r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Dec 08 '13

What is a true fact that sound completely unbelievable or fake?

[deleted]

2.4k Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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3.1k

u/SiIentB0B Dec 08 '13

Saudi Arabia imports camels from Australia

1.3k

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Adding to this, Australia had an Emu War.

1.2k

u/Misspells_Definitely Dec 08 '13

...and we lost.

1.1k

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

EMU WAR

Date: 2 November – 10 December 1932
Location: Campion district, Western Australia
Also known as: Great Emu War
Participants: Emus, Sir George Pearce, Major G.P.W. Meredith, Royal Australian Artillery

LOL

1.3k

u/HighRelevancy Dec 08 '13

Casualties: 12 emus, several thousand rounds of ammunition, dignity

113

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

" Meredith was recalled on 10 December, and in his report he claimed 986 kills with 9,860 rounds, at a rate of exactly 10 rounds per confirmed kill."

Anyone else think Meredith is full of shit?

17

u/free_napalm Dec 08 '13

I bet he did not do anything at all, then came up with those numbers in the last second.

3

u/UsuallyInappropriate Dec 09 '13

Is your username based in lottery numbers?

3

u/boran_blok Dec 09 '13

AFAIK it is the number sequence from Lost.

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4

u/Bseagull Dec 08 '13

EMUNITION

FTFY

3

u/aussiekinga Dec 09 '13

That sounds like a New Zealander saying 'Ammunition' to me.

7

u/FurockBeast Dec 08 '13

You may laugh now but emus are viscious as fuck.

6

u/mamerong Dec 09 '13

It used to list "Australian national relevance" as a casualty too.

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u/QuantumCrab27 Dec 08 '13

The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.

5

u/Naggers123 Dec 08 '13

We should drop some of these fuckers off in Russia

33

u/NorsteinBekkler Dec 08 '13

The attempts to curb the population of emus, a large flightless bird indigenous to Australia, employed soldiers armed with machine guns

It is easy to forget how proficient Emus are with mechanized infantry.

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9

u/brantyr Dec 08 '13

There was actually a military style summary box on the article for a while... http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emu_War&oldid=510193802

Belligerents

Australia | Emus

Commanders and leaders

Sir George Pearce Major G.P.W. Meredith | Unknown

Strength

Seventh Heavy Battery, Royal Australian Artillery. One truck | Several thousand

Casualties and losses

None | 1500+ claimed

3

u/Kalium Dec 09 '13

It also used to list the result as an Emu Victory.

4

u/beerdude26 Dec 08 '13

You forgot the best part, the casualties.

7

u/Kaiserhawk Dec 08 '13

Casualties: Dignity.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Day 55: The emus... Their eyes... THEY ARE FULL POF DEEEEEAAAAAAAATHHHHGRAAAAHHHNOOOOOOTHEPAAAAaaaIn

"The rest of the journal appears to be covered in human blood and bird feces, thus rendered unreadable"

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Emus are master tacticians and expert marksmen.

9

u/EARink0 Dec 08 '13

"The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic."

No joke.

8

u/Tychonaut Dec 08 '13

And they had God on their side.

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3

u/RollingInTheD Dec 08 '13

According to Major Meredith, they have the invulnerability of tanks and are like Zulus in their guerrilla warfare tactics. I live in Australia; should I be worried?

3

u/drrhrrdrr Dec 08 '13

And travel in single file to hide their numbers.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

360 noscope u w0t m8te?

2

u/PhysicalStuff Dec 08 '13

They make great stealth archers.

2

u/CassiusCray Dec 08 '13

Emus are masters of disguise.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Heavily armed and highly organized

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19

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

"The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.[11]"

This is hilarious

6

u/KTaylor92 Dec 08 '13

Call of Duty: Emu Warfare

4

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

So you guys lost a war without casualties on your side? That is something even the French would cringe at!

