Urban Legends Real Or Not?

[Erotica_Writings]

'The Hook' is perhaps one of the most memorable of Urban Legends and has been around since at least the mid 1950’s. It’s got the key elements of a horror story: 2 lovers in an isolated spot, a maniacal killer on the loose, the potential threat of death, and something bloody; in this case it is a hook. What more could you want? The basic synopsis of the story goes something like this:

A young couple sneak away to a country road or a Lover’s Lane for a few minutes of making out. Either on the way there or after they arrive a special news bulletin cuts into the song on the radio and alerts everyone in the area of a killer on the loose. Sometimes he is an escaped convict from the nearby prison; sometimes he is an escaped lunatic from a nearby asylum; sometimes he is even a sex maniac. The radio announcer warns everyone to be on the lookout and not go outside if you don’t have to. The killer is recognizable because he has a hook for a hand (whether the hook is on the left or right is one of the variables in this tale). The girl gets real nervous and tells her boyfriend they should go home. He pleads with her to stay. A little argument ensues and eventually the girl wins. The guy, feeling very frustrated at the make out session going awry, is said to have "gunned" the engine and "peeled" out of there. When they arrive home sometimes the girl gets out of the car herself, because the boyfriend is angry and won’t do the courtesy act of opening her door, but sometimes he does open her door for her. Either way, there is a bloody hook dangling from the door handle - they had barely escaped! If not for the girl’s insistence they would have been killed. The speed and recklessness of which he drove away is a key element because it is what causes the hook to be ripped from the killer’s arm. This one factor is always a constant no matter who tells the tale.

This is a creepy enough tale to keep any teenage couple out of the woods. It's entirely possible that this legend was originally inspired by some grisly murder that involved one or more teenaged victims, but since this tale is not so outrageous (it deals with nothing supernatural, or impossible) it is hard to say whether it was truly inspired by actual events or if it speaks to our inner fears of being preyed upon by those with no mercy or reason. It would be like saying "there was a guy eating people, but only politicians, in Washington D.C." We know this isn’t true -- but we do know that there have been known cases of cannibalism, so my statement is more likely to sound true.

Since elements of this story relate closely--too closely--to events that really could take place, it makes it one of the more believable, and scarier, Urban Legends. There is a link for The Crime Library (see the Links page via the Report Navigator) that talks about murders occurring only in a Lover’s Lane of the small town Texarkana by a man they called "The Phantom". However, as you might imagine, there was no mention of him having a hook-arm. The tale, nonetheless, is chilling in it’s own right. The zodiac killer back in the 1970’s even killed a few young couples out in "lover’s lane" remote areas.

But this tale definitely predates the 1970s -- as an example, a letter was sent to the nationally syndicated advice column "Dear Abby" on November 8, 1960. Here is the letter as it has been reproduced at the San Fernando Valley Folklore Society web site:

If you are interested in teenagers, you will print this story. I do not know if it is true or not, but it doesn’t matter because it served its purpose on me. A fellow and his date pulled into their favorite “lover’s lane” to listen to the radio and do a little necking. The music was interrupted by an announcer who said there was an escaped convict in the area who had served time for rape and robbery. He was described as having a hook instead of a right hand. The couple became frightened and drove away. When the boy took his girl home, we went around to open the car door for her. Then he saw—a hook on the door handle! I don’t think I will ever park to make out as long as I live. I hope this does the same for other kids.

URBAN LEGEND REAL OR NOT?
GOT ANY TO SHARE?

 

[Erotica_Writings]

slave master (Internet) urban legend

Version 1

If a guy by the name of ----- SlaveMaster -----
contacts you do not answer. He has killed 56 women
that he has talked to on the internet.

PLEASE SEND OUT TO ALL THE WOMEN ON YOUR BUDDY LIST
ALSO ASK THEM TO PASS THIS ON.
He has been on Yahoo- Aol--Excite so far. This is no JOKE.!!!!!! AND PLEASE SEND THIS TO MEN TOO.......JUST IN CASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Send to EVERY ONE YOU KNOW!!

Version 2

Subject: Never too safe!!
Just in case this is true please be careful!!
Don't talk to SLAVEMASTER

PLEASE YOU GUYS, READ THIS "VERY CAREFULLY" AND THEN SEND IT OUT TO ALL THE PEOPLE ONLINE THAT YOU KNOW. SOMETHING LIKE THIS IS NOTHING TO TAKE CASUALLY; SOMETHING LIKE THIS YOU "DO" WANT TO PAY ATTENTION TO. THINK OF IT AS "BIG SISTER" SENDING YOU A WARNING DO NOT TALK TO THIS PERSON DO NOT ANSWER ANY OF HIS/HER INSTANT MESSAGES/E-MAIL "NOTHING"!!

