The Marvel Comics enterprise has been at the forefront of presenting fictional superheroes who have commanded a global following. However, among the list of many illustrious and immensely popular characters, there are also some who never climbed the popularity charts and eventually had to be dumped or mercifully killed off. While, some of these were plain bizarre, some were just unlucky for not being able to engage enough attention to be another successful contributor to the Marvel universe.

10. Ego

Alias: Nu-Xandar

Ego was beyond the comprehension of Marvel’s very young readers. For most, it was difficult to imagine whether Ego was a planetary force or some inter-planetary evil entity. Introduced as a creation from The Black Galaxy of the ‘Thor’ series (#132) in 1966, Ego had a face, tentacles and could out think every one that encountered it. However, most of Ego’s deeds were limited to laying out sinister plans for galaxy conquest rather than doing some damage on it own. It could suck energy from smaller, ‘innocent’ stars to power its astronomical strength but seldom used it.

9. M.O.D.O.K.

Alias: George Tarleton

When your body is also your head, you are a weird Marvel character. First appearing in Tales of Suspense #93 (1967), MODOK is one of the oddest looking characters you will find in the pages of any comic. His name is actually an acronym that only adds to his weird factor, Mobile Organism Designed Only for Killing. Quite a mouthful, yes? Well his gargantuan mouth and oversized choppers could easily swallow that name. Believe it or not, he as actually a human who was mutated by A.I.M scientists into the misfit villain we know today. His powers are enhanced intelligence (big surprise with a noggin like that), with the added ability to predict outcomes that sometimes resembles clairvoyance. He also can control individuals and large groups of people, generate force fields and finally, shoot powerful force beams from his swanky headband that focuses his incredible mental powers. Oh, and he can scare the crap out of little kids with his sputnik like head. Geez, did I mention his head is huge?

8. Swarm

Alias: Fritz von Meyer

For many Marvel fans, Swarm wasn’t put forth in the right manner by its creators. But then molding a swarm of bees into a major supervillain was probably not in the cards. Appearing for the first time in 1977 in ‘Champions’ #14, Swarm was a body of mutant, super-intelligent killer bees that killed Nazi scientist, Fritz von Meyer. In his death throes, his consciousness dissipated into the swarm of bees. Thus, von Meyer became an aggregate being, a living embodiment of the swarm, with his own scientific mind added to the mutant intelligence of the multitude of bees. Being villainous to the core and looking very menacing, Swarm had what it took to put up a resistance against Marvel’s heroes. What didn’t help Swarm’s presentation was the under-utilization of his strengths — very seldom was it hinted that the attack by the bees could actually kill or destroy something beyond redemption.

7. Howard the Duck

Alias: Master of Quak Fu / Feathered Fury

This is one of the few Marvel characters looked upon by many as a mistake that Marvel creators should be ashamed of — Why? Introduced in 1973’s ‘Adventure into Fear’ (No. 19), Howard Duck didn’t have any superpowers or anything substantial to be even considered as a Marvel character, other than the fact he was a talking duck. Seems familiar, doesn’t it? Hello, Donald.

Howard the Duck quipped rarely humorous one-liners while engaging the human race that often surrounded him. Further, the Feathered Fury was once shown as trying to occupy the White House and being booed away because of its strange appearance! For some inexplicable reason, the character did influence a 1986 movie called ‘Howard the Duck’ and the movie met the same destiny and failed miserably at the Box Office.

6. Thunder Frog

Alias: Thor

Being a huge Walt Simonson fan I would be remiss if I were to leave out one of the goofiest characters from the Marvel universe, Thunder Frog. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, the God of Thunder was actually hopping around as a amphibian. While he was only here for a short while, he made such a “splash” that Marvel actually comissioned a bust to be made in honor of the Frog of Thunder. He jumped onto the scene in Thor #364 (“Thor Croaks”) and stay in the comic for three issues. He keeps his super powers as a frog and helps his fellow lily pad lovers by leading them against the rats in Central park and the alligators in the sewers. A fun read to be sure and one of the classics of the immortal Simonson run on Thor.

