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  <title>Creative Loafing Atlanta: Bad Habits: Straight Dope</title>
  <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com</link>
  <description>Atlanta Creative Loafing Weekly Newspaper, shelter from the mainstream for news, event listings, dining, movies and music..</description>
  <language>en-us</language>
  <copyright>Copyright 2009Creative Loafing Atlanta. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Creative Loafing Atlanta readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Creative Loafing Atlanta.</copyright>
  <managingEditor>online@creativeloafing.com</managingEditor>
  <webMaster>webmaster@creativeloafing.com</webMaster>
  <pubDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:01 MST</pubDate>
  <lastBuildDate>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:57:25 MST</lastBuildDate>
  <generator>Dispatch Gyrobase</generator>
  
    <item>
    <title>How did the states establish long, straight borders before GPS?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/how_did_the_states_establish_long_straight_borders_before_gps_/Content?oid=1172392</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      How is it that, in places without natural features such as a river or mountain range to mark a border, U.S. states could establish a nice, even line over hundreds of miles before GPS? &mdash; Granite-Morale &nbsp; The lines aren&#39;t always nice and even. Study a U.S. atlas and you&#39;ll find many supposedly straight boundaries with slants and zigzags in them, the work of surveyors who were, and it pains me to say this, borderline incompetent. Still, the remarkable thing
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>How can racing yachts sail faster than the wind?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/how_can_racing_yachts_sail_faster_than_the_wind_/Content?oid=1186461</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      How can those America&#39;s Cup yachts sail faster than the wind? Here&#39;s what the San Francisco Chronicle has to say: &quot;It&#39;s physics.&quot; Come on, Cecil, I know you can do better. &mdash; P. McCartney, Oak Harbor, Wash. &nbsp; I should hope. To give the Chronicle some credit, though, &quot;it&#39;s physics&quot; was preceded by an accurate if somewhat murky explanation that, unfortunately, you didn&#39;t get. Let&#39;s try again. &nbsp; The America&#39;s Cup, for those whose taste in sports runs more to
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Does the camera really add 10 pounds?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/does_the_camera_really_add_10_pounds_/Content?oid=1153436</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
      
        Plus: Is there any nutritional value in eating corn?...
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I&#39;ve often heard people say &quot;the camera adds 10 pounds&quot; when they&#39;re photographed. Is that just an excuse or is there any truth to it?&mdash; Emma&nbsp; No question there&#39;s an element of denial here. Since you&#39;re not looking at yourself most of the time, it&#39;s easy to maintain a self-image reflecting the svelte physique you had 10 years ago, as opposed to the corpulent wreck you&#39;ve become. But that&#39;s not the whole story. For reasons having to do with optics
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Is there any difference in quality between name-brand drugs and generics?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/is_there_any_difference_in_quality_between_name_brand_drugs_and_generics_/Content?oid=1129911</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      When I buy over-the-counter pharmaceuticals from our local drug store, I always buy the house brand. The active ingredients and dosages in Tylenol (acetaminophen) are identical to that of the copy. The same is true of the Motrin alternative, the Sudafed clone, and so on &mdash; and they&rsquo;re all much cheaper. However, my wife insists on buying a brand name &mdash; she thinks I&rsquo;m some kind of cheapskate. If the active ingredients in these drugs are the same, is there
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Is &amp;#39;roid rage real?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/is_roid_rage_real_/Content?oid=1144924</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      Following the 2007 murder-suicide involving pro wrestler Chris Benoit and his family, many asked if this was a case of &#39;roid rage. However, nobody seems to question whether &#39;roid rage actually exists. What&#39;s the straight dope? &mdash; Bart Zimmer &nbsp; You know, there was a time, back when Cadillacs had fins and people sang along to Burma-Shave commercials, that &#39;roid rage meant heading to the bathroom with a tube of Preparation H. Times have changed, haven&#39;t they? O brave new
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Why do songs get stuck in your head?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/why_do_songs_get_stuck_in_your_head_/Content?oid=1117318</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      What&rsquo;s the deal with getting a song stuck in your head? Why does it happen, especially if it&rsquo;s a song you don&rsquo;t like or don&rsquo;t even know well? Yet all you can think about is that stupid tune. Please enlighten me; I&rsquo;m getting really sick of &ldquo;Tainted Love&rdquo; running circles through my brain. &mdash; Meg&nbsp; You think you&rsquo;ve got problems? My assistant Una claims she had the same tune running through her head off and on for 27 years. Only
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>Who controls the content on an Internet message board?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/who_controls_the_content_on_an_internet_message_board_/Content?oid=1096688</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      Years ago, you were asked whether it was legal to publish a letter someone had sent you. You said the author&#39;s permission was needed. Now that it&#39;s 2009, I got to wondering if one could take a post on, say, the Straight Dope Message Board and publish it without the author&#39;s permission, or for that matter, the SDMB&#39;s permission. I presume the answer is no. Second question: If I have a blog and someone posts a comment on it, can
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>How do medical alert dogs know something is wrong?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/how_do_medical_alert_dogs_know_something_is_wrong_/Content?oid=1086581</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
      