If a guy by the name of SlaveMaster ----- contacts you do not answer. He has killed 56 women that he has talked to on the Internet. PLEASE SEND OUT TO ALL THE WOMEN ON YOUR BUDDY LIST. ALSO ASK THEM TO PASS THIS ON. He has been on Yahoo and AOL and Excite so far. This is no JOKE.!!! AND PLEASE SEND THIS TO MEN TOO.......JUST IN CASE!!! Send to EVERY ONE YOU KNOW!! LADIES THIS IS SERIOUS. CUT AND PASTE THIS FROM A LONG FORWARD LIST. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND FORWARD TO WHOEVER I DON'T HAVE ON MY LIST. THANKS

 

[Erotica_Writings]

URBAN LEGEND ?

Here's a tale that has proved to be a popular

From Kyza, NZ, on 14 Apr 1999:


There was this old woman who lived all alone, actually, she wasn't all alone because she lived with her pet dog. Every night she would put the dog under her bed, where it slept. Each night it would lick her hand goodnight.

One night, after getting a reassuring lick, she fell asleep. She woke several minutes later to a dripping sound. She checked the whole house and eventually found where the dripping was coming from. Her dog had been killed and was hanging from the shower curtain, its blood dripping into the drain. She ran back to her room and looked under the bed. There was a psychopath under there and he had licked her hand.


From sizzle, 27 Apr 1999:


There was this story of a girl who was left at home while her parents went out of town for the night. They instructed her to close all the doors and all the windows. She didn't mind cause afterall.. she had her pet golden retriever with her. So, after doing so... she lies on her bed and looks at her clock. It reads 11:31pm. Quite uneasy at being alone she lets her hand hang on the side for he pet dog to lick and she's comforted... Later on she is woken by a dripping noise from the bathroom she looks at her clock -- 2:14 it reads. She thinks.. I didn't leave the faucet on.. she's too groggy and scared to get up.. so again.. she let her dog lick her hand.. then she sleeps... Again she wakes up as she see's the headlights of her parent's car pull into the driveway.. she looks at her clock. It reads 3:01 so she goes to the bathroom to check out the dripping noise and when she turns on the light.. she's horrified to see her dog all cut up, blood dripping and all hanging on the shower curtain rod and a pool of blood is found below. She is frantic and goes to the side of the bed where she let her dog lick her hand and all that is there is a piece of paper written on with blood "Humans can lick too my dear"

And that's how the story ends!

 

[Erotica_Writings]

Real Or Not?

Jan Harold Brunvand, Patron Saint of all things Urban Legend, covered "The Well to Hell" in "The Baby Train" (Page 105; "The Baby Train"; Brunvand, Jan Harold; WW Norton & Company Inc; ISBN 0-393-31208-9).

In January 1991 Brunvand received a letter from Swedish folklorist, Bengt af Klintberg.

Klintberg had heard a story about a deep drill hole in the Kola Peninsula in Siberia "from which was heard cries and laments that obviously came from Hell itself!"

Klintberg's informant told him that the story had already spread, at that point, to fundamentalist Christian groups in the United States.

Brunvand's response to Klintberg revealed that he had been hearing about the "Well to Hell" in the US, predominantly on Christian radio and television, for more than a year.

Brunvand mentioned that the Trinity Broadcasting Network in California had aired the story repeatedly more than a year earlier and then published a translation of it in its magazine, "Praise The Lord," in February 1990, that it credited to a Finnish newspaper.

The core details of the "Praise The Lord" article, as noted by Brunvand:


Geologists working in "remote Siberia"
A hole had been drilled 14.4 kilometres (9 miles) into the Earth
At that depth the drill bit began rotating wildly
The Project Manager, identified as a "Mr. Azzacov," was quoted as saying that the team had decided as a result that the centre of the earth is hollow
The geologists measured temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees in the deep hole
They lowered "super-sensitive" microphones to the bottom of the well and were horrified to hear the sounds of "thousands, perhaps millions of suffering souls screaming"
Half the scientist quit the project out of fear and "Mr Azzacov" is quoted as saying, "Hopefully, that which is down there will stay there."
Rich Buhler, a Los Angeles radio talk show host, investigated the story extensively and published his findings in the July 16, 1990, issue of "Christianity Today" (vol 34, no 10, pp. 28-29).

