12/05/01 - Book Review: 'Too Good to Be True'
Jan Harold Brunvand's 1999 compendium of urban legends contains more than 200 stories, with interesting variants, updated commentary and a discussion of the Internet's role in propagating tall tales. A delight from cover to cover.

11/28/01 - 'Tourist Guy' Revealed
By a strange twist of fate (or so it seemed), his face would become as recognizable in the weeks following the World Trade Center attack as that of Osama bin Laden. Finally, the infamous "Tourist Guy" reveals his identity to the world... almost.

11/14/01 - Book Review: 'The Choking Doberman'
The second in Brunvand's series contains thoroughly entertaining discussions of such classic legends as "The Choking Doberman," "The Death of Little Mikey," "Superglue Revenge" and "The Hairy-Armed Hitchhiker."  As entertaining as it is enlightening.

10/31/01 - Book Review: 'The Vanishing Hitchhiker'
Jan Harold Brunvand's groundbreaking 1989 book that introduced and popularized the study of urban legends. Still the best primer on the subject available.

10/17/01 - Should I Iron My Mail to Prevent Anthrax?
From the Mailbag: "Yesterday I received email that said: If you are suspicious about mail you receive containing Anthrax, you could render the Anthrax bacteria harmless by ironing the envelope."

10/01/01 - Return of the 'Deadly Blue Package'
In the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Net is rife with variants of a year-old rumor about deadly chemicals and viruses circulating by parcel post.

09/11/01 - Rumor Watch: Terrorist Attacks on U.S.
Did Nostradamus predict the tragedy? Did CNN fake news footage of Palestinians celebrating the attacks? Did the U.S. shoot down one of the hijacked airliners? A survey of early rumors circulating in the wake of events on September 11, 2001.

08/20/01 - The Sky Is Falling (Again)!
A warning posted on the Internet and circulated by email says a newly-discovered asteroid may collide with earth, with devastating consequences.

08/06/01 - Do They Eat Fetuses in China?
There are photographs circulating on the Internet of a Chinese man cooking and eating a human infant. Are they real?  Is fetus eating an accepted custom in China?

07/23/01 - Yes, We Have No Man Beef
The creator of an infamous Website purportedly offering "high quality human meat" for sale admits the whole thing was just a prank.

07/09/01 - Fry and Fry Again
In which we consider the proposition that a well-known brand of potato chips is actually made out of leftover McDonald's french fries.

06/25/01 - The Piano Teacher
A "musically challenged" piano student overcomes his utter lack of talent to play a brilliant recital in hopes that his recently deceased mother, born deaf, will "hear."  But wait till you read the punchline...

06/11/01 - Snake Swallows Man!
This charming series of photographs purports to show a gigantic snake digesting a full-grown human being.

05/28/01 - Email Urges Boycott of Timothy McVeigh Book
Buying a book about Timothy McVeigh — the Oklahoma City bomber responsible for the deaths of 168 people — will only make him a "hero," says this chain letter.

05/14/01 - Beware the Lethal Blue Package
According to the mother of a friend of ours, people are sending sponges laced with a "lethal substance" through the mail in blue packages marked "Just for You!"

04/30/01 - Contrary to Rumor, GeoCities Not Closing Down
According to Yahoo, an email rumor stating that all GeoCities personal Web pages will soon be deleted without notice is nothing but a hoax.

04/16/01 - Star Wars Religion Doesn't Make Census
Would you believe an email campaign is now underway to make the creed of the Jedi Knights an official, real-world religion?  May the farce be with you!

04/09/01 - Ratburger
A Toronto couple has filed a $17.5 million lawsuit against McDonald's, alleging that their nine-year-old daughter bit into a hamburger containing the crushed head of a rat.

04/02/01 - April Foolishness 2001
Highlights of the pranksters' holiday, with special attention to amusing antics in the real (better known as "offline") world.

03/26/01 - Who Says Lawyers Don't Have a Heart?
In which we venture to demonstrate that if lawyers have a bad reputation, they probably have only themselves to blame.

03/19/01 - Don't Tell It to the Marines
Email tale of military personnel showing open disrespect for President Clinton is false, says the U.S. Marine Corps.

03/14/01 - Shamrocks Banned in Boston
The British press says Bostonians have outlawed the symbol of Irish pride — just in time for St. Patick's Day.  Truth or blarney?

03/07/01 - A Tootsie Pop Mystery
Though it has never had a basis in fact, kids are still buying into a 60-year-old rumor that Tootsie Pop candies with a special "Indian chief" wrapper are redeemable for free products.  Why?

02/28/01 - I See Dead People
Either that, or Internet rumors of the deaths of Microsoft mogul Bill Gates, Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin and Bill Nye the Science Guy are greatly exaggerated.

02/21/01 - Just Doin' It to Nike
What happens when a consumer with a political agenda takes on Nike's customer service department? He loses the battle for personalized sneakers but wins the propaganda war, as this forwarded correspondence chronicles.

02/14/01 - Bonsai Kitten
It's a tasteless college prank, yes. But it's not real. Does "Bonsai Kitten" deserve to be the most hated Website in the world?

02/07/01 - Incestuous Lesbians or Sacred Cows?
A reader writes: "I've heard twice now that the creators of the cartoon series 'South Park' are pitching a show about the George W. Bush family that intends to portray Bush's daughters as incestuous lesbians. Do you know if it's true?"

01/31/01 - George Turklebaum, R.I.P.
Office worker stricken by heart attack rests in peace at his desk for five days before fellow employees realize it.

01/24/01 - G.W. Bush, Our Soul-Saving President
In which we attempt to draw a distinction between presidential folklore and baldfaced lies.

01/17/01 - Big Mac and a Side of Lies
Is it true that McDonald's is contributing money to enemies of Israel?

01/10/01 - 'Where Thieves and Pimps Run Free...'
In which we attempt to nail down the source of a much-abused quote attributed to Hunter S. Thompson.

01/03/01 - Vending Machines of Death!
Is a bizarre cult in Canada booby-trapping the coin return slots of Coke machines with HIV-tainted needles?

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