lat-puzz.com

by **Admin** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:22 am

It was intended to save them but ultimately it led to there being fewer of them.

While I am here can I give a plug for my new podcast series, Desperate and Appauling. The third and latest episode features lateral thinking puzzles. If you like it please subscribe.
https://laretal.podbean.com/

by **trebor** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:48 pm

I will check the podcast out!

Them = people? Animals? Living things? Historical artifacts? Tangible objects?

Does the "it" in the statement refer to: a cure for a disease? An action performed by a person? An action performed by a group of people? A series of actions?

by **Admin** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:46 pm

TREBOR,

Them = people?
YES

Animals? Living things? Historical artifacts? Tangible objects?
YES, YES, NO, NO

Does the "it" in the statement refer to: a cure for a disease?
NO

An action performed by a person? An action performed by a group of people? A series of actions?
COULD BE ANY OF THOSE.

by **JenBurdoo** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:56 pm

Are "they" a tribe? a town? an ethnic group? a nationality? Relevant where they live? When this occurred?

Were there fewer of them because they died? departed? converted? disappeared?

Did their reduction occur over the course of minutes? hours? days? weeks? months? years?

by **trebor** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:47 pm

WAG, but does this involve something being undertaken to protect an isolated tribe but which brought the tribe into contact with "civilization", resulting in their being fewer isolated tribes?

by **Admin** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:20 pm

TREBOR,

Are "they" a tribe? a town? an ethnic group?
NO

a nationality?
LOOSELY YES

Relevant where they live?
YES

When this occurred?
YES

Were there fewer of them because they died? departed? converted? disappeared?
NO

Did their reduction occur over the course of minutes? hours? days? weeks? months? years?
YEARS

WAG, but does this involve something being undertaken to protect an isolated tribe but which brought the tribe into contact with "civilization", resulting in their being fewer isolated tribes?
NO

by **Sundowner** » Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:53 pm

being fewer of them = the total number of them went down? (different methods of counting relevant?)
Does the process of getting fewer still continue in our era? Do they still exist?
Was "it" performed by people who belonged to "them"?
Was "it" a one-time action? an ongoing process? some action that repeated from time to time?
Reduced fertility and/or reduced life expectancy relevant?

by **Admin** » Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:53 pm

Sundowner,

being fewer of them = the total number of them went down? (different methods of counting relevant?)
YES

Does the process of getting fewer still continue in our era? Do they still exist?
YES, YES

Was "it" performed by people who belonged to "them"?
YES AND NO. MISLEADING ANSWER. PLEASE REPHRASE.

Was "it" a one-time action? an ongoing process?
NO, YES

some action that repeated from time to time?
YES

Reduced fertility and/or reduced life expectancy relevant?
NO BUT CLOSE

by **trebor** » Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:14 pm

Did they try to encourage people to have fewer children? One-child policy relevant?

by **Admin** » Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:55 pm

TREBOR,

Did they try to encourage people to have fewer children?
NO

One-child policy relevant?
NO

BUT GETTING CLOSER

by **trebor** » Tue Mar 23, 2021 5:30 am

Are contraceptives relevant? Abortions? Vasectomies? Tubal ligations? Anything related to childbirth?

It's relevant when this occurs, and it occurs to this day. Is it the fact that it occurs today relevant? Is it more relevant that it occurred at another time? Is it relevant when it started?

Does this relevantly happen in: North America? South America? Europe (including the UK/Ireland/Iceland)? Asia? Africa? Oceania? Are "they" of a shared religion?

by **Admin** » Tue Mar 23, 2021 7:37 am

TREBOR

Are contraceptives relevant?
YES BUT SMALL RELEVANCE

Abortions? Vasectomies? Tubal ligations?
POSSIBLY TINY RELEVANCE

Anything related to childbirth?
YES

It's relevant when this occurs, and it occurs to this day.
YES

Is it the fact that it occurs today relevant?
YES BUT NOT ESSENTIAL

Is it more relevant that it occurred at another time?
MAYBE

Is it relevant when it started?
YES

Does this relevantly happen in: North America?
YES

South America? Europe (including the UK/Ireland/Iceland)? Asia? Africa? Oceania?
I DON'T KNOW. MAYBE LESS SO.

