- ## [Dark roof/light roof... heating/cooling...Best of both worlds!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-roof-light-roof-heating-cooling-best-of-both-worlds/535503)
**Author:** [@Alexov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alexov)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 22, 2010, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dark-roof-light-roof-heating-cooling-best-of-both-worlds/535503 "2010-04-22T18:12:19Z")
Just saw one of Cecil’s columns about the benefits of a lighter colored roof. Over here in Australia, someone is on their way to a few million bucks, and helping to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels at the same time… --- ## [Why is Baseball Sock Obsessed?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-baseball-sock-obsessed/536404)
**Author:** [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-baseball-sock-obsessed/536404 "2010-04-21T18:50:23Z")
In Cecil’s column Why were the Cincinnati Reds Once Known as the Redlegs?, I was hoping he’d explain why were all the baseball teams known for their inner footwear. We have the Red Sox and the White Sox and the Reds whi… --- ## [Hey, Admins, YOU'RE A FUCKIN HOLDOUT!](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-admins-youre-a-fuckin-holdout/536815)
**Author:** [@Super\_Kapowzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Super_Kapowzler)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 21, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-admins-youre-a-fuckin-holdout/536815 "2010-04-21T02:18:09Z")
Look, Dude, I liven’d up this place a bit and shit, and together we can do some good. Contact me about sendin’ me a free T-Shirt and I will donate 4 times that cost to charity. Send your shit to my email, and perhaps i… --- ## [Is the GPS satellite system collapsing?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gps-satellite-system-collapsing/536720)
**Author:** [@krunen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/krunen)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2010, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-gps-satellite-system-collapsing/536720 "2010-04-20T08:37:46Z")
Re. Cecil’s post. The Russian GLOSNASS system and the European Galileo system deserves mention. GLOSNASS is up and running, and currently gives just slightly worse accuracy than GPS. Commercial receivers are available.… --- ## [Ok,anyone here interested in Cattle Mutes](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-anyone-here-interested-in-cattle-mutes/536533)
**Author:** [@carol\_nistri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carol_nistri)\ **Replies:** 23\ **Last updated:** [April 20, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ok-anyone-here-interested-in-cattle-mutes/536533 "2010-04-20T04:32:04Z")
I do love a debate and I just read an article by Cecil that Im dying to talk about. --- ## [Would wearing white clothing on the outside and black on the inside be cooler than wearing black?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wearing-white-clothing-on-the-outside-and-black-on-the-inside-be-cooler-than-wearing-black/536422)
**Author:** [@casebash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casebash)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-wearing-white-clothing-on-the-outside-and-black-on-the-inside-be-cooler-than-wearing-black/536422 "2010-04-18T02:43:48Z")
I just finished reading: “Does black clothing keep you cooler?”. In summary: It is well known that white objects absorb less heat than other objects due to its increased reflection. However, for humans, it also reflects… --- ## [Are some dogs racist?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-dogs-racist/536349)
**Author:** [@rhobit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhobit)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 18, 2010, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-some-dogs-racist/536349 "2010-04-18T00:13:20Z")
Hi, I thought I’d see if I could add to this discussion. My late uncle used to live in South Africa and at one point had a dog who was said to suffer from racism. The explanation that I was given was that as dogs have… --- ## [You are wrong Cecil](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794)
**Author:** [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Replies:** 19\ **Last updated:** [April 17, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-are-wrong-cecil/534794 "2010-04-17T17:29:34Z")
Sorry, but I don’t need a scientific study to prove to me that men get sleepy when they have an orgasm. These days it isn’t as strong as it was when I was younger, but from what I remember back then it was a very powerfu… --- ## [Lowering the pitcher's mound](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowering-the-pitchers-mound/536142)
**Author:** [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Replies:** 13\ **Last updated:** [April 16, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lowering-the-pitchers-mound/536142 "2010-04-16T20:58:23Z")
In his answer to What’s the purpose of the pitcher’s mound in baseball? Cecil says the mound was lowered from fifteen inches to ten inches in 1963. He got the year wrong - this happened in 1969. Hitting had been declinin… --- ## [Did They Mean Cajun When They Said Creole?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-mean-cajun-when-they-said-creole/535496)
