Rumor du Jour: October 23, 2009

Korean versions of the Microsoft Windows operating system use a special version of the critical system error screen known as the "blue sceeen of death." It is a white screen with black text, as Korean custom traditionally associates the color blue with weddings, and white with death.

Rumor du Jour: July 5, 2008

On July 5, 1759, the last of 5 native European parakeet species became extinct. Belle, an English Blue parakeet, died at the Royal Conservatory in London. She was thirty-six years old. Parakeets were considered a delicacy throughout Europe during the Renaissance and were hunted to extinction.

Rumor du Jour - Tuesday - March 17, 2009

According to a distant relative, Irish babies are very tasty when prepared in the right manner.

Rumor du Jour - Jolie birthed Siamese twins

Gossip sources say that the secrecy surrounding Brad Pitt and Angeline Jolie's twins is due to the fact that the twins are conjoined at the abdomen. Doctors will perform surgery on the twins in a few weeks when they have matured and gained weight. The twins are not expected to suffer any long-term effects.

Rumor du Jour - 232 baseballs in Earth orbit

Astronaut Edward White made the first spacewalk during the Gemini 4 mission in 1965. While outside his craft, he threw out a autographed baseball. It has become a tradition for each spacewalking astronaut to throw out an autographed ball. There are now 232 recorded baseballs orbiting Earth, and scientists suspect that the balls may be responsible for several satellite failures in recent years.

Rumor du Jour - Government investigates marijuana as alternative fuel

The U.S. Department of Energy is currently investigating the use of marijuana as an alternative fuel. It would cost less to produce and would produce three times the energy of corn when distilled into ethanol.

Rumor du Jour - Tyson to be on Dancing with the Stars

Former WBA world heavyweight champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson is in negotiations with ABC to appear on the 7th season of the hit reality show Dancing with the Stars.

Rumor du Jour - Angry Facebook users threaten Zuckerberg

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has received death threats for removing the application Scrabulous from the popular social networking site. A group called the "Scrabulous Liberation Front" has sent threatening emails to Zuckerberg and to members of Hasbro's board of directors. Hasbro manufactures Scrabble, the board game on which Scrabulous is based.

Rumor du Jour - Canada to join OPEC

In an unexpected development, Canada, the United States’ number one source of foreign oil, will join the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. (OPEC) Canada's membership will be finalized by the end of 2008.

Rumor du Jour - Churchill had 3 wives in India

During his time in colonial India with the British Army, Sir Winston Churchill had 3 Indian wives. This practice was not unusual for the time and, according to custom, Churchill divorced his wives when he returned to Britain.

Rumor du Jour - Daredevil Knievel undercover fed

The recently released FBI files of daredevil Evel Knievel show that he was an undercover FBI operative responsible for investigating several motorcycle gangs, most notably the infamous Hell's Angels.

Rumor du Jour - Granite countertops radioactive

A recent study by Underwriters Laboratory has shown that several varieties of granite used to make kitchen countertops contain enough uranium to give homeowners the equivalent of 8 chest x-rays per year.

Rumor du Jour - Interpol: Al Qaeda behind produce contamination

The international law enforcement agency Interpol has released a report pointing to Al Qaeda operatives in Mexico contaminating tomatoes and Jalapeno peppers.

Rumor du Jour - 50% of Hall & Oates arrested

John Oates, best known as the mustachioed half of the successful rock duo Hall & Oates, was arrested last Friday for taking cell phone photos up female patrons' skirts at a Boulder, Colorado restaurant.

Rumor du Jour - Great Wall of China damaged in quake

According to Chinese government sources, a 7 kilometer (4.3 mi.) stretch of China's historic Great Wall was destroyed during a magnitude 7.8 earthquake last May. The Chinese government had originally denied that there was any damage to the Great Wall, but admitted to the damage after satellite imagery revealed the destruction. The Chinese government has claimed that it will restore the Great Wall to its orginal condition.

Rumor du Jour - Restaurant "veal" actually pork tenderloin

Analysis by the FDA shows that 45% of all meat labeled as veal and sold in American restaurants is actually pork, usually cut from the tenderloin.

Rumor du Jour - New Yorker toting airline passengers detained in Denver

A number of unnamed air travelers were detained and questioned for several hours recently at Denver International Airport in Colorado. Due to a miscommunication by TSA managers, the travelers were detained for carrying copies of the New Yorker magazine with a cover illustration depicting presidential candidate Barack Obama and his wife as terrorists.

Rumor du Jour - Church told Romney to scuttle election bid

According to campaign sources, former Republican Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney withdrew from the 2008 primaries because of an edict from the leadership of the Mormon church. According to internal church communications, Romney was to end his campaign because the church elders believed that "their number should not aspire to the Kingdoms of this Earth, rather to the Kingdom of God." Neither Romney's spokespeople nor The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints could be reached for comment.

Rumor du Jour: Study says smoking possible cause of homosexuality

A study by the University of New Mexico Medical School shows that concentrations of the heavy metals cadmium and mercury in the bodies of expectant mothers can alter the parts of the brains of male fetuses, making their brains more like those of heterosexual women and gay men. Cadmium, mercury and other heavy metals are found in trace amounts in cigarettes. The study's administrators did not claim a direct link between smoking and homosexuality, but did mention that the chemicals found in cigarettes could contribute to the condition.

Rumor du Jour - Chuck Norris: 0 - Laura Bush:1

Contrary to popular belief, martial arts expert Chuck Norris has never killed anyone. By contrast, First Lady Laura Bush killed a high school classmate, but not with her bare hands.