Could double jeopardy protect a murderer who bribed the judge and jury to be declared not guilty?

Assume the following hypothetical case: a well-known multi-billionaire is holding an event with lots of invitees, (so there is no doubt about his identity), then in front of many witnesses and live cameras takes out a gun and murders several people, while saying that he is of sane mind, and intended to do this because they annoyed him. It seems like a clear-cut case, his guilt is beyond all reasonable doubt. But at the trial, he is declared not guilty. Everyone is horrified, but he goes free. Much later it comes to evidence that the judge and jury received ludicrous sums of money, and disappeared in a country with no extradition treaty. Can someone be protected by double jeopardy in such a case?

There is precedent for the idea that double jeopardy need not apply when the initial trial was a sham because the judge and/or jury had been bribed. See Aleman v. Judges of Cook County Circuit Court , 138 F.3d 302 (7th Cir. 1998) . This case was very similar to your hypothetical: Aleman was initially acquitted of a murder, but years later it came to light that he had bribed the judge (in a bench trial). He was retried and convicted in state court. He appealed his conviction on the grounds of double jeopardy, but the Seventh Circuit denied his...

Technically anyone can sit on a jury. Lawyers are not automatically excluded from juries anymore, as being called for jury duty is a right and a duty that the law abhors automatically excluding people from. That is the official line on this. However, in reality, lawyers will always be stricken from serving by one of the lawyers trying the case. Each lawyer has a certain number of preemptory strikes (the ability to get rid of a juror for any reason, aside from those protected by law, such as race, religion, etc). They also have unlimited "for cause strikes," which are...

Public nudity is illegal in New York as it is in almost every U.S. jurisdiction. And, if the police had arrested the nude protesters, the arrests probably would have been upheld in court, because a ban on nudity in public would probably be viewed as a time, place and manner restriction on the freedom of speech which is constitutionally valid. For example, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld San Francisco’s public nudity ordinance in Taub v. City and County of San Francisco (2017). As the court in that case explains in a factually very similar case: Public...


Can I get reimbursed if police shot the window of my car during a standoff?

My car was parked in the parking lot of a large chain grocery store, upon returning to my car I found the police in a standoff with a suspect with my vehicle right at the center. I asked if I could move my car but the officers got angry and started ignoring me. SWAT team got called in and it ended with them firing and shattering my rear window with their bullets. Officers were unprofessional and ignored my concerns. This took place in the great state of Texas. Is there anything I can do to get them to pay for my broken window? I have the incident on video. Updated : I forgot to add that I was standing there for 3 hours before any shots were fired, plenty of time to let me move the car.

police property texas vehicle governmental-liability

Most leases have a provision allowing a landlord to make entry without notice in an emergency, but the better course of action, as noted in a comment by @BlueDogRanch, is to call the police and ask them to make a "welfare check." You would ordinarily be permitted to cooperate with police by unlocking doors in furtherance of their welfare check. The police are trained to do this properly in a way that properly balances the need to aid someone who is sick or ill, the need to preserve evidence if there was a death or crime that needs to be...

There is no legal obligation of the police or any of its officers to reimburse you. It comes within a police powers exception to the 5th Amendment obligation to provide compensation for takings. Sometimes a government will compensate someone even though it has no legal obligation to do so, but this is unlikely to happen. A petition for certiorari from 10th Circuit decision of Lech v. City of Greenwood Village (10th Cir. October 29, 2019) recaps a lot of the relevant law and arguments for changing it (the petition was subsequently denied by the U.S. Supreme Court). The question presented...

You cannot deny the federal government the right to use your patent, but you can sue them for "recovery of [your] reasonable and entire compensation for such use and manufacture", see 28 USC 1498 . Note that the statute refers to such use as being "without license of the owner thereof or lawful right to use or manufacture the same", that is, there is no lawful right to infringe on a patent, but recourse for infringement is highly limited. A suit against the government under §1498 is (see the summary in Airborne Data v. US , 702 F.2d 1350) on...

There is a history of "giving away patents", which allows the original grantor to foster innovation instead of stifle it. Here are some examples: Sealand Industries - ISO Shipping Container Patented the standard shipping container, then gave away the patent royalty free, allowing a revolution in ocean going shipping. Annually it is estimated that $440 billion are shipped through these containers. Tesla - 200+ patents Elon Musk announced that the company "will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology." . Toyota - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Patents Released 5,680 patents related to hydrogen...


Is it legal to break into a locked car to get a child out in hot weather?

The NHTSA's page about heat stroke in cars seems to imply that if you see a child left in a locked car on a hot day, you should break into the car to get the child out. "If you see a child alone in a locked car, get them out immediately and call 911." The only way to "get them out" of a "locked car" would be to break in. Is this legal?

While there is an act that President Trump and his supporters are citing, titled the Presidential Records Act (PRA) , to accuse House Speaker Pelosi of breaking federal law, it is important to understand what actions the law accounts for. The act mandates that the President of the United States preserve records and other laws governing the federal government. This serves as a form of checks and balances to prevent the president and his advisers from shielding documentary information from public view. The act is fairly new, as it was passed in 1981. It is important to realize that this...

Oregon allows it, see ORS 30.813 . One who enters a motor vehicle, by force or otherwise, to remove a child or domestic animal left unattended in the motor vehicle is not subject to criminal or civil liability You have to verify that the car is locked, you have to have a good faith and reasonable belief that breaking in is necessary because of imminent danger of suffering harm, you must notify the police and you must remain with the child / animal until police arrive.

There isn't any rule which would prioritize the President, as far as I can tell. Generally, organ allocation is required to be based on medical criteria, not on factors such as the occupation or societal role of the patient. 42 USC 273 specifies that organ procurement shall be administered by "qualified organ procurement organizations" and sets up ground rules for their operation, one of which is: have a system to allocate donated organs equitably among transplant patients according to established medical criteria. Further regulations implementing this law are to be found at 42 CFR 121 . 121.8(a)(1) specifies that allocation...

Yes you can, and you can even include "editorials or subjective content". However, if you include factual statements, or words that imply factual statements, the company could claim that they are false, and therefore defamatory. Indeed they might claim that in any case. If you make no false statements of fact, they should not be able to win a defamation suit, but you might need to spend time and money defending yourself if they choose to sue. The detailed rules on defamation vary by jurisdiction, in the US by state. But in no US state can defamation be found against...


Why does it matter that a group of January 6 rioters went to Olive Garden for dinner after the riot?

CNN has an article pointing out that the rioters went to Olive Garden for dinner and spent $400 after the riot. The article implies that where they went for dinner, and how much they spent, is relevant to their trial. Why does it matter where they go for dinner and how much they spend? What they did at the Capitol was both illegal and immoral, but going to Olive Garden is neither.

Legally speaking, very many nations grant asylum, and religious persecution is one of the most basic grounds for granting asylum, following the 1951 Refugee Convention . This newspaper article compares asylum statistics in Ireland versus other parts of Europe. The Irish immigration authorities spell out the details for an asylum application. Note that you must already be in Ireland, to apply for asylum in Ireland (you should apply when you enter the country). One could also apply to Norway (almost an English-speaking country), but again you have to be in Norway to do so. There is a generic solution to...

This is the Fed (FCC) saying "I'm paying for this, so I get to determine who uses it." The service costs money. It is not automagic speech to text, but rather there is often (usually?) an actual human typing it in. Carriers front the cost, and then get compensation from the Fed. The Federal govt picks up that cost. They don't want people that don't need it due to hearing loss making use of that service and its associated costs. From the FCC : Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (b) Availability of telecommunications relay services: the Commission...

The article says: Defense lawyers say the evidence does not show a celebration of violence. Which implies that the prosecution claimed exactly that, or at least that the defense anticipates the prosecution to claim something along those lines. The article also says [ bold italic emphasis mine]: Defense lawyers for Rhodes have previously addressed the dinner, saying that prosecutors’ theory of the episode is incorrect. Rhodes’ lawyers said in a court filing the dinner is evidence that the militia leader wasn’t working to foment a revolution . “ The conditions would never be better . Yet, Rhodes and the others...

Yes, that’s allowed. Under the Stack Exchange terms of service , content you upload is licensed to Stack Exchange Inc. on a non-exclusive basis under CC-BY-SA 4.0. The terms of service do not give Stack Exchange the copyright to your contributions, and a non-exclusive license means you are not promising Stack Exchange that “only Stack Exchange will be allowed to use this content.” That means you can continue to do whatever you want with your own content and do not need to mention Stack Exchange at all. The only restriction is that you can’t stop Stack Exchange from continuing to...


Would it be legal to supply an item that deliberately stops working after the guarantee expires?

