Ask Rachel

Interesting fact: I always thought being in traction meant you had a full body cast. Turns out, it refers to the slings pulling on your arms and legs – and I can’t figure out how that works when it’s really just pulling on your full body cast.

Interesting fact: Cult members often don’t realize they are in a cult. You could be in a cult right now. Can you prove you are not?

Interesting fact: I wanted an interesting fact about reality TV and learned that all such facts contain an irrefutable truth: there are no interesting facts about reality TV.

Interesting fact: The smell of black licorice is an aphrodisiac that increases the blood flow to the penis by 13 percent. When combined with the smell of donuts, however, that percentage jumped to 32.

Interesting fact: An alternate outcome for nose holes, since we don’t see them in public anymore, is that we eroticize them. 

Interesting fact: All the explanations for the phrase “sixes and sevens” don’t make any sense at all. Especially the one that attributes it to the numbers five and six.

Interesting fact: If revolutionary France, the Soviet Union and Nazis all failed to kill Christmas, it’s probably safe here too. I mean, we can’t even stage a proper coup.

Interesting fact: The Latin “doctor” means teacher. Guess my poli-sci prof has more right to the term than my OB/GYN does.

Interesting fact: Approximately 1.3 billion Christmas cards are sent every year, so at least 6.5 billion other people also receive none of them. 

Interesting fact: I have edited this week’s questions to read as answers, as my own little overdue tribute to the calming voice of my childhood. 

Interesting fact: New data from NASA suggests there may be 300 million habitable planets. The article was behind a paywall, so that’s all I know.