LATEST SCOOP FROM SNOPES

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/search, or send an e-mail to snopes@snopes.com.

Someone's pulling our leg again -- a recent study did not prove George W. Bush to have the lowest IQ of all U.S. presidents of the past fifty years.
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/presiq.htm

Did a store make good on its offer to sell stereos for "299 bananas" when customers proffered the real thing as payment?
http://www.snopes.com/business/deals/banana.htm

Will the four major U.S. credit bureaus be allowed to share your credit information with anyone who requests it after July 1 unless you specifically request to be excluded?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/pending/credit.htm

Can you avoid a recent AOL price increase for unlimited access subscriptions by calling and asking to be locked in at the old rate for one year?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/nothing/aol.htm

Is MSN about to start charging $25.00 per month for its free MSN Messenger service unless an Internet petition opposing the fee imposition attracts 500,000 signatures?
http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/petition/msn.htm

10 RULES OF HOUSECLEANING

1. Vacuuming too often weakens the carpet fibers. Say this with a serious face, and shudder delicately whenever anyone mentions Carpet Fresh.
2. Dust bunnies cannot evolve into dust rhinos when disturbed. Rename the area under the couch "The Galapagos Islands" and claim an ecological exemption.
3. Layers of dirty film on windows and screens provide a helpful filter against harmful and aging rays from the sun. Call it an SPF factor of 5 and leave it alone.
4. Cobwebs artfully draped over lampshades reduces the glare from the bulb, thereby creating a romantic atmosphere. If your husband points out that the light fixtures need dusting, simply look affronted and exclaim, "What? And spoil the mood?"
5. In a pinch, you can always claim that the haphazard tower of unread magazines and newspapers next to your chair provides the valuable Feng Shui aspect of a tiger, thereby reducing your vulnerability. Roll your eyes when you say this.
6. Explain the mound of pet hair brushed up against the doorways by claiming you are collecting it there to use for stuffing handsewn play animals for underprivileged children.
7. If unexpected company is coming, pile everything unsightly into one room and close the door. As you show your guests through your tidy home, rattle the door knob vigorously, fake a growl and say, "I'd love you to see our Den, but Fluffy hates to be disturbed and the shots are SO expensive."
8. If dusting is REALLY out of control, simply place a showy urn on the coffee table and insist that "THIS is where Grandma wanted us to scatter her ashes..."
9. Don't bother repainting. Simply scribble lightly over a dirty wall with an assortment of crayons, and try to muster a glint of tears as you say, "Junior did this the week before that unspeakable accident... I haven't had the heart to clean it..."
10. Mix one-quarter cup pine-scented household cleaner with four cups of water in a spray bottle. Mist the air lightly. Leave dampened rags in conspicuous locations. Develop an exhausted look, throw yourself onto the couch, and sigh, "I clean and I clean and I still don't get anywhere."

HOUSEWORK
~~~~> this is really good !!! A MUST SEE !!! Some good tips along with a bit of humor.
http://www.oocities.org/Heartland/2328/hwork.htm

- Recommended by Shellie at Mouse Clicks
http://hometown.aol.com/kitte500/manage.html

THE TAXI RIDE

A taxi passenger tapped the driver on the shoulder to ask him a question. The driver screamed, lost control of the car, nearly hit a bus, went up on the footpath, and stopped centimeters from a shop window. For a second everything went quiet in the cab, then the driver said "Look mate, don't ever do that again. You scared the daylights out of me!"

The passenger apologized and said he didn't realize that a little tap could scare him so much.

The driver replied "Sorry, it's not really your fault. Today is my first day as a cab driver, I've been driving a hearse for the last 25 years!"

- Smiles, Brenda

LOTSA LINKS

THE LOVE POLICE
When you've had trouble in a relationship, the Love Police were never around when you needed them. Not any more! The Love Police are now as close as the Internet.
http://www.lovepolice.com/

HEY KIDS, REMEMBER WHEN THE INTERNET WAS BRAND NEW?
It's a blast from the past -- and perhaps a reminder of YOUR first internet experience. See (and feel) how the old browsers worked.
http://www.dejavu.org/emulator.htm

WHAT IS HABBO HOTEL?
At Habbo Hotel you can interact with other people just as you would offline, except that you are not limited by anything like location or time. Habbo Hotel is a chill-out space where you can hang out with your friends. Guests are represented in the hotel by a personal figure called a Habbo.
http://www.habbohotel.com/

SO, WHAT'S A TOON?
Welcome to the world's first hypertext encyclopedia of toons, which will soon, I hope, come to be regarded as the Internet's most comprehensive source of information about the U.S. toon scene.
A toon is a cartoon or cartoon character, "cartoon" referring not just to the animated kind, but also to such "still cartoons" as comic books, newspaper strips, magazine cartoons, etc.
Here at Don Markstein's Toonopedia, we take a very broad view of what constitutes a toon. The basic idea is to cover the entire spectrum of American cartoonery.
http://www.toonopedia.com/

NETIQUETTE
Yes, it means what you think it means: tips on polite usage of the Internet. As more and more people start using the Internet, more and more is being written about the social conventions of this special community.
http://www.pbs.org/uti/guide/netiquette.html

UNIVERSAL WALKTHROUGH
Suitable for all computer games.
http://www.ozcomedy.com/walkthrough.htm

A COUPLE SHORT FUNNIES

POISONOUS SNAKES
Two snakes were out for a slither when one turns to the other and asks, "Are we poisonous?"
"Why yes we are," says the second.
Again the first snake asks, "Are we really poisonous?"
"Yes we are really poisonous. In fact we´re the most poisonous snakes in the world. Why do you ask?"
"I just bit my lip!"

MORNING SICKNESS
The neighbor dropped in on her friend and found her sitting at the kitchen table, staring blankly at a half-empty cup of coffee; her three kids squabbling loudly in the other room.
"What's wrong Marge?" she asked.
Marge told her that she had "morning sickness."
Surprised the neighbor said, "I didn't even know you were pregnant."
"I'm not." the harried young woman replied. "I'm just darn sick of mornings."

THINGS LEARNED AT BIBLE SCHOOL

• With your eyes closed for prayer, anything can happen in a room full of preschoolers.
• Prayer requests reveal a lot about parents.
• A fire extinguisher is a handy device.
• Helium tanks should be chained down tightly.
• Cheap glue adheres to skin.
• Kool Aid and song motions do not mix.
• Grand pianos are not as durable as you might think.
• Church maintenance men do not have a sense of humor.
• Offering money always rolls to the other side of the room when dropped.
• Ushers do not have a sense of humor.
• There IS a doggie Heaven.
• Parachute games should not be used in a room with a chandelier.
• Animal crackers can be sneezed out the nose.
• Girls are superior to boys.
• There are good reasons why pastor's kids have a bad reputation.
• Helium intoxication does not render respect in a staff meeting.

QUOTE FOR THOUGHT

"Relationships--of all kinds--are like sand held in your hand. Held loosely, with an open hand, the sand remains where it is. The minute you close your hand and squeeze tightly to hold on, the sand trickles through your fingers. You may hold onto some of it, but most will be spilled. A relationship is like that. Held loosely, with respect and freedom for the other person, it is likely to remain intact. But hold too tightly, too possessively, and the relationship slips away and is lost." -Kaleel Jamison