5. Maggott

Alias: Japheth

While the disgusting alias leaves a lot to desired, it isn’t his title that wins him a trip to the weirdest marvel characters. No, it is his superpowers that rank him at number 5. Well, technically not his superpowers, but his parasitic slugs that live in his stomach. The slugs replaced his digestive system and could practically eat through any substance. After feeding the slugs would reenter his stomach and give him nourishment. Wow, what a great power. He is going to totally pick up chicks with that. Of course there is more to Maggot, simply having worm-like creatures eat for you isn’t cool enough for the X-men, in which he first appeared in issue #245 (1997). As with most odd characters their powers make little sense, much like the character themselves. His body would be supercharged with strength and stamina and invulnerability after the slugs fed and passed their energy on to him. Oh, and just to keep it really bizarre, he would also turn blue for no reason. Not the best work of co-creators Scott Lobdell and Joe Madureira for Marvel.

4. Hellcow

Alias: Bessie

This is one of the few Marvel characters introduced with Swiss origins as Bessie was presented as a cow hailing from Switzerland. Appearing for the first time in 1975 in the fifth issue of the ‘Giant Sized Man-Thing’ Bessie was introduced as a vampire. Perhaps, it was the blending of a vampire theme with an innocent looking cow that turned-away most readers. Further, what surprised many was Hellcow’s obsession with finding Dracula to seek revenge on him. The character was doomed from the very beginning and eventually the Marvel creators handed it an early death when a wooden stake was put through its heart – by none other than Howard the Duck.

3. Doctor Bong

Alias: Lester Verde

Yet another Howard the Duck villain, which means Howard is responsible for almost one third of this list. Doctor Bong is not a real doctor or even a doctor who just has a doctorate degree, but more of a mental patient who should be seeing a doctor. He has no superpowers, but has a good knowledge of genetics and has transformed animals into sentient, humanoid being to serve his evil will. Not so intimidating, right? Well, while striking his bell-shaped head with is ball-shaped hand he can produce sonic vibrations that can do a lot of really cool stuff. Like what? Well, they can produce concussive force to bend steel, create a sonic barrier for protection and, of course, can transport him by triggering a teleportation device. Yeah, um, right. He can also do other things that also make no sense, but thankfully he as not shown up again since his original appearance in Howard the Duck #15. Notice how good I was to not use any drug related jokes with a name like Bong. But it just goes to show you can make a bong from anything, even a super villain.

2. The Asbestos Lady

Alias: Victoria Murdock

Debuting as a part of Marvel’s Captain America Series (number 63) in 1947, the Asbestos Lady’s real name was Victoria Murdock. She was presented as a scientific genius and sister of Captain America’s arch rival, ‘Killer’ Murdoch. She built herself a fireproof costume that was lined with asbestos. She could throw balls of flame, while her suit protected her. With her tightly clad bodysuit, pouting lips and blonde hair, most folks would have thought that she could become a permanent fixture as Captain America’s blonde nemesis. Somehow, it just didn’t work out and the character was removed in the an obvious manner — in early 1990, she succumbed to carcinogenic growth, probably stimulated by her own asbestos-infused bodysuit.

1. Lockjaw

Alias: Sparky

Introduced in 1965 as a part of The Fantastic Four series, the name was perfectly created for this oddest of Marvel animal creations. Lockjaw’s biggest strength — his jaws made of steel that once clamped on an enemy, were impossible to breakaway from. One reason that might have contributed to Lockjaw’s lack of success was that his origin was never quite clear. Readers just couldn’t understand whether Lockjaw was a bulldog with superpowers or a mutated dog wherein super-abilities, such as teleportation, had been artificially infused by the Terrigen Mist. At one point it was told that he was a human who had been mutated into a dog, but that storyline has since been buried.

In a world of bland, corporate buildings, thank goodness for those architects and designers who express their individuality. They brighten up our world. From works of art to the downright wacky, here is a list, some of which I have been fortunate to see in the flesh.

