Hello again from snopes.com, your corner of urban legends sanity on the World Wide Web!

If after this update you're still left wondering about something newly arrived in e-mail, we hope you'll feed a few keywords from it to our search engine at http://www.snopes.com/info/search , air your suspicions to our knowledgeable band of regulars on the message board, or fling us an e-mail to snopes@snopes.com.

Will signing a petition stop a pregnant gal from getting an abortion?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/abortion.htm

Nike denies customer's request to have his shoes personalized with the word 'sweatshop.'
http://www.snopes.com/business/consumer/nike.htm

Yes, a dying child was once made an honorary fireman by the Phoenix Fire Department.
http://www.snopes.com/glurge/fireman.htm

Wives and husbands accidentally abandoned at rest stops.
http://www.snopes.com/autos/mishaps/behind.htm

Are bonobos and dolphins the only animals other than humans who engage in sex for pleasure?
http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/pleasure.htm

http://www.snopes.com

POLITICAL CORRECTNESS FOR KIDS

• Your bedroom isn't cluttered; it's "passage-restrictive."
• Kids don't get in trouble anymore. They merely hit "social speed bumps."
• You're not having a bad hair day; you're suffering from "rebellious follicle syndrome."
• No one's tall anymore. They're "vertically enhanced."
• You're not shy. You're "conversationally selective."
• You don't talk a lot. You're just "abundantly verbal."
• It's not called gossip anymore. It's "transmission of near-factual information."
• The food at the school cafeteria isn't awful. It's "digestively challenged."
• Your homework isn't missing; it's just having an "out-of-notebook experience."
• You're not sleeping in class; you're "rationing consciousness."
• You don't have smelly gym socks; you have "odor-retentive athletic footwear."
• You weren't passing notes in class. You were "participating in the discreet exchange of penned meditations."
• You're not being sent to the principal's office. You're "going on a mandatory field trip to the administrative building.

- Thanks, Rick

Some Fun Links

Lyrics

Ah yes how did that song go again? This site might help you out with lyrics from more than 60,000 songs.
http://coolgraphics.com/cgi-bin/go.cgi?ID=222

wHooHoo - When did you last wHooHoo?

You can now send emails in different dialects! Having written your email, you can choose a translator which will magically convert your message into the dialect of your dreams! It's completely FREE and requires NO sign-up or registration!
http://www.whoohoo.co.uk/

GONE FISHIN'

It was a cold winter day, when an old man walked out onto a frozen lake, cut a hole in the ice, dropped in his fishing line and began waiting for a fish to bite. He was there for almost an hour without even a nibble when a young boy walked out onto the ice, cut a hole in the ice not to far from the old man and dropped in his fishing line. It only took about a minute and WHAM! a Largemouth Bass hit his hook and the boy pulled in the fish.

The old man couldn't believe it but figured it was just luck. But, the boy dropped in his line and again within just a few minutes pulled in another one. This went on and on until finally the old man couldn't take it any more since he hadn't caught a thing all this time. He went to the boy and said, "Son, I've been here for over an hour without even a nibble. You have been here only a few minutes and have caught about half a dozen fish! How do you do it?"

The boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rrarm."

"What was that?" the old man asked.

Again the boy responded, "Roo raf roo reep ra rums rarrm."

"Look," said the old man, "I can't understand a word you are saying."

So, the boy spit a glob into his hand and said, "You have to keep the worms warm!"

- Groan :)

This week from Mouse-Clicks

Pet Fun

Visit Betty White and her dog Nugs. There's postcards, funny pet jokes and stories, pet on vacation, oh.....and be sure to click on "Blinks" for loads of links to pet fun and info.
http://www.travelingdogs.com/

Bible Trivia

CrossDaily.com - Bible Trivia
http://trivia.crossdaily.com/

Site for Grandparents

Offers ideas and tips for neat stuff to do with your grandchildren.
http://www.igrandparents.com/

Welcome to Roughstock

Country music, News, top 40 by viewers votes, CD reviews, tours and country radio on the web.
http://www.roughstock.com/roughstock/

Emazing Household Hints

http://www.emazing.com/household/

To Subscribe to Mouse-Clicks:
Mouse-Clicks-subscribe@topica.com

Some Short Funnies

One morning a man came into the church on crutches. He stopped in front of the holy water, put some on both legs, and then threw away his crutches.

An alter boy witnessed the scene and then ran into the rectory to tell the priest what he'd just seen.

"Son, you've just witnessed a miracle," the priest said. "Tell me where is this man now?"

"Flat on his butt over by the holy water," said the boy.

A Bishop was approached one morning by a Priest. "Your Eminence," the Priest said, "there's a young lad here who claims to be seeing a vision of our Savior in the chapel. What should I do ?"

The Bishop jumped up saying, "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm gonna look real busy !"

A father noticed that his son was spending way too much time playing computer games.

In an effort to motivate the boy into focusing more attention on his schoolwork, the father said to his son, "When Abe Lincoln was your age, he was studying books by the light of the fireplace."

The son replied, "When Lincoln was your age, he was The President of The United States."

DON'T TALK TO THE PARROT

Mrs. Broomfield's dishwasher quit working, so she called a repairman.

He couldn't accommodate her with an evening appointment, and since she had to go to work the next day, she told him: "I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you the check. By the way, you don't have to worry about my Rottweiler. He won't bother you. But, whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, talk to my parrot!"

When the repairman arrived at Mrs. Broomfield's apartment the next day, he discovered the biggest and meanest looking Rottweiler he had ever seen. But, just like she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet, watching the repairman go about his business. However, the whole time the man was there, the parrot drove him nuts with his incessant squawking and talking. Finally the repairman just couldn't contain himself any longer and he yelled: "Shut up, you stupid bird!"

To which the parrot replied: "Get him, Brutus!

- Thanks, Don

USE YOUR NAME!

We could write for a year on “steps to self-confidence,” but here's something you can do immediately to increase the opinion others have of you. Be bold about using your own name.

Years ago, at a seminar sponsored by AT&T, the speaker made a statement that stuck with me. “Successful people,” he said,”answer the phone by giving their own names.”

Since that time I have almost always answered my calls with, “Hello. This is Rick, How Can I Help You?"

It's a proven fact that most introverted people greet a stranger by only saying “Hello.” Confident individuals extend their hand and say, “Hello. I'm (and give their name). On the phone, a “Hello” answer is extremely weak. The calling party has no idea to whom they are speaking.

Your words are your calling card. They reflect your personality and are the image by which you will be judged. Make your words count. Make them solid. Make them firm.

Practice using your own name until it is automatic -- and spoken with confidence an authority.

"The Cup of Inspiration" from Rick B.