Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been annoyed at the fact that hot dogs come ten to a package while buns come in either eight- or twelve-packs (usually eight around here). My girlfriend says it’s because kids often eat wieners without buns, and it’s just thoughtful packaging by the meat packers. I think she’s […]
Category: The Straight Dope
The Straight Dope originated as a weekly column in the pages of the Chicago Reader and is now owned and operated by the Chicago Sun-Times. See The Straight Dope website and FAQ for more.
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
For years I’ve heard cops and emergency room nurses say things really get crazy out there when the moon is full. Is there anything to this? I mean, I’ve never bought into astrology, because it seems like the stars are too far away to have any effect on us. But the moon is another story–look […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
When President Reagan makes speeches you often see two squares of glass mounted on stands on either side of the podium. What are they for? –Jim LeBlanc, Phoenix They’re teleprompters–you didn’t think Ron actually memorized all those speeches, did you? The glass squares, which are called “beam splitters,” are coated in such a way that […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
The other day, a friend of mine asked me a question which left me speechless. I could not begin to come up with an answer. You are my only hope. Why is shit brown? –Dave Alyea, Lemont, Illinois I am answering this question, friends and neighbors, not because I have low motives, but because I […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
I’ve wondered about this for years, ever since I heard it in the third grade from Steve Revoi. He said brontosauri had a brain in their butt. Is this true? What did it control? Was it part of the central nervous system or an entity unto itself? Did it have angst or did it feel […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
During the recent coverage of the Super Bowl I read something about New York City officials being concerned that people watching the game on TV might all go to the bathroom during the commercials and flush the toilet at the same time, causing a catastrophic pressure drop. Was this for real? Did anything really happen? […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
I know you’re not Doctor Ruth, or even an endocrinologist, but can you tell me why men get less horny as they get older? I’m 35 and don’t seem to want to boink anywhere near as much as I used to five or ten years ago. Is there some nutritional or chemical substance that can […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
Could you please enlighten me as to the latest Straight Dope on pharmones (sp?) and aphrodisiacs? –Your devoted reader, Robin Razzano, Glendale, California PS: Please hurry, I need all the help I can get. For starters, sweetcheeks, it’s “pheromones,” not “pharmones.” Boys don’t get chummy with girls who are dummies, you know. As for boosting […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
Being an avid football fan, I spend a few hours each Sunday watching the Redskins during the fall. This season I also watched every Monday Night Football game. Every game has been broadcast live from a stadium in a different part of the country–from New York to Seattle to Miami to San Diego. I haven’t […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
I never drink and drive but I swear every Chevy Nova (pre-1985) and Olds Omega (same car–different label) I see is driving down the road sideways. Well, not quite sideways but at an acute angle. Was this the product of foresighted GM engineers trying to provide a more panoramic view for drivers and passengers alike, […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
Why do outhouses have half-moons on their doors? Perhaps it’s related to the great high school custom of “mooning”? –Joyce Kehoe, Seattle Joyce, kid, level with me: you’ve never actually seen an outhouse with a half-moon cut into the door, have you? Neither have I, despite several decades of camping trips, and I’ll bet the […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
Walt Kelly’s old comic strip “Pogo” had an unusual version of the Christmas carol “Deck the Halls.” I’ve tried to remember all the lyrics, but I’m not convinced I’ve succeeded. So far I have: Deck the halls with Boston Charlie Fod-a-rod-a-rol (etc) Nora’s freezing on the trolley, Walla-walla-bash and Kalamazoo. Is this complete? Is there […]
Posted inNews & Politics
The Straight Dope
Remember after the ’68 Democratic convention, a number of professional/academic associations cancelled plans for future conventions in Chicago because of what happened here. Did they follow through on their threats, and how much convention business has Chicago lost as a result? —D.F., Rogers Park