10. Guggenheim Museum – Bilbao, Spain

No list is possible without the architect Frank Gehry. Built alongside the Nervion River, the curves are typical Gehry and were designed to catch the light. The museum, opened to the public in 1997, exhibits Spanish and international artists and the unusual design made it an important tourist attraction for the town. Gehry wanted the design to resemble a ship in honour of Bilbao’s status as a port. The building is made of limestone and glass, and titanium panels made to look like fish scales.

9. Dali Theatre and Museum – Figueras, Spain

Another Spanish art museum, this houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali’s artwork in the world. Figueras was the artist’s birthplace and he wanted to rebuild the old theatre from the ruins left by the bombs of the Spanish Civil War. The museum opened in 1974 and was expanded through the 1980s. Dali supervised the design, which matched the eccentricity of his paintings and sculptures, particularly in the giant eggs on the roof. Dali’s crypt is in the basement.

8. Turning the Place Over – Liverpool, England

This is an art installation contained within a derelict building, which has served as an attraction during Liverpool’s tenure as European City of Culture. Sculptor Richard Wilson’s creation surprises passers-by. An oval shaped 8-metre diameter section of the wall was cut and made to spin round on a pivot to reveal the interior of the building.

7. The Mushroom Tree House – Cincinnati, Ohio

This other worldly construction looks as if it was transplanted from a children’s picture book. It doesn’t appear to have been built at all and looks like it sprung up from the ground. The effect was achieved by the former Professor of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati, the late Terry Brown. Brown’s students helped with the project and were graded for it. It can be found in the Hyde Park district of the city.

6. Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Building – Branson, Missouri

The Branson museum is one of a chain of museums, housing the bizarre artifacts owned by the Ripley franchise. The building was designed to commemorate the devastating earthquake, which registered over 8.0 on the Richter Scale, in 1812 in New Madrid, Missouri. The crack across the building gives the impression that it has just survived its own earthquake. The Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum in Orlando, Florida is designed to appear as if it is sinking into the ground.

5. The Robot Building – Bangkok, Thailand

The robotic design, by the architect Sumet Jumsai, houses the United Overseas Bank headquarters. Located in the Sathorn business district, it was completed in 1986 when contemporary design was in vogue. It’s a friendly looking robot with lidded eyeballs for windows. The architect’s remit was to design something that made a statement about the modern, computerised nature of banking.

4. Sagrada Familia – Barcelona, Spain

Many visitors go to Barcelona just to see the work of the architect, Antoni Gaudi. He didn’t like straight lines and he avoided them whenever possible! His most ambitious construction, the Sagrada Familia Roman Catholic Church is still to be finished. Gaudi worked on it from 1852 until his death in 1926. It is scheduled to be open to the public for worship in 2010. Its towers are the most iconic image of Barcelona and it looks as if it belongs in a fairy story. The church is full of Christian symbolism, dedicated to the saints. Gaudi’s other famous Barcelona landmarks include Casa Mila and Park Guell.

3. The Basket Building – Newark, Ohio

Not many people get to work in a replica of a hand woven gift basket! This environment is headquarters to the Longaberger Company, a successful basket manufacturer. The founder, Dave Longaberger, wanted all his company buildings to be in the shape of a basket but his daughters countered his wishes following his death. However, this 7-story replica of one of the company’s products is not the only giant Longaberger basket in the area. Dave had also instigated the Apple Basket in Frazeysburg, the house sized Picnic Basket in Dresden, and the Big Easter Basket in Lorain.

2. The Crooked House – Sopot, Poland

The architectural firm of Szotynscy Zaleski took inspiration from fairytale illustrations and from the designs of Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudi to design this remarkable construction. The roof is covered with bluish green enamelled shingles that look like dragon scales. The interior is conventional and contains bars, shops and cafes.

1. The Dancing House – Prague, Czech Republic

When you think of a river, the last thing you think about is probably how strong its water really is. You are more than likely to think about calm flowing water that brushes over stones at the bottom of the river. Maybe you envision small fish in the river. Whatever you think about, it’s definitely not how powerful the river is.

If you’re one of those people that are fascinated by random yet helpful bits of information, then this top-ten list is for you. Here are the top ten most powerful rivers in the world. This list is based upon the flow rate of the river itself.

