Conspiracy Theories - The Art of the Prank

November 9, 2009December 15, 2023

Framed by a Computer Virus

Framed for child porn _ by a PC virus
by Jordan Robertson
1010WINS
November 9, 2009

child-p-200 Of all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography.

Heinous pictures and videos can be deposited on computers by viruses – the malicious programs better known for swiping your credit card numbers. In this twist, it’s your reputation that’s stolen.

Pedophiles can exploit virus-infected PCs to remotely store and view their stash without fear they’ll get caught. Pranksters or someone trying to frame you can tap viruses to make it appear that you surf illegal Web sites.

Whatever the motivation, you get child porn on your computer – and might not realize it until police knock at your door.

An Associated Press investigation found cases in which innocent people have been branded as pedophiles after their co-workers or loved ones stumbled upon child porn placed on a PC through a virus. It can cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars to prove their innocence. Continue reading “Framed by a Computer Virus”

November 4, 2009December 15, 2023

Lou Dobbs Takes a Crapshot

Questions Surrounding Dobbs’ Gunfire Incident Cast Doubt on CNN’s Credibility
by Roberto Lovato
Huffington Post
October 30, 2009

lou-dobbs-200 Conflicting reports about a bullet that hit the top of Lou Dobbs’ house in Sussex, New Jersey, are raising new and serious questions about the credibility of Lou Dobbs, CNN and its President, Jon Klein. Reports in the New York Post and here on the Huffington Post now indicate that the bullet was likely a hunter’s errant shot. Yet Dobbs and CNN have rushed onto the airwaves, treating the incident as a de-facto murder attempt against the news host and his wife.

During Monday’s broadcast on his radio show, Dobbs declared in the most urgent tone that “Three weeks ago this morning a shot was fired at my house,” and that the shots “followed weeks and weeks of threatening phone calls.” Dobbs went on to link the alleged attack to a vast Latino conspiracy made up of Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera, LULAC, the National Council of La Raza and other “ethnocentric interest groups,” groups that he says are “creating an atmosphere” that led to the alleged phone threats and supposed attack. Continue reading “Lou Dobbs Takes a Crapshot”

September 10, 2009December 15, 2023

Area 51: The World That Doesn’t Exist

Submitted by W.J. Elvin III as seen in the LA Times:

The Road to Area 51
by Annie Jacobsen
LA Times
April 5, 2009

After decades of denying the facility’s existence, five former insiders speak out

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Area 51. It’s the most famous military institution in the world that doesn’t officially exist. If it did, it would be found about 100 miles outside Las Vegas in Nevada’s high desert, tucked between an Air Force base and an abandoned nuclear testing ground.

Then again, maybe not– the U.S. government refuses to say. You can’t drive anywhere close to it, and until recently, the airspace overhead was restricted–all the way to outer space. Any mention of Area 51 gets redacted from official documents, even those that have been declassified for decades.

It has become the holy grail for conspiracy theorists, with UFOlogists positing that the Pentagon reverse engineers flying saucers and keeps extraterrestrial beings stored in freezers. Urban legend has it that Area 51 is connected by underground tunnels and trains to other secret facilities around the country. Continue reading “Area 51: The World That Doesn’t Exist”

August 28, 2009December 15, 2023

LiteratEye #28: The Mona Lisa Theft Mystery – Was There a Mastermind?

Here’s the twenty eighth installment of LiteratEye, a series found only on The Art of the Prank Blog, by W.J. Elvin III, editor and publisher of FIONA: Mysteries & Curiosities of Literary Fraud & Folly and the LitFraud blog.

LiteratEye #28: The Mona Lisa Theft Mystery – Was There a Mastermind
By W.J. Elvin III
August 28, 2009

monalisa recov-425

Assuming the world doesn’t end before the predicted date of 2012, many of us will be around to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. Among suspects in the “unimaginable” 1911 theft was Pablo Picasso – and I don’t mean he was a suspect in theory; the young leading light of modern art was actually hauled into court for intense questioning.

There will likely be a surge of books, exhibitions, television shows and so on connected with the anniversary of the best-known art heist of all time. We can expect a great deal of drama. That’s not to say we can expect a great deal of truth. Continue reading “LiteratEye #28: The Mona Lisa Theft Mystery – Was There a Mastermind?”

July 15, 2009December 15, 2023

Dark Side of the Moon

Update, July 16, 2009 — An interesting twist for conspiracy theorists — NASA lost moon footage, but Hollywood restores it

Submitted by Jorge Luis Marzo:

From Wikipedia:

“Dark Side of the Moon” is a French mockumentary by director William Karel which originally aired on Arte in 2002 with the title Opération Lune. The basic premise for the film is the theory that the television footage from the Apollo 11 Moon landing was faked and actually recorded in a studio by the CIA with help from director Stanley Kubrick. It features some surprising guest appearances, most notably by Donald Rumsfeld, Dr. Henry Kissinger, Alexander Haig, Buzz Aldrin and Stanley Kubrick’s widow, Christiane Kubrick…

Here, as a tease, are three clips about 25 minutes long, cut from the hour and a half documentary.

Continue reading “Dark Side of the Moon”