I can't claim credit for the following "FAQ" but I find it very useful
when responding to e-mail hoaxes (a.k.a. urban legends).
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That's a Fact Jack!!!!
1. Big companies don't do business via chain letters. Bill Gates is
not
giving you $1000, and Disney is not giving you a free vacation.
There
is no baby food company issuing class-action checks. Procter and
Gamble is
not part of a satanic cult or scheme, and its logo is not satanic.
MTV
will not give you backstage passes if you forward something to the
most
people. You can relax; there is no need to pass it on "just in case
it's true".
Furthermore, just because someone said in a message, four
generations
back that, "we checked it out and it's legit", does not actually make
it true.
2. There is no kidney theft ring in New Orleans. No one is waking up
in
a bathtub full of ice, even if a friend of a friend swears it
happened to
their cousin. If you are hell-bent on believing the kidney-theft
ring
stories, see http://urbanlegends.tqn.com
/library/weekly/aa062997.htm
I quote: "The National Kidney Foundation has repeatedly issued
requests
for actual victims of organ thieves to come forward and tell their
stories. None have." (That's "none" as in "zero"). Not even your
friend's cousin responded.
3. Neiman Marcus doesn't really sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even
if
they did, we all have it. Even if you don't have it, you can get a
copy at:
http://www.bl.net/forwards/cookie.html . Then, if you make the
recipe,
decide the cookies are that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe
on.
Has anyone ever tried making this recipe? Did you ever notice there
are
practically NO liquid ingredients? You'd need a cement mixer to stir
it.
I'm curious, has anyone actually made these cookies?
4. If the latest NASA rocket disaster's DID contain plutonium that
went into particulate over the eastern seaboard, do you REALLY think
this information would reach the public via an AOL chain letter?
5. There is no "Good Times" virus. In fact, you should never, ever,
ever forward any e-mail containing any virus warning unless you
first
confirm that an actual site ,of an actual company, that actually
deals
with viruses confirms it.Try: http://www.norton.com and even then,
on't forward it. We don't care. You cannot get a virus from a
flashing
IM, you have to cooperate somewhat with the culprit (as in hitting a
few keys yourself, allowing your e-mail client to execute macros, or
downloading, like, a FILE!
6. There is no gang initiation plot to murder any motorist who
flashes
headlights at another car driving at night without lights.
7. If you're using Outlook, IE, or Netscape to write e-mail, turn
off
the "HTML encoding." Those of us on Unix shells can't read it, and
don't
care enough to save the attachment and then view it with a web
browser
since you're probably forwarding us a copy of the Neiman Marcus
Cookie
Recipe anyway.
8. If you still absolutely MUST forward that 10th-generation message
from a friend, at least have the decency to trim the eight miles of
headers showing everyone else who's received it over the last 6
months.
It sure wouldn't hurt to get rid of all the ">" that begin each line
either. Besides, if it has gone around that many times we've
probably
already seen it.
9. Craig Shergold (or Sherwood, or Sherman, etc.) in England is not
dying of cancer or anything else at this time and would like
everyone
to stop sending him their business cards. He apparently is no longer
a "little boy" either.
10. The "Make a Wish" foundation is a real organization doing fine
work, but they have had to establish a special toll free hot line in
response to the large number of Internet hoaxes using their good
name
and reputation. It is distracting them from the important work they
do.
11. If you are one of those insufferable idiots who forwards
anything
that "promises" something bad will happen if you "don't", then
something
bad will happen to you if I ever meet you in a dark alley.
12. Women really are suffering in Afghanistan, and PBS and NEA
funding
are still vulnerable to attack (although not at the present time)
but
forwarding an e-mail won't help either cause in the least. If you
want
to help, contact your local legislative representative, or get in
touch
with Amnesty International or the Red Cross. As a general rule,
e-mail
"signatures" are easily faked and mean nothing to anyone with any
power
to do anything about whatever the competition is complaining about.
(P.S.: There is no bill pending before the U.S. Congress that will
allow
long distance companies to charge you for using the Internet.)
Bottom Line... composing e-mail or posting something on the Net is
as
easy as writing on the walls of a public restroom. Don't
automatically
believe it until it's proven false... ASSUME it's false, unless there
is
proof that it's true.
Now forward this to everyone you know or the program I just put on
your
hard drive while you read this e-mail will open up your CD-ROM drive,
reach out, and slap you upside the head.
: )~ Keep On Smilin! : )~
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