HOAX NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIE RECIPE

[Guest guest]

Pay attention to item #3

EVER WONDER ABOUT ALL THOSE MESSAGES? Whoever decided to create this note and

forward it on should receive some type of humanitarian award. It says it all!

1. Big companies don't do business via chain letters. Bill Gates is not

giving you $1000, and Disney is not giving you a free vacation. There is no

baby food company issuing class-action checks. Procter and Gamble is not part

of a satanic cult or scheme, and its logo is not satanic. MTV will not give

you backstage passes if you forward something to the most people. You can

relax; there is no need to pass it on " just in case it's true " . Furthermore,

just because someone said in a message, four generations back, that " we

checked it out and it's legit " , does not actually make it true.

2. There is no kidney theft ring in New Orleans. No one is waking up in a

bathtub full of ice, even if a friend of a friend swears it happened to their

cousin. If you are hell-bent on believing the kidney-theft ring stories,

please see: http://urbanlegends.tqn.com/library/weekly/aa062997.html And I

quote: " The National Kidney Foundation has repeatedly issued requests for

actual victims of organ thieves to come forward and tell their stories. None

have. " That's " none " as in " zero " . Not even your friend's cousin.

3. Neiman Marcus doesn't really sell a $200 cookie recipe. And even if they

do, we all have it. And even if you don't, you can get a copy at:

http://www.bl.net/forwards/cookie.html. Then, if you make the recipe, decide

the cookies are that awesome, feel free to pass the recipe on.

4. If the latest NASA rocket disaster(s) DID contain plutonium that went to

particulate over the Eastern seaboard, do you REALLY think this information

would reach the public via an AOL chainletter?

5. There is no " Good Times " virus. In fact, you should never, ever, ever

forward any email containing any virus warning unless you first confirm that

an actual site of an actual company that actually deals with viruses. Try:

http://www.norton.com. And even then, don't forward it. We don't care. And

you cannot get a virus from a flashing IM or email; you have to download....

ya know, like, a FILE!

6. There is no gang initiation plot to murder any motorist who flashes

headlights at another car driving at night without lights.

7. If you're using Outlook, I.E., or Netscape to write email, turn off the

" HTML encoding. " Those of us on Unix shells can't read it, and don't care

enough to save the attachment and then view it with a web browser, since

you're probably forwarding us a copy of the Neiman Marcus Cookie Recipe

anyway.

8. If you still absolutely MUST forward that 10th-generation message from a

friend, at least have the decency to trim the eight miles of headers showing

everyone else who's received it over the last 6-months. LEARN TO Bcc your

email addresses. It sure wouldn't hurt to get rid of all the " " that begins

each line either. Besides, if it has gone around that many times we've

probably already seen it.

9. Craig Shergold (or Sherwood, or Sherman, etc.) in England is not dying of

cancer or anything else at this time and would like everyone to stop sending

him their business cards. He apparently is no longer a " little boy " either.

10. The " Make a Wish " foundation is a real organization doing fine work, but

they have had to establish a special toll free hot line in response to the

large number of Internet hoaxes using their good name and reputation. It is

distracting them from the important work they do.

11. If you are one of those insufferable idiots who forwards anything

that " promises " something bad will happen if you " don't, " then something bad

will happen to you if I ever meet you in a dark alley.

12. Women really are suffering in Afghanistan, and PBS and NEA funding are

still vulnerable to attack (although not at the present time) but forwarding

an e-mail won't help either cause in the least. If you want to help, contact

your local legislative representative, or get in touch with Amnesty

International or the Red Cross. As a general rule, e-mail " signatures " are

easily faked and mean nothing to anyone with any power to do anything about

whatever the competition is complaining about.

(P.S.: There is no bill pending before Congress that will allow long

distance companies to charge you for using the Internet.) Bottom Line...

composing e-mail or posting something on the Net is as easy as writing on

the walls of a public restroom. Don't automatically believe it until it's

proven false... ASSUME it's false, unless there is proof that it's true.