I have TV that failed about a week after the 3 year guarantee expired. Obviously this is annoying, and I'm back to using a 15 year old TV that I dug out from the attic. Realistically, this failure so close to expiry of the guarantee is probably just a co-incidence, but it did get me thinking, the TV is a 'smart TV' with lots of electronics inside. It wouldn't be difficult to deliberately design it to stop working after exactly 3 years. If a manufacturer deliberately did this (and didn't mention it in their sales literature) would this be lawful? This is slightly different from 'planned obsolescence' whereby spare parts aren't available, or an item can't be disassembled without destroying it, I'm talking about something very similar to buying a software license - where a fixed fee up-front allows you to use a product for exactly 12 months. In practice, when I buy a physical item I regard the guarantee as the minimum period the item should work for with the expectation that with a bit of luck it should work for a lot longer. Could a manufacturer lawfully sell a TV/kettle/electric drill deliberately designed to fail after a fixed period?

australia Deliberately rendering the TV non-operational through software would appear to be malicious damage. Under the Australian Consumer Law, one of the statutory guarantees is that a product must be “durable”. Manufacturer’s can offer explicit warranties in addition but these in no way impact on the statutory guarantees. What durable means depends on the product and the price paid for it. For a low end TV, 3 years might be durable enough although it’s arguable, but for a high end TV it wouldn’t be. For whitegoods, 10 years would be appropriate. A similar period would be appropriate for a car....

A "land contract" is not a way of renting property, it is a way of purchasing property on an installment basis without bank financing. It is Ohio's version of what in some other places is known as "contract for deed". See "What is a Land Contract in Ohio" and "How Land Contracts Work" The actual law is Section 5313 . In a land contract, the buyer has equitable but not legal title. The buyer normally pays all taxes and fees, and is responsible for maintaining the property, just as if s/he has bought the property. But if the buyer defaults,...

Short Answer Applicants are required by military regulation to have a percentile score on a standardized test called the ASVAB that is 31 or more, which is roughly comparable to an IQ score on the Stanford-Binet scale of a little bit less than 92, for high school graduates seeking to enter the Army or Navy (other services have more strict requirements and applicants with only a GED or to the national guard must have an ASVAB score in the 50th percentile which is equivalent to an IQ of 100). But, U.S. law allows the Department of Defense to allow people...

In the united-kingdom , the legal basis flows from the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 . This allows regulations to be made for particular sanctions regimes, in this case The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 and its several amendments, including three revisions this year. Under those regulations, the Secretary of State may designate individuals who are then subject to particular sanctions. A consolidated list is available for all individuals and organizations who have been named under any of the regulations, not just the Russia one. Working backwards from the list, we see such names as Vladimir Putin, who...


Sticker on caption phone says that using the captions can be illegal. Why?

I was testing donated electronics at a local non-profit, to decide what to put on the shelves and what to recycle, when I found this: Federal law prohibits anyone but registered users with hearing loss from using this device with Captions On. I can understand the loudness warning on the ear end of the handset, but I'm puzzled as to why captioning a phone call would be illegal if you didn't need it. What were the circumstances under which that prohibition came about? What is it trying to prevent? For example, is the prohibition based on concerns around eavesdropping or wiretapping? Is the captioning technology licensed under a restrictive license that permits its use only as a disability accommodation? Is the purchase cost of the device subsidized under some disability benefit program? I've seen commercials for captioned phones, that are clearly not targeting me, but as far as I can tell, none of them mentioned that it's actually illegal for me to use their product for its advertised function. Per the comments, here's the bottom too:

united-states disabilities phonecall communications-law

This is the Fed (FCC) saying "I'm paying for this, so I get to determine who uses it." The service costs money. It is not automagic speech to text, but rather there is often (usually?) an actual human typing it in. Carriers front the cost, and then get compensation from the Fed. The Federal govt picks up that cost. They don't want people that don't need it due to hearing loss making use of that service and its associated costs. From the FCC : Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act (b) Availability of telecommunications relay services: the Commission...

Yes, it's illegal You are missing something terribly important: The package might not be your property [yet]. In any way, it is not in your possession, while it is in the hands of the postal service! The contents of the package started fully owned by the sender and were entrusted to the postal service to deliver it. This entrustment is (contractually) defined as the time it is handed to the postal service, but the postal service does not gain any ownership. They do however have insurance on the parcel (to some degree), as they are liable for the loss of...

While there is an act that President Trump and his supporters are citing, titled the Presidential Records Act (PRA) , to accuse House Speaker Pelosi of breaking federal law, it is important to understand what actions the law accounts for. The act mandates that the President of the United States preserve records and other laws governing the federal government. This serves as a form of checks and balances to prevent the president and his advisers from shielding documentary information from public view. The act is fairly new, as it was passed in 1981. It is important to realize that this...


If someone's record has been expunged, can they legally say that they have not been arrested?

If someone applies for a job and the application asks whether they've ever been arrested, can they legally say on the application that they have not been arrested before? Note: Case was dismissed with no finding of fact.

Public nudity is illegal in New York as it is in almost every U.S. jurisdiction. And, if the police had arrested the nude protesters, the arrests probably would have been upheld in court, because a ban on nudity in public would probably be viewed as a time, place and manner restriction on the freedom of speech which is constitutionally valid. For example, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld San Francisco’s public nudity ordinance in Taub v. City and County of San Francisco (2017). As the court in that case explains in a factually very similar case: Public...

In the case of United States vs Wong Kim Ark 169 U.S. 649 (1898) (a 6-2 decision), the Supreme Court wrote: [T]he real object of the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution, in qualifying the words, "All persons born in the United States" by the addition "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof," would appear to have been to exclude, by the fewest and fittest words (besides children of members of the Indian tribes, standing in a peculiar relation to the National Government, unknown to the common law), the two classes of cases -- children born of alien enemies in hostile occupation...

New York Criminal Procedure - Article 160.6 states, Upon the termination of a criminal action or proceeding against a person in favor of such person, as defined in subdivision two of section 160.5 of this chapter, the arrest and prosecution shall be deemed a nullity and the accused shall be restored, in contemplation of law, to the status he occupied before the arrest and prosecution. The arrest or prosecution shall not operate as a disqualification of any person so accused to pursue or engage in any lawful activity, occupation, profession, or calling. Except where specifically required or permitted by statute...

Think through the logical combinations of two questions: The government is tyrannical or just, the revolution is successful or not. Tyrannical government, revolution successful: The revolutionaries will congratulate each other, and of course they are not persecuted by the new government they install . Just government, revolution successful: The revolutionaries will congratulate each other, and of course they are not persecuted by the new government they install . Tyrannical government, revolution not successful: The legal system will find the justified attempt illegal (because they are the legal system defending a tyrannical government), the would-be revolutionaries are persecuted. Just government, revolution...


Is it illegal to throw away the previous tenant's mail?

Say I move into an apartment. And over the next months and years, I keep receiving mail for the previous tenant, whom I do not know. This is understandably annoying. The easiest and most convenient approach for me is to just throw away his mail – but would I be breaking any law if I did so?

Trump was an officer of the government, and Twitter wasn't. The First Amendment forbids the government and its agents from viewpoint discrimination, but private companies are not bound by it and can discriminate as much as they please. (There was a question as to whether such discrimination might affect whether the company enjoys a shield from liability under 47 USC 230 , but even so they have the right to block and censor as they wish if they are willing to risk that liability.)

While there is an act that President Trump and his supporters are citing, titled the Presidential Records Act (PRA) , to accuse House Speaker Pelosi of breaking federal law, it is important to understand what actions the law accounts for. The act mandates that the President of the United States preserve records and other laws governing the federal government. This serves as a form of checks and balances to prevent the president and his advisers from shielding documentary information from public view. The act is fairly new, as it was passed in 1981. It is important to realize that this...

In order to accommodate various objections that have arisen in recent generations, in general: You are allowed to "affirm" instead of "swear" You do not have to say "so help me God" You do not have to place your hand on a Bible or any object These variances are often allowed by statute. A witnessed "solemn affirmation" has the same legal consequences as the traditional swearing on a Bible: I.e., you would be held to the same statutes and rules that apply to sworn statements.

Do not throw away mail that is not addressed to you. If you receive misaddressed mail, write "Not at this address" on the envelope and put it in a mailbox, or give it to the mailperson (source: United States Postal Service - Reporting / returning misdelivered mail ). Also, if you contact USPS they may redirect the misaddressed mail for you. 18 U.S. Code § 1702 - Obstruction of correspondence Whoever takes any letter, postal card, or package out of any post office or any authorized depository for mail matter, or from any letter or mail carrier, or which has...


Do the police have to kick someone out the house if the owner demands it?

I phoned the police to kick my in laws out the house after they started to take my furniture when they were only meant to take theirs (splitting up with wife). They came but refused to kick them out immediately and instead just waited until they had taken all their furniture. They also told them what they can take and what they cant take. Isn't this illegal for police to do?

Yes, it's illegal You are missing something terribly important: The package might not be your property [yet]. In any way, it is not in your possession, while it is in the hands of the postal service! The contents of the package started fully owned by the sender and were entrusted to the postal service to deliver it. This entrustment is (contractually) defined as the time it is handed to the postal service, but the postal service does not gain any ownership. They do however have insurance on the parcel (to some degree), as they are liable for the loss of...

Trespass to land in most instances is a civil matter, and as such the police do not have the power to assist. Initially, the landowner should ask the trespasser to leave the land and if he/she does then all is well. If he/she refuses to leave the land then you will need to consider taking civil action. It could be dangerous for the landowner to try to remove the trespasser themselves. The owner of the land could commit several criminal offences if he forcibly removes the trespasser and his/her property from the land. The best and safest course of action...

