Following our Momorandum a few weeks back that debunked the urban myth about a national cell phone directory, we heard from several of you about other great urban myths. Even for the most skeptical among us, there is something about an earnest email, passed on from a friend (typically starting with, “I do not usually forward emails like this, but…”) that gives pause. Disregard it? Forward it further?
   
As an answer, our favorite new site is Snopes.com…

A site which aggregates some of the most popular and persistent legends of the moment… and gets to the heart of them. From their well-researched annals, here is the fact from the fiction on some of the stories we’ve seen most often in our own inboxes…

TRUTH or TALE? Bill Gates will give you money to test a new Microsoft technology.

TALE. We’ve received multiple versions of this email, and accordingly to Snopes, it is one of the longest-running Internet hoaxes, intended to fool you into forwarding junk messages with the promises of cash and free merchandise. This offer is not real, it wasn’t written up in USA Today (as many of the emails purport), Microsoft and AOL aren’t running a tracked “e-mail beta test” with Bill Gates paying people for participating… and basically, there’s still no such thing as a free lunch.
 
   
TRUTH or TALE? The Swiffer WetJet is a danger to pets.

TALE. The gist of this one is that a pet dog, or cat, has died mysteriously, and after some household detective work the petowner determined that the culprit was their Swiffer WetJet, which uses a “cleaning agent close to anti-freeze.” Completely untrue, according to its manufacturer Procter & Gamble; a rebuttal which is supported by veterinarians, scientists and the ASPCA, all of whom attest that the product is safe for pets.
 
   
TRUTH or TALE? Some children’s lunch boxes contain lead.

TRUTH. This one is not a hoax– but it does not mean there is cause for complete alarm. The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) did a study that found that some soft vinyl lunchboxes contained undesirable amounts of lead. The CPSC is now investigating this report; however both agencies agree that the majority of vinyl lunch boxes are safe and those that tested positive for lead did not have enough to cause lead poisoning. If however, you want to make sure you get the lead out, you can buy an inexpensive lead testing kit at the hardware store (or there’s always the good old brown bag option).
 
   
TRUTH or TALE? Add your name to help a school science project.

TALE. Somewhere along the line, when this email became an apparent plea from a teacher, its spreading kicked into high-gear. If you’ve answered a missive asking you to add your first name to an asterisked list to help a student’s project, unfortunately, you were aiding the world of spam more than science. And so, if your superstitious side is still holding out hope based on: “put your name in the subject box and you’ll see what happens to you…it’s kind of cool!” , you might want to try a Lottery ticket instead.

Have fun further myth-debunking at snopes.com
 
   
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