The Straight Dope: A note from Cecil / Do brain supplements do anything?

[Send questions for Cecil Adams: cecil@straightdope.com](mailto:cecil@straightdope.com) [810220rescan.gif] A NOTE FROM CECIL ADAMS — 06/27/2018 This week’s Straight Dope marks the last appearance of the column as the Teeming Millions have known it for the past 45 years. Why the change, and why now? With the planned sale of the Chicago Reader, the folks at Sun-Times Media, which will continue to own the Straight Dope, are re-thinking the once-a-week deep dive (sorta) on a single topic (usually) in question-and-answer format. It’s possible a successor to the Straight Dope will emerge, possibly with daily online content. But no decision has been made, and my role, if any, has not been determined. In the meantime, I’m thinking about publishing another Straight Dope book – it’s been nigh on 20 years since the last one. However that works out, the Straight Dope legacy will remain intact. [Click here]( for more. THE LAST COLUMN 06/28/2018 Dear Cecil: Is Prevagen cognitive supplement as effective as its TV ad states? — Rob Sutterfield Cecil replies: Probably not, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Just ask the Federal Trade Commission, which together with the New York Attorney General filed a lawsuit last year over those claims you’re wondering about, Rob, calling them “false and unsubstantiated.” A little catch-up for those TV-shunning readers who consequently have never heard of this stuff … [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE STAFF REPORT — 06/15/2004 Dear Straight Dope: After watching Dawn of the Dead, I am left to wonder about one thing: If we were to suffer an apocalypse where most of the living became flesh-eating zombies, how long, assuming I survived, would I continue to receive hydroelectricity from my power company? Is it a mean-time-before-failure situation, or would the system automatically shut itself down after a few days? (I am assuming that most of the people who were supposed to be maintaining things at my hydro company would be out looking for brains, and that the surviving hydro employees would be busy digging shelters, etc.) Also, what's the outlook like for people whose chunk of the power grid is supplied by coal, nuclear, and other types of energy? Just wondering how many solar panels I should be putting on my roof! — Jason, Vancouver, BC, Canada SDStaff Una replies: Believe it or not, this is a question I’ve been asked before. Many people wonder how key parts of civilized society might continue after a post-apocalyptic Dawn of the Dead / Night of the Comet / Omega Man / Teletubbies Go to Paris scenario. Your question has two possible answers depending on which scenario of zombie conquest you envision. [Click here]( for more. STRAIGHT DOPE CLASSIC — 10/06/2006 Dear Cecil: I went to lunch with some friends on Sunday. There's one girl who thinks she knows everything and is always peppering us with stories and factoids to show off. Sunday she throws this nugget out: In domestic killings, the number one weapon used is not guns, but frying pans. This can't be true, can it? It sounds like something Saturday Night Live would have the NRA saying in a skit. — Hokienautic, via the Straight Dope Message Board Cecil replies: To believe this bogus stat is to give credence to its bogus implications: Number one, that women commit some huge chunk of domestic murders since presumably it’s women swinging those pans. Number two, that when women do kill their partners, a frying pan is honest to God how they do it. We’ll start with implication #2. [Click here]( for more. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - [View this message as a webpage](. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. To advertise on The Straight Dope, contact Rich Hummel at rhummel@suntimes.com [Privacy Policy/Terms of Use]( • [Unsubscribe]( © 2018 Straight Dope, LLC. 30 N Racine Ave. Suite 300, Chicago, IL 60607