Why do Clocks run clockwise? (19 page)

5. Occasionally, ancient civilizations did their own burying.

Wesolowsky’s example:

When Constantine wanted to build Old St. Peter’s on the side of the Vatican Hill in the early fourth century, his engineers had to cut off part of the slope and dump it into a Roman cemetery (thereby preserving the lower part of the cemetery, including what has been identified as the tomb of Peter himself) to provide a platform for the basilica. When Old St. Peter’s was demolished in

WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE? / 139

the sixteenth century to make way for the current church, parts of the old church were used as fill in low areas in the locale.

Rapp’s example:

This phenomenon is best seen in the tels of the Near East. Often they are tens of feet high. Each “civilization” is built over the debris of the preceding one. The houses were mostly of mud brick, which had a lifetime of perhaps sixty years. When they collapsed the earth was just spread around. In two thousand or three thousand years these great habitation mounds (tels) grew to great heights and now rise above the surrounding plains. Each layer encloses archaeological remains of the period of occupation.

While we self-consciously bury time capsules to give future generations an inkling of what our generation is like, the gesture is unne-cessary. With an assist from Mother Nature, we are unwittingly burying revealing artifacts—everything from candy wrappers to beer cans—every day.

Submitted by Greg Cox, of San Rafael, California
.

140 / DAVID FELDMAN

What’s the Difference Between an X-Rated Movie
and an XXX-Rated Movie? Why Isn’t There an

“XX” Rating?

The Motion Picture Association of America issues the movie ratings you see in the newspaper. Motion picture companies are under no legal obligation to have their movies rated, but they are not allowed to affix their own rating. In order to obtain a G, PG, PG-13 or R

rating, a fee must be paid to the MPAA. An MPAA committee views each film and issues an edict that sets the rating, subject to appeal.

None of the major film companies is willing to bypass the MPAA ratings. Since the rating codes were instituted in the 1960s, there has actually been much less pressure on the studios to reduce violence and sexual content. Also, some newspapers refuse to accept advertising for non-MPAA-rated movies, and most film executives feel that the rating system has worked reasonably well as a warning device for concerned parents.

The X-rating was originally conceived as the designation for any movie suitable only for adults, regardless of genre. Such critics’ favorites as the Best Picture Oscar-winning
Midnight Cowboy
were rated X because of their mature subject matter, and
A Clockwork
Orange
was rated X for its violence and intensity.

With only a few other exceptions, nonpornographic X-rated movies have bombed at the box office. Any film that catered to adults automatically excluded many of the most rabid moviego-ers—teenagers. The advertisements for so-called “adult films” gladly trumpeted their X ratings: how better to prove the salaciousness of a movie than by prohibiting children from viewing it? Even better, MPAA rules allowed companies to rate their films X without the association’s certification, a policy that enabled low-budget film companies to nab an X rating without paying the fee of nearly a thousand dollars. As the few mainstream X-rated films were overwhelmed by the multitude of X-

WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE? / 141

rated porn movies, major film companies like Paramount and Columbia refused to release any X-rated movies, for X had become synonymous with smut.

The producers of adult films had the opposite problem. Here they were, trying to purvey their X-rated product, when prestigious films like
Midnight Cowboy
were sullying the reputation of the adults-only rating by containing redeeming social value.

David F. Friedman, board chairman of the Adult Film Association of America, told us that the XXX rating was actually started as a joke, to distinguish “straight films,” with mature content, from por-nography. There is not now and has never been a formal XXX rating for movies; it has always been a marketing ploy adopted by film distributors and/or movie exhibitors.

Is there any difference between an X-and an XXX-rated movie?

According to Friedman, no. Although some customers might believe that an XXX-rated movie is “harder” than the simple X, this has never been the case. Many pornographic films are made in several versions: hard-core X-rated; a “soft” X, used for localities where hardcore is banned; a “cable” version, a doctored once-explicit version; and an expurgated R-rated version, designed for playoffs in nonporno theaters, such as drive-ins. Whether or not any of these versions of a pornographic movie is billed as X or XXX is more dependent on the whims of the producer or the theater management than on the content of the movie.

Why no XX rating? Who knows? Once someone started the XXX, who was going to say that their movie wasn’t quite as sexy? X-inflation is likely to remain rampant as long as there are pornographic theaters.

Submitted by Richard Rosberger, of Washington, D.C. Thanks also
to: Curtis Kelly, of Chicago, Illinois, and Thomas Cunningham,
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
.

142 / DAVID FELDMAN

Where Does a New Speed Limit Begin? Does It
Start at the Speed Limit Sign, at Some Point
Beyond the Sign, or Where the Sign Becomes
Clearly Visible?

If a speed limit drops from fifty-five miles per hour to thirty-five miles per hour, isn’t it clearly legal to drive at fifty-five miles per hour until you pass the thirty-five miles per hour sign? But how are we expected to drop twenty miles per hour instantaneously? Is there a grace period, a distinct length of road on which we are exempt from the new speed limit?

No such luck. The speed-limit sign is posted precisely where the new limit takes effect. How you slow down to the new speed is your business, and your problem.

Of course, traffic laws are up to the individual states, but most legislatures rely on the provisions of the federal government’s
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
. And the manual is un-ambiguous: “Speed limit signs, indicating speed limits for which posting is required by law, shall be located at the points of change from one speed limit to another…. At the end of the section to which a speed limit applies, a Speed Limit sign showing the next speed limit shall be erected.” The one provision intended to help drivers slow down before a new speed limit is the “Reduced Speed Ahead”

sign. These are placed primarily in rural areas where drops in speed limits can easily reach twenty to thirty-five miles per hour. But these warning signs must be followed by a speed-limit sign that marks precisely where the altered speed limit applies.