**Author:** [@DukeW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DukeW)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 15, 2010, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-they-mean-cajun-when-they-said-creole/535496 "2010-04-15T15:13:44Z")
You have to love the strength of Cecil’s convictions – he rarely lets facts get in the way of a good line. His self-congratulatory liberalism makes me wonder if his fact-checkers are drunk or merely stoned. To wit, thi… --- ## ["Cardiac Arrest" is NOT a cause of death...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-arrest-is-not-a-cause-of-death/534700)
**Author:** [@omeinv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/omeinv)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cardiac-arrest-is-not-a-cause-of-death/534700 "2010-04-14T18:29:24Z")
It’s an effect. In this otherwise splendid response: Hawkeye, makes the statement “Michael Jackson’s case, on the other hand, was more complicated: the cause of his death (cardiac arrest) was known, but the manner (h… --- ## [Getting hit by a baseball](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-hit-by-a-baseball/536088)
**Author:** [@cepuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cepuck)\ **Replies:** 0\ **Last updated:** [April 14, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/getting-hit-by-a-baseball/536088 "2010-04-14T17:47:08Z")
You are forgetting. The chances of getting hit depend on where you sit. The chances increase when sitting where most foul balls are hit…which would be foul balls down the line just past first or third base. --- ## [Five ways to first base](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-ways-to-first-base/535470)
**Author:** [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2010, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/five-ways-to-first-base/535470 "2010-04-13T12:35:24Z")
Interesting this classic is up this week What are 5 ways to get to 1st without hitting the ball? - The Straight Dope Today on the Tacoma Rainiers twitter feed (talking to the Reno Aces) they came up with 23 ways for a h… --- ## [About the Psych tests.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-psych-tests/528681)
**Author:** [@Osomatic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Osomatic)\ **Replies:** 40\ **Last updated:** [April 13, 2010, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/about-the-psych-tests/528681 "2010-04-13T11:18:07Z")
Erm. I briefly worked in Human Resources for the transit agency of one of America’s largest cities, and when I first started our hiring for bus drivers was based on a psychological test somewhat similar to the Briggs-M… --- ## [Whence "Shortstop"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whence-shortstop/535852)
**Author:** [@janeslogin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janeslogin)\ **Replies:** 3\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2010, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whence-shortstop/535852 "2010-04-12T22:38:35Z")
Re: shortstop If I recall correctly some old dictionaries said “shortstop” came from cricket. Does cricket have a shortstop? Did it once have one? --- ## [military budget](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-budget/535783)
**Author:** [@Johnbuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnbuck)\ **Replies:** 1\ **Last updated:** [April 12, 2010, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-budget/535783 "2010-04-12T00:19:07Z")
This site The Federal Pie Chart mirrors an article I read in The Nation magazine about 20 years ago. The military budget as a percentage of federal taxes is far higher than the official account which includes “trust fund… --- ## [Indented wine bottles](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indented-wine-bottles/535208)
**Author:** [@janesaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/janesaw)\ **Replies:** 12\ **Last updated:** [April 11, 2010, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/indented-wine-bottles/535208 "2010-04-11T10:43:16Z")
This goes back to 1999! Why do some wine bottles have indented bottoms? While writing a feature about trends in wine packaging, I spoke to a reliable source who is president of a bottle company and extremely knowledgea… --- ## [Worldwide diamond sales $100, 000](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-diamond-sales-100-000/535617)
**Author:** [@casebash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casebash)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 10, 2010, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worldwide-diamond-sales-100-000/535617 "2010-04-10T10:12:59Z")
According to this thread, world wide sales of diamonds in 1932 were only $100, 000. Using Wolfram Alpha, I calculated the present value to be $1.56 million. I find this hard to believe. I doubt you could even support one… --- ## [Faulkner and typos](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faulkner-and-typos/534580)
**Author:** [@signal11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/signal11)\ **Replies:** 16\ **Last updated:** [April 8, 2010, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/faulkner-and-typos/534580 "2010-04-08T12:26:47Z")
In this Straight Dope Classic Cecil finishes with the kicker: Faulkner decided to live with the new spelling rather than hassle to correct the error. He’s lucky his name wasn’t Friar Tuck. I don’t get it. --- ## [On the Etymology of "Horny"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-etymology-of-horny/535295)