Assuming U.S. Jurisdiction: In the case of The People vs. Hansel and Gretel Holzfaller: Ms. Gretel Holzfaller is charged with the following: 1 Count of Murder in the First Degree (Murder of Ms. Witch Hazel) 1 Count of Grand Larceny (Theft of precious metals and jewels from Ms. Hazel) 1 Count Petty Theft (Theft of Candy) 1 Count of Vandalism (Bite marks left in Gingerbread Masonry) 1 Count Trespassing Mr. Hansel Holzfaller is charged with the following: 1 Count of Accessory to Murder 1 Count of Grand Larceny 1 Count Petty Theft 1 Count of Vandalism 1 Count Trespassing Ms....

You can file a federal criminal complaint under 18 USC 242 - Deprivation of rights under color of law , or (most commonly) a civil claim under 42 USC 1983 for the violation of your civil rights. There are usually state laws, from some form of harassment (usually a summary offense) to misdemeanors like the Official Oppression we have in Pennsylvania. Note that you can file these complaints even if they do find something incriminating. An illegal search is illegal regardless of its fruits.


What happens to a country’s debt if the country ends?

Suppose a country either just calls it quits or is destroyed by war (for example, Yugoslavia or Czechoslovakia). If that country has a national debt, including both domestic and foreign lenders, what happens to the debt? I have read about countries going bankrupt and the complex and varied processes used to address this - but that isn’t what I’m asking about. Bankruptcy refers to a country that is unable to pay its debts but wants to continue existence, and therefore it has to find some path to resolving its financial situation. I’m asking about a country that is simply going out of existence.

If the country was defeated in war, the bondholders often lose all their money. Sometimes, though, the conqueror has its own reasons to want the debt to be repaid. If the country came to an end through peaceful negotiation, the same negotiation would decide who becomes responsible for its debts. So, at the end of the U.S. Civil War, the United States declared that no one who had lent the Confederacy money to fight them was ever going to get any of it back. It even amended the Constitution (Amendment XIV, Section 4) to say that [N]either the United States...

Public nudity is illegal in New York as it is in almost every U.S. jurisdiction. And, if the police had arrested the nude protesters, the arrests probably would have been upheld in court, because a ban on nudity in public would probably be viewed as a time, place and manner restriction on the freedom of speech which is constitutionally valid. For example, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld San Francisco’s public nudity ordinance in Taub v. City and County of San Francisco (2017). As the court in that case explains in a factually very similar case: Public...

It is legal, at least in the US, for a store (or other entity) to refuse to sell any item to any individual for any non-prohibited reason (prohibited reasons are typically things like race or religion). More over, in various US jurisdictions, it is prohibited to "furnish" alcohol to a "minor" (for example, under California's ABC law), which can be interpreted as prohibiting to an adult if they reasonably suspect that adult will pass the alcohol onto the "minor". This is to prevent "straw" sales. Additionally, larger chains generally prefer to have harmonized policies across branches, and where practical, across...


If I cause a crash can I delete my dash cam footage?

If I am driving a car and get into a crash that is 100% my fault can I rip my dash cam down and delete the footage or completely refuse to give the footage to anyone or am I legally required to provide that footage?

As an example, under the laws of Colorado, USA, deleting the footage would be a crime. See CRS 18-8-610 : A person commits tampering with physical evidence if, believing that an official proceeding is pending or about to be instituted and acting without legal right or authority, he: (a) Destroys, mutilates, conceals, removes, or alters physical evidence with intent to impair its verity or availability in the pending or prospective official proceeding; If you cause a crash, you should certainly believe that you are going to be sued, and a lawsuit is definitely an official proceeding. And it sounds like...

There isn't any indication in that news story that the disabled son was anywhere nearby. I agree the situation you describe sounds like a legitimate use of the placard, but it seems in this situation, the placard was being used in a manner totally unrelated to the transport of a disabled person. My guess is that the cops cited her because the son wasn't in the car, and was not inside the establishment at which she parked. California code has this to say: A person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued may permit another person to use...

The third Geneva convention says in its second article (emphasis added): the present Convention shall apply to all cases of declared war or of any other armed conflict which may arise between two or more of the High Contracting Parties, even if the state of war is not recognized by one of them. The Convention shall also apply to all cases of partial or total occupation of the territory of a High Contracting Party, even if the said occupation meets with no armed resistance. The violence in Ukraine qualifies for at least two reasons: it is an armed conflict between...

Most leases have a provision allowing a landlord to make entry without notice in an emergency, but the better course of action, as noted in a comment by @BlueDogRanch, is to call the police and ask them to make a "welfare check." You would ordinarily be permitted to cooperate with police by unlocking doors in furtherance of their welfare check. The police are trained to do this properly in a way that properly balances the need to aid someone who is sick or ill, the need to preserve evidence if there was a death or crime that needs to be...


Can Prince Harry wear the uniforms of his former units?

It's been in the news recently that Prince Harry has been banned from wearing a military uniform at the events surrounding the late Queen's funeral, since he was stripped of his honorary military titles when he stopped being a working royal. However, he is a veteran who served ten years in the British military and was deployed to Afghanistan. Why can't he wear the uniform of his former rank and unit in his capacity as a retired officer, rather than wearing the uniform of his (now removed) honorary titles in his capacity as a member of the Royal Family?

By Army regulations, no, he's not allowed to wear that uniform. Prince Harry technically isn't a "retired officer". Rather, he resigned his commission in the Army, effective 19 June 2015. See the London Gazette for 11 August 2015, Supplement 61319, page 14838 , under "Captain H. C. A. D. WALES 564673". According to the Army Dress Regulations 02.45a (page 101 of the PDF), "It is to be noted that those who resigned their commissions are not authorised to wear uniform under any circumstances." Moreover, under the Uniforms Act 1894 : (1)It shall not be lawful for any person not serving...

at what point can you just leave? Is it always technically illegal in the UK to leave without paying the bill? Probably depends on what you mean with just leaving. If just leaving translates I haven't paid and I won't pay (because of the hassle with the card) then that's probably Making Off Without Payment, section 3 Theft Act 1978 (Thanks @bdsl). Could the restaurant just force you to wait until close of business if necessary? What if they still hadn't fixed the payment system by then? I don't think a restaurant can physically detain you. Not even the 45...

Parliamentary Supremacy was established by the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in which James II & VII was deposed by Parliament, and the line of succession was changed by Act of Parliament to favor William and Mary. Key laws passed during the aftermath of the Revolution included the Declaration of Right (which forbade keeping a standing army without Parliamentary consent, and put control of the military in Parliament), and the Coronation Oath Act 1688 which established in law obligations of the monarch. Since 1688 it has remained the governing principle of English (later British and UK) law that ultimate authority lies...

Trespass to land in most instances is a civil matter, and as such the police do not have the power to assist. Initially, the landowner should ask the trespasser to leave the land and if he/she does then all is well. If he/she refuses to leave the land then you will need to consider taking civil action. It could be dangerous for the landowner to try to remove the trespasser themselves. The owner of the land could commit several criminal offences if he forcibly removes the trespasser and his/her property from the land. The best and safest course of action...


At what point is it "legal" to overthrow the government?

It has been argued that the point of the 2nd amendment is to overthrow a tyrannical government. In the Declaration it states that “whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government.” At what point "Legally", are we allowed to overthrow the government?

There isn't any indication in that news story that the disabled son was anywhere nearby. I agree the situation you describe sounds like a legitimate use of the placard, but it seems in this situation, the placard was being used in a manner totally unrelated to the transport of a disabled person. My guess is that the cops cited her because the son wasn't in the car, and was not inside the establishment at which she parked. California code has this to say: A person to whom a disabled person placard has been issued may permit another person to use...

Think through the logical combinations of two questions: The government is tyrannical or just, the revolution is successful or not. Tyrannical government, revolution successful: The revolutionaries will congratulate each other, and of course they are not persecuted by the new government they install . Just government, revolution successful: The revolutionaries will congratulate each other, and of course they are not persecuted by the new government they install . Tyrannical government, revolution not successful: The legal system will find the justified attempt illegal (because they are the legal system defending a tyrannical government), the would-be revolutionaries are persecuted. Just government, revolution...

I believe you have just misunderstood what you paid for. Blizzard's End User License Agreement says: Your use of the Platform is licensed, not sold, to you, and you hereby acknowledge that no title or ownership with respect to the Platform or the Games is being transferred or assigned and this Agreement should not be construed as a sale of any rights. It also says: Blizzard may change, modify, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Platform or Accounts at any time, including removing items, or revising the effectiveness of items in an effort to balance a Game. Blizzard may...

This aspect (and many others) of contract law is applicable in the US and various countries of the EU. can they renege after the candidate has begun their journey, thus saddling the candidate with the travel cost? No. The company would incur breach of contract. There is no need for a formal contract. The candidate only needs to prove that the company agreed (in writing, orally or clearly through its conduct) to cover or reimburse those expenses and that this elicited a meeting of the minds . The agreement would be void if the candidate incurred the expenses despite knowing...


Service refuses to accept cash; is this misleading "convenience fee" legal?

