Why do parachute jumpers yell "Geronimo"? Is it aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly? Will watching too much TV ruin your eyes? Fresh from the popular newspaper column by CECIL ADAMS! WHAT IS CECIL ADAMS'S IQ? "Do you want it in scientific notation? Little Ed, get out the slide rule." --Cecil Adams For more than a quarter of a century Cecil Adams has been courageously attempting to lift the veil of ignorance surrounding the modern world.   Now, in his fifth book, he takes yet another stab, dissecting such classic conundrums as --If you swim less than an hour after eating, will you get cramps and die? --What's the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melody? --Can you see a Munchkin committing suicide in The Wizard of Oz? --Was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on actual events? --Did medieval lords really have "the right of the first night"? And much more! THE CRITICS: STILL RAVING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! "Trenchant, witty answers to the great imponderables." --Denver Post YA-Adams's appeal cuts across all age groups, and his fans will enjoy this fifth compilation of questions and answers from his popular newspaper column. His humorous and well-researched replies to questions about swimming right after eating or if watching TV will ruin one's eyes make the book entertaining and informative. The writer's Web site has an archive of columns back to 1994 and allows for reader queries. Judy McAloon, Potomac Library, Prince William County, VA Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. "Trenchant, witty answers to the great imponderables". -- Denver Post Why do parachute jumpers yell "Geronimo"? Is it aerodynamically impossible for bumblebees to fly? Will watching too much TV ruin your eyes? Fresh from the popular newspaper column by CECIL ADAMS! WHAT IS CECIL ADAMS'S IQ? "Do you want it in scientific notation? Little Ed, get out the slide rule." --Cecil Adams For more than a quarter of a century Cecil Adams has been courageously attempting to lift the veil of ignorance surrounding the modern world. Now, in his fifth book, he takes yet another stab, dissecting such classic conundrums as --If you swim less than an hour after eating, will you get cramps and die? --What's the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melody? --Can you see a Munchkin committing suicide in The Wizard of Oz? --Was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on actual events? --Did medieval lords really have "the right of the first night"? And much more! THE CRITICS: STILL RAVING AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! "Trenchant, witty answers to the great imponderables." --Denver Post For more than a quarter of a century Cecil Adams has been courageously attempting to lift the veil of ignorance surrounding the modern world. Now, in his fifth book, he takes yet another stab, dissecting such classic conundrums as -- If you swim less than an hour after eating, will you get cramps and die? -- What's the difference between a Looney Tune and a Merrie Melody? -- Can you see a Munchkin committing suicide in The Wizard of Oz? -- Was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre based on actual events? -- Did medieval lords really have "the right of the first night"? And much more! Cecil Adams is author of The Straight Dope , More of the Straight Dope , Return of the Straight Dope , and The Straight Dope Tells All . All of Cecil's dealings with the public are handled by his editor and confidant, Ed Zotti, author of Know It All! , who has been sworn to secrecy. Consequently, little is known about Cecil's private life. Just what does "colitis" mean? In the song "Hotel California" by the Eagles the first lines are, "On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair, warm smell of colitis rising up through the air." I remember I tried looking it up at a university library years ago and couldn't find the answer. I know songwriters sometimes make up words, but I didn't see a Dr. Seuss credit on the album. --Wendy Martin, via the Internet Uh, Wendy. It's colitas, not colitis. Colitis (pronounced koe-LIE-tis) is an inflammation of the large intestine. You're probably thinking of that famous Beatles lyric, "the girl with colitis goes by." As for "Hotel California," you realize a lot of people aren't troubled so much by colitas as by the meaning of the whole damn song. Figuring that we should start with the general and move to the particular, I provide the following commonly heard theories: 1.        The Hotel California is a real hotel located in (pick one) Baja California on the coastal highway between Cabo San Lucas and La Paz or else near Santa Barbara. In other words, the song is a hard look at the modern hospitality industry, which is plagued by guests who "check out any time [they] like" but then "never leave." 2.        The Hotel California is a mental hospital. I see one guy on the Web has identified it as "Camarillo State Hospital in Ventura County between L.A. and Santa Barbara." 3.        It's about satanism. Isn't