10. Mekong River

The Mekong River is located in China. It runs through Burma, Thailand, Yunnan, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The Mekong is the 11th longest river in the world and the 7th longest in Asia. The river is said to be about 2,703 miles long. Because of the seasonal changes that cause variations in flow as well as the appearance of rapids and waterfalls in the river, the Mekong is extremely difficult to navigate. This river so strong that the level of the river located in Cambodia is lower than the high tide at sea! In 2000, the river’s rapids and tides became so overwhelming that it flooded, killing about 90 people.

9. Lena River

Flowing through Eastern Siberia, the Lena River is the 10th longest river in the world, bringing water 2,734 miles until it flows into the Sea. The river flows northeast and joins with two other rivers and finally flows into the Laptev Sea. The river is known to have strong links to stream flow, especially during the summer and spring when the water is much warmer than usual. Once it is spring, the ice on the Lena River melts before the ice downstream does, which usually causes flooding because iceblocks hinder the flow of water. In 2007, the river over-flooded and more than 1,000 houses and 12 towns were under water.

8. Parana River

The Parana River is the 14th longest river in the world. Though most of the river is located in Brazil, it also runs through other parts of South America such as Argentina and Paraguay. The river is about 2,485 miles long and flows into three other rivers. On the southern part of the river, flooding is extremely common. The strong currents that the Parana brings have been said to erode river shores, destroy buildings, and cause many people to have to move out of their homes. The high winds and the El-Nino effect also play big roles in how powerful the river is.

7. Yenisey River

The Yenisey River is the biggest river that flows into the Arctic Ocean. At 3,445 miles long, the river is the 5th largest in the world. The river flows through Mongolia, the Yenisei Gulf, and then drains in the center of Siberia. The upper part of the river is subject to floods a swell as rapids. Because part of the river exits through the Darkhad Valley, studies have shown that it is often blocked by ice. Once the glaciers retreat, it is said that as much as 500km ³ of water could escape from the river and cause a complete debacle.

6. Mississippi River

The Mississippi River is the only river in the U.S. to make the list! The Mississippi River is the second largest in the U.S. It expands across 2,340 miles of land. It starts at Lake Itasca in Minnesota and travels all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico. Those who live along the banks of the river often have to fear its high tides and extremely powerful waters. Many of the levees that have been built to hold back the water have proven extremely unhelpful. In 2008, many were afraid that the river would over-flood even more than it already had. The water was topping levees and many had to be evacuated from their homes.

5. Brahmaputra River

The Brahmaputra River is located in Bahaduradbad, Bangladesh. It starts in southwestern Tibet, goes through the Himalayas, the Assam Valley, and then through Bangladesh. The Brahmaputra River is about 1,800 miles long and is mostly used for transportation as well as irrigation. While most of this river is navigable, some parts are prone to catastrophic flooding in the spring once the snow of the Himalayans melt. This river is also one of the few that is known to have something called a tidal bare. This means that incoming tides form waves that travel up the river against the direction of the current. This is what researchers call a true tidal wave. This makes the Brahmaputra River that much stronger.

4. Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia as well as in China. It is the 3rd largest river in the world. The river stretches to about 3,964 miles and flows through East China Sea in Shanghai. The Yangtze River is known for its flooding, and dams that have been built to prevent water from flowing outside of the river’s banks have proven to be useless. Researchers have realized that the river actually has three different types of floods and that its tides are much too strong during some seasons to prevent water from overflowing. Many use the river for electricity and water transport, but they often, if not always have to live in the fear of their towns being flooded.

3. Orinoco River

The Orinoco River is one of the longest in South America. In fact, it is the 3rd longest in South America. The river is 1,330 miles long and flows through Colombia and Venezuela. It begins at the Delgago Chalbaud Mountain. Once the river passes the forested terrain and waterfalls, it slows. However, the waterfalls become rapids which have proven to be extremely difficult to navigate, even though during this time the river is downstream. Eventually the river dumps into the Atlantic Ocean. The river also experiences coastal upwelling year-round, which often poses a threat for those who live close to the river.