Brunvand noted that Buhler found a circular trail when he attempted to track down the story's origin. The Finnish periodical quoted in the "Praise The Lord" article was not "a respected scientific journal" as had been claimed but a newsletter published by a group of Finnish missionaries. Buhler traced the story beyond this to a vague claim that it had appeared in a Christian newsletter in California.

Then Buhler had a breakthrough!

He followed the translation the Trinity Broadcasting Network published back to its source and found, of all things, a prankster! The article had been sent to the Trinity Broadcasting Network by a Norwegian school teacher, named Age Rendelin, who had spent time in California. Buhler contacted Rendelin, who confessed that he had heard the story about screams emanating from the Siberian well while in California. As a jest he clipped a random article about a building inspector from a Norwegian newspaper, fabricated an English 'translation' about the well and its link to hell, and sent it to the Trinity Broadcast Network to see if anyone would be fooled by it.

And fooled they were!

Beyond this Brunvand felt that the original story probably arose from an article entitled "World's Deepest Well" by Russian geologist Y. A. Kozlovsky, which appeared in the December 1984 issue of "Scientific American."

Brunvand was alerted to this article through a letter from Liam Wescott, a geologist stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska.

In the "Scientific American" article Kozlovsky described an experimental well that had reached a depth of 12000 metres. The team encountered "rare rock formations, flows of gas and water, and temperatures up to 180 degrees" (rather less hot than the 2000 degrees of the "Well from Hell" story) "but no hollow centre and certainly no screams of the damned."

Brunvand agreed with Wescott's observation that it was probably the details of this article that served as the original inspiration for the "Well to Hell" Urban Legend. Particularly telling is the detail that the project Kozlovsky wrote about took place on the Kola Peninsula, in Siberia, which is where Klintberg's version of the story was set.

Brunvand concludes his coverage of this Urban Legend with the observation that it was revived in 1992 when it was published in the April 7 issue of "Weekly World News," under the page 1 headline of "Satan Escapes From Hell" with a subheading of "13 Alaskan oil rig workers killed when the Devil roars our of well."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Erotica_Writings]

REAL OR NOT

C.J., from Boston Ma., sent a copy of the following email:


Below is a true story about a recent wedding that took place in Clemson,SC.

There was a huge wedding with about 300 guests. After the wedding at the reception, the groom got up on stage at the microphone to talk to the crowd.

He said that he wanted to thank everyone for coming, many from long distances, to support them at their wedding.He especially wanted to thank the bride's and groom's families for coming and to thank his new father-in-law for providing such a fabulous reception.

To thank everyone for coming and bringing gifts and everything, he said he wanted to give everyone a special gift from just him. So taped to the bottom of everyone's chair was a manila envelope including the wedding party.

He said that was his gift to everyone, and told everyone to open the envelopes. Inside each manila envelope was a 8x10 picture of his best man having sex with the bride. (He had gotten suspicious of the two of them and hired a private detective to trail them weeks prior to the wedding.)

After he stood there and watched the people's reactions for a couple of minutes, he turned to the best man and said:

"F___ you," he turned to the bride and said "F___ you," and then he turned to the dumbfounded crowd and said "I'm out of here."

He had the marriage annulled first thing that Monday morning. While most of us would have broken off the engagement immediately after finding out about the affair, this guy goes through with it anyway as if nothing was wrong.

His revenge:

1) Making the bride's parents pay over $32,000 for a 300 guest wedding and reception.

2) Letting everyone know exactly what did happen.

3) And best of all, trashing the bride's and best man's reputations in front of all of their friends, their entire families i.e. their parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, nieces and nephews, etc.

This guy has balls the size of church bells.

This is his world, we just live in it.

 

[Erotica_Writings]

Good Morning

I will be back in a little bit to post more urban legends

 

[cookiejar]

Hi EW...I had read about this last week. Seems it's a UL.

Swiffer WetJet Toxic to Pets

Netlore Archive: Forwarded email claims that the Swiffer WetJet disposable floor cleaner contains a substance toxic to dogs and cats

Warning for your animal's health:

I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German Shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated "may be harmful to small children and animals." He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that anitfreeze is one of the ingredients. (actually he was told it's a compound which is one molecule away from anitfreeze). Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking it's own paws, and the dog eating from its dishes which were kept on the kitchen floor cleaned with this product, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog's death, his housekeepers' two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies weren't done on the cats, so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don't lose their animals. .



Comments: So far, I've found no evidence or documentation to substantiate this rumor. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Though the product label advises (as with all cleaning products) to "Keep out of reach of children and pets," its manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, maintains that the Swiffer WetJet Cleaning System leaves no appreciable residue and is therefore safe to use in a household with pets, even if they lick the floor after it has been mopped.

