May 1, 2001 Issue
Oh Y’all…! Until a couple of days ago, I had the best story in mind to share with you here in this issue!!! It’s been making the rounds on the internet via email, and when three different folks from different parts of the country sent it to me in space of twenty four hours, a week or so ago, I had to agree it was special… Maybe you saw it too – it had to do with a famous violinist and a broken string…??? Actually, it was mostly about the power of one’s attitude, when combined with the kind of artistic skill that comes only from extensive practice and professional experience, and the choice to “go forth anyway” when confronted with the various challenges that sometimes show up in our lives (most often at very public and otherwise inopportune moments)…
Well, as I always do with such things, I made several phone calls to check out it’s veracity and to see who I needed to appeal to for permission to pass it along… and was I ever surprised to learn that not one bit of it was true! Not only did it not happen to the violinist specified, he wasn’t even performing at all anywhere on the day the story said it all happened! It turned out to be a genuine “Tall Tale”… and duty requires me to honor this person’s wishes and not perpetuate the myth, even if it really does still read like a “good story” otherwise …(dang it!)
While such things are not unique to the internet, new technologies seem to bring whole new areas where we have to be “on our toes” in order to not get “taken in” …Certainly, such stories often show up elsewhere too - in printed materials of various sorts, in newspaper articles, on TV as “special interest investigations” or those "special offer, guaranteed, introductory, limited-time-only-so-buy-now" commercials ("you too can have thin body parts in 30 days, guaranteed!" or "buy today - lose weight yesterday!" – the list is endless!), or even as targeted mailings via our regular U.S. Post Office boxes. But especially if you’ve joined the legions of emailers, perhaps you’ve come across this kind of thing before and have noticed it too… the well intentioned “virus alerts”, chain letters of all ilk, and especially the heart wrenching and gut grabbing stories – this group in particular seems to be growing exponentially in numbers these days, and making the rounds across the country like electronic tsunami waves... The problem is, electronic or not, so many of them are written just well enough, contain just enough of the right sounding buzz words, and have just the right tone to them that it’s sometimes really hard to sort out the hoax/myth/tall tales from something that genuinely needs our active attention!
PURELY AS A MATTER OF FURTHER PUBLIC SERVICE, then, allow me to recommend these free web site resources for your use should you find stories crossing your path that might benefit from a bit of investigation before they get passed along… and if you don’t happen to have a computer with internet hook-up at home, try your local library – the reference people there are usually happy to help with this kind of thing!
(1) Hoax Busters – http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org -- this web site is amazingly complete… detailed lists of hoaxes and chain letters are there, along with virtually everything one needs to know about recognizing hoaxes in general, and what to do about them when they enter your life.
(2) The Archive of Urban Legends: http://urbanlegends.about.com/science/urbanlegends/library/blbyolix.htm is absolutely a must-see! Don’t let the long address discourage you – there is a wealth of information here and lots of reassurance as well – especially about some of the more heart-rending appeals making the rounds as legitimate sounding stories. (Goodness knows, we've come a long way from the “do you have Prince Edward in A Can” and “is your refrigerator running?” days…!)
(3) The Symantec Company also offers a reliable reference list too – http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/hoax.html. Since this company specializes in virus protection, they are generally rather quick to get “hoax” information listed and available.
(4) The F-Secure Company is similar, and offers information at http://www.datafellows.com/virus-info/hoax/ -- hoaxes are also listed here alphabetically for easy searching.
NOW -- In terms of FLUTE NETWORK concerns – as a reminder - it’s no myth that our next issue is the June 1 issue – the deadline for which is noon on May 15th, and the following issue is our special combined “July/August Pre-NFA Convention issue” which goes out July 25th – it’s deadline is noon on July 15th! And also -- THANK YOU, once again, to all who have been letting us know about their upcoming changes of address – not only is it genuinely helpful, it’s a genuine pleasure to talk with you (and this is true, even if you’re not planning a move)!
The Flute Network is a registered non-profit corporation. Published on a monthly basis, this adletter continues to circulate free of charge to more than 6,300 selected flutists and flute teachers nationwide. Being a "bulletin board service", our purpose is to facilitate communications among those interested in the flute. First class subscriptions are available for a fee of $20.00 a year, which will allow us to send you your copy via first class mail (in the U.S.A.; $29.50 [U.S. funds] for Canada and airmail overseas). Because of postal regulations, the Flute Network is available in Canada and overseas only by first class subscription. Single issues will be sent upon receipt of a postage-paid, self-addressed business-size envelope. Do feel free to give us a call if we can help with any questions. If this is the first you've seen of this publication we welcome you to The Flute Network and look forward to receiving your ad or notice!