A service advertises a price of $12. When the customer tries to pay, the service provider adds a $2.50 convenience fee for using a debit or credit card and refuses to take any other form of payment. The $12 price was posted, as was the convenience fee. But is it legal for them to say something costs $12 if there is literally no way to get it for that price? ETA: This was an in-person purchase. And yes, I asked to pay in cash and was refused.

united-states commerce fees false-advertising

An essential component of your contract with them is that they will provide you with food free of animal stuff (the exact nature of "vegan approved" may be up for debate, but actual meat should not be included). So they breached their contract with you, and you might sue them for breach of contract. The case of Gupta v. Asha (orders were mixed up) could be useful in this matter. In this case, Hindus were served samosas containing beef, despite repeated assertions that they were vegetarian. Plaintiffs sued, the case was dismissed, and the appeals court deemed that the lower...

united-states I think this may be legal at the moment. In October 2023, the FTC announced a proposed rule to prohibit "junk fees" that are not disclosed upfront. They held an unformal hearing on this in April 2024. But as far as I've been able to tell, this new rule has not yet been enacted. So "surprise" fees at checkout time are still legal.

Legally speaking, very many nations grant asylum, and religious persecution is one of the most basic grounds for granting asylum, following the 1951 Refugee Convention . This newspaper article compares asylum statistics in Ireland versus other parts of Europe. The Irish immigration authorities spell out the details for an asylum application. Note that you must already be in Ireland, to apply for asylum in Ireland (you should apply when you enter the country). One could also apply to Norway (almost an English-speaking country), but again you have to be in Norway to do so. There is a generic solution to...


What are the rules on businesses that wish to only hire attractive females?

Many businesses feature beautiful female employees as part of their business plan and service offering. Examples include: Hooter's waitresses Sportclips stylists A small chain of drive-thru smoothies in my area that feature bikini clad hotties with whom you can purchase a photo Most all entertainment jobs I am considering buying a franchise that falls into one of these categories and I just wanted to understand the legality of hiring only attractive women. Is it sexual discrimination or just a legitimate hiring practice, since offering attractive female employees is part of the business strategy? I'm in Maryland, USA in case that matters, but I'm looking for kind of a high level, general answer that might apply to anyone in the US.

There is a good answer at the Skeptics StackExchange here . Its three most relevant references are: 42 U.S.C. Chapter 21 , especially Subchapter VI (applies only to employers with fifteen or more employees every day in at least 20 calendar weeks in a year) An example case, Wilson v. Southwest Airlines Co. 517 F. Supp. 292 (N.D. Tex. 1981) Katie Manley, The BFOQ Defense: Title VII’s Concession to Gender Discrimination , 16 Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 169-210 (2009) Wilson v Southwest held that being attractive and female is not a Bona Fide Occupational Qualification (BFOQ) for...

There isn't any rule which would prioritize the President, as far as I can tell. Generally, organ allocation is required to be based on medical criteria, not on factors such as the occupation or societal role of the patient. 42 USC 273 specifies that organ procurement shall be administered by "qualified organ procurement organizations" and sets up ground rules for their operation, one of which is: have a system to allocate donated organs equitably among transplant patients according to established medical criteria. Further regulations implementing this law are to be found at 42 CFR 121 . 121.8(a)(1) specifies that allocation...

The Plan For A Clearly Guilty Client Without Bargaining Power This question underestimates how much of a criminal defense lawyer's work involves sentencing rather than a determination of guilt or innocence. Suppose as the OP does that the prosecution can easily prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your client is guilty, you client has no plausible defenses, and the prosecutor won't budge on a plea. As a criminal defense lawyer, you may well advise your client that there is no percentage in fighting guilt on the charges, and have your client plea guilty. This prevents the prosecutor from spelling out...


Is there any health risk in cellular phones?

Cellular phones are taking ever increasing part in our lives, and I keep hearing people saying they are harmful to our health. Are there any scientific researches so far proving or disproving those claims? I found couple of semi-scientific articles: Is there any link between cellphones and cancer? which says: The possible connection between cellphones and cancer is controversial. Many years' worth of studies on cellphones and cancer have yielded conflicting results ... In one study that followed more than 420,000 cellphone users over a 20-year period, researchers found no evidence of a link between cellphones and brain tumors ... Another recent study suggested a possible increased risk of glioma — a specific type of brain tumor — for the heaviest cellphone users, but no increase in brain tumor risk overall. Long-term Cell Phone Use Linked to Brain Tumor Risk which says: Long-term use of both mobile and cordless phones is associated with an increased risk for glioma, the most common type of brain tumor, the latest research on the subject concludes. The new study shows that the risk for glioma was tripled among those using a wireless phone for more than 25 years and that the risk was also greater for those who had started using mobile or cordless phones before age 20 years. Though the second appears to conclude direct health risk, I'm pretty sure it's not yet any hard proof otherwise we would have seen huge lawsuits being filed all over the place. If really harmful, what factors are in place e.g. cellular phone model, signal strength, etc?

cancer brain cellular-phone bioelectromagnetics health-outcomes

The IARC has concluded that cell phones are a "possible carcinogen" due to the amount of evidence going both directions. The gist of it is summarised on the website itself: Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held. The amount of radiofrequency energy a cell phone user is exposed to depends on the technology of the phone, the distance between the phone’s antenna and the user, the extent and type of use, and the user’s distance from cell phone towers. Studies thus far have...

Most dentists - for most procedures - aim for a painless experience. If there is reason to keep some pain sensation intact, the dentist will inform you, and ask at appropriate intervals if you can feel pain. The efficacy of lidocaine and other local anesthetics depends on how closely your nerve distribution comes to the norm (they will inject the environs of the "normal" anatomical position of the nerve), how much anesthetic is injected, whether there are local factors which alter the local tissue pH (e.g. presence of an abscess or infection), how quickly it is removed from the site,...

People could develop antibodies from natural exposure to the virus. The vaccine is trying to cause antibodies to exist in more people (and/or more strongly) than would express them naturally, therefore a good comparison group is a sample taken randomly in the same way as those getting the vaccine: a placebo group. At the same time, these trials tend to assess safety outcomes; again, to assess safety you want to know that effects are no worse than those in some comparison population. Comparing to placebo is typically a gold standard for this comparison. You're right that a placebo wouldn't be...

Products high in calcium and magnesium should not be taken at the same time as antibiotics of the tetracycline (tetracycline, doxicycline, etc.) class, and milk should also be avoided with the quinolone class. They have the ability to bind the antibiotic in the gut, decreasing absorption. There is no reason to avoid dairy products while taking other antibiotics (such as the penicillin class, the one you're taking. The clavulanic acid is to increase it's strength against certain bacteria.) If the antibiotic package insert (or the pharmacists's instruction sheet) states it should be taken on an empty stomach, take it with...


The following tooth cracks are noticeable when a torch is shining on them (without the torch, they aren't visible). Are they serious? How viable are the teeth, and might they need to be replaced with false teeth in the near future? There is no pain experienced, but they seem to look quite bad:

Drug molecules, even when stored safely inside a tablet\capsule, inside a closed container, upon a high shelf (hopefully), are still exposed to the environment, and are thus exposed to all of the chemical processes and reactions that go about all around us (to name just a few - oxidation, hydrolysis, isomerization, polymerization, and more). Depending on the type of drug molecule and its functional groups, the molecule may undergo all kinds of chemical processes that may change its structure and\or properties. Therefore, drugs (and foodstuffs, as mentioned in the comment above) degrade and decompose over time, and are thus given...

I believe that those lines are craze lines. "Craze lines are merely cracks in the enamel that do not extend into the dentin." They occur because of stress in your teeth, ie: grinding your teeth, biting your nails, and even routine use of your teeth. What you've said also matches up with craze lines in that you don't experience any pain. Those craze lines aren't nearly as bad as some other teeth. Craze lines rarely lead to tooth breakdown, so you almost definitely won't have to get them replaced. There are some studies that say that craze lines may be...

In the blister shown, the likelihood of rupture is decreased because of the thickness of the epidermis on the palm of the hand, so you can leave it alone until the underlying area re-epithelializes. You'll know this is happening because of the decreased pain and the slow reabsorption of the fluid. Eventually you will just peal it off what's left of the blister, finding clean new skin underneath. But this is a great starting point for an answer about the treatment of blisters in general: is it better to leave them alone, drain the fluid, or de-roof them (take the...

In general, the benefit of flu shots is to the general population. Taking the cited value of 40%-60% from the CDC, we can say that it might be a coin toss for you personally to be protected from influenza by the shot. However, if many thousands of people take the flu shot, even if it only works on 40% of them, it helps protect the remaining population from the spread of the virus (AKA herd immunity). This is especially important to those within the population who cannot access the shot or cannot receive it due to a preexisting medical condition....


It seems the question of vaccine harm has been around at least as long as vaccines 1 . Specifically, the claim that vaccines can cause or contribute to autism has been hotly debated in the last decade. Many claim that there is a dangerous (possibly hidden) link. What is the current state of medical research on this topic? Could there be a conspiracy in the pharmaceutical industry to cover up a link?

I believe that those lines are craze lines. "Craze lines are merely cracks in the enamel that do not extend into the dentin." They occur because of stress in your teeth, ie: grinding your teeth, biting your nails, and even routine use of your teeth. What you've said also matches up with craze lines in that you don't experience any pain. Those craze lines aren't nearly as bad as some other teeth. Craze lines rarely lead to tooth breakdown, so you almost definitely won't have to get them replaced. There are some studies that say that craze lines may be...