**Author:** [@blackplates](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blackplates)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2010, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-etymology-of-horny/535295 "2010-04-07T23:03:40Z")
That was a thoughtful answser cecil. I did not know that the word horny went that far back in english tho. the UK variant is “randy” and i know that goes back at least as far as the 18th century. i believe “horny” may be… --- ## [What's correct, "he had GOT some" or "he had GOTTEN some"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-correct-he-had-got-some-or-he-had-gotten-some/533769)
**Author:** [@wclark\_xoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wclark_xoom)\ **Replies:** 26\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2010, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-correct-he-had-got-some-or-he-had-gotten-some/533769 "2010-04-07T22:36:38Z")
What’s correct, “he had GOT some” or “he had GOTTEN some”? http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/258/whats-correct-he-had-got-some-or-he-had-gotten-some I disagree with the claim that “got means you obtained somethi… --- ## [Bohemian Grove "owl" on the $1 bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-grove-owl-on-the-1-bill/534727)
**Author:** [@missyvanwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missyvanwinkle)\ **Replies:** 34\ **Last updated:** [April 7, 2010, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bohemian-grove-owl-on-the-1-bill/534727 "2010-04-07T22:04:35Z")
Ever since I was a kid (and still had the eyesight to view the little guy unaided), I knew the creature in the corner of the dollar was a spider – an energetic fellow who spun on all the lovely “web” engraved on our mone… --- ## [mary and jesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-and-jesus/534793)
**Author:** [@stevecamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stevecamp)\ **Replies:** 2\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mary-and-jesus/534793 "2010-04-06T18:44:21Z")
Who ever wrote about this from the bible should read the gnostic gospels, especially the gospel of Phillip. Very interesting. I think all the gospels that are contained in the gnostic gospels were left out for a reason b… --- ## [Sorry didn't include link](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-didnt-include-link/534797)
**Author:** [@DanMel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanMel)\ **Replies:** 4\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sorry-didnt-include-link/534797 "2010-04-06T16:17:29Z")
I’d say it’s probably pretty obvious what I was refering to in the last whatever-you-call-it that I sent, but just in case it’s not, here you go: --- ## [Why is Greenland considered an island but not Eurasia?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-greenland-considered-an-island-but-not-eurasia/533529)
**Author:** [@hilt9031](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hilt9031)\ **Replies:** 21\ **Last updated:** [April 6, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-greenland-considered-an-island-but-not-eurasia/533529 "2010-04-06T15:36:33Z")
"Why is Greenland considered an island but not Eurasia? March 12, 2008 Dear Straight Dope: What are the requirements for being classified as an island? Africa, Europe and Asia are all connected and surrounded totally … --- ## [The meaning of Notary Sojac](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715)
**Author:** [@ccdesan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ccdesan)\ **Replies:** 17\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-meaning-of-notary-sojac/422715 "2010-04-02T16:31:56Z")
The official Smokey Stover page claims that “Notary Sojac” means “Merry Christmas” in Gaelic. The Irish version (Nollaig Shona) could possibly be morphed into that by violent wordplay, in the same way that “À toute à l’… --- ## [Concern about phosphorus depletion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concern-about-phosphorus-depletion/533862)
**Author:** [@mort0002](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mort0002)\ **Replies:** 6\ **Last updated:** [April 2, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concern-about-phosphorus-depletion/533862 "2010-04-02T11:26:48Z")
Cecil didn’t mention that concern about this, expressed in almost identical terms, has been around for a very long time … ‘With your intensive agriculture you’re simply draining the soil of phosphorus. More than one hal… --- ## [Steel Implants And Airport Security.](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-implants-and-airport-security/526876)
**Author:** [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Replies:** 14\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/steel-implants-and-airport-security/526876 "2010-04-01T17:46:52Z")
In the answer to “How Does A Person With A Steel Plate In His Head Get Through Airport Security?” … Anecdotal: I have around 5 pounds of steel in my left leg and hip. I have never set off a detector. --- ## [Question on an old question about galactic distances](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-an-old-question-about-galactic-distances/534407)
**Author:** [@Dave030966](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave030966)\ **Replies:** 5\ **Last updated:** [April 1, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-on-an-old-question-about-galactic-distances/534407 "2010-04-01T02:10:21Z")
The answer (dated 2000 or so) about how we determine distances between us and other objects in space was informative. It mentioned that supernovas provide some information in this regard. For whatever reason, this brough… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=89) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/c/comments-on-cecils-columns-staff-reports/7.md?page=91)