Believe Half of What You See

There are several outrageous emails in local circulation that need to be addressed. No, there will be no free Ericsson laptop for emailing 20 of your friends. Michelle and Barack Obama did not appear at a government function looking like a green-suited pimp with his bare-belly mama. There is no planned federal tax on guns, and despite many hopeful wishes, ogling women's breasts will NOT increase men's lifespans.

Sorry Guys!


Even if you have been exploring the world-wide web for a decade or more, you may occasionally fall for a prank or a hoax. Many of these things circle the globe for years, grabbing new takers every time around.

I remember when I was still teaching (pre-2003) a school official actually posted an email near our time clock warning us, just before Spring break, of killer spiders on airline toilet seats. Not one to have my butt bit, I checked it out on Urban Legends.com, and I posted my rebuttal right over the principal's warning. It was clearly a hoax.


Be sensible before you foreward outrageous emails. No one wants to look foolish. If you have read something questionable, go to Google.com and type in "urban legends". About.com is the site I prefer, but Snopes.com is right up there. You could spend an evening perusing the top 25 urban legends, and kick yourself for believing the crap that you get in emails, and just have fun looking at all the photos circulating the web.
The latest one I got tonight was actually, partially true. Pyrex dishes, they say, are exploding with sudden temperature changes. The Chinese reformulated the patent so they say.


So all I can tell you is wear safety goggles when you takes your casserole out of the oven, and never, but never, sit on an airline toilet seat because you never know what's gonna get ya.