here's some good information to send back to people who send
you email chain letters:


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 chain letter?

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 from most emails, 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, IE, 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.
It sure wouldn't  hurt to get rid of all the "" that begin 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.

3) IBM is not giving away free computers because Netscape bought AOL.

14) A little dog (or any picture) is not going to pop up on the screen
if you  forward an email to any number of people.

15) Neither the GAP nor Abercrombie & Fitch are giving away free
clothes  or gift certificates.

16) The US Postal Service is not going to stop printing Black Heritage
Stamps  because Black people are not buying them.

17) I know this is a touchy one for some of you, and you and you alone
know  your relationship with the Almighty but, you will not go to hell
or  suffer  some catastrophic event if you break the prayer circle.

18) There is no bill pending before Congress that will allow
long-distance companies to charge you for using the Internet.

19) No free e-mail company will try to see how many people are still active by sending a chain letter.  They know if you have accessed your e-mail by cookies or your ISP number, they will not get rid of your address because you did not send a chain letter.

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.

Now, forward this message to ten friends, and you get a coupon for a free T-shirt from any JC Penny store.