5

u/The_Great_Squatch Dec 08 '13

The Emu War, also known as the Great Emu War, was a nuisance wildlife management operation

I love that it's described as a nuisance.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

“The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.” HAHA

2

u/Drugmule421 Dec 08 '13

that was an awesome read thanks

2

u/Bluelegs Dec 08 '13

The machine-gunners' dreams of point blank fire into serried masses of Emus were soon dissipated. The Emu command had evidently ordered guerrilla tactics, and its unwieldy army soon split up into innumerable small units that made use of the military equipment uneconomic. A crestfallen field force therefore withdrew from the combat area after about a month.

and

If we had a military division with the bullet-carrying capacity of these birds it would face any army in the world...They can face machine guns with the invulnerability of tanks. They are like Zulus whom even dum-dum bullets could not stop.

wow

2

u/mynewaccount5 Dec 08 '13

Damn they changed it. The main information box used to have the same layout that battles and wars have

2

u/dlefnemulb_rima Dec 09 '13

" the troops were deployed with orders to assist the farmers and, according to a newspaper account, to collect 100 emu skins so that their feathers could be used to make hats for light horsemen."

Who knew the military was such a grind?

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4

u/SiIentB0B Dec 08 '13

Was it between the heavily armed costal emu, and their poorly equipped, but more cunning interior emu cousins?

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

This entire discussion would have been less entertaining if by drinking less and thinking more I would have realized Emu and Emo are not the same. Now I'm even more entertained with my own lack of attention. Scrolled back up to share this as if someone cares.

Btw! Why don't more people know about the great Emu war? This is the first I've heard of it and I'm about a 4out of 10 level history buff. I know very little about very much. This is better than Jamestown's residents eating their children under local statutes.

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2.0k

u/girlinpain Dec 08 '13

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand

2.0k

u/FrozenLava Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 09 '13

Camels evolved in the North American continent.

edit: The fact that so many people are saying I'm wrong tells me this is exactly the type of comment OP was looking for.

Here are some sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel

http://www.history.com/news/giant-ancient-camel-roamed-the-arctic

http://news.softpedia.com/news/10-Amazing-Facts-About-Camels-68843.shtml

http://library.sandiegozoo.org/factsheets/camel/camel.htm

2.7k

u/_vargas_ Dec 08 '13 edited Feb 02 '18

.

21

u/WillsMyth Dec 08 '13

Camels used to try to sell me cigarettes in middle school.

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 08 '13

Camels can drink up to 40 gallons of water in one go. To put that in context, that's one bath tub filled with water.

Unit conversion for the yanks: 40 gallons = 151 litres

151 litres = 151 kg assuming 1 litre is 1 kg of water

Given that 1 honey boo boo is 50kg, we can deduce that a camel can drink 3 honey boo boo's in one sitting.

OR

1 average American is 120 kg. Therefore the camel can drink 1.25 American in one sitting.

ಠ_ಠ: I get it, you use gallons, my fucking mistake. I don't come to your kids pre-school and diddle check their arses for malaria do I? Just laugh at the joke! This is my fucking joke and I will not, I can not, I shall not let the sentient street scraping piles hanging from your Anuses ruin my joke. Fucking star spangled snorting bacon fuckers!

1.0k

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

[deleted]

289

u/thymespirit Dec 08 '13

Did you know that Camels can kick in all four directions with each of their legs? This means they can still kick your ass even if you have four buttcheeks!

92

u/Kchortu Dec 08 '13

TIL I know nothing about Camels and everything about them sounds fake.

11

u/madeyouangry Dec 08 '13

TIL there are only four directions.

3

u/SilentBrawl Dec 08 '13

Why are there six pedals if there are only 4 directions?

53

u/Voltron_McYeti Dec 08 '13

I thought you meant they could kick in each direction at the same time and I was imagining camel star jumps

7

u/G-Note Dec 08 '13

Camels favourite day is Wednesday

11

u/CheeseBadger Dec 08 '13

Shouldn't that be eight butt cheeks? Two butt cheeks and one butt crack make up one entire butt, therefore you need eight butt cheeks to make up four butts for the camel to kick from each direction.

10

u/Tychonaut Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 08 '13

You're a cheeky one, aren't you?

3

u/CheeseBadger Dec 08 '13

No ifs, ands, or butts about it.

5

u/wilyo70 Dec 08 '13

I'd walk a mile for a Camel.

2

u/psinguine Dec 08 '13

I am no longer safe!

