This thread was suggested by a paragraph in one of Cecil’s columns, but it’s not really about the column, but about Cecil.
Cecil, known to every one of us, is a big mystery. In keeping with “fighting ignorance,” some of us would like to find out who Uncle Cec really is, what he looks like, what he drinks, who he bonks, etc., and the following text from the How do they get the M’s on M&M’s? column gave me an idea, to wit:
The obvious question is, given the large percentage of Mensa-types here at the Dope (I know, they are balanced out by the Dinky Dorks and Average Joes, and here’s hoping you are one of those groups), was anyone around at that meeting in 1988? If so, did Cecil wear a disguise? Did you snap a picture? Burn a mental image? Will the Men In Chartreuse visit you if you reveal anything?
You’d have to know which Mensa group he allegedly spoke to. Currently, American Mensa has 134 Local Groups with boundaries defined by ZIP Code and over 140 Special Interest Groups. Each group has meetings many times a year.
Luckily **Rigamarole **is only grazed - dazed but unhurt. Unfortunately, it was his head that was grazed and he can’t remember what he was about to say…
Not sure what this “clue” is supposed to prove. The author of Know It All! is Ed Zotti, while the author of the Straight Dope books is Unca Cece. In the introduction to Know It All!, Ed writes: “I edit a column called ‘The Straight Dope’ that appears in weekly papers around the country. The author of the column is the mysterious Cecil Adams, the World’s Smartest Human Being. Cecil knows everything, and he’s never wrong.” While Know It All! covers many of the same topics as The Straight Dope, the answers were completely rewritten for a yonger audience. The Straight Dope books are copyrighted to The Chicago Reader, while Ed Zotti holds the copyright to Know It All! (Assuming he has not subsequently traded the rights for a bag of magic beans).
On page 86 of Know It All!, Ed incorrectly states that tornadoes always turn counterclockwise in the Northern hemisphere, and clockwise in the Southern. (This is true for hurricanes, but not tornadoes, which can and do rotate in either direction.) In Cecil’s discussion of the topic, Do bathtubs drain counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?, he does not make the same mistake, as he only includes hurricanes.