Are "they" of a shared religion?
NO

by **JenBurdoo** » Tue Mar 23, 2021 10:24 pm

Do they live on an island, or in some other isolated place? Is there a concentrated effort to increase their population? A law? Restrictions of some sort? Is a unique language relevant?

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 24, 2021 7:49 am

JEN

Do they live on an island, or in some other isolated place? Is there a concentrated effort to increase their population?
NO

A law? Restrictions of some sort?
YES

Is a unique language relevant?
NO

by **Sundowner** » Wed Mar 24, 2021 12:46 pm

Is there anything around childbirth that made couples more considerate about having a baby or not?
Which resulted in less children per couple on average?
Did childbirth become more complicated? more expensive in terms of time? money? effort?
Is it about giving birth in a hospital rather than at home? Caesarian section?
Health insurance relevant? registration? citizenship?
Did the registration of births become more complicated?
Naming of relevant?
Is this about Native Americans? if so: one particular nation?

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 24, 2021 1:48 pm

SUNDOWNER,

Is there anything around childbirth that made couples more considerate about having a baby or not?
Which resulted in less children per couple on average?
NO

Did childbirth become more complicated? more expensive in terms of time? money? effort?
NO

Is it about giving birth in a hospital rather than at home? Caesarian section?
NO

Health insurance relevant? registration? citizenship?
NO

Did the registration of births become more complicated?
NO

Naming of relevant?
NO

Is this about Native Americans? if so: one particular nation?
NO

by **Sundowner** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 11:09 am

Is this about immigrants to North America? from a particular nation?
Was having (or not having?) children a prerequisite for immigration?
Did "it" result in fewer pregnancies? fewer children being born? fewer children surviving birth? fewer children surviving childhood?
Did "it" start before 1700? before 1800? before 1900? before 2000?

by **Admin** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:53 pm

Sundowner,

Is this about immigrants to North America? from a particular nation?
NO

Was having (or not having?) children a prerequisite for immigration?
NO

Did "it" result in fewer pregnancies? fewer children being born?
YES

fewer children surviving birth? fewer children surviving childhood?
NO

Did "it" start before 1700? before 1800? before 1900?
NO

before 2000?
YES

by **trebor** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 5:17 pm

Is it a law? A ruling? An invention? Does it specifically pertain to pregnancy? Is its effect on pregnancies a side effect of it?

by **Admin** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 7:45 pm

TREBOR,

Is it a law? A ruling?
YES

An invention?
YES, BUT DON'T GET HUNG UP ON THIS

Does it specifically pertain to pregnancy?
NO

Is its effect on pregnancies a side effect of it?
INDIRECTLY YES

by **trebor** » Fri Mar 26, 2021 10:21 pm

Are any wars relevant?

Do the people affected by this have anything other than gender in common? Was this in Canada? The US? Mexico? Central America? Is this law something that hit one group more than others? Are the people linked by: level of education? Economic status? Geography? Profession? Hobby? Traumatic event?

by **Admin** » Sat Mar 27, 2021 7:28 am

TREBOR,

Are any wars relevant?
NO

Do the people affected by this have anything other than gender in common?
YES

Was this in Canada? The US? Mexico? Central America?
USA YES, CANADA PROBABLY, OTHERS - DON'T KNOW

Is this law something that hit one group more than others?
YES

Are the people linked by: level of education? Economic status?
NO, MAYBE YES

Geography? Profession? Hobby? Traumatic event?
NO

by **trebor** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 5:22 am

Are they linked by sexual orientation? Age? A certain ability? Disability? Is physical health care relevant? Mental health care?

by **Admin** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:12 am

TREBOR,

Are they linked by sexual orientation?
NO

Age?
YES

A certain ability? Disability? Is physical health care relevant? Mental health care?
NO

by **trebor** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 6:28 pm

Are they babies? Children older than that? Teens? Adults?

