Radioactive Rocks
I once took a tour of Trinity Site, the location in New Mexico, USA, where the first atom bomb was detonated. After the blast, the whole ground surface was covered with a patina of Trinitite, a greenish glass made from the molten local sand. The greenish glass has long been shattered by military vehicles, however, and mixed into the sand.

The military authorities announced: "under no circumstances should you pick up the Trinitite," since the rocks are still radioactive. But I couldn't just ignore the Trinitite, because what were the odds of ever returning? But I didn't want to put them in my pockets, right next to my tender gonads. So I picked up pieces of Trinitite and slipped them into my socks. The pebbles rolled under my sole and thenceforth I hobbled around in great pain.

Then I noticed that EVERYONE was picking up the Trinitite rocks, military folks too, and putting them in their pockets. So I retrieved the pebbles and put them in my pockets too. It's remarkable how quickly one can get comfortable with the idea of inflicting genetic damage on untold future generations, in order to avoid minor foot pain.

Using a Geiger counter, we were later able to compare the radioactivity of the Trinitite with naturally-occurring Columbite ore collected from a mine in northern NM. The natural stuff was much more radioactive than the Trinitite! So, the miners have more to fear than the soldiers!

I need to expand this collection of rocks. I wonder how easy it is to smuggle them through airports these days?
(Perv With A Dog had his eyes pecked out by scrub jays on, Fri 12 Jan 2007, 19:46, Reply)