# The battle against ignorance has another set-back **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 2, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756 "2006-02-02T23:56:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2006, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/1 "2006-02-02T23:56:13Z")
So, an administrator (I think, I didn’t recognize the name) at my school found a list of “fun facts” and decided they were too good to not share them. With the entire school. He e-mailed the list the every student. And one of the “facts” on the list was “A duck’s quack doesn’t echo and no one knows why” _sigh_ And this is a school for gifted students. I don’t know about the truth of the other “facts.” Here’s the complete list: The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma. No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times. Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes. You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television. Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley’s gum. The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MUSTACHE American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class. Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!) Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN! The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer. So did the first “Marlboro Man.” Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE! PEARLS MELT IN VINEGAR! The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. It is possible to lead a cow upstairs… but, not downstairs. A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and no one knows why. Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/2 "2006-02-03T00:01:50Z")
The guy works for a school so it must be true. He convinced me. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/3 "2006-02-03T00:04:58Z")
Coconut milk for blood? No. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/4 "2006-02-03T00:15:58Z")
If he manages to get fired for this, tell him there might be a job for him at Snapple. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/5 "2006-02-03T00:18:07Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Coconut milk for blood? No. Yeah-- seems like the Red Cross would have been all over this one if it were true, having coconut drives and the like. I think the myth that pearls melt in vinegar comes from the story of Queen Cleopatra, who supposedly melted a pearl in vinegar and consumed it in order to make her banquet the most expensive in history. (Likely, she swallowed the pearl and had it retrieved after it had passed through her body.) > [@](#): > > It is possible to lead a cow upstairs…but, not downstairs. This actually makes sense. I had a lot of trouble teaching my puppy to navigate stairs. She would happily bound up them, but refused to walk down them, even when lured by a tasty treat. I assume that having her head tilted downward, and the appearance of a very steep angle, frightened her. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/6 "2006-02-03T00:30:43Z")
[http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200409/wildfile.html](http://outside.away.com/outside/features/200409/wildfile.html) Well, a pair of american doctors have done it, and i have read references in books on the pacific theater during ww2 where it was purportedly used. Coconut water is sterile inside the shell … The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood plasma. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/7 "2006-02-03T00:50:45Z")
Anyone seen the google ads? . . . > [@](#): > > Fishy Vaginal Odor? > “How To Smell Fresh At All Times” 68,000 Women Already Know Just what kind of other problems does this administrator have? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Queuing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Queuing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queuing)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/8 "2006-02-03T00:52:51Z")
I thought the bit about paper was true, but only if you used your hands only. Its not? ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/9 "2006-02-03T00:58:36Z")
Forget the “battle against ignorance”, what about the “battle against lame-ass forwarding to near strangers”? I’d be more pissed that someone is sending forwarded junk to an entire school list. Where do people get the balls to do stuff like that? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/10 "2006-02-03T01:06:25Z")
I work at a School and occasionally colleagues send round dire warnings about computer viruses. The original warnings always include the phrases: - tell all your friends about this - Bill Gates / Microsoft say … - your hard disk will be completely wiped - do not open any e-mail titled ‘…’ When I link to Snopes and show this hoax has been circulating for years, the colleagues get huffy. :rolleyes: “How was I supposed to know?” ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/11 "2006-02-03T01:08:17Z")
> [@Strinka](#): > > The King of Hearts is the only king > WITHOUT A MUSTACHE So what? > [@](#): > > Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. > (Since Venus is normally associated with women, > what does this tell you!) This is true, but, of course, it tells you nothing about women. > [@](#): > > Most dust particles in your house are made from > DEAD SKIN! Again, so what? > [@](#): > > Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush > be kept at least six (6) feet away from > a toilet to avoid airborne particles > resulting from the flush. Cecil covered this in his infamous “toilet plume” article, which I’m too lazy to find. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/12 "2006-02-03T01:12:05Z")
I did read recently in an article on the pros and cons of coffee that fruit juice would do just as good a job at waking you up in the morning. FWIW… ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/13 "2006-02-03T01:50:25Z")
Pearls desolve, not melt. The coconut milk thing is true. It’s more of an emergency situation thing though. Cows walk down steps without any problem. They might not do it for you on your stairway in the house, but that’s the situation. The next time you have them at the top of your stairs, boot them in the rear. Once they start down there will be no stopping them. ---
