Urban Legends

It happened again today.

I received an e-mail from someone who forwarded something they assumed was correct, which also happened to be something they really wanted to believe.

Wikipedia defines Urban Legends as the following:

Urban legends are a kind of folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them (see rumor). The term is often used with a meaning similar to the expression "apocryphal story." Urban legends are not necessarily untrue, but they are often false, distorted, exaggerated, or sensationalized. Despite the name, urban legends do not necessarily take place in an urban setting. The name is designed to differentiate them from traditional folklore in preindustrial times.

A friend pointed me to this web site some time ago - http://www.snopes.com/ .
If you're ever questioning whether a story or 'urban legend' you've heard is true, go to this web site and search for your story. They have an extensive list, with sources cited.

We've all done it at some point - passed on some juicy piece of news. But before you hit that 'send' or 'forward' key, please check out whether what you are about to send is really true. Let's not spread rumor or gossip no matter who it is about, or how interesting it may seem.