The Straight Dope 11/21/2003

The Straight Dope -- By Cecil Adams
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THE STRAIGHT DOPE 11/21/2003

Dear Cecil:

I am far from being the world's biggest sucker when it comes
to advertising gimmicks, but I find myself succumbing to the
legend "cage free" on packages of eggs. These eggs cost at
least a buck more per dozen than regular eggs. I tell myself
that cage-free chickens are probably no better off than their
sisters kept in cages (probably they're just packed tighter
into larger pens), but part of my brain says, "for a buck,
you can always hope." It's really not the extra money that
bothers me; it's the nagging suspicion that I'm falling
victim to some marketing wonk's master plan. Help me, Cecil.
Are cage-free chickens happier chickens? 
--Jean Tillson, Franklin, Massachusetts

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Cecil replies:

A trip to the grocery store used to be a trip to the grocery
store. Now it's a minefield of moral dilemmas. In re 
chickens, a blogger named Joseph Haines has framed the
question thusly: All chickens, including laying hens,
eventually get the ax. Which of the following do you want on
your plate?

(1) A caged chicken who, after a life of misery, hears the
blade whistling down and thinks: Free at last, or

(2) A cage-free chicken whose final thought, after an
existence of ease and comfort, is: Ooh, bummer.

For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/031121.html

STAFF REPORT

Dear Straight Dope:

What's the deal with Amazons? I remember something about
them cutting off their breasts to improve their archery,
but that's about it. Was there any historical basis for
them? Have there ever been any fighting armies composed
primarily of women? And while we're at it, what if
anything do they have with the naming of the Amazon
rainforest? --George Wright, Takoma Park MD

SDSTAFF bibliophage replies:

You might want to do a little research before you jump into
bed with an Amazon (assuming you can find one who will have
you). According to some sources, they maimed their mates
for life to keep them in line. Of course it all depends on
whom you believe. The ancient Greeks weren't consistent
about whom the Amazons mated with, where they lived, or
even the one thing most people think they know about them:
that they cut off their breasts.
 
For more, see: 

http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mamazon.html

STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC - 08/05/1977

Dear Cecil: 

A question that has been bothering me since the third grade:
which is correct English--"He had got some" or "He had
gotten some"? --Joseph M., Chicago 

Dear Joseph:

There's still some ambiguity on this point. Using "gotten"
as the past participle of "to get" will get you laughed
out of every University Club in England, but it is in
common use in the U.S., if only in speech and informal
writing. One could make the case, however--and believe me,
I will--that the choice of two past participle forms allows
for a wider range of meanings than is possible with
comparatively impoverished British English.  But first a
bit of history.
 
For more, see:
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_294.html
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