This has been a controversial dispute for a long time and it can involve a lot of personal opinion, but I will try to answer this as scientifically as possible. There hasn't been any viable evidence that vaccines do cause autism. Several different theories have been proposed on why vaccines could cause autism, such as the ingredient in some vaccines thimerosal being harmful, but these have all been disproved by many different experiments. Many reliable sources such as the CDC 1 says that there is no link between autism an vaccines. A 2011 report 2 from the Institute of Medicine...

Products high in calcium and magnesium should not be taken at the same time as antibiotics of the tetracycline (tetracycline, doxicycline, etc.) class, and milk should also be avoided with the quinolone class. They have the ability to bind the antibiotic in the gut, decreasing absorption. There is no reason to avoid dairy products while taking other antibiotics (such as the penicillin class, the one you're taking. The clavulanic acid is to increase it's strength against certain bacteria.) If the antibiotic package insert (or the pharmacists's instruction sheet) states it should be taken on an empty stomach, take it with...

Because leprosy and multiple myeloma are conditions for which other treatment options are limited. All treatments have side effects, some more debilitating than others. The trick with pharmacology is to balance the benefit of treatment with the hazards of the side effects. Take cancer chemotherapy. The drugs we use for cancer chemotherapy are horrible poisons. We literally use derivatives of chemical weapons to treat cancer. Why do we deliberately poison cancer patients with what amounts to a weapon of mass destruction? Because if we don't, the cancer will kill them. In pharmacology there's a concept of a therapeutic window ....


Are there any health benefits to male circumcision?

It's been argued by various medical organizations that male circumcision has various medical benefits, such as reducing the risk of catching HIV, or reducing the risk of urinary tract infections, for instance. Are there any respectable scientific studies to back these assertions up?

People could develop antibodies from natural exposure to the virus. The vaccine is trying to cause antibodies to exist in more people (and/or more strongly) than would express them naturally, therefore a good comparison group is a sample taken randomly in the same way as those getting the vaccine: a placebo group. At the same time, these trials tend to assess safety outcomes; again, to assess safety you want to know that effects are no worse than those in some comparison population. Comparing to placebo is typically a gold standard for this comparison. You're right that a placebo wouldn't be...

There is evidence that neonatal circumcision saying that the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. According to a study done on neonatal circumcision [1] , the lifetime benefits of being circumcised outweighed the risks 100 to 1. Some of the risks people may associate with circumcision are very unlikely. Excessive bleeding only happens 0.1% of the time, infections 0.02% of the time, and loss of penis 0.0001% of the time. The percentage of death is only 0.00001%. Overall, it shows that males who have been circumcised require half as much medical attention as males who have not been circumcised. Also,...

I'm guessing the "iron" test was actually a hemoglobin test (though I'm certainly no expert in blood donation screens...). I suspect your nurse is reporting a folk tale rather than any true difference. Unfortunately, medical professionals are not always an excellent source of scientific knowledge. I looked for papers that have actually compared measurements in the two hands. Here's one: Patel, A. J., Wesley, R., Leitman, S. F., & Bryant, B. J. (2013). Capillary versus venous haemoglobin determination in the assessment of healthy blood donors. Vox sanguinis, 104(4), 317–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/vox.12006 Capillary fingerstick samples were assayed by HemoCue in 150 donors....

The short version is that in 2016 the polio vaccine changed. A more thorough explanation requires some background on the immunology of polio and its vaccines, which is not straightforward. Polio virus is usually harmless, it reproduces in the gut and spreads through a fecal-oral route. In ~99% of infections it only causes mild diarrhea. In the remaining 1% of cases, however, it gets into the bloodstream and from there enters nerves, causing paralysis and/or respiratory failure. There are two types of vaccine: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is a shot of killed virus particles...


Is it helpful to a dentist to report pain during a procedure?

Suppose that a dentist is doing a standard dental procedure, e.g. drilling out decay, on me, and I start feeling pain as he does it. Assuming that I can handle the pain silently, so I don't need to report it for my own sake, is it at all helpful to the dentist's work for me to report it? Is this feedback that the dentist can use to detect issues with the actual work as he goes along, or would the only purpose of reporting it be to try to get him to do something to mitigate it, for the sake of my immediate experience? (Note: I'm using "me" as a stand-in for a typical patient.)

The seasonal coronaviruses attach exclusively to cells with a ciliated epithelium. Coronaviruses invade the respiratory tract via the nose. After an incubation period of about 3 days, they cause the symptoms of a common cold, including nasal obstruction, sneezing, runny nose, and occasionally cough (Figs. 60-1 and 60-2). The disease resolves in a few days, during which virus is shed in nasal secretions. There is some evidence that the respiratory coronaviruses can cause disease of the lower airways but it is unlikely that this is due to direct invasion. Other manifestations of disease such as multiple sclerosis have been attributed...

This has been a controversial dispute for a long time and it can involve a lot of personal opinion, but I will try to answer this as scientifically as possible. There hasn't been any viable evidence that vaccines do cause autism. Several different theories have been proposed on why vaccines could cause autism, such as the ingredient in some vaccines thimerosal being harmful, but these have all been disproved by many different experiments. Many reliable sources such as the CDC 1 says that there is no link between autism an vaccines. A 2011 report 2 from the Institute of Medicine...

Assuming the person is not taking anticoagulants, it's actually quite difficult to bleed to death from dismemberment of small members (hands, feet, penis, ears, nose, etc). Even large members such as arms and legs are often survivable because the body is very good at protecting itself from blood loss. For example, transected arteries will spasm and clamp off blood flow, and loss of blood will cause the body to divert blood flow away from the extremities and to the vital organs, thereby slowing the bleeding and allowing it to clot. In fact, the whole shock process can be viewed as...


What is excess blood from blood donations used for, and do we ever run out?

I regularly donate blood, however, I am curious as to what happens to my blood after I donate. Obviously some of it will go to people in emergency medical situations, as I intend. However, I have never heard of situations where someone died because we didn't have blood to donate to them; which makes it sound as if we don't have a blood deficit. That in turn makes me wonder what the excess blood is used for. So I have two related questions. First, do we ever have a blood deficit, situations where someone who could have been saved in a hospital dies because there wasn't blood to treat them? Or specifically situations like that caused by a lack of donors, not some logistical issue getting it where it needs to be. I have had the red cross call me and tell me that they have a 'deficit' many times, but frankly I hear it so often it leaves me questioning their definition of deficit. How often do we really run out? Related, if we don't run a deficit then what happens to my excess blood? I assume that some blood is regularly thrown out, but they figure it's better to have extra and risk it expiring then to run out during an emergency. However, if we have a high enough surplus do they do something else with it? For instance is it used for medical research? If we had say 5% fewer donors would it be our medical research which suffered, but not patients in the hospital? I will continue donating blood regardless of the answer here. I'm simply curious as to the result. Well that and it informs this discussion: https://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/28118/is-the-red-cross-policy-of-refusing-donation-from-homosexual-men-justified-by-in

Most dentists - for most procedures - aim for a painless experience. If there is reason to keep some pain sensation intact, the dentist will inform you, and ask at appropriate intervals if you can feel pain. The efficacy of lidocaine and other local anesthetics depends on how closely your nerve distribution comes to the norm (they will inject the environs of the "normal" anatomical position of the nerve), how much anesthetic is injected, whether there are local factors which alter the local tissue pH (e.g. presence of an abscess or infection), how quickly it is removed from the site,...

Great question! I think it's answerable as an overview, but please know this is only the tip of the iceberg.* Summary : Yes, we have deficits of certain blood products in certain locations at certain times that affect patient care. However, a small percentage of blood product does expire unused (because it wasn't the right product [see background] in the right place at the right time). A little background Donated blood is not usually transfused into a patient as whole blood. Instead, it's broken down into several components which are transfused in different clinical scenarios. The issues of storage and...

There is evidence that neonatal circumcision saying that the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. According to a study done on neonatal circumcision [1] , the lifetime benefits of being circumcised outweighed the risks 100 to 1. Some of the risks people may associate with circumcision are very unlikely. Excessive bleeding only happens 0.1% of the time, infections 0.02% of the time, and loss of penis 0.0001% of the time. The percentage of death is only 0.00001%. Overall, it shows that males who have been circumcised require half as much medical attention as males who have not been circumcised. Also,...

The definition of mortality rate that you've given does not match any practical definition I'm familiar with.* When people talk about the mortality rate of a disease, what they usually mean is the case fatality rate or the death-to-case ratio , which is simply defined as N d / N i , where N d is the number of deaths attributed to the disease over a given time period and N i is the total number of new cases of the disease observed during the same time period. By this definition, the current case fatality rate of 2019-nCov according to...


Does COVID-19 have a case fatality rate of 41%? Is this formula correct?

