The effects of a nuclear attack on US cities

While scanning through stories on Digg tonight, I saw this link to a ZDNet article on the effects of a nuclear attack on various American cities. The article examines a Center for Mass Destruction Defense (CMADD) simulation of the catastrophic impact a nuclear attack would have on American cities. The complete study paper is 33 pages, and freaky scary to read over.

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Lies your mother told you

Headline ripped straight from the original article over at Nearorama. Learn the truth about some of the lies you heard when you were younger.

The Lie: Throwing rice at weddings causes birds to explode.

The Truth: Throwing rice at weddings causes birds to have something new and delicious and totally undangerous to eat. In fact, there are many species of birds in Asia who survive primarily on uncooked rice, which they take from fields. The myth had its start in a 1988 Ann Landers [wiki] column in which she discouraged readers from the practice. The USA Rice Federation (motto: “Proving There Is a Federation for Everything”) immediately debunked Landers’s story, but, surprisingly, Ann Landers had a broader readership than the USA Rice Federation.

The Lie: Hair grows back thicker and darker after you shave it.

Fun reading. Original post on Neatorama credits Mental Floss (specifically, the book Scatterbrained) with the goods on the goodies listed.

[tags]Lies your mother told you, Mental Floss teaches you the truth[/tags]