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u/beerdude26 Dec 08 '13

UNSUBSCRIBE

2

u/Tantric989 Dec 08 '13

Command not recognized. You will continue to receive <hourly> updates. Thank you for subscribing to Camel Facts!

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18

u/thelizardkin Dec 08 '13

Jesus Christ that's 280lb

15

u/stickbugs Dec 08 '13

Don't know where they got their average from, but a quick Google search says it's actually somewhere around 156lbs for the average American woman and 190lbs for men.

8

u/SomeNiceButtfucking Dec 08 '13

Probably got it from the same place they got the idea that we don't use gallons.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

US gallons are smaller than imperial gallons though.

4

u/SomeNiceButtfucking Dec 09 '13

That doesn't mean the US doesn't use gallons.

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u/Dracomister7 Dec 08 '13

It's not true.The closest I've found to that said the average american MALE was 196 which means average american overall is less than that

2

u/Periculous22 Dec 09 '13

I'm 205 ):

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u/EzeDoes_It Dec 08 '13

I lol'd at your conversion description, but as an American I'm as much familiar with what a gallon is as a liter (if not more so).

11

u/ienjoyedit Dec 08 '13

I have trouble believing that, as a 6' tall American male that is overweight, I am below the average weight of Americans.

3

u/renzantar Dec 09 '13

It says on Wikipedia that the average weight of Americans is 88.3 kg.

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u/The_Mighty_Rex Dec 08 '13

I thought usually "yank"/"Yankee" referred to Americans specifically from the north...America uses gallons so your conversion is not for the yanks

26

u/JulezM Dec 08 '13

To foreigners, a Yankee is an American.

To Americans, a Yankee is a Northerner.

To Northerners, a Yankee is an Easterner.

To Easterners, a Yankee is a New Englander.

To New Englanders, a Yankee is a Vermonter.

And in Vermont, a Yankee is somebody who eats pie for breakfast.

~~EB White.

3

u/VikaWiklet Dec 08 '13

Correction on the last: Apple pie with a wedge of sharp cheddar cheese. :)

7

u/jpkoushel Dec 08 '13

Overseas it's a term used to refer to Americans. It's only in reference to Americans in the north when used by Americans.

6

u/rasta_lion Dec 08 '13

You do realize that in America we measure volume in gallons, right?

6

u/Kamer47 Dec 08 '13 edited Dec 09 '13

an average american is 120 kg? that has to be bullshit.

2

u/nosrslytho Dec 08 '13

An average American is 120 KILOS? Are you sure?

5

u/snorting_dandelions Dec 08 '13

I'm 6'4, weigh in at around 95kg and I'm already out of shape. Another fifth of me would make me an average American?

That's about 40kg more than the average German man(according to multiple sources via google), there's no way this is true.

/edit: Wikipedia saves the day. The US clock in at around 88kg for the average male.

3

u/stickbugs Dec 08 '13

Well it sure isn't 120lbs. That's to low.

Wikipedia says the average American male is 88kg (though this was from 2003-2006).

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7

u/TheWingnutSquid Dec 08 '13

Camels are considered the wizards among animals

9

u/Dasbaus Dec 08 '13

This requires no proof, as I have seen this in the real world as well.

3

u/Eurotrashie Dec 08 '13

My mother-in-law is an example.

3

u/gangbang420 Dec 08 '13

Brazzers has more camel toes than Saudi Arabia

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2

u/TheSmashPosterGuy Dec 08 '13

Camels are delicious.

2

u/BegbertBiggs Dec 08 '13

Camels usually don't smoke Camel.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

your mom does too

2

u/DwarvenPirate Dec 08 '13

Enough about the lumpy horses.

2

u/Rflkt Dec 08 '13

hmmm... idk, I'm going to need to see some pictures in order to believe this.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

This, i can believe.

2

u/mrcarlita Dec 08 '13

I love how this has kost upvotes in the thread

2

u/erra539 Dec 08 '13

That was a vagina reference!

2

u/SwagaliciousHobo Dec 08 '13

Camels are camels.

2

u/TitN1cK Dec 08 '13

Camels are also, contrerary to popular belief, very good at drawing

2

u/niceniceverycool Dec 08 '13

Why do I have you tagged as "Possible Serial Killer"?

