Philippine School Cancels Classes Over Psychic Email Hoax

I am so glad I only heard about this now. That means my friends aren’t morons who forward dumb emails. Gerry Alanguilan reminds us that there are still too many n00bs in the Philippines, even among its so-called “educators”:

My dad called me up to say that he won’t be teaching tomorrow at a local school, a Catholic school, may I add, because classes were suspended because someone predicted that there will be an 8.1 Magnitude earthquake in the Philippines tomorrow, and that thousands will die.

My dad doesn’t believe it, and neither do I.

The rumor stems from an email that had originated from a Brazilian psychic named Juseleeno Nobulega DaRoose, and apparently people say he has credibility because he predicted 9-11, the Indonesia Tsunami, the death of Princess Diana, etc.

Yes, folks, a Philippine school is canceling classes over a forwarded psychic email hoax. A simple Google search on this “DaRoose” fellow — actually Jucelino Nobrega da Luz — reveals him to be a fraud.

His trick is to write letters about things that happened in the past, then forge a postmark on the envelope to make is appear as if he had written the letter before the event took place. He has been exposed for this fraud in the past.

If nothing else, superstitious Filipinos should at least learn to use Google! If they really want something to lose sleep over, try the Large Hadron Collider.

You know what the sad part is? July 18 will come and go without incident, and superstitious Filipinos will attribute their safety to fervent prayer instead of common sense. Even as more Filipinos learn to to forward email, the Philippines remains a nation in the grip of ignorance and fear.

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