Xref: info.physics.utoronto.ca alt.answers:4828 alt.folklore.urban:164421 news.answers:30430
Path: dog.ee.lbl.gov!usenet
From: twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,news.answers,alt.answers
Subject: alt.folklore.urban  Frequently Asked Questions  [Part 1 of 4]
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Date: 7 Oct 1994 20:55:42 GMT
Organization: Department of Redundancy Department
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Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu
Expires: 31 October 1994
Message-ID: <41774@dog.ee.lbl.gov>
Reply-To: TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.12.117
Summary: Urban legends supported, challenged and debunked
         Please read before posting to AFU

Archive-name: folklore-faq/part1
Last-Modified: 94/10/7
Version: 2.50

7 October 1994

      Official Usenet Alt.Folklore.Urban Frequently Posted Legends

      "I will set down a tale...it may be history it may 
       be only a legend, a tradition.  It may have 
       happened, it may not have happened.  But it could 
       have happened..."

                       -- Mark Twain [via Christopher Neufeld]


TABLE OF CONTENTS TO THIS AND THE OTHER PARTS OF THE FAQ LIST

Part 1 		- Introduction to the newsgroup and the FAQ list.
			[This document]

PART 2		- General administrative and other notes on urban
		  legends (ULs) and the newsgroup (e.g., bait for
		  for "trolling.".

PART 3		- Major Categories of ULs Covered in the FAQ:

PART 4		- Credits and some references


===========================================================================

1.  INTRODUCTION TO THE FAQ POSTINGS FOR AFU:

The newsgroup alt.folklore.urban (AFU) is devoted to the 
discussion and debunking of urban legends and other related 
issues.  This is Part I of the Frequently Asked Questions/
Frequently Posted Legends list for AFU.

Frequency:
----------
The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list for alt.folklore.urban
is posted approximately twice a month to the alt.folklore.urban,
news.answers, and alt.answers newsgroups with an expiration date
approximately one month from the date of posting.  If the FAQ is
not available on AFU at your site, check the other newsgroups
mentioned above.

Anonymous FTP:
--------------
The four part FAQ for alt.folklore.urban is also available 
via anonymous ftp at rtfm.mit.edu.  You can retrieve them by 
grabbing the following files:
  
     /pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part1
     /pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part2
     /pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part3
     /pub/usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part4

E-MAIL:
------
If you do not have anonymous ftp access, rtfm.mit.edu can
send the FAQ to you via email.  Send an e-mail message to 
mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu, subject ignored, and the body
containing:
  
     send usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part1
     send usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part2
     send usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part3
     send usenet/news.answers/folklore-faq/part4


CATHOUSE:
---------
The FAQ and various sundry information are also available via 
anonymous ftp from cathouse.org (128.174.184.32) in the 
/pub/cathouse/urban.legends subdirectory and is also mirrored at 
balder.nta.no (128.39.1.8) in the /pub/alt.folklore.urban 
subdirectory.  Thanks to Jason Heimbaugh (jrh@dixie.aiss.uiuc.edu)
for his efforts in maintaining this archive.


WWW/Mosaic:
-----------
For the net.privileged, Andrew Condon (afcondon@dsg.cs.tcd.ie) has
generously made some initial cuts at making the AFU FAQ available 
via World Wide Web (WWW).  The URL is: 

   http://www.dsg.cs.tcd.ie:/dsg_people/afcondon/AFU/AFU-FAQ.html

The ideal web-access binary for accessing the WWW-version of the
FAQ is Mosaic.  You can use anonymous ftp to grab a copy of a 
Mosaic binary from NCSA.  The site name is ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu.
There are versions for most platforms inlcuding Sparc, SGI, Dec, 
HP, and even PC and Mac.  

The WWW version of the FAQ is still under development and if you 
are particularly interested in a particular item, you would 
probably be well-advised to cross-check it with the versions
noted in rtfm.mit.edu or *.answers are noted above.


2.	INTRODUCTION TO THE NEWSGROUP AFU

This is alt.folklore.urban -- the newsgroup where nonsense is revered
as an artform, and debunking has been taken to new heights. 

The group has broadened its god-given mandate from a place for 
discussing urban legends (ULs) to a place for confirming or disproving 
beliefs and facts of all kinds, including origin of vernacular ("The 
whole nine yards", "Sniping like a bald giraffe"), common scientific 
fallacies, obscure points of history, stories of pranks, the location 
of Foucalt's pendulums, Why "Space 1999" was better than "Star Trek: 
TOS," "What types of salmon are there?" and so on.  In other words, 
it's a great place to get a reality check on anything that "a friend" 
told you, or to compare notes about odd things.  Bear in mind though
that the FAQ tries, in its own confused way, to focus more on UL
relevant topics.

As a result, you will find items in the classic urban legend mold 
(e.g., food contamination legends), as well as old wives tales, and 
other oddball facts, trivia, and stories.

===========================================================================
An urban legend:
    * appears mysteriously and spreads spontaneously in varying 
      forms,
    * contains elements of humor or horror (the horror often 
      "punishes" someone who flouts society's conventions).
    * makes good storytelling.
    * does NOT have to be false, although most are.  ULs often 
      have a basis in fact, but it's their life after-the-fact 
      (particularly in reference to the second and third points) 
     that gives them particular interest.
===========================================================================

The AFU Frequently Asked Questions List has been maintained by Terry
Chan since July 1991.  It's inception and spirit was due to the 
efforts of Peter van der Linden in February 1991.

COPYRIGHT STUFF:
----------------
This Frequently Asked Questions List is a publication of AFU, Inc., 
a wholely owned subsidiary of Old Hat Enterprises, Inc.  Please 
contact Terry Chan at TWChan@lbl.gov or Peter van der Linden at 
linden@eng.sun.com for licensing and duplication rights.  

Copyrighted 1991-94.  All rights reserved by Terry Chan (twchan@lbl.gov).
--
Energy and Environment Division  | Mail:  twchan@lbl.gov 
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory     | 
Berkeley, California  USA  94720 | No, please, after you...