# Duplicate columns?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [October 8, 2000, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138 "2000-10-08T08:18:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MattTheCroc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MattTheCroc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MattTheCroc)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138/1 "2000-10-08T08:18:40Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_372.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_372.html)  
[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_372b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_372b.html)

Both are effectively the same question, one is a little more verbose. But, the question I have to ask, is why? Why are there two versions on the server?

(And again, the message is only tangentially related to commenting on Cecil’s columns… oops… :))

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138/2 "2000-10-08T19:00:58Z")

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Interestingly, they also both have the same “last modified” date of January 25, so it’s not that one is an update. I would venture a guess that some newspapers printed an alternate, toned-down version, but neither version of that column seems to need toning down. I’m stumped.

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**Author:** ![Silo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Silo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silo)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138/3 "2000-10-08T21:56:29Z")

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My WAG is Cecil completly wrote one of those columns and the other is a Zotti edited version.

I think the b.html-column is the original.

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**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\
**Post date:** [October 9, 2000, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/duplicate-columns/36138/4 "2000-10-09T23:05:31Z")

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I dunno, the a column contains the phrase ‘irrelevant drivel’… and Zotti has been known to excise Uncle Cecil’s more hurtful phrases.

Plus, the b column has last minute bonus info. I’m guessing Ed added the stuff about Tokyo and took a second to edit for tone.

–John