HILARIOUS STORY OF A VICTIM OF HOAX CHAIN LETTERS

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 , 2008, 2009 and 2010 continuing it in 2011 also.......

Because of your kindness:

* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it's good for removing toilet stains.

* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.

* Forwarded hundreds of mails but still waiting for FREE DESKTOP, LAPTOP, CAMERA, CELLPHONE etc….

* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer...

* I don't leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 7 blocks for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and try to rob me.

* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill with calls to Uganda, Pakistan, Singapore and Tokyo.

* I also stopped drinking anything out of a Can for fear that I will get sick from the rat faeces and urine.

* When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me, then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times.. (Poor girl! she's been 8 since 2003...)

* Still open to help somebody from Nigeria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle's property of $ 100 million. So much trustworthy.

* I have forwarded 35 emails to 400 people hoping that Ericsson or Nokia will send me latest mobile phones but those models are also obsolete now.

* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh, Tirupathi Balaji pics etc. Now most of those "Wishes" are already married (to someone else..sobbing).

NOW IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you do not post it as your status in the next 10 seconds, a bird will Pee on your head today at 6:30pm.

Nothing has happened till now?..................... but who knows. So please post.

(This was received in an email sometime back. It looks funny but it pours light over so many issues in a funny way that how stupidly we beleive everything which is sent to us without first checking its facts.)

YOGIC LEVITATION (ANTI-GRAVITY FLYING) - IS IT POSSIBLE?

Levitation or self levitation is the act of ascending into the air and floating in apparent defiance of gravity. It is assumed that after certain yogic stages a person can defy gravity and can suspend or travel defying the gravity. Spiritual gurus and sadhus are often depicted as levitating known as Yogic Levitation. Some take the ability to levitate as a sign of blessedness or divinity.

Yogic Flying or Hopping

Others like me see it as a conjurer's trick. In truth no one can really levitate; they just appear to do so. Clever people can use illusion, "invisible" string, magnets, and other trickery to make things or people appear to levitate. Spiritual guru Mahesh Yogi made millions by showing this trick to Americans and westerners. Below is a video showing a yogi in that state. Pl see full video for full enlightment..(kidding).

Sometime back Godman Nithyananda also tried the trick to get back some publicity after his famous sex scandal, but just got more egg on his face. The godman, who is out on bail in that sex scandal case, claimed he can fight the law of gravity and also can make anyone levitate. ABRACADABRA....CHHOO..

One person from the media covering the event challenged his claim - Check below video !

There are people in Transcendental Meditation who will sit cross-legged and hop up and down on their butts, claiming that they are flying. Perhaps they are.. (coughing..should I say jumping like grogs) for a fraction of a second, a few inches off the ground, until gravity brings them back to earth. During that fraction followers will take pictures which are shown to allure the prospective followers.

You can also levitate at home without any Yogic Training. Just jump on the spring bed and ask someone to take pics while you are still up in the air. And voila there you go! There is fortunately another easy way out too. You just need to know how to photoshop :) ..

POISONING FROM RE-USE OF PLASTIC BOTTLES

You might have come across a same or similar scare that reusing of plastic water bottles (sometimes the email mentions only water bottles left in car), can cause cancer or any of the dreaded diseases. Some even mentions that the number given at the bottom of the bottle is number a bottle can be used safely, really? See what the experts say about it.

Quoted excerpts from emails:

“Some of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable water bottles, keeping them in your car or at work.

Not a good idea. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called diethylhydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well.

Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens can leach into the water that YOU are drinking.

Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses.”

Clarifications:

This one has roots in media coverage of one person's unsupported hypothesis. The idea that reusing plastic bottles can cause compounds in the plastic to break down into carcinogenic substances comes from a 2001 Master's Thesis by a student at the University of Idaho. Despite the fact that the thesis was not subject to peer review and, thus, lacking any degree of scientific authority, several media outlets picked up on it and ran the typical "what-you-don't-know-can-kill-you" stories.

Most convenience-sized plastic water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a lightweight, shatter resistant and well-tested material. Based on the results of its extensive review, FDA allows the use of PET in both single-use and repeated-use food and beverage packaging. In fact, refillable bottles made with the same PET resin as single-use bottles are frequently reused in a number of other countries.

Contrary to this hoax, PET bottles are not made with DEHA, an FDA-permitted additive used with some types of plastics to impart flexibility and other desirable qualities.

It is true that many organizations and bottled water companies recommend against reusing their packaging, but the rationale is far less life-threatening. Rather, they caution that most bottles are not sufficiently cleaned and dried before refilling to prevent possible bacterial contamination.