A low order of toxicity

According to the Swiffer WetJet Material Safety Data Sheet (.PDF file), the product has "a low order of toxicity." It contains the following ingredients:

Water (90% - 100%)
Propylene Glycol n-Propyl Ether (1% - 4%)
Isopropyl Alcohol (1% - 4%)
Minor Ingredients (< 1%)
Preservatives (< 0.1%)
Propylene glycol n-propyl ether is a solvent similar to, but much less toxic than, ethylene glycol, the antifreeze ingredient always cited as a hazard to pets and children. The Material Safety Data Sheet for propylene glycol, which is present in no greater than a 4% concentration in the Swiffer WetJet cleaning solution, states that the chemical has "low toxicity in animal studies" where ingested. It is also found in other household cleaning products.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has stated the following: "Propylene glycol n-propyl ether and propylene glycol n-butyl ether are very safe ingredients at levels used in cleaning products and do not cause kidney or liver failure."

Anonymous, secondhand and purely anecdotal

Note, too, that the email report is anonymous, secondhand and purely anecdotal, offering no means of authenticating its central claim that three animals died as a result of ingesting the Swiffer WetJet cleaning solution — good enough reason to be skeptical.

Procter & Gamble response to the Swiffer WetJet rumor:

Question:
Are the ingredients safe?
Answer:
We're glad you came to us for the facts about Swiffer WetJet. Let us assure you, this rumor is completely false. Our Wet cloths and WetJet liquid solution cleaners do not contain antifreeze or any ingredient similar to it.

We have pets too and their health is very important to us. All our products have been evaluated by internal and external veterinarians and scientists, and Swiffer WetJet and Swiffer Wet cloths are safe to use around pets.

We hope you’ll help us put an end to this rumor by letting others know the truth.


Update: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Responds to Swiffer Wet Jet Rumor - May 7, 2004: "Veterinary Toxicologists regard allegations of liver failure and death from household cleaner as unfounded."

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

Re: Good Morning

I will be back in a little bit to post more urban legends

this is a great site..I will have to try and add some legends myself

 

[Erotica_Writings]

hi

Hi EW...I had read about this last week. Seems it's a UL.

Swiffer WetJet Toxic to Pets

Netlore Archive: Forwarded email claims that the Swiffer WetJet disposable floor cleaner contains a substance toxic to dogs and cats

Warning for your animal's health:

I recently had a neighbor who had to have their 5-year old German Shepherd dog put down due to liver failure. The dog was completely healthy until a few weeks ago, so they had a necropsy done to see what the cause was. The liver levels were unbelievable, as if the dog had ingested poison of some kind. The dog is kept inside, and when he's outside, someone's with him, so the idea of him getting into something unknown was hard to believe. My neighbor started going through all the items in the house. When he got to the Swiffer Wetjet, he noticed, in very tiny print, a warning which stated "may be harmful to small children and animals." He called the company to ask what the contents of the cleaning agent are and was astounded to find out that anitfreeze is one of the ingredients. (actually he was told it's a compound which is one molecule away from anitfreeze). Therefore, just by the dog walking on the floor cleaned with the solution, then licking it's own paws, and the dog eating from its dishes which were kept on the kitchen floor cleaned with this product, it ingested enough of the solution to destroy its liver. Soon after his dog's death, his housekeepers' two cats also died of liver failure. They both used the Swiffer Wetjet for quick cleanups on their floors. Necropsies weren't done on the cats, so they couldn't file a lawsuit, but he asked that we spread the word to as many people as possible so they don't lose their animals. .



Comments: So far, I've found no evidence or documentation to substantiate this rumor. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Though the product label advises (as with all cleaning products) to "Keep out of reach of children and pets," its manufacturer, Procter & Gamble, maintains that the Swiffer WetJet Cleaning System leaves no appreciable residue and is therefore safe to use in a household with pets, even if they lick the floor after it has been mopped.

A low order of toxicity

According to the Swiffer WetJet Material Safety Data Sheet (.PDF file), the product has "a low order of toxicity." It contains the following ingredients:

Water (90% - 100%)
Propylene Glycol n-Propyl Ether (1% - 4%)
Isopropyl Alcohol (1% - 4%)
Minor Ingredients (< 1%)
Preservatives (< 0.1%)
Propylene glycol n-propyl ether is a solvent similar to, but much less toxic than, ethylene glycol, the antifreeze ingredient always cited as a hazard to pets and children. The Material Safety Data Sheet for propylene glycol, which is present in no greater than a 4% concentration in the Swiffer WetJet cleaning solution, states that the chemical has "low toxicity in animal studies" where ingested. It is also found in other household cleaning products.

The ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center has stated the following: "Propylene glycol n-propyl ether and propylene glycol n-butyl ether are very safe ingredients at levels used in cleaning products and do not cause kidney or liver failure."

Anonymous, secondhand and purely anecdotal

Note, too, that the email report is anonymous, secondhand and purely anecdotal, offering no means of authenticating its central claim that three animals died as a result of ingesting the Swiffer WetJet cleaning solution — good enough reason to be skeptical.

Procter & Gamble response to the Swiffer WetJet rumor:

Question:
Are the ingredients safe?
Answer:
We're glad you came to us for the facts about Swiffer WetJet. Let us assure you, this rumor is completely false. Our Wet cloths and WetJet liquid solution cleaners do not contain antifreeze or any ingredient similar to it.

We have pets too and their health is very important to us. All our products have been evaluated by internal and external veterinarians and scientists, and Swiffer WetJet and Swiffer Wet cloths are safe to use around pets.

We hope you’ll help us put an end to this rumor by letting others know the truth.


Update: ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center Responds to Swiffer Wet Jet Rumor - May 7, 2004: "Veterinary Toxicologists regard allegations of liver failure and death from household cleaner as unfounded."

a few years ago there was a similar article on febreeze, my animals are still alive

 

[Erotica_Writings]

Real or Not

Less than 12 hours after the shocking news of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC made its way around the world an e-mail arrived in my inbox at work in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia claiming that Nostradamus had predicted this catastrophe centuries ago.

"In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb" , "The third big war will begin when the big city is burning"
- Nostradamus 1654

Received via e-mail 12th Sep 2001





WHILE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE around the world have worked hard to make the writings of Nostradamus appear meaningful in context of various world events, some appear to have given up on attempting to interpret his distressingly vague predictions and are now taking the more direct path of simply misleading people outright.

For example -- just after George W. Bush won the 2000 US Presidential campaign, the following alleged prediction by Nostradamus made its way around the internet:

In 1555, Nostradamus wrote:

Come the millennium, month 12
In the home of greatest power,
The village idiot will come forth
To be acclaimed the leader.


Collected from the Internet


Of course, this prediction had nothing to do with Nostradamus, and was almost certainly nothing more than someone's post-election joke at the expense of a President they didn't want.

However, this didn't stop it from spreading around the world and affirming to many that Nostradamus had truly been able to see into the future (and that he wasn't terribly fond of 'George Dubbya' into the bargain).

The story behind the "Two brothers torn apart by Chaos" e-mail, on the other hand, appears to be a little more intriguing than simply being the product of someone's discontent with the outcome of an election.

To find the roots of this 'prediction' we have to take to the web to go look at a page written back in the 90's by a student by the name of Neil Marshall at Brock University in Canada. Neil wrote an essay for his web site in which he critically analysed several of Nostradamus' prophecies and also in which he offered an example of a fake prediction he himself created purposefully to mirror the vague style that Nostradamus had used. Neil then went on to illustrate how this prediction could be used to match any number of preconceived meanings.

By now you've probably guessed that the prediction Neil made up was none other than the one currently being spread like wildfire around the internet… Absolutely correct!

It bears mentioning that Neil didn't make up the line that reads: "The third big war will begin when the big city is burning." But then, neither did Nostradamus. This line appears to have been added from the imagination of the person who sent the original e-mail -- it certainly doesn't match anything Nostradamus wrote.

(It also bears mentioning that Nostradamus died in 1566, and that he probably didn't have a great deal to offer in the way of prophecy by 1654!)

We may never know who it was that took Neil's creative writing and distributed it in the aftermath of the terrible events in New York and Washington DC, but what we do know is that despite the attempts of countless people to make Nostradamus' writings appear to be the inspired work of a person who could see into the future, his writing style is so vague that it borders on the nonsensical, and for that reason his 'predictions' can be made to fit almost any significant event you choose to pick. As Neil Marshall so aptly demontrated, you don't have to be able to see the future to be able to write material that will one day seem incredibly prophetic. It just takes using suitably vague language and an audience willing to believe just about anything.

***

Now that we know that Nostradamus didn't predict this terrible tragedy, I can't help wondering how many living psychics will come out of the woodwork to claim they foresaw it, but conveniently couldn't alert the authorities in time to save anyone… Anyone care to predict this one?

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

Re: Real or Not

Less than 12 hours after the shocking news of the terrorist attacks against the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon in Washington DC made its way around the world an e-mail arrived in my inbox at work in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia claiming that Nostradamus had predicted this catastrophe centuries ago.