        Plus: How does an asphalt roller score on the Richter scale?...
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I play poker with this guy on a fairly regular basis at the casino. He&rsquo;s got this medical alert dog he brings with him everywhere. Apparently, the dog will warn him 20 minutes prior to having a medical emergency that he needs to seek help. How does the dog know something is wrong with him? &mdash; R.K. &nbsp; Not that I would ever doubt what somebody told me in a casino, R.K. But how do you know the pooch&rsquo;s alerts
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Does a sauna or steam room do you any good?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/does_a_sauna_or_steam_room_do_you_any_good_/Content?oid=1050449</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I love to go to the steam room (or if there isn&rsquo;t one, the sauna) after a workout. But I&#39;ve always wondered: Do they really help? Or rather: I sweat a lot in the steam room, and it&#39;s obviously doing something to my body, but what exactly are its benefits? Or is it actually damaging my body?&mdash; Ricardo C&aacute;maraYou know I like to be emphatic in these columns, Ricardo, so I wish I could tell you that, yes, steam rooms
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Who owns my garbage?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/who_owns_my_garbage_/Content?oid=1065370</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      Some years ago I read about a slightly loony &quot;garbologist&quot; who liked to go through people&#39;s trash, including that of one person in particular &mdash; Mr. Robert Zimmerman of Woodstock, N.Y., aka Bob Dylan, rebel poet of a generation, blah blah blah. One day when said garbologist was busy in the trash cans in front of Dylan&#39;s Woodstock home, the songwriter supposedly spotted him, came tearing out of the house with the first blunt object that came to hand &mdash;
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <item>
    <title>Are earlobe creases a sign of heart disease?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/are_earlobe_creases_a_sign_of_heart_disease_/Content?oid=1021929</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      Do earlobe creases really indicate you may have coronary heart disease?&mdash; Jen You may say: This is the dumbest thing I&rsquo;ve ever heard. But read some Straight Dope mail and you&#39;ll realize dumbest-thing-ever is a pretty high bar. More to the point, earlobe creases shouldn&rsquo;t be dismissed lightly, as they fall into the surprisingly large category of weird signs possibly indicative of heart disease. If you doubt it, have a seat while we inventory your personal issues, as it were.
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>Did Clarence Darrow distract a jury by using wire to keep his cigar ash from falling?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/did_clarence_darrow_distract_a_jury_by_using_wire_to_keep_his_cigar_ash_from_falling_/Content?oid=1031976</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I&#39;m sure you&#39;re familiar with the tale of Clarence Darrow hiding a wire in his cigar to keep the ash from falling and thus distracting the jury during the DA&rsquo;s closing statement. Do you have any thoughts on what type of wire (gauge, material, etc.) was or would be used?&mdash; John Kregel, Santa Cruz &nbsp; John, have you no sense of system? We have, in fact, established the type and gauge of wire and other details needed to pull off
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 09 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>Do mosquitoes prefer certain blood types?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/do_mosquitoes_prefer_certain_blood_types_/Content?oid=1007543</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
      
        Plus: Do tall men get more skin cancer?...
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      Do mosquitoes favor certain blood types over others? I have noticed while out working that mosquitoes love me while my brother never gets bit. Why is my blood so tasty? &mdash; Brian Q., Huntsville, Ala. Sibling rivalry thing going on there, Brian? I&#39;ve got good news for you. We still don&#39;t know why mom preferred your brother, but we&#39;re starting to home in on why mosquitoes prefer you. A 1972 study in Nature found that mosquitoes were more likely to
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 02 Sep 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>Is the arsenic in treated wood dangerous?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/is_the_arsenic_in_treated_wood_dangerous_/Content?oid=992382</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I&#39;ve noticed a lot of my neighbors have built elevated gardening beds in their yards using wood that&#39;s marked as treated with arsenic. Will the arsenic get into the vegetables and fruits these people are growing? If so, is that a health concern?&mdash; Ray Charlton, Corvallis, Oregon Hard to say. Were these vegetables and fruits they were actually planning to eat? Manufacturers treat wood with arsenic for the same reason you don&#39;t want it in food &mdash; it kills things,
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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    <title>Are no-iron shirts made by soaking them in formaldehyde?</title>
    <link>http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com/gyrobase/are_no_iron_shirts_made_by_soaking_them_in_formaldehyde_/Content?oid=964216</link>
    <description>
      <![CDATA[
      
        Plus: Did the South Atlantic anomaly cause that Air France crash?...
       
      
        By cecil adams
      
      
      I&#39;m a hard-working attorney with minimal personal time who enjoys the efficiency that no-iron shirts afford. However, I heard a potentially disturbing statement that the &quot;treatment&quot; no-iron shirts are given is a bath in formaldehyde. Since exposure to formaldehyde is something I&#39;d like to avoid until my trip to the morgue, please enlighten us as to what exactly is done to allow no-iron shirts to be so no-irony and whether there are any known (or even speculative) adverse health affects
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    </description>
    <category>Bad Habits/Straight Dope</category>
    <pubDate>Wed, 12 Aug 2009 04:00:00 MST</pubDate> 
    <source url="http://atlanta.creativeloafing.com">Creative Loafing Atlanta</source>
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