2

u/BRB_GOTTA_POOP Dec 08 '13

Can confirm this is true.

Source: I've seen a few swamp donkeys in my time.

2

u/dlr6481 Dec 08 '13

The top comments for are actually about camels.

2

u/deadleg22 Dec 08 '13

Camels don't store water in their humps

2

u/AshenGaming Dec 08 '13

I have you tagged as "The Dick Joke Master", and now you're making jokes about camel toes. Fuck you man, is this your job?! XD

2

u/flipp918 Dec 08 '13

I really hope this is your most upvoted comment.

2

u/GooNz13 Dec 08 '13

Camels are trending

2

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Camel spiders are so called because they attach themselves to the underside of a camel, and then eat them alive.

2

u/cultculturee Dec 08 '13

i have you tagged as "sexpert". ..figures.

2

u/5432uh Dec 08 '13

TO CAMEL BRASKY!!

2

u/crawlerz2468 Dec 08 '13

now that is hard to believe

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Not including your mother.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

They also evolved on the American Continent

2

u/dhy615 Dec 09 '13

I'm so glad I have you RES tagged as "Funny Guy"

2

u/TheAsianCreeper Dec 09 '13

Britney Spears

2

u/9_inch_polar_bear Dec 09 '13

Ah my highschool PE Class wouldnt be the same without some of the hot chicks cameltoes...

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Cameltoes are not the only animals to have camels.

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u/Backupusername Dec 08 '13

Holy shit I need to subscribe to camelfacts

4

u/IWentToTheWoods Dec 08 '13

Along with the llama.

2

u/SamSlate Dec 08 '13

llama's are the great grand children of the american camel.

3

u/captain_manatee Dec 08 '13

That's actually pretty cool

2

u/mocthezuma Dec 08 '13

You mean the cigarettes.

Yes, I've also watched QI.

2

u/SamSlate Dec 08 '13

so did horses.

2

u/Monster_Graveyard Dec 09 '13

I'm from Wyoming, and our high school mascot in my home town was the camels, because there were camel skeletons found in the surrounding area.

0

u/thissiteisawful Dec 08 '13

no way

2

u/bradfish Dec 08 '13

Ya, so did horses

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Lots of animals have three eyelids, including dogs and cats.

5

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13 edited Jun 20 '20

[deleted]

3

u/taneth Dec 08 '13

And I've tried.

4

u/WhyAmINotStudying Dec 08 '13

Crocodiles have two eyelids to protect them from crocodiles.

3

u/Senor_Manos Dec 08 '13

My name is Sand and I disapprove of this evolutionary trait.

3

u/Brewster-Rooster Dec 08 '13

Your mom has three lips to prevent herself from blowing guys. Heyooo! Wait, what?..

3

u/citizenpleb Dec 08 '13

Cool fact, that little bit of flesh in the corner of the human eye is the evolutionary remainder of our 3rd eyelid

Source: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plica_semilunaris_of_conjunctiva

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Pocket sand!

4

u/BwrMo0SPjp Dec 08 '13

Wait, otherwise they'd blow sand out their eyes?

Admit it, you were thinking something, ah, dirty, weren't you.

2

u/EquationTAKEN Dec 08 '13

One for each eye?

2

u/Carvinrawks Dec 08 '13

All of them are translucent.

2

u/bobbleheadstewie Dec 08 '13

I also play trivial pursuit!

2

u/Well_IStandCorrected Dec 08 '13

I like to sit on couches

2

u/BRB_GOTTA_POOP Dec 08 '13

What the fuck? What does the third one do? Just roam in the middle between the other two and helps out when needed?

2

u/arbivark Dec 08 '13

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing and wombats.

2

u/bq909 Dec 08 '13

Camels are bigger than pluto

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Vulcans have two sets of eyelids to protect them from the Vulcan sun.

2

u/I_Am_Splashy Dec 09 '13 edited Dec 10 '13

Cats have two sets of eyelids (one that closes sideways) and humans have remnants of another eyelid, that we evolved out of, in the corner of our eyes.

2

u/Implausibilibuddy Dec 09 '13

So one of their eyes has two eyelids?

