This was just sent to me, one day after Osama bin Laden rattled his beard at us again. Please note the response from my friend (the sender), and then mine.

To: Undisclosed-Recipient:;

Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 9:13 PM

Subject: Fw: NOT A JOKE

From [name removed by Lee to protect, well, foolishness]

—Sent: Thursday, September 06, 2007 4:24 PM

Subject: NOT A JOKE

Subject: Fw: Not a Joke!

>

>

>>> I did check this out @ snopes and it is factual.

>>>

>>> Re-Charging Cell Phones went to snopes.com to be sure it wasn’t an

>>> urban

>>> legend & it’s not.

>>> It is very true! And I do this all the time! Not anymore!!!!!!!!

>>> This seems important enough to forward to others. It’s wise to be safe

>>> and

>>> safe being wise.

>>> This was also on Pittsburgh ‘s WTAE channel 4 News.

>>>

>>> Never, ever answer a cell phone while it is being CHARGED !!

>>> A few days ago, a person was recharging his cell phone at home.

>>> Just at that time a call came and he answered it with the instrument

>>> still

>>> connected to the outlet. After a few seconds electricity flowed into the

>>> cell phone unrestrained and the young man was thrown to the ground with

>>> a

>>> heavy thud. His parents rushed to the room only to find him unconscious,

>>> with a weak heartbeat and burnt fingers. He was rushed to the nearby

>>> hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Cell phones are a very

>>> useful

>>> modern invention . Howev er, we must be aware that it can also be an

>>> instrument of death.

>>>

>>> Never use the cell phone while it is hooked to the electrical outlet!

>>>

>>> FORWARD THIS TO THE PEOPLE THAT MATTER IN YOUR LIFE, I JUST DID

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>>

>>

My friend’s forwarding note:

Here’s an interesting new trend. People still send these alarming e-mails, but they mention at the beginning that they checked it on snopes.com and it’s true. I checked this one on snopes and, while it’s true that there was one incident like the one described, they go on to point out that it’s the only one they found and doesn’t suggest any danger of it happening again. So, if you get a message that cites snopes, you might want to check that site yourself to find out what it really says.

With reference to the original email:

Oh, brother.

Yet another reminder that assuredly we live in the most fear-based society on the planet.

Ooh, the deadly cellphone is going to kill me.

If this were truly an epidemic, the lawsuits would have been filed long ago, it would have been major news, and cellphones would come wrapped in thick layers of non-conducting rubber.

Every time I come across some new major terribly deadly alert (like those killer bees! imminently arriving for 30 years now!) it makes me wonder about the people who profit from these nonsense distractions. After all, there are truly awful things happening right here in our own society — with our own government, and with uninsured people either suffering untreated or bankrupting hospitals, and with people who should be mental patients left to wander skid rows near you — but who can do anything about any of that, because we’ve got to fear the cellphones.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 7th, 2007 at 8:01 pm and is filed under Thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.