"In the City of God there will be a great thunder, Two brothers torn apart by Chaos, while the fortress endures, the great leader will succumb" , "The third big war will begin when the big city is burning"
- Nostradamus 1654

Received via e-mail 12th Sep 2001




you can get his predictions to say anything you want. No one I think can actually predict what will happen but sometimes there are coincidences




WHILE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE around the world have worked hard to make the writings of Nostradamus appear meaningful in context of various world events, some appear to have given up on attempting to interpret his distressingly vague predictions and are now taking the more direct path of simply misleading people outright.

For example -- just after George W. Bush won the 2000 US Presidential campaign, the following alleged prediction by Nostradamus made its way around the internet:

In 1555, Nostradamus wrote:

Come the millennium, month 12
In the home of greatest power,
The village idiot will come forth
To be acclaimed the leader.


Collected from the Internet


Of course, this prediction had nothing to do with Nostradamus, and was almost certainly nothing more than someone's post-election joke at the expense of a President they didn't want.

However, this didn't stop it from spreading around the world and affirming to many that Nostradamus had truly been able to see into the future (and that he wasn't terribly fond of 'George Dubbya' into the bargain).

The story behind the "Two brothers torn apart by Chaos" e-mail, on the other hand, appears to be a little more intriguing than simply being the product of someone's discontent with the outcome of an election.

To find the roots of this 'prediction' we have to take to the web to go look at a page written back in the 90's by a student by the name of Neil Marshall at Brock University in Canada. Neil wrote an essay for his web site in which he critically analysed several of Nostradamus' prophecies and also in which he offered an example of a fake prediction he himself created purposefully to mirror the vague style that Nostradamus had used. Neil then went on to illustrate how this prediction could be used to match any number of preconceived meanings.

By now you've probably guessed that the prediction Neil made up was none other than the one currently being spread like wildfire around the internet… Absolutely correct!

It bears mentioning that Neil didn't make up the line that reads: "The third big war will begin when the big city is burning." But then, neither did Nostradamus. This line appears to have been added from the imagination of the person who sent the original e-mail -- it certainly doesn't match anything Nostradamus wrote.

(It also bears mentioning that Nostradamus died in 1566, and that he probably didn't have a great deal to offer in the way of prophecy by 1654!)

We may never know who it was that took Neil's creative writing and distributed it in the aftermath of the terrible events in New York and Washington DC, but what we do know is that despite the attempts of countless people to make Nostradamus' writings appear to be the inspired work of a person who could see into the future, his writing style is so vague that it borders on the nonsensical, and for that reason his 'predictions' can be made to fit almost any significant event you choose to pick. As Neil Marshall so aptly demontrated, you don't have to be able to see the future to be able to write material that will one day seem incredibly prophetic. It just takes using suitably vague language and an audience willing to believe just about anything.

***

Now that we know that Nostradamus didn't predict this terrible tragedy, I can't help wondering how many living psychics will come out of the woodwork to claim they foresaw it, but conveniently couldn't alert the authorities in time to save anyone… Anyone care to predict this one?

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

I have heard many ghost stories which turn out to be urban legends. One of my favorites is ressurection mary. I believe its in chicago not positive but she gets a ride every once in a while and she always gets out at ressurection cemetary. She also went to a dance one time with someone. At a near by bar on the juke box they have a song about her and always leave a bloody mary at the bar for her. I am sure you can learn more about her on the net. I enjoy all this kind of things unexplained and all that. Hope you enjoyed..talk soon.

 

[Erotica_Writings]

I have heard many ghost stories which turn out to be urban legends. One of my favorites is ressurection mary. I believe its in chicago not positive but she gets a ride every once in a while and she always gets out at ressurection cemetary. She also went to a dance one time with someone. At a near by bar on the juke box they have a song about her and always leave a bloody mary at the bar for her. I am sure you can learn more about her on the net. I enjoy all this kind of things unexplained and all that. Hope you enjoyed..talk soon.

very good I have heard of this one too

 

[Erotica_Writings]

Real or Not

There is a very famous poster, by French photographer Jean Guichard, of a lighthouse caught in the grip of a huge wave. The picture also depicts a lighthouse keeper out on a walkway moments before the wave is about to break around the lighthouse. We were once told that this nameless lighthouse keeper was in fact swept away and drowned moments after the photograph was taken.

Is there any truth in it?

L & M, Aus




In late December of 1989 wild storms were raging off the coast of France. Photographer Jean Guichard was pursuing a photographic theme of "Lighthouses in the storm" -- a theme perfectly suited to the weather patterns battering the coast of France during that December.