2. Congo River

You might know the Congo River as the Zaire River. Whichever name you are familiar with, this river is the largest river in Western Central Africa. At 2,922 miles, the Congo River is the second longest river in Africa. This river is also Africa’s most powerful river. Even though the Congo starts off as a peaceful river, especially near Lake Tanganyika, it eventually begins to widen and also picks up speed during this time. Eventually the water passes through the “Gates of Hell,” which is a 75-mile long canyon that presents rapids that are impassable. At the Upper Congo, the river ends, but has a 60 mile stretch of rapids that make it dangerous and powerful.

1. Amazon River

The Amazon River is the largest river in the world when looking at its volume. It is located in South America, and because it is so large, it can count for at least 1/5 of the world’s complete river flow. This river is so powerful and so big that there aren’t any points along the river that can be crossed by a bridge. The river has an extremely powerful discharge at the mouth which can release as much as eight trillion gallons of water each day. The river is said to be about 150 ft. deep, so if you’re thinking about going for a swim in the Amazon, think again!

The perennial popularity of stories where star-crossed lovers struggle to be together have been with us since Adam and Eve. The following list has excluded some of the classics such as Tristan und Isolde, Orpheus and Eurydice and Joanie Loves Chaci. However, despite those omissions, it still covers some of the greatest literary romances of all time.

10. Wuthering Heights

The traditional tale of boy meets girl is given a trailer-trash twist here because Cathy and Heathcliffe are brought up as siblings giving this novel incestuous overtones. The passion in Bronte’s writing is powerful and describes a tempestuous relationship that is analogous to the stormy Yorkshire moor setting. The story has some dark and sinister developments; with his propensity for murdering small animals and kidnapping potential partners Heathcliffe is less “typical romantic hero” and more “seriously disturbed sociopath.” Yet this still remains one of the most powerful love stories ever told.

Most memorable quotation: “My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods. Time will change it, I’m well aware, as winter changes the trees – my love for Heathcliffe resembles the eternal rocks beneath – a source of little visible delight, but necessary.”

9. Gone with the Wind

Every reader knows that Rhett and Scarlet belong together. Rhett knows it – most of the South knows it – and the only person who doesn’t know it is Scarlet O’ Hara. To this end, Scarlet O’Hara spends most of the novel marrying one unfortunate after another as she struggles to find elusive happiness. Margaret Mitchell’s magnificent novel is a love story that does give a damn.

Most memorable quotation: “After all, tomorrow is another day.”

8. Venus in Furs

Leopold Sacher-Masoch – the man who gave his name to the practice of masochism, wrote this novel of a man obsessed with the pleasure of being dominated by a beautiful woman. The central character in Masoch’s novel is willing to submit to the most outrageous indignity for his lover’s pleasure. However, her idea of an outrageous indignity is to call him “Gregor.” If nothing else, Venus in Furs shows that most men and women really need to work on those communication issues.

Most memorable quotation: “You have taught me what love is. Your serene form of worship let me forget two thousand years.”

7. Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen’s novel is something like the early nineteenth century version of the Pepsi taste challenge: should Elizabeth choose Darcy or Bingley? Written with Austen’s usual wit and ironic understanding of courtship values, Pride and Prejudice is a stately romantic journey that promotes the ideals of courtly love.

Most memorable quotation: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”

6. The Knight’s Tale

The first of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales has a knight relating the story of two men competing for the love of one woman. Nowadays the two guys would probably knock each other senseless until one of them was either dead, unconscious or had conceded that the best man won. Things haven’t changed much since the late 1300s because that’s exactly how Arcite and Palamon, the central characters of The Knight’s Tale, choose to resolve the matter. The Knight’s Tale promotes the timeless values of gallantry, courtly love and having the longest jousting pole.

Most memorable quotation: “Felds hath eyen, and wode have eres.”

5. Dracula

Inspiring a literary love of all things vampiric, Dracula’s legacy has left us with Anne Rice’s endless saga of vampire stories and Joss Whedon’s superlative TV show: Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Our contemporary affection for creatures of the night was all borne from Bram Stoker’s epistolatory tale of a blood-sucking fiend from the Transvaal. This chilling little novel proves: if true love can’t conquer all, then garlic and a wooden stake can be equally effective.