According to the data on the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Tracker , as of 3rd February 2020 there were 17491 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, 536 total recoveries and 362 deaths. From my non-expert calculation this implies a mortality rate of: (Nd / (Nd + Nr)) * 100 = 41% where: Nd is the total number of deaths, Nr is the total number of full recoveries. This leaves 16593 people still suffering from the disease who have neither recovered or died. This is in stark contrast to the publicly disseminated value of ~2% mortality, so have I made a mistake in my calculation or assumptions, or is COVID-19 much more dangerous than commonly claimed? [After a helpful discussion in the comments, 'mortality rate' is not the correct term to use here, instead I should say ' Case Fatality Ratio '.]

virus infectious-diseases death covid-19

This event occurred in the US. In the US, enzootic (dog-to-dog) canine rabies virus has been virtually eliminated through vaccination and stray control programs, making wild animals the primary concern. It is quite true, as @EMT_Jedi stated, that rabies is usually caused by an animal's saliva, usually introduced by a bite (e.g. rabid cats, raccoons, etc.) However, this is not true of bat-related rabies. There is reason to be vaccinated after any strange contact with a bat. The most dangerous and common route of rabies exposure is from the bite of a rabid mammal. An exposure to rabies also might...

Let's get a few things out of the way... Sex is normal ( 1 ). Sexual desire and arousal are normal ( 2 ). Asexuality is normal ( 3 ). Masturbation is normal ( 4 ),( 5 ). There is no problem whatsoever with these three things, although everyone blushes when they talk about them. Is Masturbation healthy? Downsides : Masturbation is not risk free. It is about as dangerous as chewing or walking ( 6 ). Some side effects are irritated skin and ruptured penis, but only if you really, really, really overdo it (Once or twice a day...

The definition of mortality rate that you've given does not match any practical definition I'm familiar with.* When people talk about the mortality rate of a disease, what they usually mean is the case fatality rate or the death-to-case ratio , which is simply defined as N d / N i , where N d is the number of deaths attributed to the disease over a given time period and N i is the total number of new cases of the disease observed during the same time period. By this definition, the current case fatality rate of 2019-nCov according to...

It is likely you are not hearing the ultrasound itself (typical frequencies are upwards of 1 MHz , far beyond what the human hearing system is capable of detecting). You are probably hearing coil whine from the electronics -- switched-mode power supplies in particular tend to operate towards the upper end of the hearing range, and the intensity of this sound changes as the power consumption does (eg. when the imaging system goes from "idle" to "active").


How can I prevent a cold from spreading to the people around me?

I have to attend classes at the university, band rehearsals, I live with my family, so I come close with many people during the day. I have to meet most of these people on a daily basis, even when I have the (common) cold. How can I prevent it from spreading to the people around me?

This has been a controversial dispute for a long time and it can involve a lot of personal opinion, but I will try to answer this as scientifically as possible. There hasn't been any viable evidence that vaccines do cause autism. Several different theories have been proposed on why vaccines could cause autism, such as the ingredient in some vaccines thimerosal being harmful, but these have all been disproved by many different experiments. Many reliable sources such as the CDC 1 says that there is no link between autism an vaccines. A 2011 report 2 from the Institute of Medicine...

There are lots of things you can do to be a responsible and considerate individual. Props for even asking this question! Cover your cough to prevent air-borne transmission with the inner part of your arm or your shoulder- whichever come into contact with other people less. Wash your hands with water and soap regularly for at least 20 seconds. That means before every meal and bathroom trip at least! Try as hot as you can bare so that it kills the bacteria. Carry hand sanitizer or some antibiotic wipes in case you don't have access to a sink or water....

Let's get a few things out of the way... Sex is normal ( 1 ). Sexual desire and arousal are normal ( 2 ). Asexuality is normal ( 3 ). Masturbation is normal ( 4 ),( 5 ). There is no problem whatsoever with these three things, although everyone blushes when they talk about them. Is Masturbation healthy? Downsides : Masturbation is not risk free. It is about as dangerous as chewing or walking ( 6 ). Some side effects are irritated skin and ruptured penis, but only if you really, really, really overdo it (Once or twice a day...

There is evidence that neonatal circumcision saying that the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. According to a study done on neonatal circumcision [1] , the lifetime benefits of being circumcised outweighed the risks 100 to 1. Some of the risks people may associate with circumcision are very unlikely. Excessive bleeding only happens 0.1% of the time, infections 0.02% of the time, and loss of penis 0.0001% of the time. The percentage of death is only 0.00001%. Overall, it shows that males who have been circumcised require half as much medical attention as males who have not been circumcised. Also,...


Why do doctors prescribe steroid tablets even though they know the side effects?

Sometimes doctors prescribe steroid tablets to suppress pain for diseases, such as arthritis . Why do they prescribe it even though they know the side effects?

I think a missing bit of information that might help you get a better sense of this practice is: steroids are miracle drugs. OK, that was in jest - no miracles here. Truth be told, though, if there is a single class of drugs that has added more quality-adjusted life-years to human history than any other, steroids must be competing with just a few antibiotic classes for that title. To make clear what we’re talking about, the term “steroid” as a label for drugs generally refers to glucocorticoids (GCs) - drugs that act like cortisol, an endogenous steroid hormone. Commonly...

Assuming the person is not taking anticoagulants, it's actually quite difficult to bleed to death from dismemberment of small members (hands, feet, penis, ears, nose, etc). Even large members such as arms and legs are often survivable because the body is very good at protecting itself from blood loss. For example, transected arteries will spasm and clamp off blood flow, and loss of blood will cause the body to divert blood flow away from the extremities and to the vital organs, thereby slowing the bleeding and allowing it to clot. In fact, the whole shock process can be viewed as...

People could develop antibodies from natural exposure to the virus. The vaccine is trying to cause antibodies to exist in more people (and/or more strongly) than would express them naturally, therefore a good comparison group is a sample taken randomly in the same way as those getting the vaccine: a placebo group. At the same time, these trials tend to assess safety outcomes; again, to assess safety you want to know that effects are no worse than those in some comparison population. Comparing to placebo is typically a gold standard for this comparison. You're right that a placebo wouldn't be...


Would the human seasonal coronaviruses be just as deadly as COVID-19 in a population with no prior immunity?

Presuming that we were able to find a person who was never exposed to any of the human seasonal coronaviruses (part of the viruses that cause the common cold), would the virus be just as deadly for that person as the SARS-CoV-2 currently circulating around the world? Or is SARS-CoV-2 uniquely dangerous?

It turns out the answer to this is fairly simple, and but not terribly easy to find. In the 1800s a Belgian named Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874) performed some statistics on the weights and heights of people in Europe and Britain (chiefly France and Britain) and published his seminal work, Sur l'homme et le développement de ses facultés, ou Essai de physique sociale (Treatise on Man and the Development of his Faculties, or Essays on Social Physics) in 1835. The relevant section for this can be found as a PDF for free (I believe) at the Wiley Publishing journal Obesity Research...

The definition of mortality rate that you've given does not match any practical definition I'm familiar with.* When people talk about the mortality rate of a disease, what they usually mean is the case fatality rate or the death-to-case ratio , which is simply defined as N d / N i , where N d is the number of deaths attributed to the disease over a given time period and N i is the total number of new cases of the disease observed during the same time period. By this definition, the current case fatality rate of 2019-nCov according to...

The seasonal coronaviruses attach exclusively to cells with a ciliated epithelium. Coronaviruses invade the respiratory tract via the nose. After an incubation period of about 3 days, they cause the symptoms of a common cold, including nasal obstruction, sneezing, runny nose, and occasionally cough (Figs. 60-1 and 60-2). The disease resolves in a few days, during which virus is shed in nasal secretions. There is some evidence that the respiratory coronaviruses can cause disease of the lower airways but it is unlikely that this is due to direct invasion. Other manifestations of disease such as multiple sclerosis have been attributed...


Things like gender and age and height and weight make perfect sense to me, but I don't really see why most doctors ask for your race. Is there a medical reason behind this or is it just for identification purposes?

epidemiology research genetic-predisposition race ethnicity

In general, the benefit of flu shots is to the general population. Taking the cited value of 40%-60% from the CDC, we can say that it might be a coin toss for you personally to be protected from influenza by the shot. However, if many thousands of people take the flu shot, even if it only works on 40% of them, it helps protect the remaining population from the spread of the virus (AKA herd immunity). This is especially important to those within the population who cannot access the shot or cannot receive it due to a preexisting medical condition....

Race and ethnicity are risk factors in many diseases. Examples include, but are not limited to, cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. There is also an epidemiological purpose of collecting this information. It is important to know if some disease is affecting some races or some ethnicities disproportionately. This is how it was found out that race or ethnicity is a risk factor in certain diseases in the first place. RFERENCES: Sheets L, Johnson J, Todd T, Perkins T, Gu C, Rau M. Unsupported labeling of race as a risk factor for certain diseases in a widely used medical textbook....


Why should I avoid milk when on antibiotics?

I'm taking antibiotics (specifically, amoxicillin clavulanate ) to fight off an ear infection. As she prescribed my antibiotics, my doctor told me not to eat milk products for a few days, then only eat yogurt until I was off the antibiotics altogether. To be honest, I'm thinking about ignoring this advice and just reducing the milk products I eat. On a typical day, I drink multiple glasses of milk, eat of bowl of oatmeal with milk, eat meals with lots of cheese, and eat ice cream at night. Cutting all of this out for a few days leaves me without much to eat! What are the downsides to eating milk products while on antibiotics? Is it just that, since my gut bacteria will be weakened, I risk digestional problems? Or can the consequences be more severe?

medications gastroenterology antibiotics milk gut-microbiota-flora

Overall, there has been inconsistent data on the effects of using zinc lozenges to treat the common cold. Most studies have also been done on children, which may lead to more uncertainty about its effects on adults, but some of the studies I will mention have been tested on adults. One study showed the effects of using zinc to prevent the common cold in schoolchildren. They found that between the two groups they studied (one took zinc sulfate tablets, the other placebos) that the zinc-supplemented group had less of a chance of getting the cold. They concluded that zinc supplements...

