The Straight Dope 10/18/2002

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

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 10/18/2002

Dear Cecil:

I've heard that Andrew Jackson did quite a number on the Cherokee, forcing 
them to relocate from as far as Georgia to what is now Oklahoma. Some have 
even accused Old Hickory of genocide, citing the thousands of Cherokee who 
died on the "Trail of Tears." What I want to know is, how does Jackson rank 
among practitioners of genocide? Does he even make the all-time top-ten list? 
I figure he has to come in way behind Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, the Turkish 
triumvirate Talat, Enver, and Cemal (who orchestrated the Armenian genocide), 
and the recent Hutu leaders in Rwanda. Can you think of any others who rank 
ahead of Jackson? --Mike Skarplos, San Jose, California 

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Cecil replies:

Please. I don't want to minimize the cruelty of the Trail of Tears (1838-'39) 
or Jackson's culpability for it. But strictly in terms of body count, the 
forced removal of the Cherokee probably doesn't crack the top hundred 
instances of genocide, much less the top ten. The death toll most commonly 
cited is 4,000--mostly due to exposure, malnutrition, and disease. By 
contrast, in the 20th century, far and away the bloodiest period in history, 
state-sponsored slaughter of innocents averaged 5,300 victims worldwide per 
day --170 million in all. (That's a conservative total, too, compiled in 
1987.)

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/021018.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

What was the Maginot Line? --g 

SDSTAFF John Corrado replies:

Let's start with what it is, then we'll work back to what it was. More than 
60 years after the German invasion of France in World War II, the Maginot 
Line remains a symbol of stupidity and shortsightedness. What we forget is 
that it seemed like a good idea at the time. 

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


STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 12/08/1978

Dear Cecil: 

I have observed that traveling high speeds causes strange things to occur 
(e.g., the Charger's hubcaps in Bullitt regenerated twice during the high
speed chase scene). If I traveled down Austin Avenue at a speed exceeding
Mach 1 (the speed of sound) would the noises made by the people on the
streets be distorted or totally inaudible to me? While cruising at this speed,
if I blasted my car radio, would the people on the streets hear it as I would,
or would I be traveling faster than radio waves, causing my radio to die? 
What phenomenon would occur if I shifted into second around North Avenue
and my Buick exceeded the speed of light? This information will be helpful 
when I rush my wife to the hospital sometime in January to deliver our baby.
--Life in the Fast Lane, Chicago 

Dear Life:  Nice to hear from a guy who takes a practical view of things.
Dealing with the easy parts of your question first: At the speed of sound you 
won't hear sounds happening behind you, because the sound waves won't be
able to catch up with you. You'll hear sounds occurring in front of you, but
they'll be increased in pitch about an octave due to the Doppler effect--i.e.,
as you move toward a sound source, you crowd up on the oncoming sound waves,
which increases their frequency relative to you. By the same token, people on 
the street won't hear you coming, but they'll hear you (and a sonic boom) 
after 
you've passed--with the pitch decreased about an octave. 

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_116.html

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