Submitted by Glenn Worthman, of Palo Alto, California
.

WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE? / 143

If the National Speed Limit is 55 Miles per Hour,
Why Do Speedometers Go up to 85 Miles per
Hour and Higher?

The Department of Transportation mandated the maximum speedometer reading effective September 1, 1982. The rule read: No speedometer shall have graduations or numerical values for speeds greater than 140/km/h and 85 mph and shall not otherwise indicate such speeds. Each speedometer shall include “55”

in the mph scale. Each speedometer, other than an electronic digital speedometer, shall highlight the number 55 or otherwise highlight the point at which the indicated vehicle speed equals 55 mph.

Benn Dunn, manager of product technical communications for American Motors, says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration offered two reasons for the 85 mile per hour limit.

First, the limit would allow speedometer dials to be more precisely graduated and more readable in the range of reasonable driving ranges. Second, the upper limit presumably “reduced the temptation for immature drivers to test the upper speeds of their vehicles on public roads.”

The regulation simply didn’t work. Although there are no current federal regulations concerning what speeds should be shown on speedometers, all of the big four automakers continue, voluntarily, to maintain 85 miles per hour as the maximum speed indication on the analogue speedometers of most of their cars. Mr. Dunn predicted, however, that we will soon begin to see higher markings on analogue speedometers.

On their high-performance cars, U.S. automakers all exceed the 85 mile per hour standard. Obviously, the auto companies are not trying to encourage reckless driving, but the speedometer with a 125

mile per hour capacity is an effective marketing ploy. A car with a high maximum reading sends a message to the consumer that the car must be capable of attaining these speeds.

144 / DAVID FELDMAN

The automakers give three main reasons why it is important to maintain indications beyond the federal speed limit: 1. As P. M. Preuss, of Ford Motor Company, explained it, “Car speedometers are labeled beyond 55 mile per hour speeds because people drive in excess of 55 miles per hour. Obviously, some of these drivers are reckless, but by no means all. Automakers are under no obligation to produce cars that can go only 55 miles per hour; drivers who exceed the legal limit should be aware of how fast they are going.” Law-abiding citizens exceed the speed limit under many circumstances. Passing maneuvers often require bursts of speed for brief periods of time. Drivers approaching a steep upgrade, reasonably enough, want to gather a head of steam before the climb. And drivers entering expressways must often speed up for their own and others’ protection.

2. Speed limits can change. Particularly in rural areas, the 55 mile per hour limit has never been accepted and has been viewed as an affront to basic liberties.

3. Automobile engineers need speedometers with more generous indications. Many of the Procedures they use to assess the safety and performance of cars, including tire, brake, and component tests, are carried out at speeds greater than 55 miles per hour.

Soon, analogue speedometers will probably give way to electronic speedometers. At present, electronic models are in short supply, so they are primarily a luxury option. Electronic speedometers feature continuous digital readouts, usually in two mile per hour increments, that register accurately whatever speed the car is traveling, regardless of the speed limit.

Submitted by Daniel C. Papcke, of Lakewood, Ohio
.

WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE? / 145

What Is the Purpose of Public and Underarm Hair,
the Only Body Hair That Men and Women Share
in Abundance?

Even though humans have lost most of their fur, pubic hair and underarm hair remain in both sexes (at least, in most of the world—the majority of American women shave their armpits, for some reason we at
Imponderables
are still trying to ascertain). Any logical reason for this?

The most popular explanation is that pubic hair and armpit hair both trap the milky fluid secreted by the sebaceous glands. When the secretion is broken down by bacteria, a strong odor that acts as an aphrodisiac is generated. Isn’t it ironic, then, that deodorants and antiperspirants are trumpeted for their ability to mask offensive odors? We are so worried about carrying bad smells that we neglect to realize that body odor can attract others. Perhaps deodorants should be marketed for people who
want
to get rid of the opposite sex.

Zoologists offer another explanation for public hair. Many animals, especially primates, have striking visual features around their genitals to help attract potential mates (have you seen a baboon lately?).

The wide patch of public hair on an otherwise naked skin might have remained on humans for the very same reason.

Submitted by Barbara and Celeste Hoggan, of El Paso, Texas
.

146 / DAVID FELDMAN

Why Do Construction Crews Put Pine Trees on Top
of Buildings They Are Working On?

The tree atop buildings (and bridges) under construction is known as the “topping out” tree and celebrates the completion of the basic skeleton of the structure. In skyscrapers, an evergreen is attached to the top beam as it is hoisted, a signal that the building has reached its final height. For some builders, the evergreen symbolizes that none of the construction crew died in the effort. For others, the tree is a talisman for good luck and prosperity for the future occupants of the building.

While the topping-out ceremony of today is often accompanied by a celebration, complete with boring speeches by local politicians and the popping of flashbulbs, the precursors of topping out are ancient: Like many of our benign rituals, topping-WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE? / 147

out celebrations stem from ancient superstitions. The Romans marked the completion of the Pons Sublicius over the Tiber River in 621 B.C. by throwing some humans into the river as a sacrifice to the gods. While we now launch ships by banging them with champagne bottles, a different liquid—human blood—was used in earlier times. In ancient China, the ridgepoles of new buildings were smeared with chicken blood in an attempt to fool the gods into believing they were receiving the human counterpart. Many cultures feared that evil spirits occupied new structures, so well into the Middle Ages, priests and rabbis performed special blessings on new homes and public buildings.