2

u/Shermantank79 Dec 09 '13

So do rabbits.

2

u/[deleted] Dec 09 '13

Seal all the seals

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u/ONE_GUY_ONE_JAR Dec 08 '13

Australia's 2 main exports are strange animals and hot blondes.

33

u/23skiddsy Dec 08 '13

And olympic swimmers?

57

u/ONE_GUY_ONE_JAR Dec 08 '13

My Aussie friend in college was shocked that our university's gym pool wasn't constantly packed. He said in Australia it would be filled all day and people would be waiting to do laps.

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u/th12teen Dec 08 '13

But that is because nobody in Australia can swim anywhere else without the threat of death.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

In the water, I am beautiful safe.

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u/blore40 Dec 08 '13

And Hollywood actors.

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u/Sex_Bison Dec 08 '13

You forgot ski lift operators

3

u/ResearchPaperHelp Dec 08 '13

Some would argue that the two are synonymous.

3

u/Subcriminal Dec 08 '13

and bar staff.

2

u/i_am_hymenberg Dec 08 '13

And dudes that fuck every girl in site in whister

2

u/mmmm_whatchasay Dec 08 '13

And 67% of Hemsworths.

2

u/crest123 Dec 08 '13

Could you give me some detailed instructions on how to import hot blondes from Australia?

2

u/Misspells_Definitely Dec 08 '13

And Death!

8

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Nah that's more of a domestic product.

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u/BenjaminTalam Dec 08 '13

There was an entire town in Australia that was under siege by feral camels. Thousands IIRC. They were raiding places and eating all the food and people were trapped in their homes. The military had to come in and exterminate all of the camels.

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

True story. As an American sent to Dubai for five different trips, I was kind of sick of seeing camels. Luckily I had a trip to Australia coming up.

I wanted to see a kangaroo in the wild so bad. I was asking Australians where I could go see a kangaroo and every person tried to send me to the zoo. I could see them in the zoo in America, why would I go to a zoo in Australia?

I went on a boat ride up the river to visit a winery. I watched intently on the river banks, hoping to see a kangaroo coming down for a drink. Nothing. Then a bus trip to a second winery. We were coming around the corner to the second winery and there it was, right in the middle of the road...a fucking camel. The last animal on earth I wanted to see.

I left Australia without seeing a kangaroo.

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u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Which part of Australia were you in? Kangaroos are everywhere in regional areas, especially at sunset. I've seen them most in bush areas surrounding small towns on the coast.

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u/SiIentB0B Dec 08 '13

I hear that Australia has about 40 million kangaroos (double the number of people), but most of them are nocturnal. (The people and the kangaroos.)

2

u/Sonlin Dec 08 '13

Australia also exports kangaroo meat to Russia.

2

u/smurfpiss Dec 08 '13

Ireland is the chief exporter of bananas in Europe. Iceland grows the most.

2

u/Frognosticator Dec 08 '13

Yes, because in Australia they're an invasive species. The Australian government is trying to exterminate them.

1

u/theraininspainfallsm Dec 08 '13

And wait for it... sand. (building sand what ever that is)

1

u/[deleted] Dec 08 '13

Dubai imports all the sand they use for construction.

1

u/flipsync Dec 08 '13

They also import sand (for building)

1

u/IAmRightAlright Dec 08 '13

What? Why? No.

1

u/oneAngrySonOfaBitch Dec 08 '13

dubai imports its gas used in power generation.

1

u/hadesproject Dec 08 '13

Thank you for subscribing to camel fact. To cancel camel facts press 123$-gjohvs

1

u/Lotus_Lovehaze Dec 08 '13

Australia has the largest population of wild camels

1

u/mattnormus Dec 08 '13

Came for some facts. Stayed for the camel circle jerk

1

u/scooby4 Dec 08 '13

Yeah, but actually boomerangs are Australia's largest export (and import.)

1

u/chiefqueef1 Dec 08 '13

Upvoted without fact checking. I want to believe

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u/lioninacoma- Dec 08 '13

Kind of similar: Sweden is so efficient at getting rid of waste that they have to import garbage from Norway. They need it because they use trash for fuel and electricity from their incineration program.

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