MEMORABLE WOOWOOS (also known as HOAXES): Part One

My Chapter 5 of SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity on the Golden Evolution enters the realm of hoaxes and deceit.  Is religion itself a grand collection of them?  Perhaps.  I actually went into the science of miracles, and this was entertaining...for me.

Apropos to the above, one list of hoaxes lists The Book of Mormon as #1, which won 9 Tony Awards and is a hot ticket on Broadway.  In another top ten hoaxes of all time are:

3.  Piltdown Man

2.  Cardiff Giant (10 feet, 4 inches)

1.  War of the Worlds radio show (lasts almost an hour)

Then there is the Great Randi (Randall James Hamilton Zwinge, now 83), who has successfully challenged a range of woo-woo claims.  He has offered $1 million to anyone capable of demonstrating anything paranormal.  No one has succeeded.  He has been on the back of professional liar Sylvia Brown (who just appeared in Las Vegas with a show when I was there), figuratively, to prove anything.  Amazingly enough, her performances sell out.  He has regularly been sued, but has never lost in court.

Snopes.com is an excellent site to debunk or confirm urban legends.  They receive more than 6 million pings/month.  Here is their top 25 as of today:

   Debt Free America Act



Congressional bill proposes a 1% tax on debit card usage and/or banking transactions.

   809 Area Code Scam



Warning about scammers' sending pages from the 809 area code.

   Banana Baby Food Warning



Warning about banana baby food being recalled due to glass in the product.

   Small Arms Treaty



Claim that a U.N. small arms treaty signed by the U.S. provides a 'legal way around the 2nd Amendment.'

   ATM PIN Reversal



Claim that entering your PIN in reverse at any ATM will summon the police.

   Corpus Christi



Claim that Jesus will be portrayed as homosexual in an upcoming film.

   Robin Williams Death



Claim that actor Robin Williams killed in a fall from a cliff while filming in Austria.

   Invitation Virus



Warning about the 'Invitation/Olympic Torch' computer virus.

   Walter Reed Bible Ban



Claim that Walter Reed Medical Center issued guidelines prohibiting the use of religious items during visits with patients.

   I'm Tired



Opinion piece attributed to Bill Cosby details political and social issues he's tired of.

   Air Force One Flag Removal



Claim that Barack Obama removed the U.S. flag from the tail of Air Force One and replaced it with his own logo.

   Mitt Romney Missing Girl Search



Claim that Mitt Romney assisted in the search for his business partner's missing daughter.

   #-9-0 Phone Scam



Warning about scammers' running up long-distance charges by asking victims to press #-9-0 on their telephones.

   Tick Removal



Advice about removing ticks by swabbing liquid soap on them.

   Starbucks Refuses Marines



Claim that Starbucks refused free product to G.I.s serving in Iraq.

   Burundanga



Warning about criminals' using burundanga to incapacitate their victims.

   Warren Buffet



Claim that Warren Buffet promotes a constitutional amendment requiring that laws apply equally to U.S. citizens and members of Congress.

   Boeing 797



Claim that a photograph shows a new Boeing 797 blended-wing airliner.

   Brown Recluse Spider Bite



Claim that photographs show the effects of a brown recluse spider bite.

   Easter Island Heads



Claim that the 'giant head' moai statues on Easter Island have bodies.

   Home Sales Tax



Claim that Obamacare legislation imposes a 3.8% sales tax on all home sales.

   Bottle Bombs



Warning about plastic bottle bombs left in unsuspecting residents' yards.

   Jane Fonda



Claim that Jane Fonda betrayed U.S. POWs during the Viet Nam War.

   Van T. Barfoot



Appeal to support Medal of Honor recipient who is barred from flying the U.S. flag outside his home.

   Irena Sendler



Account of Irena Sendler's saving 2,500 Polish Jews from the Holocaust.

Part 2 to come will deal with the the hoax regarding multiple personality disorder (renamed dissociative identity disorder), now being considered by the profession to be plutoed.  Remember the movie Sybil, with Sally Field and Joanne Woodward, who went on to win an Oscar for Three Faces of Eve?  Sybil was remade in 2007 with Tammy Blanchard, Jessica Lange and Jo Beth Williams.  Yup, all the same basic story, and now exposed to be a monumental fabrication.

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