I believe that those lines are craze lines. "Craze lines are merely cracks in the enamel that do not extend into the dentin." They occur because of stress in your teeth, ie: grinding your teeth, biting your nails, and even routine use of your teeth. What you've said also matches up with craze lines in that you don't experience any pain. Those craze lines aren't nearly as bad as some other teeth. Craze lines rarely lead to tooth breakdown, so you almost definitely won't have to get them replaced. There are some studies that say that craze lines may be...


What should I consider when deciding to remove a blister or not?

While playing indoor soccer a couple days ago, I was fouled and fell forwards so that my hand skidded across the court a bit. It left the blister as you see in the image here: What should I consider when deciding to remove this blister? I could open and drain this blister, removing the excess skin afterwards, or leave it as is. I figure since it's in a place that is likely to be touched/disrupted I should remove it since it's likely to open anyways.

In the blister shown, the likelihood of rupture is decreased because of the thickness of the epidermis on the palm of the hand, so you can leave it alone until the underlying area re-epithelializes. You'll know this is happening because of the decreased pain and the slow reabsorption of the fluid. Eventually you will just peal it off what's left of the blister, finding clean new skin underneath. But this is a great starting point for an answer about the treatment of blisters in general: is it better to leave them alone, drain the fluid, or de-roof them (take the...

Because leprosy and multiple myeloma are conditions for which other treatment options are limited. All treatments have side effects, some more debilitating than others. The trick with pharmacology is to balance the benefit of treatment with the hazards of the side effects. Take cancer chemotherapy. The drugs we use for cancer chemotherapy are horrible poisons. We literally use derivatives of chemical weapons to treat cancer. Why do we deliberately poison cancer patients with what amounts to a weapon of mass destruction? Because if we don't, the cancer will kill them. In pharmacology there's a concept of a therapeutic window ....

Great question! I think it's answerable as an overview, but please know this is only the tip of the iceberg.* Summary : Yes, we have deficits of certain blood products in certain locations at certain times that affect patient care. However, a small percentage of blood product does expire unused (because it wasn't the right product [see background] in the right place at the right time). A little background Donated blood is not usually transfused into a patient as whole blood. Instead, it's broken down into several components which are transfused in different clinical scenarios. The issues of storage and...


When does the use of headphones become harmful?

Generally, it is known if you listen to music through headphones a lot of time, you damage your ears. But how long should I use the headphones? And how loud can they be so as not to affect my hearing?

Using headphones at a sufficiently high volume level may cause cause trauma to cochlear structure in the inner ear which gives rise to temporary or permanent hearing impairment or deafness . Sound pressure is measured in decibels and exposure to 75dB (even after long exposure) are usually safe. However, long or repeated to sounds at above 85dB can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the shorter the amount of time it takes for NIHL to happen. The risk is higher especially in loud places as volume often needs to compete with the background noise. For example, the average sound...

I think a missing bit of information that might help you get a better sense of this practice is: steroids are miracle drugs. OK, that was in jest - no miracles here. Truth be told, though, if there is a single class of drugs that has added more quality-adjusted life-years to human history than any other, steroids must be competing with just a few antibiotic classes for that title. To make clear what we’re talking about, the term “steroid” as a label for drugs generally refers to glucocorticoids (GCs) - drugs that act like cortisol, an endogenous steroid hormone. Commonly...


Why are iron levels different in the left and right hands?

Yesterday I donated blood. When the nurse performed a finger prick test of iron using my left hand, she indicated that the level was too low. However, she then asked to perform the test again on my right hand. Surprisingly, the iron level was adequate. She said that this is a well known phenomenon, specifically that the dominant hand often has higher iron levels. (For references, I am right handed.) How can this be? I would have thought that, given blood circulates throughout the entire body, it would be uniform everywhere.

Great question! I think it's answerable as an overview, but please know this is only the tip of the iceberg.* Summary : Yes, we have deficits of certain blood products in certain locations at certain times that affect patient care. However, a small percentage of blood product does expire unused (because it wasn't the right product [see background] in the right place at the right time). A little background Donated blood is not usually transfused into a patient as whole blood. Instead, it's broken down into several components which are transfused in different clinical scenarios. The issues of storage and...

In general, the benefit of flu shots is to the general population. Taking the cited value of 40%-60% from the CDC, we can say that it might be a coin toss for you personally to be protected from influenza by the shot. However, if many thousands of people take the flu shot, even if it only works on 40% of them, it helps protect the remaining population from the spread of the virus (AKA herd immunity). This is especially important to those within the population who cannot access the shot or cannot receive it due to a preexisting medical condition....

I believe that those lines are craze lines. "Craze lines are merely cracks in the enamel that do not extend into the dentin." They occur because of stress in your teeth, ie: grinding your teeth, biting your nails, and even routine use of your teeth. What you've said also matches up with craze lines in that you don't experience any pain. Those craze lines aren't nearly as bad as some other teeth. Craze lines rarely lead to tooth breakdown, so you almost definitely won't have to get them replaced. There are some studies that say that craze lines may be...


Do zinc lozenges really help the common cold?

For years I've been seeing advertisements for zinc supplements for the common cold, and I've heard recommendations from people who swear that they work, either wiping out a cold completely or shortening its duration. The studies I have seen were for zinc gluconate specifically. Apparently, once they had a nasal spray that was even more effective, but was pulled off the market for causing permanent anosmia. Is it a placebo effect, or is there actually evidence that zinc helps? If so, does it depend on the formulation (zinc gluconate, zinc acetate or zinc citrate?) Are there any risks?

The short version is that in 2016 the polio vaccine changed. A more thorough explanation requires some background on the immunology of polio and its vaccines, which is not straightforward. Polio virus is usually harmless, it reproduces in the gut and spreads through a fecal-oral route. In ~99% of infections it only causes mild diarrhea. In the remaining 1% of cases, however, it gets into the bloodstream and from there enters nerves, causing paralysis and/or respiratory failure. There are two types of vaccine: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is a shot of killed virus particles...


Why is the rate of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus disease booming?

The wikipedia entry on polio vaccines has the 1st graph below, showing that the rate of vaccine derived polio has increased massively over the last few years, with the rate of 1089 cases in 2020 compared to 56 - 71 per year from 2010 to 2014. The WEF page on the vaccine has the second graph below, show a fairly modest increase in the rate of immunisation coverage over this time. What is the reason for a roughly 20 fold increase in vaccine derived polio in such a short period of time, when vaccination rate has increased by only a fraction? (source: who.int )

The short version is that in 2016 the polio vaccine changed. A more thorough explanation requires some background on the immunology of polio and its vaccines, which is not straightforward. Polio virus is usually harmless, it reproduces in the gut and spreads through a fecal-oral route. In ~99% of infections it only causes mild diarrhea. In the remaining 1% of cases, however, it gets into the bloodstream and from there enters nerves, causing paralysis and/or respiratory failure. There are two types of vaccine: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is a shot of killed virus particles...

This event occurred in the US. In the US, enzootic (dog-to-dog) canine rabies virus has been virtually eliminated through vaccination and stray control programs, making wild animals the primary concern. It is quite true, as @EMT_Jedi stated, that rabies is usually caused by an animal's saliva, usually introduced by a bite (e.g. rabid cats, raccoons, etc.) However, this is not true of bat-related rabies. There is reason to be vaccinated after any strange contact with a bat. The most dangerous and common route of rabies exposure is from the bite of a rabid mammal. An exposure to rabies also might...

Drug molecules, even when stored safely inside a tablet\capsule, inside a closed container, upon a high shelf (hopefully), are still exposed to the environment, and are thus exposed to all of the chemical processes and reactions that go about all around us (to name just a few - oxidation, hydrolysis, isomerization, polymerization, and more). Depending on the type of drug molecule and its functional groups, the molecule may undergo all kinds of chemical processes that may change its structure and\or properties. Therefore, drugs (and foodstuffs, as mentioned in the comment above) degrade and decompose over time, and are thus given...

The IARC has concluded that cell phones are a "possible carcinogen" due to the amount of evidence going both directions. The gist of it is summarised on the website itself: Cell phones emit radiofrequency energy, a form of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation, which can be absorbed by tissues closest to where the phone is held. The amount of radiofrequency energy a cell phone user is exposed to depends on the technology of the phone, the distance between the phone’s antenna and the user, the extent and type of use, and the user’s distance from cell phone towers. Studies thus far have...


Is it advisable for a healthy male in his early 40s to take the influenza vaccine?

Influenza vaccines do not have satisfactory effective rates of preventing flu. Flu vaccination reduces the risk of flu illness by between 40% and 60% among the overall population during seasons when most circulating flu viruses are well-matched to the flu vaccine, according to the CDC . This is not considered highly effective for a vaccine. Furthermore, there is the risk of mercury that is harmful to the body, according to Natural News . Does it make sense for a healthy male in his early 40s to take the influenza vaccine, particularly when flu is an irritant but nowhere near deadly? Flu jabs come with mercury danger and does not sound effective. I am a lay man, so I may have miss out something important. Please correct me if I am wrong.