by **Admin** » Sun Mar 28, 2021 9:45 pm

TREBOR,

Are they babies?
MAYBE

Children older than that?
YES

Teens? Adults?
NO

by **Sundowner** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 12:13 pm

Does the law concern children of baby and toddler age? but not teens?
Does the law impact the probability that these children later will have children themselves? or the number of children they will have?
Or is it, rather, that the law makes the parents of these children think twice before having too many children?
Does the law require the children to do something that impacts their fertility? in a biological sense? that makes having children (or raising children) more difficult?
WAG: Education relevant? does the law lead to a longer period of education? making people starting to earn money later? which leaves less time for raising children?

by **Admin** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 3:01 pm

SUNDOWNER,
Does the law concern children of baby and toddler age? but not teens?
CORRECT

Does the law impact the probability that these children later will have children themselves? or the number of children they will have?
NO

Or is it, rather, that the law makes the parents of these children think twice before having too many children?
CORRECT

Does the law require the children to do something that impacts their fertility? in a biological sense?
NO

that makes having children (or raising children) more difficult?
YES

WAG: Education relevant? does the law lead to a longer period of education? making people starting to earn money later? which leaves less time for raising children?
NO

by **AlbatrossLover** » Tue Mar 30, 2021 9:10 pm

Does the law make having/raising children more expensive? Does the law directly affect parents? Is it a regulation that affected daycare/nurseries and made them more expensive? Or inconvenient?

by **trebor** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:55 am

Does the law impact the financial status of parents? The ability of either parent to hold certain jobs? Does it pertain to insurance? Housing?

Does the "save them" in the puzzle statement mean the law was meant to spare the lives of children? Eliminate/mitigate a danger they face? Does "them" here refer to already-living children? Does the second them refer to children yet-to-be?

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 6:59 am

ALBATROSSLOVER

(GREAT NAME FOR A PUZZLE FAN)

Does the law make having/raising children more expensive?
VERY SLIGHTLY

Does the law directly affect parents?
INDIRECTLY

Is it a regulation that affected daycare/nurseries and made them more expensive? Or inconvenient?
NO

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 7:01 am

TREBOR,

Does the law impact the financial status of parents?
NO OR VERY SLIGHTLY

The ability of either parent to hold certain jobs? Does it pertain to insurance? Housing?
NO

Does the "save them" in the puzzle statement mean the law was meant to spare the lives of children?
YES

Eliminate/mitigate a danger they face?
YES

Does "them" here refer to already-living children?
YES

Does the second them refer to children yet-to-be?
YES

by **Sundowner** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 10:17 am

Child car seats relevant? (they're mandatory, but you hardly get more than two into a car)

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 4:28 pm

Sundowner,

Child car seats relevant? (they're mandatory, but you hardly get more than two into a car)
YES

by **trebor** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 5:57 pm

Are fewer children dying in car accidents? And parents are having fewer children because they aren’t “replacing” (that’s an awful way to put it, but I can think of no better) their deceased children with newborns?

by **Admin** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 8:59 pm

TREBOR,

Are fewer children dying in car accidents? And parents are having fewer children because they aren’t “replacing” (that’s an awful way to put it, but I can think of no better) their deceased children with newborns?
NO

by **AlbatrossLover** » Wed Mar 31, 2021 9:11 pm

Are parents just having less children because the child seat requirement makes it hard to have many kids in a normal vehicle?

by **Admin** » Thu Apr 01, 2021 7:39 am

* * * SPOILER * * *

Well done Albatrosslover and Sundowner

Are parents just having less children because the child seat requirement makes it hard to have many kids in a normal vehicle?

YES

The Economist published an article with the wonderful title Berth Control. It cites the work of Jordan Nickerson and David Solomon, professors at MIT and Boston College, whose study 'Car seats as contraception' examines car-seat policies and American birth rates between 1973 and 2017. They argue that the poicy has led to fewer three-child families. Previously you could get three children in the back of a normal car but with car seats you could only get two. This apparantly led to couples stopping at two children when they might otherwise have had more.