Friday, 21 March 2014
People are more likely to return a lost wallet if they find a baby picture inside of it.
If you want to be guaranteed of getting your lost wallet back, just make sure to have a baby pic in there – even if the baby is not yours. According to scientists, a lost wallet with a baby picture has a higher chance of being returned to its owner.
In 2008, a total of 240 wallets were strewn in the city of Edinburgh, Scotland to see how many would be returned. Some had one of four photos – a puppy dog, baby, a family and an elderly couple’s portrait.
Others contained a card that suggested the owner had made a charity donation recently, with a control batch lacking any such extra items. In total, according to Professor Richard Wiseman, 42% of the wallets were posted back in total. Those with the baby picture were most likely to elicit an honest reaction from the founder and a whopping 88% were returned! This was not so closely followed by that of the pup which registered a 53% return rate. The family snapshot wallets had a 48% return rate while the one you want to steer clear of – or perhaps mix it up with a toddler’s – is granny’s. Wallets with the elderly couple portrait only registered 28% return rate, wallets with charity cards (20%) and the control sample with no extras 15%.
Read more: http://seriousfacts.com/people-likely-return-lost-wallet-find-baby-picture-inside/#ixzz2vABbVgiW
Tuesday, 18 March 2014
In 1970, a man bought an island with a $5 million price tag for $180,000.
No one can cut a deal like Richard Branson. In 1970, he was attempting to purchase an island and started his bidding at $100,000 for one that was worth $5,000,000. His offer wasn't a tempting one initially. However, the seller (a man by the name of Lord Cobham) was in desperate need for short-term capital and finally made Branson an offer of $180,000.
According to government law at the time, alien landholders were required to build a resort on newly purchased islands or the state would take back ownership. While he bought the land for an atom of the initially price, he invested $10,000,000 across 5 years of his life building the resort. Today, the island is worth more than $200,000,000.
So, I guess you can add Lord Cobham to that list with the publishers who turned down Harry Potter or the investors who thought Apple was a bad idea.
China pays its citizens for choosing to be buried at sea!
China has a real cemetery problem. With 1.35 billion citizens, a rapid growing economy, and surging real estate prices, the cost of burying a person underground is getting really expensive and scarce.
Some cities in China are trying to incentivize people to choose to be buried at sea instead. They will pay their families up to $1,300 and an all-expenses paid boat trip for people to scatter their deceased loved one’s ashes at sea.
If this seems like a lot of money, it’s not as much as the cost of a grave. In Beijing, even a cheap grave can cost up to $16,000 to bury someone’s ashes. This is a real problem that they want to solve, as their death toll is expected to reach 20 million in just a few years.
Two Colombian gunmen died when they tried to kidnap an Olympic target shooter!
Colombia has been torn apart by violent crimes for decades now, but in the year 2000, Olympic athletes were being kidnapped over and over again and were being held for bail money. Three gunmen made the fatal mistake of trying to kidnap a former Olympic athlete named Bernardo Tobar.
Bernardo was an Olympic athlete for the sport of target shooting with a pistol. When Bernardo and his son of the same name, who is also an aspiring target shooter at the age of 22, were walking home after practicing for the Olympic games held in Sydney.
The then 22 year old Bernardo saw the immediate threat, and fired his .22 caliber pistol killing two of the three gunmen almost instantly. It isn't known what happened to third assailant. What's absolutely crazy about this story is that Bernardo wasn't the first person to shoot - the assailants actually shot BEFORE Bernardo did, they just missed.
A school in Spain offers professional courses in prostitution.
Finally, some training of the world’s oldest profession! For €100, students are taught the history of prostitution, how to use erotic toys, as well as popular positions contained in the Kama Sutra (so both theory and practice). Ninety-five people, from the age of 19 to 45, signed up for the diploma-which takes two hours each day.
Prostitution is a multibillion-pound industry in Spain, even though Spain is a Catholic country where prostitution is illegal. The reason the course was given permission to ensue was because advertisements for the course did not directly promote prostitution, constitute fraud, or were aimed at minors. Instead, it was sold as an educational program on the history, rules, and regulations around prostitution in Spain.
1 in 6 people in the US face the issue of hunger! Learn how you can do something about it
Did you know 1 in 6 people in the US face the issue of hunger? You can help change that now by joining DoSomething.org and Walmart's Peanut Butter & Jam Slam. You can either start a drive to collect peanut butter or jam, or donate solo. You'll automatically be entered to win a $4,000 scholarship by participating! Sign up here now: Http://www.dosomething.org/pbj
There is only one known death caused by a falling elevator.
While it is a popular subject in folklore and entertainment, elevators are actually pretty safe overall. The only known death caused by a falling elevator happened in Thailand in 2012.
A lift at a Home Furniture Class store started dropping from the fourth floor because a sling chain snapped. There were 3 people in the elevator. One was pregnant and miscarried as a result of it. One person died and the other two suffered critical injuries.
Despite this incident, cable-borne elevators are extremely safe. It's estimated that only 1 in 12 million elevator rides result in an anomaly, and the vast majority of them are minor things like the doors failing to open.
Schools with music programs have an estimated 90% graduation rate compared to schools without music education who average 73% graduation rate.
Schools with music programs have an estimated 90% graduation rate compared to schools without music education who average 73% graduation rate. Think this is important? DoSomething.org and VH1's Save the Music Foundation think so too. Join them to save music education programs around the country from April 30 until June 14 in their Band Together campaign. Not only will you be saving music programs around the country but even have a shot at being in Philip Phillips' cover video of "Gone, Gone, Gone." Sign up at www.dosomething.org/bandCarrot-eating was a political statement
Long before we ever thought to dip the crunchy wonders in a gob of ranch dressing, carrots naturally and popularly existed in a variety of colors from white, to red, to purple and beyond. The fact that the vast majority of carrots we now see are orange is due to a Dutch botanist who hybridized the carrot to create a tasty orange variety in tribute to William of Orange, who led the struggle for Dutch independence from Spain in the 16th century.
When we cry, why do we have tears?
When we cry we put pressure into our heads. This pressure causes a backup of tears into our eyes from our noses. We also increase our blood flow to our face and eyes, which causes an increase in the amount of tears. These two things cause our eyes to be over filled with tears. And because we have too many tears to fit into our eyes, they flow down our cheeks as we cry.
Why Do Shells Sound Like the Ocean?
The fact that all shells sound just a little bit like the ocean is purely coincidental. Holding any sort of Helmholtz resonator to your ear will produce a similar effect, whether that object is associated with the ocean or not. Put an empty glass over your ear or even cup your hand over it, and the sound you hear will be just about the same.
Yawning makes one more alert!
There is evidence that yawning jump starts the body for a main event. There have been so much yawning during the Olympics, and it was not because the athletes were bored or tired.
Yawning routes extra surge of blood to the brain and prepares the body for major activity. These may be the same reason why paratroopers yawn before the first jump, students yawn before the final exams, and violinists yawn before the start of a concert.
Your Sewage Shall Find You Out!
Your Sewage Shall Find You Out!
Sewage plants tell all! Researchers at Oregon State University, through testing a spoon of water from a community’s sewage plant, were able to know what legal and illegal drugs are being used in the community. This type of testing will help authorities be aware of what type of illegal drugs are being used in town, what days, and by what amounts.
Your Computer, Your Sleep, and Your Heart
Your Computer, Your Sleep, and Your Heart
Turn the TV/computer off and go to bed! Getting 5 hours of sleep doubles your chances of heart attack, according to a British study that tracked 10,000 people over an eight-year period. People get less sleep today than they did in the past mainly because of using electronic devices late into the night.
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