'Phantom Police' in New Orleans?
Wednesday November 30, 2005
A forwarded "news story" making the rounds since October includes a quote in which New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin defends an alleged policy of listing hundreds of nonexistent police officers ... Read More
Bird-Brained Car Wash Thieves Caught in the Act
Monday November 28, 2005
It all started when Rob Ridings, owner of the Shop & Wash car wash in Fredericksburg, Virginia, found quarters strewn all over his parking lot one morning. Determined to catch ... Read More
Unreal Rolling Ads
Friday November 25, 2005
Billed as "Truck Art," this set of emailed images purports to show real examples of billboard advertising painted on the panels of truck trailers — which is almost accurate. These ... Read More
The Physics of Cow Tipping
Wednesday November 23, 2005
They still haven't found a cure for the common cold, mind you, but I'm happy to report that scientists have been hard at work analyzing the dynamics of cow tipping ... Read More
Is the FBI Accusing You of Visiting Illegal Websites?
Monday November 21, 2005
If you receive an email purporting to come from the FBI (or CIA) with the subject header "You Visit Illegal Websites," just delete it. If there's an attachment, don't open ... Read More
The Phone Call of Death: 999-999-9999
Monday November 21, 2005
It goes without saying that I'm the recipient of some strange and disconcerting email from time to time, but one day last week I found a creepier-than-usual message in my ... Read More
Iraqi Sculptor Kalat: Paying Tribute or Paid for Tribute?
Friday November 18, 2005
A pair of photos circulating since last year show a touching sculpture memorializing U.S. soldiers who died in Iraq. As the caption correctly states, the statue was made by an ... Read More
TR on Immigrants, the English Language, and the Flag
Wednesday November 16, 2005
Circulating via email, an authentic but erroneously dated quote from Theodore Roosevelt on the necessity of "Americanizing" immigrants: "In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who ... Read More
Are the CEOs of Charitable Organizations Overpaid?
Wednesday November 16, 2005
A popular email flier urges recipients to consider the whopping salaries paid to the chief executives of some prominent charities before deciding where to donate. Did you know the CEO ... Read More
The (True) Legend of the Exploding Whale
Friday November 11, 2005
Saturday, November 12 marks the 35th anniversary of the infamous exploding
whale incident near Florence, Oregon. It was on that day in 1970 that the Oregon Highway
Division provided a ... Read More
Delta Airlines Giving Away Free Round-Trip Flights?
Thursday November 10, 2005
Here's a chain letter claiming that Delta Airlines is trying to rebuild its customer base after declaring bankruptcy earlier this year by giving away round-trip flights within the continental U.S. ... Read More
A Visit to the National Motor Vehicle License Bureau
Wednesday November 9, 2005
I'm still getting panicky emails about a Web site which purportedly allows users to search government databases and fetch the driver's license of any U.S. citizen. Listen up, folks — ... Read More
Real-Life Superglue Antics Trump Urban Legends
Friday November 4, 2005
If you think the familiar tale of the scorned girlfriend gluing her boyfriend's genitals to another part of his body is nothing but an urban legend, consider the charges in ... Read More
Health Warning: Don't Eat Chicken Wings!
Thursday November 3, 2005
According to this email alert circulating since 2004, a woman developed a cyst after eating chicken wings that contained a steroid residue resulting from the "injection" of growth-enhancing hormones. Two ... Read More
No Free Gift Vouchers for Email Forwarders, Says Sainsbury's
Thursday November 3, 2005
For the past month, folks in the U.K. have been passing around a chain letter promising a free £60 gift voucher from Sainsbury's supermarket for everyone who forwards the message ... Read More
Glass Skywalk Over the Grand Canyon
Tuesday November 1, 2005
The steel-and-glass structure will jut 70 feet out over the south rim of the Grand Canyon, we're told, it will support 72 million pounds, accomodate 120 visitors, and withstand wind ... Read More