Most memorable quotation: “My revenge has just begun! I spread it over centuries and time is on my side.”

4. Jane Eyre

The plot of this story has more holes than all of the UK’s golf courses. Jane starts off the story as an orphan, yet the narrative ends with her inheriting wealth from her uncle and dividing the money with cousins. Rochester keeps his demented ex-wife a prisoner in the attic, yet Jane still loves him because she claims, “…we are precisely suited in character…” At the end of the novel Jane and Rochester are together. Although he has less eyes and hands than he started with in the book, Rochester hasn’t yet locked Jane in the attic – which suggests the relationship is an improvement on his previous one.

Most memorable quotation: “I resisted all the way: a new thing for me.”

3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The eponymous hero of Victor Hugo’s novel doesn’t have a lot going for him. Aside from being ugly, stricken by a hunchback and various forms of spinal deformity he is also French. Nevertheless, Quasimodo gives his heart to the beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda, beginning a heart-wrenching story of unrequited love that remains powerful today – more than 175 years since its first publication.

Most memorable quotation: “When a man understands the art of seeing, he can trace the spirit of an age and the features of a king even in the knocker on a door.”

2. The Story of O

Originally written by the pseudonymous Pauline Reage, to prove that a woman was able to write an erotic novel as efficiently as any man, The Story of O is notorious for its BDSM content. However, beneath all the sexual shenanigans, The Story of O is the tale of one woman who will do anything to make her man happy – or anyone else at Roissy.

Most memorable quotation: “There existed another ending to The Story of O. Seeing herself about to be left by Sir Stephen, she preferred to die. To which he gave his consent.”

1. Romeo and Juliet

Originally entitled, Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, this tale of two feuding families and two star-crossed lovers is Shakespeare’s finest rendition of tragic romance. Overlook the fact that Juliet is 13, making Romeo’s interest suspect at best and Jerry Lee Lewis-like at worst. This is a love story that pushes all boundaries. Romeo and Juliet has been re-written repeatedly since Shakespeare’s day, as a ballet (well, as several ballets) and as an opera (well, as more than two dozen operas), and repeatedly revisited in films such as West Side Story. It continues to be a perennially popular tear-jerker and audience members will certainly need a tissue close to hand – and not in the same way that a tissue was needed for The Story of O.

Most memorable quotation: “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo

Fad diets try to offer a quick fix for fast weight loss, and, even if they work, the result is short-term and the pounds come bouncing back. The biggest problem with unhealthy fad diets is that you shouldn’t stay on any of them for extended periods of time because they are generally unbalanced nutritionally. Many fad diets don’t work at all, and some can be dangerous because they’re based on bad or strange ideas, like “The Sleeping Beauty Diet” where you knock yourself out for several days at a time with sedatives.

10. The Pasta Chocolate Diet

Am I dreaming? Pasta AND chocolate? You know the old saying: “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is” and that’s the case here. You can’t drink anything but water, and the only chocolate you get is up to 1-ounce at the end of the day as an evening snack along with some popcorn, but you do get to eat pasta for lunch and dinner. Prohibited foods include sugar, alcohol, carbonated drinks, coffee, tea, nuts, all junk food imaginable except for popcorn, fried foods, dairy products, salt, and red meat. Do you know how small one ounce of chocolate is? Is it really worth it to not have a steak every once in a while? Most real diets encourage you to have some red meat prepared in a healthy way. This diet offers major food restrictions with a reward of 1 ounce of chocolate each night along with the absence of some very important nutrients.

9. The Chicken Soup Diet

You’re allowed one breakfast per day (only one?), then you can eat as much chicken soup as you want for the rest of the day. This can’t be good. You’re basically living off of cereal, bagels, yogurt, figs, and gallons of chicken soup. This is similar to the “Cabbage Soup Diet” and both diets smell of malnutrition–among other things.

8. The Zen Diet

It’s really a very simple plan–only eat food in its natural state, no red meat, and limit other meat considerably. Some Zen diets forbid all meat and dairy. The biggest problem is that little to no meat means not enough protein necessary for brain chemistry, muscle repair, and bone building; and little to no fat, the good fat, affects the body’s satiety and ability to stabilize blood sugar and decrease inflammation. Bring on the bacon!