**Author:** ![Nic2004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/4491bb/32.png) [@Nic2004](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nic2004)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/14 "2006-02-03T02:02:11Z")
According to [this site](http://www.amusingfacts.com/cgi-bin/search.cgi?query=bar+code&bool=and&substring=0&mh=25) > [@](#): > > The first product to ever be scanned with a bar code was Wrigley’s gum on June 26, 1974. How reliable I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/15 "2006-02-03T02:25:10Z")
> [@](#): > > I don’t know about the truth of the other “facts.” Here’s the complete list: > > The liquid inside young coconuts > can be used as a substitute for > Blood plasma. Answered. Partially true. > [@](#): > > No piece of paper can be folded in half > more than seven (7) times. Mostly true although there have been some insane experiments with huge paper and machines that makes it not absolute. > [@](#): > > Donkeys kill more people annually > than plane crashes. Hard to know. If they include small planes then I doubt it. If they are just talking commercial then it probably is true. > [@](#): > > You burn more calories sleeping > than you do watching television. I don’t know if metabolism ramps up during sleep versus just sitting around awake. The brain becomes very active during certain sleep stages and that is a big energy hog so maybe. > [@](#): > > Oak trees do not produce acorns > until they are fifty (50) years of age or older. All oak trees? Maybe some species. > [@](#): > > The first product to have a bar code > was Wrigley’s gum. Probably true. > [@](#): > > The King of Hearts is the only king > WITHOUT A MUSTACHE What is even weirder is that I don’t have a mustache either. The conclusions are both obvious and compelling. > [@](#): > > American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 > by eliminating one (1) olive > from each salad served in first-class. This one is basically true. Businesses that deal in gigantic volumes can rack up some impressive sounding gains anytime they change any little thing. That doesn’t mean they did it to save $40,000. That is like a person saving less than a penny. > [@](#): > > Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. > (Since Venus is normally associated with women, > what does this tell you!) The moon (luna) is female as well and it is just a dry, barren, sterile, wasteland. > [@](#): > > Apples, not caffeine, > are more efficient at waking you up in the morning. I don’t know what “efficient” means in this case? Better? Faster? Cheaper? I will leave it up to the person since the feeling is subjective anyway. > [@](#): > > Most dust particles in your house are made from > DEAD SKIN! That can be true. Better than live skin though because that would be gross. > [@](#): > > The first owner of the Marlboro Company > died of lung cancer. > So did the first “Marlboro Man.” I believe these are true. > [@](#): > > Walt Disney was afraid > OF MICE! What was the so-called level of fear here? I bet some animantors in the Jungle Book were scared of snakes. > [@](#): > > PEARLS MELT > IN VINEGAR! Answered. > [@](#): > > The three most valuable brand names on earth: > Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. These are true I think. > [@](#): > > It is possible to lead a cow upstairs… > but, not downstairs. They claim it is flat-out impossible. Those are always easy to refute. > [@](#): > > A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, > and no one knows why. Finally, something we can all agree on. > [@](#): > > Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush > be kept at least six (6) feet away from > a toilet to avoid airborne particles > resulting from the flush. Fecal showers are real but an important part of a healthy immune system. About 75% correct or so. Much better than many of these lists. Send him his ‘C’ and tell him to keep working at it. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/16 "2006-02-03T03:01:06Z")
It never ends… Our HR director posted a message on the corporate intranet today: > [@dumbass HR Director](#): > > JUST A REMINDER… 31 days from today, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls. YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS… > > To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the national DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. After much consideration, I decided against the public humiliation route of posting the [relevant snopes link](http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp) on the intranet, option instead to just e-mail it to her directly. Next to the cleaning crew, HR is probably the department you least wanna piss off. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/17 "2006-02-03T03:08:40Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > \ > Fecal showers are real but an important part of a healthy immune system. > \ What about fecal hot-tubbing? Is that close enough? ---
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/18 "2006-02-03T03:20:46Z")
> [@Strinka](#): > > The first product to have a bar code > was Wrigley’s gum. According to [this](http://www.barcoding.com/Information/barcode_history.shtml), a pack of gum was the first product with a bar code to be scanned in a supermarket. In order to make bar codes worthwhile, many products had to adopt them right away, although full adoption took some time. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/19 "2006-02-03T03:32:06Z")
Here’s a site with the exact thing your Principal distrubuted. I know I read something in the last month about somebody beating the paper folding problem. They probaly didn’t start out with a standard sheet of letter paper either. [http://www2.oanda.com/cgi-bin/msgboard/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get\_topic;f=18;t=000567](http://www2.oanda.com/cgi-bin/msgboard/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=18;t=000567) ---
**Author:** ![Kat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b19c9b/32.png) [@Kat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kat)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756/20 "2006-02-03T03:47:08Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > What is even weirder is that I don’t have a mustache either. The conclusions are both obvious and compelling. You’re the King of Hearts? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-battle-against-ignorance-has-another-set-back/342756.md?page=2)