Every plastic bottle has a number (generally within a triangle) written at the bottom, ranging from one to seven. The number registered has nothing to do with the number of times plastic has been recycled. It’s just the type of plastic which is used for that particular bottle. 5 is polypropylene and 1 is PET that is polyethylene terephthalate etc etc. The numbers below is useful while sorting the collected bottles while recycling. In other words it is plastic identification number.

1 – PET, polyethylene terephthalate
2 – HDPE, high-density polyethylene
3 – PVC, polyvinyl chloride
4 – LDPE, low-density polyethylene
5 – PP, polypropylene
6 – PS/PS-E, polystyrene / expanded polystyrene
7 – OTHER, resins or multi-materials

Tip: When you choose to reuse a plastic water bottle, don’t forget to clean it just as you would any drinking container. Be sure to wash with hot soapy water and dry thoroughly between each use. The concern is that bacteria can thrive in warm, moist environments, and once opened, bacteria can grow in virtually any beverage container under the right conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse_of_water_bottles

HOAX - Lemon for artery blockage

A couple of months ago I received this in email. It sounded genuine (as our ayurveda is also based upon herbs) and scientific mainly because of the acedemic credential of the alleged author of the study. Still I had my doubts because I don't belive in anything which comes my way specially if it is sent in an email. So I tried to search internet with relevant keywords. To my shock this was available on internet at each and every herbal/ayurvedic and holistic medicine site with exactly the same wordings (BTW they call it plagiarism in technical terms i.e. to copy/paste in ditto).

It was already too much for me to digest so I searched the internet for Dr. Vikineswari's credentials and luckily found her on the university website with an email ID. I wrote to her enquiring about the research and, unbelievably, within minutes got her response. Can you believe what was her response? Scroll to the bottom to check for yourself.... and this is a living proof how fake information keeps on circulating the internet citing wrong or fake credentials and so one should be very selective in accepting the information from the web. FYI a similar email cures cancer by lemons-will explain some other time.

Excerpts from the email first:

Natural therapy for opening the veins of the heart. Please pass it to your colleagues or friends.  For Heart Vein opening:  Lemon juice              01 cup Ginger juice               01 cup Garlic  juice               01 cup  Apple vinegar            01 cup Mix all above and boil on low heat, approximately half  hour, when it becomes 3 cups, take off stove and let cool. After cooling, mix 3 cups of natural honey and keep it in bottle. Every morning before breakfast  use one Table spoon regularly. Your blockage of Vein's will open. No need now for any Angiography  or Bypass...  Please pass on this to your real well wishers...  Wishing you a healthy life.. Prof. Dr. S. Vikineswary Biotech Division Institute of Biological Sciences University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Reply from the mentioned Prof. Dr. S. Vikineshwari: From: Prof. Dr. Vikineswary Sabaratnam [mailto:viki@um.edu.my] Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 14:29 To: Chand, Subhash Subject: Re: FW: No need for Angiography or Bypass Dear Sir, This is a chain/hoax  mail which is circulating and ever since I responded to my friend's query, it has been circulating as if it originated from me. I am not the original sender- I have not done research in this area – I am not a medical doctor. Pls convey this to your email list of friends - will appreciate that. . Caution!  The remedy stated below and sent around in chain email is unsubstantiated -  no research done by me   Rgds, Prof Dr. Vikineswary  S

INTRODUCTION - ASATO MA SADGAMAYA (Lead me from darkness of ignorance towards the light of truth)

The purpose or intention of creating this blog is what has been captured by the vedic mantra "Asato ma sad gamaya" means God lead me from darkness of ignorance towards the light of the truth or knowledge.

How does it fit the description of this blog is that there are a large no. of superstitions/old wives tales/urban legends/myths surrounding us that we are covered in false sense (or knowledge) of the surrounding world from head to toe. You think that some practice or act is logical because some of your guru or elder has told, therefore it must be true. Some practices are encient and you think because it has travelled through so many centuries therefore it must be having a time tested or real significance even if you  don't know what it is. But sadly most of the times this is not what science tests and proves.

We will tackle such issues in this blog. I'll try to explain the phenomenon in simple language (I am planning to add Hindi also later for a wider coverage) and will use external reference and material so as to save time & effort on my part as well as to give readers a sense of trust so that they can easily believe what is being said or explained. Also this blog will be 100% based upon scientific principles and the explanations and elaborations will use scientific methods. There is no space for holistic/mystical/spiritual explanations on this blog. All whatever will be said or discussed will be 100% tested and proved.

Well this is officially my first post on this blog. Hope you will enjoy the blog. Spread the word if you like the blog and also give your comments about the post. Also if you want me to find truth about any topic just just let me know. Critics are also welcome but criticism should be based upon scientific evidence (like material from websites of big reputed organisations like NASA, FDA, WHO, etc. will be considered scientific evidence and not some reply in Yahoo/wiki answers or excerpts from a spiritual/religious site).

Happy reading..

Regards,

Subhash Kamboj

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