hi all
at the risk of providing even more ammo
for ken becker's pd awareness schemes,
i copied this from a web-site that
specializes in internet
'folklore'
like i said before
just because it comes dressed up as e-mail
doeen't mean it's not graffiti
or
just because it's written in ascii
doesn't mean it's not been written by an ... ooops!
janet
----------------------------
Currently Making the Rounds:
----------------------------
Social Security Numbers
----------------------------
The fifth digit of a Social Security number indicates its holder's race,
thus allowing bigots to screen out sight unseen African American and
minority job applicants.
Status: False.
Social Security numbers contain information about where and when they were
issued, but nothing about to whom.
----------------------------
Clemson Wedding
----------------------------
A wronged groom provides compromising photos of the bride and best man to
all the wedding guests before storming out.
Status: False.
Looks like the 'Clemson Wedding' story is on the loose again. Visit our
Bothered Bride page for more about the distaff version of this years-old tale.
----------------------------
Payphone Poison
----------------------------
Gang members are distributing a deadly mixture of LSD and strychnine on
payphone buttons.
Status: False.
Read the grisly non-details on our Payphone Poison page.
----------------------------
Gas Out!
----------------------------
Is a one-day gas-out on April 30 a good idea?
Status: No.
Though you might be mad as hell about what you see as out-of-control rising
gasoline prices, a one-day ineffective protest aimed at the wrong people
isn't the way to go.
----------------------------
Febreze
----------------------------
The odor-eliminator, Febreze, is deadly to household pets.
Status: False.
Despite e-mailed anecdotal reports, no studies have found Febreze to be
harmful to pets when used as directed. Even the ASPCA says so.
----------------------------
Biscuit Bullet
----------------------------
A San Diego woman mistakes biscuit dough for brains.
Status: False.
Though this purports to be a recent Associated Press story, the exploded
biscuit legend has been circulating since 1994.
----------------------------
Needles in Theatre Seats
----------------------------
HIV-infected needles are routinely being left in the seats at movie houses
as traps for the unwary.
Status: False.
Despite widely-circulated warnings, HIV-infected needles aren't turning up
in such a venue. Equally, a similar legend about kids at dance clubs being
pricked at random with HIV-loaded needles also fails to check out.
----------------------------
Needles in Coin Slots
----------------------------
Drug addicts are dropping HIV-laden needles into pay phone coin slots.
Status: False.
The CDC confirms there have been no reported cases of victims infected by
needles left in pay phones, but it never hurts to be cautious. Visit our
Slots of Fun page for details.
----------------------------
A Long Pay From Home
----------------------------
Congress is deciding whether to allow phone companies to impose
long-distance fees for Internet access.
Status: False.
No, the boys in Washington are not about to saddle you with a per-minute
charge for Internet use. Visit our A Long Pay from Home page for lots more
about this current scare.
----------------------------
Aspartame
----------------------------
The artificial sweetener aspartame is responsible for an "epidemic of
multiple sclerosis and systemic lupus."
Status: False.
The long-term effects of aspartame may still be under debate, but no
credible evidence supports the dire claims being made about it in the
recent screed that has been sweeping the Internet. See our Aspartame page
for a fuller explanation.
----------------------------
Lights Out!
----------------------------
Prospective gang members are murdering motorists who flash headlights at them.
Status: False.
This ever-popular hoax is going through yet another revival. Visit our
Lights Out page for the history of this long-lived hoax.
----------------------------
Last Updated: 10 April 1999
Urban Legends Reference Pages: Current Netlore
<http://snopes.simplenet.com/info/current.htm>
----------------------------
janet paterson - 52 now /41 dx /37 onset - [log in to unmask]
613/256/8340 - po box 171/almonte/ontario/k0a 1a0/canada
Scan some of My Past Posts at:
http://www.newcountry.nu/pd/members/janet/index.htm
Mine the PD List Archives at:
http://james.parkinsons.org.uk/
Cull Nine Million Pub-Med Medical Studies at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/
Comb the 'People With Parkinson's' Web-Ring at:
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=parkie;list
