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1500 questions
40
votes
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Does banning fictional portrayal of child abuse reduce actual child abuse?
The United Kingdom's Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (part 2, chapter 2) makes possession of images portraying fictional child abuse punishable by law. Wikipedia has a summary, but here's a snip from the primary-source legalese:
(5) “Child”, subject…
Anko
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Did the town of Woodland, North Carolina, USA reject a solar plant because of cancer and photosynthesis concerns?
The Raonoke Chowan News Herald reported on 8 December 2015 reports that the town of Woodland, North Carolina, USA rejected a solar farm, citing concerns on photosynthesis and cancer:
Jane Mann said she is a local native and is concerned about the…
gerrit
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Are you more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery?
A common claim about how unlikely it is to win a multi-million dollar lottery jackpot is that one is more likely to be struck by lightning than to win the lottery. Is this claim true? Assume our player is playing the Powerball lottery in the United…
Daniel
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Is the music industry losing significant money because of piracy?
Is the music industry, and perhaps the entertainment industry, being ruined by piracy (or otherwise losing a substantial amount of money?)
For example, the record label EMI has blamed piracy for the loss of about 2,000 jobs and a slump in revenue.…
Thomas O
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Do we lose most of our body heat through our heads?
If you didn't grow up in a tropical climate, you probably heard something like this as a child...
Put on a hat before you go out because
you lose the most heat through your
head.
Some say that the reason you lose more heat through your head…
Monkey Tuesday
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Is refilling water bottles bad for you?
On a lot of bottles of so called mineral water, it is advised not to refill the bottle (with ordinary tap water, or any other drink e.g. cola) as doing so may present a health hazard. Is there any evidence behind this warning, or is it simply…
Thomas O
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40
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2 answers
May only licensed electricians change light bulbs in Australia?
Just researching legal oddities and came across this one:
Dumb Laws in Australia
Only licensed electricians may change a light bulb.
Some sources attribute it only to the state of Victoria.
Does anyone know if it's true or not?
Simon33
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Are LDS missionaries taught languages to a level of fluency in under three months which takes other schools years?
In How do Mormon missionaries learn foreign languages so quickly? it is claimed that LDS (Mormon) missionaries spend only up to ten weeks in languge learning, and that most are "fluent" within one year. These missionaries receive this training…
curiousdannii
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1 answer
Did Gandhi call vaccination a barbarous practice?
While searching for a different image on Google, I came across this:
The text in the image reads:
Vaccination is a barbarous practice and one of the most fatal of all the delusions current in our time.
Conscientious objectors to vaccination should…
user11643
40
votes
2 answers
Do emotionally-driven tears release toxins from the body?
Sometime ago I'd heard someone trained in child psychology claim that crying for emotional reasons (as opposed to getting something in your eye for example) released toxins from the brain and/or body. More specifically, she claimed that…
eMansipater
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Is it against the law to mispronounce Arkansas?
There are many sources that claim that it is illegal to pronounce Arkansas incorrectly and you can be fined for doing so.
My favorite law is one designed to get Northerners into trouble. That's right folks, if you mispronounce Arkansas (Ar-kan-saw)…
ermanen
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Do mosquitoes urinate on you when they bite you?
This is a claim that I have seen on several "Did You Know?" lists so far. They all state that when a mosquito bites you, they also urinate on you at the same time and that is what causes the area around the bite to swell, rather than the actual bite…
geoff
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Is it safe to stand by the windows during a thunderstorm?
There is widespread belief in my culture that we should not stay near door or windows during lightning. So people advise others to stay inside house with doors and windows closed to be safe from lightning. Is there any scientific basis for that idea…
Four Seasons
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Did the 1938 radio broadcast of 'The War of the Worlds' lead to mass hysteria?
I've heard it so many times that I considered it a fact.
(Image Source)
In 1938 Orson Welles' radio adaption of H.G.Wells' The War of the World incited a nationwide panic:
All across the United States,
listeners reacted. Thousands of people
…
Oliver_C
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1 answer
Is it good (for your health) to shower/bathe daily?
I only shower once every few days, sometimes as little as once a week depending how oily/sticky I'm feeling (I lead a pretty sedentary lifestyle so I don't reach that stage daily). People around me find it disturbing/disgusting but I usually shrug…
Dois
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