dave@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Dave Goldblatt) (03/18/88)
From article <1600@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, by wel@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Warren E. Lewis): > David is a 7 year old boy who is dying from Cancer. Before he dies, > he has a dream of one day being in the Guinness Book of Records for > the person who has had the most postcards sent to them. If you would > like to help David achieve his dream, all you have to do is send a > postcard to David as soon as possible. > > Send to: > David, c/o Miss McWilliams > St Martin de Porres Infant School > [..] Please do NOT send any more postcards! A request was just posted stating this child HAS achieved his goal and WILL be in the Guinness book; he had over 144,000 cards sent to him. Now, however, his family and the school requests that you stop sending cards, since it's just a burden on them and the school. -dg- -- Internet: dave@sun.soe.clarkson.edu or: dave@clutx.clarkson.edu BITNET: dave@CLUTX.Bitnet uucp: {rpics, gould}!clutx!dave Matrix: Dave Goldblatt @ 1:260/360 ICBM: Why do you want to know? :-)
friedl@vsi.UUCP (Stephen J. Friedl) (03/18/88)
It has been written: > I've just recieved some information regarding a little boy, > who users of the NET might be interested in helping. > > David is a 7 year old boy who is dying from Cancer. Before he dies, > he has a dream of one day being in the Guinness Book of Records for > the person who has had the most postcards sent to them. If you would > like to help David achieve his dream, all you have to do is send a > postcard to David as soon as possible. This is great! I've only been on the net a month and I've just seen the *second* cycle of this perpetual hoax. This makes the rounds of magazines, _National Enquirers_ and talk shows (and apparently the net) all the time and it generates tons of mail to this fictitous person (the receiving post office hates it). How can this happen so often, and why is the little kid always in England? Steve -- Steve Friedl, KA8CMY ARPA/UUNET/CSNet: friedl@vsi.com *Hi Mom* {kentvax, uunet, attmail, {ucbvax, ihnp4, sun}!amdcad!uport}}!vsi!friedl "It's sad we judge others by their actions and ourselves by our motives"
rew@cbterra.ATT.COM (Bob Warren) (03/18/88)
In article <1600@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, wel@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Warren E. Lewis) writes: > David is a 7 year old boy who is dying from Cancer. Before he dies, > he has a dream of one day being the person who has had the most postcards > sent to them. Send a postcard to David. This has been shown to be an urban legend. Thorough investigation shows that no such boy exists or has existed. The same story has been circulating for about seven years, cropping up repeatedly despite denials. Bob Warren cbosgd!rew
jean@ltuxa.ATT.COM (Jean Airey) (03/19/88)
In article <572@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>, dave@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Dave Goldblatt) writes: > From article <1600@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu>, by wel@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Warren E. Lewis): > > David is a 7 year old boy who is dying from Cancer. Before he dies, > > he has a dream of one day being in the Guinness Book of Records for > > the person who has had the most postcards sent to them. If you would > > Please do NOT send any more postcards! A request was just posted stating > this child HAS achieved his goal and WILL be in the Guinness book; he had > over 144,000 cards sent to him. > -dg- Are you quite sure that this information is correct? there has been an urban legend exactly like this floating around for years (except the kid was dying in Scotland). -- Jean Airey ihnp4!ltuxa!hrcca!jean AT&T -- Hickory Ridge Training Center (312) 971-5135
see1@sphinx.uchicago.edu (Ellen Keyne Seebacher) (03/19/88)
In article <409@vsi.UUCP> friedl@vsi.UUCP (Stephen J. Friedl) writes: >> David is a 7 year old boy who is dying from Cancer. Before he dies, >> he has a dream of one day being in the Guinness Book of Records for >> the person who has had the most postcards sent to them. > >This is great! I've only been on the net a month and I've just >seen the *second* cycle of this perpetual hoax.... tons of mail to >this fictitous person (the receiving post office hates it). How >can this happen so often, and why is the little kid always in >England? You're not going to believe this, Steve, but this one is real. (I've been on the net for four years, and I'm familiar with perpetual hoaxes.) The Urban Legend you're thinking of usually involves "Little Buddy," who lives in Scotland, not England. Until about a year ago, the Guinness Book people swore up and down they wouldn't include a Little Buddy if he/she/it DID exist...but they apparently changed their minds. David is real (did you notice there's a real school name on this one? not a PO Box?), and as another poster has pointed out, the kid has more than reached his goal. Don't bother to send him any more. Okay, so some people are suckers for this sort of thing...I just had to call the University of Chicago Maroon [affectionately known as the Moron] and quash yet another Little Buddy plea, this time by a games columnist...but at least they have good hearts. Or something. :-) -- Ellen Keyne Seebacher University of Chicago Computation Center staff.ellen@chip.uchicago.edu ...{ihnp4!gargoyle, oddjob}!sphinx!see1
