ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 27, 1997 TAG: 9702270013
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-6 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Computer Bits
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
AND A CHAIN E-MAIL LETTER about a dying girl's last wish is a fraud, the American Cancer Society says.
Cheese, the Loch Ness Monster and air bags come up for discussion at The Why Files?, a colorful, simply written page that could be of equal interest to recreational surfers or techies needing the answer to a scientific question. The site explains the science behind the news. A cloning feature will appear March 6.
The Why Files? is a project of the National Institute for Science Education and is paid for by the National Science Foundation. In addition to feature stories on current events, the site provides a pathway to forums on topics such as astronomy, math and general science.
You can post a question - on anything, such as "Why is cheese mold blue?" - and check back later for an answer. The people at The Why Files report that they receive too many questions to answer themselves, so they post the questions for the public to answer.
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Businesses looking to expand or relocate in Virginia have a new source of information with the launch of a web site by the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
The partnership is a 7-month-old joint agency of government and private industry that markets the state as a business location. Its web offerings are slim, just some fact sheets, a list of services and contact information. It is only an introduction to the state, however, intended to stir interest. The section on Roanoke describes a vibrant region drawing many new manufacturing and distribution centers, with low business costs, easy access to research and development experts, and high quality of life.
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The Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau's new site is a menu of text about such things as hotels, attractions and meeting facilities. The list of attractions - from the Historic Farmers Market to The Showtimers theater troupe - is long and a positive comment on the depth of this area's cultural tastes.
The site, still new, needs a little cleaning up to take care of misspellings and such gaffes as a statement that Hotel Roanoke is "six miles" from downtown.
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A chain e-mail letter about a dying girl's last wish - and the fund-raising efforts sparked by it - is a fraud, the American Cancer Society says.
The letter, which appears to have originated on America Online, reads in part: "Little Jessica Mydek is seven years old and is suffering from an acute and very rare case of cerebral carcinoma. ... As part of her dying wish, she wanted to start a chain letter to inform people of this condition and to send people the message to live life to the fullest. ... the American Cancer Society and several corporate sponsors have agreed to donate three cents toward continuing cancer research for every new person that gets forwarded this message."
Apparently, the plea struck a chord with on-line users; the message has been forwarded to hundreds of e-mail addresses. But according to a posting on the American Cancer Society's web site, the story of little Jessica's troubles is, as far as the organization can determine, unsubstantiated. Nor is the American Cancer Society participating in any fund-raising efforts in Jessica's name or using a chain letter to raise money.
An e-mail address, supposedly for the American Cancer Society, included in the message is inactive. Any messages to the American Cancer Society should be sent instead through the group's web site.
FOR THURSDAY BUSINESS PAGE, COMPUTER BITS GRAPHIC
The Why Files?
http://whyfiles.news.wisc.edu/index.html
Virginia Economic Development Partnership
www.YesVirginia.org
Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau
www.visitroanokeva.com
American Cancer Society
www.cancer.org
You can contribute to this column or just comment by E-mail to grege@roanoke.com or rtimes1@roanoke.infi.net or by calling 981-3393 or 981-3237 in the Roanoke Valley, or (800) 346-1234, extension 393, outside the Roanoke area. Previous Computer Bits columns can be found online at http://www.roanoke.com
LENGTH: Medium: 87 linesby CNB