Good Questions: Barber Poles, Snoring, Former Titles

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It's Friday, and that means we are responding to some of your Good Questions.

Some viewers wanted to know: Why are barber poles outside of barber shops?

There was a time when barbers didn't just cut hair. During the Middle Ages, they also helped with "bloodletting," a procedure that involved cutting open a vein and that would supposedly help with illnesses.

The red in the barber pole symbolizes blood, the white represents bandages and the blue could be the vein. But some think it is simply a nod to patriotism.

TG in Delano wants to know: Why don't people wake up from their own snoring?

Doctors at Yale University's School of Medicine have studied this, and say that the brain is still processing vital information when we're asleep -- and helping with our breathing.

But parts of the brain are also sleeping, so it chooses to ignore sensory information, like listening to our "own" snoring.

Walter in Edina wants to know: When is it okay to call someone by a former title?

We hear people call Tim Pawlenty "Governor Pawlenty," even though he's no longer in office. And Hillary Clinton is called "Secretary Clinton," even though she no longer holds that title.

Political analyst Larry Jacobs says the most appropriate way to honor someone is to call them by the highest rank they have held as a sign of respect.

That is why a president is still president, or former president. And former governors still get called "governor." The same goes for professors and judges.

When it comes to retired judges and presidents, you can also use the term "honorable" before addressing them. The media in some cases will also say "former" before a title.