Things You'll Wish You Never Learned

fanaile essence's picture
Tagged:  •    •    •    •  

Have you ever run into one of those people who happens to be a walking encyclopedia of useless facts and trivia? I'm sure you have, we all have at one point in time or another.

But I still can't help but look at stories such as this; stories that serve no purpose other than to make me cringe and wish I hadn't learned that. But, then again, perhaps if more of us knew these seemingly useless facts, then we can begin working out new ways to do some of these things... like make insect-free chocolate...

Here are some of the highest rated cringe-ful facts (at least, these rank the highest in my mind):

1. - Chocolate is considered unfit to eat if it contains more than 90 insect parts per 100 milligrams (source)
2. - Both Maggots and Leeches have been approved by the FDA as valuable, prescribable treatments for various ailments (source)
3. - Thomas Edison, a revered scientist, electrocuted animals to prove that alternating current (AC) was dangerous (source)
4. - In 2006, the FDA approved the use of certain viruses to be sprayed onto hot dogs and other lunch meats that are not harmful to humans but kill any potential bacteria that may be living on the meat (source)
5. - Cocaine residue on cash is so commonplace that police cannot confiscate money with traces of cocaine on it for suspicion - even if pointed out by a canine unit (source)
6. - Eating sushi is the most effective way to get The Longest Tapeworm (source)
7. - In 1947, The U.S. Public Health Service mistreated black patients during a syphilis study by not telling, or treating, the patients with the disease. Instead, they decided to withhold the information so they could observe the effects of the disease (source)

These and more can be found here. I'm sure there are many, many more of these facts available. Perhaps you've heard some that you wouldn't mind sharing with the rest of us?

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

Haha. I'm full of useless facts. I have no idea where I pick them up or why I even remember them, but I do. Surprisingly though, they come in handy more than one would think, especially with my husband and sister asking the weird shit they do.

But that first one... I didn't eat a candy bar for nearly 2 years when sis came home and told me that one. And the second, while disgusting to think about... you should really try to watch what they do in some cases. More disgusting than I can say!

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

zervianight's picture

these facts make me cringe, on the other I go... well... I've already been eating chocolate for years... and it's soooooo good.

Another one I know of although I'm sure I've got the number wrong so correct me if you want...

Isn't it something like we eat seven spiders in our lifetime?

Yum, gotta get that extra protein!

JD

violinkeri's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

I think its more like 7 a year....but I'mm probably talking out of my ass lol.

Hug a musician, they never get to dance.

jessorzluvsu's picture

An extention to that one is the fact that most of them occur in our sleep.

Morning breath, anyone?

---------
"Get off the cell phone!"

mvenus929's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

Oh, that hot dog one isn't that bad. I refuse to eat hot dogs because I found out that they're acceptable if they have a small amount of rat droppings in them. So... no more hot dogs for me. I'll stick with my ground up beef, thanks.

~C
Visit my blog.

marsupial13's picture

GROSS!!! I'm with you there! Now all I can think of after that fact is the hot dog coming out of a rats a*s! Disgusting!

"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." ~George Balanchine

*Tatiana Romanov

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

You know... they say that sharing food with a friend increases the odds of you ingesting their feces... might as well go ahead and eat the hot dog; it can't be any worse than that!

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

marsupial13's picture

...wow never letting anyone touch my food! hehe. thats really disgusting!

"Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays." ~George Balanchine

*Tatiana Romanov

Interesting. Did you know that the reason that people get sick from e.coli isn't because there's cow shit in their burgers, it's because there's undercooked cow shit in their burgers? The way that meatpackers operate, most ground beef is going to be contaminated with bovine feces. We eat cowshit all the time; it's only when it is undercooked that it will hurt you.

(if you can't see the fnords they won't eat you)

mvenus929's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

I only buy ground beef that's been ground up on site (in the back of the store). Last time I bought the prepackaged stuff, I found little bits of bone in my hamburger. That wasn't a pleasant experience.

Besides, I only eat hamburger when we grill, or every so often in spaghetti or something. I'm a chicken person. And while I eat some pork, that'll be a thing of the past in a couple years.

~C
Visit my blog.

I've seen maggots applied to wounds in an ICU setting before. It can really work, but it still gives you the heebie-jeebies to look at a wound and see critters in there. Bleugh.

(if you can't see the fnords they won't eat you)

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

Well.... I was hungry before I started reading the new comments on this one. Now, I just feel like vomiting!

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

fanaile essence's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

LOL, right. I sat down thinking, "hm, I could go for a snack".

Now, no thank you.

One thing's for sure, fast food (with the fake, not real hamburger meat) is starting to look better to me!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence

jessorzluvsu's picture

"Cocaine residue on cash is so commonplace that police cannot confiscate money with traces of cocaine on it for suspicion - even if pointed out by a canine unit"

I'm OCD enough to actually want to wash my money now...ew.
Not only that, but those bills were most likely up someone's nose as well....

I have alot of friends that collect useless facts. I don't understand what would posess you to do it, but it's somewhat entertaining for the rest of us when they decide to go spouting them off one day at lunch (unless it's something gross, then we just lose our appetites).

---------
"Get off the cell phone!"

fanaile essence's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

Ew, I didn't even think about the cash being put up someone's nose...

One other thing that I learned while working at a bank a couple of years ago, human fecal matter is the number one contaminant on paper money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Dream as though you'll live forever, but live as though there's no tomorrow" --James Dean

http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/fanaile-essence

jessorzluvsu's picture

wow... I don't even want to know.

Excuse me while I go soak my money in some really hot, soapy water.

---------
"Get off the cell phone!"

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

lol. I just carry around alcohol based hand sanitizer to keep my hands clean after fooling with money. If you think about the number of people who have touched that money after sneezing, using the restroom, picking their noses, etc etc etc and not washing their hands... it's disgusting.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

From messing with my stomach to making me not want to tocuh money without gloves you guys are awesome and filled with weird and unusual facts.

I have a friend who watches discovery health and stuff on the interenet no stop. she repeats that stuff all the time. It random crap. The only thing that connects the facts are that somewhere down the line they have a sexual connatotation. Like she told us what autoerotic exphisication(sp) was and other crap like that.

Facts are cool but can be dangerous to your health!

Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

It's auto-erotic asphyxiation... and that is weird to me.

It's not the facts that are dangerous to one's health... it's the fact that knowing the facts has the potential to drive one insane.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

npsm18's picture
Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

I stopped reading at number 2...eww that's all I have to say.

-------------------------------------------------------
See my blog and I'll love you forever! Or at least temporarily: http://www.progressiveu.org/194914-i-think-this-is-something-every-american-should-read

Child of Light and Dark's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

Did you know you sleep around 20 years of your life??
How about you take 8 years of your life in the crapper....
Of course my favorite it's physically impossible for you to lick your elbow...
Its not my job to kill you....

Child of Light and Dark's picture
Volunteer for the Progressive U Alumni Association

I know you tried to lick your elbow :P
Its not my job to kill you....

fallon's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

I was going to say the same thing lol. Every time someone says that, at least half the room attempts it just to see.

"Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored." -Huxley

"It is unwise to be too sure of one's own wisdom. It is healthy to be reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err." -Gandhi

Member of the Progressive U Alumni Association

in middle school that said that 70% of people will try to lick their elbow after reading that they cant lick their elbow. i found that funny.

Conformity is the jailor of freedom and the enemy of growth!~JFK

mvenus929's picture
Managing Director of Progressive U

Are you from the South?

~C
Visit my blog.

Comment viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.