The short version is that in 2016 the polio vaccine changed. A more thorough explanation requires some background on the immunology of polio and its vaccines, which is not straightforward. Polio virus is usually harmless, it reproduces in the gut and spreads through a fecal-oral route. In ~99% of infections it only causes mild diarrhea. In the remaining 1% of cases, however, it gets into the bloodstream and from there enters nerves, causing paralysis and/or respiratory failure. There are two types of vaccine: inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) and oral polio vaccine (OPV). IPV is a shot of killed virus particles...


Can being cold or wet be a significant influence in getting the common cold?

As most people know, it's a common thing to say something like "better wear a sweater, otherwise I'll get the cold tomorrow." In my limited understanding, the common cold is caused by a virus. How does being cold affect this? Can being cold and/or wet be a significant influence in your chances of 'catching' the common cold?

TLDR: The pathogenesis of eczema is multifactorial, but broadly follows a process of genetic (or epigenetic, in the case of the early gut microbiome) dysregulation relating to barrier integrity proteins like filaggrin with corresponding changes in the skin microenvironment's ceramide content. Following these changes in protein structure and function and lipid quantity, the compromised barrier is predisposed to irritation and infection, which leads to an abnormal immunological response as Th2 cells work to resolve inflammatory processes in the skin (it's not clear how B cells participate in the pathogenesis of eczema at this time). Treatment options for mild-moderate eczema are...

This is a pretty old old-wives tale, taking many forms: don't go out into the cold while it's raining, or without a hat, with wet hair, without a warm coat or scarf, without boots, etc., "or you'll catch your death of cold." The old wive's tale was immortalized by Jane Austin in her book, Pride and Prejudice , when the heroine's sister Jane falls ill after getting a soaking in the rain. This has been studied extensively. A New York Times article describes one such uncomfortable-sounding study: In the 1950's, Chicago researchers repeated the experiment on a larger scale with...


How do I know if I'm flossing correctly?

I recently started flossing regularly. However, I'm not sure if I'm doing it right because sometimes my gums bleed. If I floss the right way, should it never bleed? Aside from bleeding, how can I know if flossing makes a positive effect? What should I notice in 2 weeks time? How about 4 weeks? 3 months? 1 year?

There is evidence that neonatal circumcision saying that the benefits of circumcision outweigh the risks. According to a study done on neonatal circumcision [1] , the lifetime benefits of being circumcised outweighed the risks 100 to 1. Some of the risks people may associate with circumcision are very unlikely. Excessive bleeding only happens 0.1% of the time, infections 0.02% of the time, and loss of penis 0.0001% of the time. The percentage of death is only 0.00001%. Overall, it shows that males who have been circumcised require half as much medical attention as males who have not been circumcised. Also,...

Dental flossing, essentially is done to maintain periodontal health , in hard to reach areas. Areas which are not used to any "friction" so, they will react in a rather singular manner in comparison to our exposed gums, per say. Thus, providing you presently have good oral health i.e. you don't have gingivitis which causes bleeding of the gums amidst brushing. Initially, flossing will cause inflammation and minor bleeding however, if the bleeding is rather severe it could indicate a periodontal disease and require medical intervention. Gums, if they are "virgins" to interdental flossing scene, will be tender , and...

Race and ethnicity are risk factors in many diseases. Examples include, but are not limited to, cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. There is also an epidemiological purpose of collecting this information. It is important to know if some disease is affecting some races or some ethnicities disproportionately. This is how it was found out that race or ethnicity is a risk factor in certain diseases in the first place. RFERENCES: Sheets L, Johnson J, Todd T, Perkins T, Gu C, Rau M. Unsupported labeling of race as a risk factor for certain diseases in a widely used medical textbook....

Let's get a few things out of the way... Sex is normal ( 1 ). Sexual desire and arousal are normal ( 2 ). Asexuality is normal ( 3 ). Masturbation is normal ( 4 ),( 5 ). There is no problem whatsoever with these three things, although everyone blushes when they talk about them. Is Masturbation healthy? Downsides : Masturbation is not risk free. It is about as dangerous as chewing or walking ( 6 ). Some side effects are irritated skin and ruptured penis, but only if you really, really, really overdo it (Once or twice a day...


Father gets chickenpox, but doesn't infect his two children. How is this possible?

My brother in law got chickenpox, yet somehow he didn't infect my two nephews, even though they are living together. According to wikipedia, varicella has an infection rate of 90%: Varicella is highly communicable, with an infection rate of 90% in close contacts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chickenpox He got varicella over a week ago and the children are completely healthy, even though they have not had the disease yet nor are they vaccinated against it. How is this possible? Is the infection rate actually lower, than 90%? Is an outcome like this usual or plausible? edit: they did end up getting sick after all.

infection vaccination virus infectious-diseases chickenpox

To add to @BryanKrause's answer re: rare events happen all the time, the children are not out of the woods yet. The mean incubation time for a primary VZV infection (the clinical syndrome known as chicken pox) is 14 days, but often lasts up to 21 days (see Murray Medical Microbiology, Ch. 53). The father is infectious while shedding virus, usually via the lungs. This correlates with the period of time a patient is febrile. I wouldn't say the father didn't infect his children until he has been afebrile for 21 days.

What your government is proposing is a lot less than what was actually done in China. There, and perhaps that is still the case, large numbers of asymptomatic infected people were housed together in halls with only social separation between them, and masks to prevent others from infecting others. Your government is proposing to house the asymptomatic infected in hotels, presumably in separate rooms. We know that people who are infected because they have virus identified using PCR swabs of their upper airways. CT scans can show pulmonary lesions present even without cough or fever. And even speaking can aerosolize...

tl;dr Current research seems to indicate that the brain is responding to anticipation or visual stimulus of needles being inserted, not that any of the theories supporting acupuncture are correct. Steven Novella reviewed the following article : Chae Y, Lee IS, Jung WM, Park K, Park HJ, Wallraven C. Psychophysical and neurophysiological responses to acupuncture stimulation to incorporated rubber hand. Neurosci Lett. 2015 Feb 11;591C:48-52. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.02.025. I'm going to quote from Novella's review because it's easier for a lay person to read/understand, and I don't have full access to the paper. As background, he states: There have been in...


Reading numerous news articles about COVID-19, I got confused as to what is its main transmission route. In particular, I am confused as to whether it is direct landing of respiratory droplets in mouths and noses, contaminated surfaces, aerosols (i.e., suspensions of the virus in the air rather than respiratory droplets quickly landing in mouths or noses or on surfaces), or something else. On the one hand, the website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that contaminated surfaces are not thought to be the main transmission route: It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads. ( Link ) The same website appears to suggest that the main transmission route is direct landing of respiratory droplets in mouths and noses: The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person. Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. On the other hand, the World Health Organization (WHO), like many other agencies, puts the main emphasis on washing hands. Here is the WHO's first and foremost piece of advice on how to prevent getting infected with the virus: Regularly and thoroughly clean your hands with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water. Why? Washing your hands with soap and water or using alcohol-based hand rub kills viruses that may be on your hands. ( Link ) Social distancing is mentioned on that webpage only as a second piece of advice, and, furthermore, the webpage implies that it is safe to approach coughing people as close as 1 meter away: Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Furthermore, I found an article saying that the virus wasn't detected in the air of hospital rooms with COVID-19 patients, but was detected on surfaces: When researchers in Singapore tested the air in the rooms of three Covid-19 patients, they found no virus particles on cleaned surfaces or in the air even when they took samples on days the patients were symptomatic and presumably shedding virus into the air, they reported this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In the room of the third patient, who shed more virus, virus particles were present on ventilation fans and numerous surfaces — but all air samples were negative. ( Link ) But the same article also says that Chinese researchers found COVID-19 aerosols near patients' toilets. My question: Actually what is the main way COVID-19 spreads?

covid-19 infection virus epidemiology coronavirus

Ear tubes do many things to help ear infections. The most important things they do are draining the ear of fluid and ventilating the ear. Overall, this will help your child hear better. The tubes also stop fluid from building up behind the ear drum, which should help prevent the ear infections. Stuff to watch out for There is always the possibility of ear infections coming back after the 6-12 months that the tubes will be in. There is also a minor chance of hearing loss because of scarring of the ear drum. The tube can become blocked, stopping it...

Assuming the person is not taking anticoagulants, it's actually quite difficult to bleed to death from dismemberment of small members (hands, feet, penis, ears, nose, etc). Even large members such as arms and legs are often survivable because the body is very good at protecting itself from blood loss. For example, transected arteries will spasm and clamp off blood flow, and loss of blood will cause the body to divert blood flow away from the extremities and to the vital organs, thereby slowing the bleeding and allowing it to clot. In fact, the whole shock process can be viewed as...

The confusion exists because there are conflicting pronouncements from various authoritative sources but also conflicting pronouncements from the same authority. Covid-19 is a respiratory infection spread by droplets that can be aerosolized (nuclear droplets) in certain situations such as by flushing toilets or in certain medical procedures such as intubation. However, it reaches the air it contaminates surfaces and this allows for the infection to be caught through the eyes nose and mouth with the virus being transferred from the hand. The data from Singapore and Taiwan show that handwashing and social distancing are successful in preventing disease transmission. However,...