On the 21st he chartered a helicopter to fly out to La Jument lighthouse in the French Brittany region off the Western Coast of France.

As luck would have it, the sound of the helicopter hovering near the lighthouse as Guichard took pictures of the building being buffeted by huge waves drew one of the lighthouse keepers out to investigate.

The result was one of the most striking photographic images ever taken -- a lone lighthouse keeper on a walkway caught eternally in a vulnerable moment as an immense wave is about to crash around the lighthouse...

But what of the lighthouse keeper?

Does this famous picture catch his last moments of life -- or did he make it to safety?

A little time spent scouring the Internet unearthed a web page that answers this very question.

The owners of the Alpha Picture Network, based in Santa Barbara, California, describe themselves as personal friends of Jean Guichard. On their web site are pictures from the sequence that graphically describe the moments before and after that one moment immortalised in the poster. They show the lighthouse keeper standing on the walkway, looking towards the helicopter and into the camera of Jean Guichard -- and then capture, moment-by-moment, his movements as he ducks back inside the lighthouse, to safety, an instant before the wave consumes the building.
http://www.usalights.com/labanca/images/newpointloma.jpg

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

Re: Real or Not

There is a very famous poster, by French photographer Jean Guichard, of a lighthouse caught in the grip of a huge wave. The picture also depicts a lighthouse keeper out on a walkway moments before the wave is about to break around the lighthouse. We were once told that this nameless lighthouse keeper was in fact swept away and drowned moments after the photograph was taken.

Is there any truth in it?

L & M, Aus






In late December of 1989 wild storms were raging off the coast of France. Photographer Jean Guichard was pursuing a photographic theme of "Lighthouses in the storm" -- a theme perfectly suited to the weather patterns battering the coast of France during that December.

On the 21st he chartered a helicopter to fly out to La Jument lighthouse in the French Brittany region off the Western Coast of France.

As luck would have it, the sound of the helicopter hovering near the lighthouse as Guichard took pictures of the building being buffeted by huge waves drew one of the lighthouse keepers out to investigate.

The result was one of the most striking photographic images ever taken -- a lone lighthouse keeper on a walkway caught eternally in a vulnerable moment as an immense wave is about to crash around the lighthouse...

But what of the lighthouse keeper?

Does this famous picture catch his last moments of life -- or did he make it to safety?

A little time spent scouring the Internet unearthed a web page that answers this very question.

The owners of the Alpha Picture Network, based in Santa Barbara, California, describe themselves as personal friends of Jean Guichard. On their web site are pictures from the sequence that graphically describe the moments before and after that one moment immortalised in the poster. They show the lighthouse keeper standing on the walkway, looking towards the helicopter and into the camera of Jean Guichard -- and then capture, moment-by-moment, his movements as he ducks back inside the lighthouse, to safety, an instant before the wave consumes the building.
http://www.usalights.com/labanca/images/newpointloma.jpg

I believe it could be true. stranger things have happened

 

[Erotica_Writings]

Good morning

Lets start our day off with some legend


I recall a story in which a young woman is involved in an accident and is pronounced dead. Her corpse is sent to the morgue where-in a morgue worker with unusual sexual tastes initiates sex with it (her?). Mid-way through his supposedly necrophilic activity the woman revives -- she has been in a 'near-death coma' and, apparently, his commotion has woken her from that state. Later, the woman's parents are so grateful that their daughter awoke from the coma prior to being buried / cremated that they dissuade her from pressing rape / sexual assault charges against the morgue attendant, whose necrophilic efforts they credit with her revival.

From memory this was supposed to have taken place somewhere in South America.

- Mitch




In 1976 the British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) produced a telemovie called "Brimstone and Treacle." The movie, scripted by Dennis Potter, was eventually considered too controversial by the BBC, which chose not to air it. Instead, Potter adapted the script to the theatre and then later re-adapted it for a second movie production in 1982, which starred music legend Sting in the role of the enigmatic Martin.

While differing from the details of the story Mitch had heard in several key areas, the storyline of "Brimstone and Treacle" bears enough similarity to the story being researched that it can be comfortably considered to be one of the probable sources of the Urban Legend.

In the movie a young woman, Patricia, lies helpless in a bed in her parents' home, suffering from brain damage. Martin, suave and sinister, insinuates himself into the household from a chance encounter with Patricia's father.

He pretends to be a past suitor of Patricia's and concerned for her recovery. Eventually he sexually assaults her as she lays helpless in her bed.

