SC: Sorry it took so long to respond to your earlier post, but being part of the support team for one of these contests is as exhausting as being in one. The Straight Dope is the title of a Q&A column which appears in the Chicago Reader, a free weekly, & is written by Cecil Adams, who has a cult-like group of followers who claim he is the smartest living person. Not sure about that, but he is one interesting dude who knows and/or can figure out an awful lot about an awful lot of things. He doesn't own a computer, or even a briefcase; he ties the stacks of papers which contain the results of experiments he designs together with pieces of string. I'm pretty sure his columns are assembled in a book or two, which would be well worth reading if for no reason other than his answer to the young lady who kept pestering him to explain why he was of the opinion that performing a certain act on her boyfriend every day would not cause her to gain weight. You can get my current email address from Caitlin.

If you or anyone else has a strong opinion on any of the Million races, let it be known & I will be sure to give it careful consideration.