Hi neighbors. We've all heard about urban myths, but there are other myths that are perpetuated from generation to generation just like superstitions.

Recently I found a website that dealt with some of these myths and gave the scientific rebuttal to them.

One was a chicken can live without a head. Any of us who have seen chickens killed for Sunday dinner know that they do a great amount of flopping and flying about afterwards. This website said chickens can live without a head, depending upon where the head was severed from the spine. If any part of the brain stem is remaining, the chicken can "live" until it dies of starvation. One, they proclaimed, lived almost 18 months. Now THAT I would have to see to believe. I am, after all from Missouri! Besides, that would make one skinny snack for lunch.

Does water drains clockwise in one hemisphere and counterclockwise in the other? These scientists declared that which way the water drained depended upon the tilt of the sink, not the hemisphere. Any world travelers out there who have actually tested this theory? How much of your brain do you use? The myth is humans use ten percent of their brains or less. The use of brain mapping instruments suggests we use lots more than ten percent: even in our sleep.

Here is a myth I hadn't heard of: poppy seed bagels mimic opium use. What? Apparently this is a modern day myth, or the sitcom it was taken from had dug it out of their writer's memory. However, this particular website insisted that the amount of poppy seeds on two bagels would affect a person's blood test for opiates. Guess someone might find that interesting. Maybe they ought to put a label on poppy seed bagels about may cause drowsiness or may be addictive? Have you ever heard that a penny dropped from the top of the Empire State building would have enough force to kill a pedestrian on the street? Gee, another reason to avoid New York City, right? Wrong! A brick maybe, but a penny wouldn't build up enough momentum to cause more than a sting due to it's shape. Since the penny is flat, it would not kill anyone passing the building on the sidewalk below.

Yes, when you get a cold, grab that chicken soup for a cure. It contains an anti-inflammatory agent. But I'd use a recently harvested chicken, not one that's been dying for eighteen months if I were you.

Guess what? Yawning is "contagious" even chimps do it. If you want to stay awake, don't have sleepy people (or chimpanzees) around.

The myth that lightening never strikes twice in the same place is based on hope. Lighten often strikes the same place. The Empire State building gets struck an average of 25 times a year. So if you go up there to throw off pennies, make sure it's a sunny day.