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snopes.com: Update #422

Hello again from snopes, where we shed light on the wild tales you've heard! This e-mail gives information about new articles recently added to the snopes.com web site and provides pointers to older pieces about rumors and hoaxes still wandering into everyone's inboxes.

Our last update mailing was 27 June 2009.

If you've ever wondered about how this site began or the people behind it, the April issue of Reader's Digest features an article about snopes.com and us, its founders, David and Barbara Mikkelson. You can even read it online!

If after this update you are left wondering about something newly arrived in your inbox, our search engine stands ready to assist you. Bookmark that URL — it's a keeper!

An RSS feed for our What's New page is available at the following URL:
http://www.snopes.com/info/whatsnew.xml

And now to the legends, the mayhem, and the misinformation!
 

New Articles

  • Essay outlines the fates of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

  • Is the ACLU seeking to remove cross-shaped headstones removed from federal cemeteries?

  • Will forwarding a text message to ten other people get you a $60.00 credit on your cell phone bill?

  • Canada Day rumor: The eleven points on the maple leaf of Canada's flag represent the number of Canadian provinces and territories.

  • Does sago palm pose a poisoning danger to household pets?

  • E-mailed account purportedly summarizes columnist Charles Krauthammer's talk about President Obama at the Center of the American Experiment.

  • Don't forget to visit our Daily Snopes page for a collection of odd news stories from around the world!

Worth a Second Look

  • A lucky bargain hunter got more than he bargained for when he purchased an old painting.

Still Haunting the Inbox

  • Some rumors about snopes.com were debunked at FactCheck.org.

  • Shocking photos of the Air France jet as it broke up?

  • Do the first three digits of a bar code reveal the product's country of origin?

  • E-warning cautions that cell phone numbers are being sold to telemarketers.

  • Warning about baby carrots made from deformed full-sized carrots which have been permeated with chlorine.

  • Does a new can design by Pepsi omit "under God"?

  • Is a can of wasp spray a preferable alternative to pepper spray for protection against assailants?

  • The planet Mars will not be making a remarkably close approach to Earth in August 2009.

  • Warnings about scammers' running up long-distance charges by asking victims to press #-9-0 on their telephones or luring phone users into returning calls to numbers within the 809 area code.

  • Petition seeks to keep immigrants from gaining Social Security benefits.

  • No, criminals are not incapacitating potential victims with business cards soaked in burundanga.

  • The ACLU is not seeking to have cross-shaped headstones removed from federal cemetaries.

  • The gallantry of Medal of Honor recipient Ed Freeman.

  • Petition protests an upcoming film, Corpus Christi, that will supposedly portray Jesus as gay.

  • Is the state of Illinois going to begin using photo radar in freeway work zones?

  • Postcard / Greeting Card virus.

  • Longstanding hoax: Amy Bruce, a terminally ill young girl, writes "Slow Dance" poem.

  • Osama bin Laden hanged virus.

  • UPS/DHL/FedEx Delivery Failure virus.

  • Mail Server Report virus.

  • Is Nancy Pelosi advocating a 100% tax on stock market profits?

  • Obama Youth Brigade: Message details requirements of the GIVE (Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education) Act.

  • Does Target not support veterans?

  • Do automobile components emit cancer-causing benzene fumes?

  • "Free laptops from Ericsson" hoax.

  • Chinese-made flip flops sold at Wal-Mart cause chemical burns.

  • Account describes woman who evades a rapist posing as a policeman by calling #77 (or *677) on her cell phone.

  • The design of new U.S. dollar coins does not omit the motto "In God We Trust."

  • Longstanding hoax: Amy Bruce, a terminally ill young girl, writes "Slow Dance" poem.

  • Are customers being cheated by malfunctioning gas pumps?

  • Article claims asparagus has miraculous cancer-fighting properties.

  • Home remedy says taping a penny to the site of a bee sting will ease the pain.

  • Appeals to find missing children: Ashley Flores, Reachelle Marie Smith, and Evan Trembley.

Fraud Afoot
  • Seems like everyone has become the recipient of mysterious e-mails promising untold wealth if only one helps a wealthy foreigner quietly move millions of dollars out of his country. The venerable 419 Scam has discovered the goldmine that is the Internet. Beware: There's still no such thing as "something for nothing," and the contents of your bank account will end up with these wily foreigners if you fall in with this.

  • Likewise, look out for mailings announcing you've won a foreign lottery you don't recall entering or claiming that because you share the surname of a wealthy person who died without leaving a will you're in line for a windfall inheritance.

  • And be especially wary if, while trying to sell or rent anything online (car, boat, horse, motorcycle, painting, apartment, you name it) you're approached by a prospective buyer/renter who wants to pay with a cashier check made out for an amount in excess of the agreed-upon price and who asks the balance be sent to a third party.

  • Aspiring work-at-homers promised big bucks for acting as intermediaries for international transactions wherein they cash checks for other parties or reship goods to them have been defrauded by con artists. Don't you be next.

Admin Stuff
  • View the latest edition of the snopes.com newsletter online.

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  • Our What's New page and our 25 Hottest Urban Legends page are also handy places to check whenever you receive something questionable in your inbox.

  • Other inquiries and comments may be submitted through the "Contact Us" form at snopes.com.
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