7. Caveman Diet (Prehistoric Diet, Stone Age Diet, Paleolithic Diet)

As you might guess, this diet revolves around trying to mimic the diet of the caveman. Allowed foods include lean meat (I suppose dinosaur meat was lean), fish, vegetables, fruit, roots, and nuts; and excludes: grains, legumes, dairy products, salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. All foods eaten are those that can be hunted and gathered. Please tell me why we would want to pattern our eating habits after a caveman? Wasn’t their average lifespan around 15 years old or something??

6. The 12-Day Grapefruit Juice Diet

This one really is too good to be true. You can eat till you’re full, you can double or triple the amount of meat, salad or vegetables for each meal, you can fry food in butter and use butter generously on vegetables, and you MUST eat bacon when they say to eat bacon. You can eat any kind of cheese, and you can have mayonnaise and regular salad dressing. But as the name indicates you must drink 8 ounces of grapefruit juice with every meal as it’s supposed to be the catalyst for burning off what you eat as long as you’re eating the right combinations of foods—don’t forget the bacon! You also have to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day. The promise, while gobbling down all that cheese, butter, bacon, and mayo, and swimming in water and grapefruit juice, is that you will lose 52 pounds in 2 ½ months. Right. NEXT!

5. The 3-Day Hot Dog Diet

I’m not quite sure why they call this a ‘hot dog diet’ since the only time you actually EAT hot dogs is on the 2nd day at dinner. Otherwise, you’re eating regular diet foods like cottage cheese, tuna, fruit, veggies, and black coffee or tea for 3 days. Correction, you are instructed to have ½ cup of vanilla ice cream every night. Go figure—hot dogs and ice cream? I think they added 2 hot dogs on the menu for the second night just so they could call this a hot dog diet.

4. The Magnetic Diet

The foundation of this diet is in understanding which foods attract either health or disease to the body. Contaminating magnetism supposedly attracts disease to the body and includes refined sugar, cholesterol, and white flour. Invigorating magnetism include fruits, whole grains, vegetables, lean meat, and foods containing antioxidants. In addition to only eating invigorating magnetism foods, the diet advocates doing meditation and re-programming the mind towards engaging in more healthy habits. Um, to me, it sounds like a new-age, catchy name for what we already know—eat a balanced diet, reduce sugar intake, reduce stress, and train your brain to replace bad habits with healthy choices.

3. Blood Type Diet

Developed by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, ND, you basically eat or avoid eating foods according to your blood type, and this is supposed to help you lose weight. For example, this diet specifies that blood type B people should avoid corn, wheat, lentils, tomatoes, chicken, peanuts and sesame seeds, and they should eat goat, mutton, venison, eggs, green vegetables, and low fat dairy. However, the Mayo Clinic doesn’t think much of this diet and they say that “eating or avoiding certain foods according to your blood type isn’t thought to have any favorable influence on weight or health” and they also feel that this diet plan is unlikely to meet your nutritional needs at all. Again, another diet that leaves you malnourished in the end as well as very tired if you’re a B blood type person who has to go out and start hunting and shooting all of your food.

2. The Air Diet

The Air Diet of the Institute for Psychoactive Research doesn’t require you to avoid any foods or change your current diet or exercise habits—you just breathe. Hmmm. How novel. Instead of focusing on what you eat or how much you eat, you focus on breathing. The idea is that if you practice rhythmical breathing, then you breathe more air. The more air you breathe, the more weight you lose. The best part is that you can do this anytime, anywhere—while driving, laying in bed, working, walking, having sex, and so on. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I’m breathing when I do all of those things. Whatever. NEXT!

1. Tapeworm Diet

This must be the most disgusting diet ever thought of, and there is evidence that “tapeworm diet pills” were marketed from 1900 – 1920’s. Basically, you ingest beef tapeworm eggs (beef tapeworm is supposedly the best choice), and then you take medicine to kill the tapeworm after you’ve lost the desired amount of weight. It doesn’t take a genius to know this diet is both ineffective and unhealthy. You’re not changing your eating habits with this “diet,” so all the weight will come back once the worm is gone, and it’s extremely unhealthy to have a parasite living in your body sucking all of the nutrition out you.

