About.com Urban Legends

NOT A HOAX: Noah Biorkman Christmas Card Request

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:20:13 +0000

Michigan news sources say an emailed request for Christmas cards on behalf of 5-year-old Noah Biorkman, who is dying of neuroblastoma cancer, is genuine. Noah was diagnosed with the disease in 2007 and is not expected to live till Christmas. Cards may be sent to the following address:

Noah Biorkman
1141 Fountain View Circle
South Lyon, MI 48178

More details...

NOT A HOAX: Noah Biorkman Christmas Card Request originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Friday, November 6th, 2009 at 21:20:13.

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'Obama Phones' - A Sign of the Apocalypse

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:02:48 +0000

Is it true that the Obama administration has launched a government program granting a free cell phone and wireless service to every welfare recipient in the U.S.?

No, though that is the central claim of a new forwarded email currently fanning the flames of anti-government sentiment in this country.

"Enough is enough," says the anonymous tirade, "the ship is sinking and it's sinking fast. The very foundations that this country was built on are being shaken. The age-old concepts of God, family, and hard work have flown out the window and are being replaced with 'Hope and Change' and 'Change we can believe in.'"

Which is a curious reaction, considering that the program — which does, in fact, exist — was created over a decade ago by an act of Congress.

Read the details...

'Obama Phones' - A Sign of the Apocalypse originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 16:02:48.

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The History of Halloween

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:30:22 +0000

What is the origin of the Jack-o'-Lantern? Why do children go trick-or-treating on Halloween? Who came up with "bobbing for apples"? While the modern celebration of Halloween still bears traces of its Celtic origins, it has come down to us as a cross-cultural stew of folk traditions, all pertaining in some way to death and the supernatural. Here you'll find answers to your questions about the history and lore of this one-of-a-kind holiday.

The History of Halloween originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 00:30:22.

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The Urban Legends Slide Show

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 12:30:07 +0000

A gallery of odd and arresting viral images -- some real, some fake, some persistently enigmatic -- as circulated on the Internets! Start here...

The Urban Legends Slide Show originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Saturday, October 24th, 2009 at 12:30:07.

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'Gang Initiation Week' Is an Urban Legend

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:22:57 +0000

As if you didn't have enough to be afraid of already, folks are texting, Twittering, and emailing about a so-called "gang initiation week" beginning today, October 21, during which 140 women will supposedly be targeted for cold-blooded murder by prospective gang members.

Police in Chicago, Illinois and Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, where the rumor-mongering verges on out-of-control, have rightly branded the warnings "hoaxes" and "urban myths." Similar messages circulated around this time last year (and other years previously, going back more than a decade), but no such bloodbath occurred.

'Gang Initiation Week' Is an Urban Legend originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 15:22:57.

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Kanye West Isn't Dead

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:04:58 +0000

Screenshot of vandalized Wikipedia page

"Roc-A-Fella artist Kanye West died last night from injuries sustained in a car accident," said a news release posted on miscellaneous blogs and websites last night.

"West, who had gained fame producing for such rhyme all-stars as Jay-Z, Scarface and Mos Def," the report continued, "was critically injured shortly after leaving a recording studio at about 3 a.m. Tuesday morning (October 20th). Details about his condition were not released by the hospital until hours later."

Kanye West Isn't Dead originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Wednesday, October 21st, 2009 at 12:04:58.

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Limbaugh Slavery Quote Is Bogus

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:51:02 +0000

"I mean, let's face it, we didn't have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I'm not saying we should bring it back. I'm just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark."

-- Attributed to Rush Limbaugh

An investment group trying to purchase the St. Louis Rams nixed Rush Limbaugh's participation in the deal yesterday because the talk show host's reputation for inciting controversy was proving "a complication and a distraction to our intentions," according to one member of the group.

That the famously conservative and outspoken Limbaugh thrives on controversy is beyond dispute, but on the flip side his high-profile NFL bid seems to have served as an excuse for a smear campaign based on various provocative statements attributed to Limbaugh, at least a few of which are demonstrably bogus.

Limbaugh Slavery Quote Is Bogus originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 17:51:02.

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Christmas Banned in the White House?

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:31:53 +0000

It figures that the same President who would pull the plug on Granny to save a dime on health care would ban Christmas from the White House, right? Well, according to one of the more popular email rumors circulating just now, the Grinch otherwise known as Barack Obama is preparing to do just that.

The forwarded message — anonymous, of course — claims that artists who have contributed ornaments for White House Christmas trees past were sent a letter this year stating that henceforth they will be known only as "holiday trees," not "Christmas trees," and no religious-themed ornaments will be allowed.

Now, somebody wouldn't just make a thing like that up, would they? Naaaaah...

Christmas Banned in the White House? originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Wednesday, October 14th, 2009 at 19:31:53.

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HOAX: Amber Alert License Plate '98B351'

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 20:06:25 +0000

UPDATED 11/04/09: The '06 Mitsubishi Amber Alert hoax is circulating heavily again, with sightings reported in Florida, New Mexico, Ohio, Connecticut, Mississippi, and elsewhere. Needless to say, it's still false.

UPDATED 10/13/09: Just over a week after it first appeared, a false Amber Alert advising recipients to be on the lookout for a kidnapper driving a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse, license number 98B351, is still going strong via text message, Facebook, and Twitter. People have reported receiving it just about everywhere in the country, from Washington to Texas to Ohio to upstate New York to Florida (see user comments below). The rumor shows no signs of abating.

HOAX: Amber Alert License Plate '98B351' originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 20:06:25.

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Rumors on Montgomery Animal Shelter Closing Create Widespread Confusion

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:48:49 +0000

(UPDATED) First, the facts:

1. The Montgomery Animal Shelter in Montgomery Township, NJ is NOT closing.

2. The three animal shelters run by the SPCA in Montgomery County, PA are NOT closing.

3. The Montgomery County animal shelter in Clarksville, TN is NOT closing.

4. The Montgomery County animal shelter in Montgomery, AL is NOT closing.

5. The Montgomery County animal shelter in Troy, NC is NOT closing.

6. The Montgomery County animal shelter in Rockville, MD is NOT closing.

7. The Montgomery County animal shelter in Conroe, TX DID close this past Monday — at least insofar as the Humane Society was forced to move out due to lack of funding and the facility was taken over by the local police department — but all of its adoptable animals were rescued by members of the community before the shelter changed hands.

Rumors on Montgomery Animal Shelter Closing Create Widespread Confusion originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 11:48:49.

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