hollombe@ttidca.TTI.COM (The Polymath) (03/19/88)
In article <1600@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu> wel@ncsuvx.ncsu.edu (Warren E. Lewis) writes: > I've just recieved some information regarding a little boy, > who users of the NET might be interested in helping. > > [ the usual line about cancer, postcards, and Guinness ] OHMYGOD! That's _twice_ in ONE MONTH! This is an urban legend and an old prank. The Guinness Book of Records has no category for most postcards received. I've seen this posted to the net at least a dozen times over the last FOUR YEARS. Maybe *.announce.newusers needs another category: "Urban legends and pranks we've all seen too many times". I'll start it off with: o Dieing boy wants postcards to get into Guinness Book of Records o Blue Star tattoos contain LSD Any others? )-: -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM) Illegitimati Nil Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe -- The Polymath (aka: Jerry Hollombe, hollombe@TTI.COM) Illegitimati Nil Citicorp(+)TTI Carborundum 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. (213) 452-9191, x2483 Santa Monica, CA 90405 {csun|philabs|psivax|trwrb}!ttidca!hollombe
bobr@zeus.TEK.COM (Robert Reed) (03/19/88)
60 Minutes recently reported a similar story of a dying kid wanting to get in Guiness by collecting postcards. I don't remember the details, but the story sound so similar that it is likely they are the same story. 60 Minutes pointed out that THE STORY IS A HOAX!!!! There was no such child and local postal authorities were trying to get the word out, because the flood of post-cards was severely hampering their ability to handle other mail. -- Robert Reed, Tektronix CAE Systems Division, bobr@zeus.TEK
emp@ut-emx.UUCP (naDev~tlhIngan~putulu) (03/20/88)
...Since the story of "Little Buddy" has once again resurfaced, maybe it's time for me to make my plea: ...I am dying of normal natural causes, and I would like to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for being the youngest person to personally own a Cray. If each of you would send all the money you can to this net address, I'll be able to afford the down payment. ...remember, time is short. I've only got 40 or 50 years left! OM Discalmer: Yeah, I know it's crass & tasteless, but at least you know it's a hoax, right? :-) :-) ...and if you don't, here's that address so you can send all your money:
tainter@ihlpg.ATT.COM (Tainter) (03/22/88)
In article <3279@zeus.TEK.COM>, bobr@zeus.TEK.COM (Robert Reed) writes: > 60 Minutes recently reported a similar story of a dying kid wanting to get > THE STORY IS A HOAX!!!! > Robert Reed, Tektronix CAE Systems Division, bobr@zeus.TEK Well, my second cousin's mother's friend's neighbor has talked to little Davey (using a voice synthesizer, since his vocal cords are gone) and he says "60 MINUTES IS A HOAX!". --j.a.tainter
awd@dbase.UUCP (Alastair Dallas) (03/26/88)
How about the idea of collecting tabs off coke cans to trade for time on kidney dialysis machines? This one keeps coming around, and I have no idea whether it's legitimate or not, but it sure sounds pretty stupid. Throw away the aluminum can, we just want the pop top? Maybe a study of "urban hoaxes" isn't a bad idea--who starts these things and why? Alastair Dallas
roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (03/27/88)
In article <336@dbase.UUCP> awd@dbase.UUCP (Alastair Dallas) writes: > How about the idea of collecting tabs off coke cans to trade for time on > kidney dialysis machines? We've got a guy here who does that; he's up to something like 5 1-lb coffee cans full of pop tops. Supposedly his nephew's frat is collecting pop tops for this dialysis gig. Never occurred to me that it was a hoax, but now that you mention it, it does seem a bit wierd. I don't know, I give him my pop tops; it makes him happy and doesn't cost me anything. Now, somebody explain to me what this has to do with Macintoshes? -- Roy Smith, {allegra,cmcl2,philabs}!phri!roy System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
emp@ut-emx.UUCP (naDev~tlhIngan~putulu) (03/27/88)
In article <3217@phri.UUCP>, roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes: > In article <336@dbase.UUCP> awd@dbase.UUCP (Alastair Dallas) writes: > > How about the idea of collecting tabs off coke cans to trade for time on > > kidney dialysis machines? > > We've got a guy here who does that; he's up to something like 5 > 1-lb coffee cans full of pop tops. Supposedly his nephew's frat is > collecting pop tops for this dialysis gig. Never occurred to me that it > was a hoax, but now that you mention it, it does seem a bit wierd. I don't > know, I give him my pop tops; it makes him happy and doesn't cost me > anything. > > Now, somebody explain to me what this has to do with Macintoshes? ...easy. The hoax has to do whit what the tabs are used for. ...these tabs are all going to be recycled, and the funds are going to be used to help all you poor misguided Mac users get proper councelling in hopes that you will revert back to an IBM before it's too late! heh,heh,heh.... OM Discalmer: Sorry, this space for rent this week. Ask for our cheap rates.