10. Smallpox

This variola virus had many forms and continues to be a required vaccination for many countries. Smallpox in its worse forms – hemorrhagic and flat – had the highest fatality rates with only a 10 percent or less chance of survival. Fortunately this disease has been the only one on this list to be completely eradicated from nature since it is only contagious through humans.

9. Typhoid fever

Perhaps one of the least lethal diseases on this list, the fatality rate of typhoid fever is only 10-30 percent. But the symptoms show up in stages over a period of three weeks and, in most cases, are not fatal. That said, the disease can stay dormant in a person who has overcome it and then be passed on to another person. The most famous case of this was the American cook in the early 1900s known as “Typhoid Mary” Mallon.

8. Influenza

Perhaps the scariest virus on this list is one that anyone anywhere can contract – influenza. Luckily, the flu is easily identified and in most countries easily combated. However, young children and the elderly are particularly susceptible to flu. And the most famous strain was the Spanish Flu, which was estimated to have killed 2-5 percent of the human population in 1918-1919. Thankfully that strain has never been seen again; however, the flu virus is famous for mutating from animals to humans.

7. Bubonic Plague

This plague is transmitted through infected fleas and kills about 70 percent of its victims in 4-7 days. The most well known epidemic was the Black Death in Medieval times when it was rumored to have killed about 25 million in Europe alone and another 50 million across the world. The bubonic plague is often characterized by swollen lymph nodes though the modern world has seen few breakouts.

6. Cholera

Normally a human gets cholera from eating or drinking infected food or water. And untreated, the disease will progress from massive diarrhea to shock in 4-12 hours and possibly death within 18 hours or several days. Luckily, with oral rehydration therapy, a person can survive from cholera; however, in its most severe form, cholera can kill within three hours. But good sanitation practices can curb an outbreak. As the old saying goes – don’t drink the water – in many underdeveloped countries.

5. Anthrax

While anthrax has been used as a biological weapon before, a person dies from anthrax after inhalation of the spores or through eating or coming in contact with animals who have ingested the spores. Once contaminated, the bacteria quickly multiples and kills its host by producing two lethal toxins. Death can take from two days up to a month from the cold like symptoms, which then lead to serious breathing problems, shock and the eventual fatality. Large amounts of antibiotics have been shown to be able to stop the disease. A vaccine is known, then again there are also antibiotic-resistant strains of anthrax.

4. Malaria

This vector-borne infectious disease still has outbreaks of more than 500 million per year with anywhere between 1-3 million deaths when not treated properly. Fortunately with treatment, a person with malaria can expect a full recovery though like many of the diseases on this list, there is no vaccine. However, it has been noted that the deaths caused by Malaria occur on average about one every 30 seconds.

3. SARS

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has seen only one major outbreak in Asia a few years ago. In most cases, the disease in its viral pneumonia form has a fatality rate of about 70 percent with the highest fatality rate among victims over the age of 65. Supposedly the Chinese government created a vaccine that was effective in about two-thirds of the test groups; however, outside of that many of the treatments have proven to cause just as many problems as SARS itself. What doesn’t cure you, will kill you?

2. Ebola

A discovery in the last 30 years, this strain of viruses has a fatality rate between 50-89 percent. Known to be devastating to both humans and animals, Ebola will kill a person within a week to two weeks usually from multiple organ failure or hypovelmic shock. A Canadian company recently reported that they have created a vaccine that is effective in 99 percent of the test cases of monkeys. Unfortunately, no vaccine or treatment has been approved for humans at this time.

1. HIV/AIDS

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) leads to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), which cripples a human’s immune system. AIDS has been categorized as an epidemic by the CDC and the life expectancy has been extended despite the lack of a vaccination or cure. While on its own, the Ebola virus is much more deadly in the short term, most AIDS victims eventually succumb to death from an AIDS related sickness.