The Straight Dope 03/09/2007

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

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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 03/09/2007

Dear Cecil:

Is it true U.S. Postal Service workers are more likely than other
occupations to "go postal" on coworkers? Or is that just a perception
from media reporting of these events? --Scott, via e-mail

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Cecil replies:

If I may speak on behalf of the nation's media, while we certainly
deserve some of the blame for making the postal service sound like a
psycho hothouse, you ain't sticking us with all of it. True, "going
postal" is first known to have appeared in print in the St. Petersburg
Times of December 17, 1993. However, the newspaper was reporting on a
symposium on workplace violence organized by . . . well, read for
yourself: "The symposium was sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, which
has seen so many outbursts that in some circles excessive stress is
known as 'going postal.' Thirty-five people have been killed in 11 post
office shootings since 1983." In other words, while the USPS didn't coin
"going postal," it provided the platform, not to mention the data set,
for the term's national media launch.

In fairness, you can't fault the postal service for wanting to get out
front on this grim phenomenon. A few incidents as of '93:

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070309.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

I'm looking for the straight dope on paternity law involving sperm
donation. How likely is it that a guy could wind up owing child support
in exchange for his efforts and the quick cash at the donation center? I
have yet to hear anything but hearsay on the issue.--Nick from Indiana

SDSTAFF Gfactor replies:  

Nobody's really sure, Nick. Believe it or not, the law is just catching up
with these newfangled biological advances. There's a case pending
before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on the issue of sperm donor
child support, and some states have handled it by statute, but the
courts that have considered the question have mostly ordered the
donor to pay support. 

The parties in the Pennsylvania case, Joel McKiernan and Ivonne
Ferguson . . .

For more, see: 
http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mspermdonor.htm

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 02/26/1993

Dear Cecil: 

Why does a lieutenant general outrank a major general while a major
outranks a lieutenant? --Bob Spertus, Berkeley, California

Cecil replies:  

This question has gnawed at me for years, Bob. As near as I
can make out, here's the deal: In your modern army (modern defined as
dating from the 1500s onward), you've got three basic units: your
company, commanded by a captain; your regiment, commanded by a colonel;
and your army or division, commanded by (ultimately) the sovereign. In
the past as today, the individuals who actually held these lofty posts,
sovereign included, were often no-talent dweebs whose principal
qualification was that they had clout, noble blood, or some unsavory
combination of the two. Lest the army be massacred . . .

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a3_325a.html

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