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Urban Legends and Email Hoaxes
Ironing Your Mail To Prevent Anthrax: FALSE!
This rumor comes in an email that talks about a woman from Kyrgyzstan who regularly irons her mail to get rid of Anthrax spores.In a CNN interview in October, Bioterrorism expert Ken Alibek said that people who are afraid their mail may be contaminated with anthrax may use a steam iron to disinfect it. The probability of the spores surviving would be much lower in moist heat. Keep in mind that ironing WILL NOT completely kill off the Anthrax spores.
Remember that if you iron your mail, you will be handling it more, increasing your chances to become infected with the Anthrax. It will also make it more difficult for authorities to determine if there was ever Anthrax present. If you are suspicious of any unusual substances, call the Phoenix Fire or Police Department.
** The cases where Anthrax was found, involved businesses and government offices. No Anthrax has been found in mail delivered to homes, and no Anthrax has been detected in the State of Arizona.
Rental Trucks Missing From Across America: FALSE!
This email reads:Hey everybody,
Sorry for the mass email, but I got important news tonight. My dad works for FEMA and he's really involved with the goings on in NYC. He told me that within the last 24 hours, more than 30 Ryder, U-Haul, and Verizon trucks have been reported stolen across the country. The U-Haul and Ryder trucks were rented and then never returned, so they're considered stolen. Many of them were rented by people of Arab descent. I don't mean to make any assumptions, and I certainly don't want to scare you, but I thought you all might like to know. Be wary of these vehicles, pay attention to them, and don't walk or park near them. He said to stay out of major public places if at all possible (Crossgates, the Pepsi, downtown Albany, etc.) because recreational sites would most likely be hit on weekends. I'm sorry to cause alarm, but he told me it was ok to share this information. If you'd like to foward it to anyone you know, feel free, as there is a possibility it might save lives. I hope everyone is doing well, and give those you love an extra hug.Ryder, U-Haul and Verizon have all reported that this story is NOT TRUE! All of the companies involved have said that their fleets are all accounted for, and have declared this story a hoax.
Firefighter Rides 83 Stories Down World Trade Center Collapse: FALSE!
The News Telegraph Newspaper published the following article about this story:As 2,000 rescue workers clawed with their hands to find survivors in the rubble of the World Trade Centre in New York, it emerged that one fireman had cheated death in the most astonishing way.
The man, so the story went, was on the 83rd floor of the 110-story south tower when it fell to the ground like a pack of cards. He had survived the roller-coaster ride in the crumbling inferno simply by "curling himself in a ball". The story, which had come from unnamed rescue workers, flashed around the world.
For a time, as the death toll grew, the story gave New Yorkers a reason to carry on after the unimaginable events of September 11. If a family had someone missing, feared dead, they could comfort themselves that he or she might be alive in the 500,000 tons of rubble. After all, if a man could fall 83 floors and live, anything was possible.
In addition to giving the public and the rescue workers hope, it gave the world's media a target for one of the most astonishing survival stories ever. Every enterprising television and radio journalist, every newspaper and magazine writer, began to dream of an exclusive interview with the surviving fireman recovering in his hospital bed. Yet, there was puzzling news from the New York fire service: it had no knowledge of any fireman who had fallen from the 83rd floor and lived.
All was not lost, however. Another rumor quickly grew that the man was not a fireman but a New York Port Authority police officer. Even better from the miracle-survival angle, he had fallen from the 86th, not the 83rd, floor.
The man was identified as Sgt John McLoughlin, a married father of four, who was recovering from his injuries, believed to be two broken legs and a broken jaw, in hospital.
The search became more frenzied when Newsweek, the weekly magazine, confirmed the story in a lengthy report from the scene headlined "Ground Zero". Not only was the story true, but doubly so.
Two, not one, men had tumbled to earth and survived, according to the respected magazine, which interviewed Dr Kenneth Testa, a trauma surgeon who had gone to the centre shortly after midnight on Wednesday, September 12.
Dr Testa was quoted by Newsweek supporting the fact that two Port Authority officers had survived the fall and were dug from the rubble. Of the second, unnamed officer, Dr Testa said: "It's a miracle that he's alive. He rode that [collapsing rubble] all the way from the 86th floor." The surgeon said he had also witnessed Sgt McLoughlin's rescue.
As Sgt McLoughlin and his family declined to be interviewed by the media, the mystery grew. Finally, late last week, a senior press officer for the Port Authority, who was weary with handling press inquiries about the incident, decided to clear up exactly what happened once and for all.
He confirmed that the family had no wish to be interviewed but disclosed that Sgt McLoughlin's brother had told him that the officers were on the ground floor when the tower fell. This version was confirmed by another hospital visitor to the injured officer.
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