As can be seen from this brief summary, the UL and the film have the following core elements in common:

Helpless woman
Sexual assault
Woman recovers
A scene very much like that of the UL apparently also appears in a novel entitled "Quinn's Book" by William Kennedy (Penguin USA; ISBN 0140077375). A prostitute is fished out of an icy river, apparently drowned. Later, one of the characters begins having sex with her 'corpse.' He is interrupted, at which point she opens her eyes and enquires why he stopped.

In some respects this bears an even more striking resemblance to the UL. In particular:

The woman is thought to be dead
The sexual assault then takes on the characteristics of necrophilia
Lacking from the storyline of "Quinn's Book", however, are the concerned parents.

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

so often regular stories you hear wether ghost or just tales of people in your town end up being urban legends. Often times there is some truth to them but more often than not they are made up. They still are good for story telling or scare someone senseless. I know there are many you know and many more you never heard of. We will work at bringing more of them to light for your reading and scaring pleasure. Take care

 

[Erotica_Writings]

REAL OR NOT

A woman works for a very large company as an incoming telephone consultant. One day she upsets a customer, who becomes hostile. She terminates the call and soon forgets about it. Several days later a bunch of flowers arrives for her at work. As she is leaving the building that afternoon, carrying the flowers, the customer attacks / kills her. He has used the flowers as a means of identifying her.

Variants:

Another version of the story has it that the woman does not want the flowers and gives them to a co-worker. This woman is attacked / killed by mistake.




This potential UL has popped up where I work several times. We have a fairly large telephone answering workforce, and this story is told as having happened to one of our employees in Australia.

Many thanks to Sliver for suggesting this story for further research.

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

Good Morning EW

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

There is an old legend about a killer with a hook. I know most people have heard it if they ever sat in front of a fire. Always different places different times different kids different cars. But always the same killer with the same hook and where he leaves it. Will talk about more when I get a chance

 

[shadow_dreamer]

here's an urban legend from hawaii:

it's been said by a number of people who traveled along the highway on the north shore of oahu around midnight during the winter season that they've come across a woman wearing a long flowing white dress with long white hair hitching a ride. it didn't matter if the driver stopped or not but as they passed where she stood and looked in their rear view mirror they would see her sitting in the back seat. they would travel a short distance then look back into their rear view mirror only to discover she was no longer there. this was said to be the goddess Pele.

and if the driver turned around and went back they would see her standing exactly where they first saw her. the only difference is now they noticed she appears to be floating and has no feet.

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

here's an urban legend from hawaii:

it's been said by a number of people who traveled along the highway on the north shore of oahu around midnight during the winter season that they've come across a woman wearing a long flowing white dress with long white hair hitching a ride. it didn't matter if the driver stopped or not but as they passed where she stood and looked in their rear view mirror they would see her sitting in the back seat. they would travel a short distance then look back into their rear view mirror only to discover she was no longer there. this was said to be the goddess Pele.

and if the driver turned around and went back they would see her standing exactly where they first saw her. the only difference is now they noticed she appears to be floating and has no feet.

very good shadow_dreamer I have heard that one. Very nice. I also heard about people taking lava rock home with them and having nothing but bad luck until they send the lava rock home. I guess they call it pele's tears. Just wanted to add that..lol nice meeting you.

 

[Erotica_Writings]

here's an urban legend from hawaii:

it's been said by a number of people who traveled along the highway on the north shore of oahu around midnight during the winter season that they've come across a woman wearing a long flowing white dress with long white hair hitching a ride. it didn't matter if the driver stopped or not but as they passed where she stood and looked in their rear view mirror they would see her sitting in the back seat. they would travel a short distance then look back into their rear view mirror only to discover she was no longer there. this was said to be the goddess Pele.

and if the driver turned around and went back they would see her standing exactly where they first saw her. the only difference is now they noticed she appears to be floating and has no feet.

I have heard something about that one too. and Thank you for posting

 

[shadow_dreamer]

there are tons of urban legends and some have been published. have u heard this one?

In the Mililani cemetery where the children section is a statue is supposedly freaky. Dy or night, no matter where you stand, move it seems to follow you and always face directly at you.

I've been there and the only thing that happened was a chill down my back looking at the statue. Who knows?

 

[Whispering_Wolf57]

there are tons of urban legends and some have been published. have u heard this one?

In the Mililani cemetery where the children section is a statue is supposedly freaky. Dy or night, no matter where you stand, move it seems to follow you and always face directly at you.

I've been there and the only thing that happened was a chill down my back looking at the statue. Who knows?

I have never heard that one but I think similar ones. I love all this stuff ghosts and unexplained. I will post more when I can hope to see more of yours. BTW where is the cemetary you mentioned?