The Straight Dope 09/03/2004

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
http://www.straightdope.com

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 09/03/2004

Dear Cecil:

I have heard that diamond prices are held at an artificially high price
by the De Beers company and that many Africans live a life of despair
and poverty while mining diamonds. What is the truth about the diamond
market? Most important, can I use it as an excuse for not buying diamond
gifts for my wife? --Gregg Barr, Lenexa, Kansas

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Cecil replies:

Far be it from me to get involved in family arguments, but I bet if your
wife knew the real story she'd prefer her next gift to be a nice
socket-wrench set. Diamonds are a con, pure and simple. The topic is
vast, so we won't discuss worker exploitation or for that matter "blood
diamonds" used to finance African wars. Instead I'll focus on whether
diamonds are worth the exorbitant sums charged for them. Answer: Of
course not. Prices are kept high by a cynical cartel that preys on
vanity and stupidity.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040903.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

I am again in the midst of the mosquito season, and it is killing me.
I've seen some advertisements for garlic-based sprays. My husband is
convinced that no spray will work if we are the only ones in the
neighborhood that use it. The ads say that the smell is not detectable
by humans after a few hours, but the mosquito with its heightened sense
of smell can detect it for up to 60 days. Does garlic really scare off
mosquitoes? Is their olfactory sense superb? I'm willing to try it, but
I can't convince my husband. He is an avid reader of your column. If you
say it will work, he'll sign up for it the same day! --Itching in Dallas

SDSTAFF Doug replies:

This one is quite timely with worries over West Nile virus and such. 

Mosquitoes have almost no olfactory powers whatsoever--they have, in
fact, a very selective and narrow olfactory "spectrum". But this is
actually irrelevant . . . 

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmosquitorepel.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 11/14/1986

Dear Cecil: 

We have been puzzled for a while about how salt and ground black pepper
became the standard spices on the American dinner table. Why don't we
use cinnamon or oregano or something else instead? --Joe and Fern S.,
Beverly Hills, California  

Cecil replies:  

This is just the kind of  thing that fascinates historians, gang, something
you may want to consider next time a historian asks you out for a date.
Actually, the popularity of common salt (sodium chloride, or NaCl) is pretty
easy to account for. It stimulates one of the primary sensations of taste, via
the salt-sensing taste buds at the tip of the tongue. (The other primary
tastes, of course, are sweet, bitter, and sour.) It has long been used
to preserve meat and fish, obviously a matter of considerable importance
in the days before mechanical refrigeration. It is essential in humans
and animals, playing a vital role in body heat regulation, among other
things. To maintain health you must consume between three and eight
grams a day.  

Salt's popularity, therefore, is not surprising. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_051.html

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