Episode #590
News Items
Who's That Noisy
- Answer to last week: Record player
Science or Fiction
-
Item #1
Science
The modern tradition of “trick or treat” evolved out of older traditions of singing and dancing, or even praying for the dead, in exchange for treats. http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween
-
Item #2
Fiction
It is illegal in several states of the US for shelters to sell all back cats around Halloween for fear they will be sacrificed in rituals. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/24/halloween-weird-facts_n_5948456.html
-
Item #3
Science
The LD50 of sucrose is 29.7 g/kg, which translates to 1,627 pieces of candy corn for an 82kg (180 pound) adult. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNOycTzN-fg&feature=youtu.be
Skeptical Quote of the Week.
‘People are often more willing to believe lies than the truth. Lies can be made to sound pleasant. The truth, by its very nature, isn’t always so attractive.’ Richard Rahl. From Terry Goodkind’s The Third Kingdom. The Sword of Truth is a series of seventeen epic fantasy novels written by Terry Goodkind.