Dirty John Bonny

A lost boy who wants to join the pirates ...

Friday, November 10, 2006

Bullshit

I got one of those "Read and Forward" emails today. The kind that are always alerting to a new threat, opportunity, or little-known "fact."

A skeptical mind and a few seconds with The Google proved that today's missive, was, as I expected, bullshit.

The first thing that should make one suspect that whatever is being promoted is less than it seems is "why email?" If it was unsolicited, and just passed along, the answer is usually "because it's crap."


As Mad-eye Moody always exhorted, "Constant vigilance!"
Be skeptical.
Check it out before you believe, act, or click "forward."


For those of us without a magical eye that can see through the backs of our heads, there's a terrific resource for checking out rumors, urban legends and suspicious emails at Snopes.com. If it's bogus, it's probably cataloged here. From alligators in sewers, to Bill Gates giving away money, to seriously dangerous medical advice, it's all here. There's that story you heard in Junior High about the bloody hook found on the door handle of the car of the necking teenagers.

All bullshit.


For fun, here's a form you can use to check out the next "Read and Forward" email. Just type in a couple key words like "alligator sewer" or "missing girl penny" and click. It will search Snopes and open a new window with the results.

Search Snopes.com 



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Constant vigilance!

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