The April Fools' Day Defense Kit

This year, don't be taken for a sucker by the media.
By Jack Shafer

As April 1 approaches, prudent observers will be on the lookout for the media's latest hoaxes. Last year, in anticipation of April Fools' Day, Jack Shafer offered advice on how to avoid becoming the victim of the media's shenanigans.

You don't look gullible, but you are. Year after year, the media take advantage of your naiveté and humiliates you with an April Fools' Day prank.

You're probably still kicking yourself for being fooled by the April 2000 Esquire feature about "Freewheelz," an Illinois startup that promised "self-financing, free cars" to consumers. Every time you spot Discover magazine on the newsstand, you growl because you fell for its April 1995 article about the discovery of the ice-melting, penguin-eating hotheaded naked ice borer. Your father probably still gripes about Sports Illustrated's April 1, 1985, article about Sidd Finch, the New York Mets prospect who could throw a baseball 168 mph.

The Museum of Hoaxes Web site catalogs these greatest hits to complete its Top 100 list of the greatest April Fool's hoaxes of all time. There's the BBC's legendary segment on the Swiss spaghetti harvest (1957), Phoenix New Times' story about the formation of the "Arm the Homeless Coalition" (1999), and PC Computing's report on legislative efforts to ban the use of the Internet while drunk (1994), just to name a few classics.

April Fools' hoaxes succeed because the victims, conditioned by a stream of implausible but true stories in the press, aren't expecting the sucker punch. If you don't want to be anybody's fool this year, assume a guarded crouch, especially as the countdown to April 1 progresses. Some April Fools' Day pranks arrive in your mailbox a couple of days before the holiday in the form of a monthly magazine. Remember, to be forewarned is to be forearmed.

Beware strange animals. If a story whiffs even remotely of the hotheaded naked ice borer, it's likely to be a hoax. Technology Review hoaxed its readers with an April Fools' story in 1985 titled "Retrobreeding the Woolly Mammoth." In 1984, the Orlando Sentinel did the same with a piece about the cockroach-devouring Tasmanian mock walrus. In 1994, London's Daily Star sports pages reported that invading superworms might destroy the Wimbledon green.

Turn off your radio. Deejays love to pull practical jokes on April Fools' Day. In 1989, KSLX-FM in Scottsdale, Ariz., broadcast the claim that the station had been taken hostage by Pima Indians, prompting calls to the police. WCCC-AM/FM in Hartford, Conn., told listeners on April 1, 1990, that a volcano had erupted not far away. San Diego's KGB-FM alerted listeners on April 1, 1993, that the space shuttle Discovery had been rerouted from Edwards Air Force Base to a local airport. Thousands showed up to view the landing despite the fact that the spacecraft was earthbound that day. It's not just shock jocks pulling the pranks—you can't trust NPR, either. Its "humorists" have aired pieces on portable zip codes you can take with you when you move (2004), federal health care for pets (2002), and advertisements projected onto the moon (2000).

Shun the British press. The British tabloids make stories up all the time, but on April Fool's Day, everybody on Fleet Street fabricates. The Times used the day to run a spoof ad announcing an auction of "surplus intellectual property"—various patents, trademarks, and copyrights. The Daily Mail announced the postponement of Andrew and Fergie's wedding because of a clash with Prince Charles' calendar. He was going to be butterfly-hunting in the Himalayas. The Daily Mail told readers that nuclear submarines were now patrolling the Thames. The Independent published a scoop about skirts for men at a fashionable shop. The Guardian declared it would replace the women's page with the men's page. In 2000, the Times complained that the surreal quality of the news—Labor turning right wing, for example—had taken the ease out of cracking a good April Fools' joke.

If they pranked before, they'll prank again. In addition to the British press and NPR, the weekly chain formerly known as New Times Inc. (now Village Voice Media) loves to hoax its readers.
Google has established a reputation for silly hoaxes with pages hyping its Google MentalPlex and PigeonRank technologies. It once posted openings for its Googlelunaplex office on the moon and introduced a smart-drink called GoogleGulp!

Too good to be true. News organizations sometimes fall for the April Fools' Day pranks perpetrated by outside hoaxsters, so don't expect every clue to be obvious. If an April 1 article declares that something valuable is now "free" or purports to break news about "hidden treasure," you're being had. Does an organization's acronym or abbreviation spell April Fool?
Also, scan copy for anagrams of "April Fools'" or some similar play on words. Discover's story on the hotheaded naked ice borer cited as its authority wildlife biologist "Aprile Pazzo," which is Italian for April Fool.

Alex Boese, curator of the Museum of Hoaxes and expert on all things April Fools', advises that you finish reading articles before rushing into the next cubicle to spread the incredible news.
Many hoax articles end with an obvious clue or an explanation that it's all a joke. Double-check all radio warnings of disasters—volcanic eruptions, floods, killer bee invasions—and question any story uncovering a new, onerous tax (say, on Linux).

New-product announcements that arrive on or near April 1, such as the left-handed Whopper, should be approached with skepticism, Boese says, but he cautions against reflexive hoax-spotting. On March 31, 2004, Google released the beta version of Gmail, which featured 1 GB of free storage, cavernous compared to other e-mail provider offerings. That was the same day the company unveiled its Googlelunaplex plans. The moon joke and the generosity of Gmail's 1 GB storage caused some nerds to sense a con and insist—wrongly—that Gmail was a giant April Fools' Day hoax.

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For a GoogleGulp of hoaxes, check out Alex Boese's book Hippo Eats Dwarf: A Field Guide to Hoaxes and Other B.S. What hilarious media-generated April Fool's Day hoax have I missed? Send your nominations to slate.pressbox@gmail.com.

(E-mail may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise. Permanent disclosure: Slate is owned by the Washington Post Co.)

The City Museum Of The Caribbean Sea

By Giselle Rodriguez

Tradition and history are combined in the city of Trinidad, located in the province of Sancti Spíritus, in the south coast of the Cuban central region, at 370 km. of Havana. Founded in the early 16 th century in honour of the Holy Trinity, the city was the third village founded by Spaniards in the island of Cuba. Trinidad was a bridgehead for the conquest of the American continent, and it was the home of rich landowners who constructed beautiful mansions and palaces. This fascinating place, also known as the city-museum of the Caribbean, it's considered a National Monument and it's one of the most attractive destinations for those who prefer going on vacations to Cuba.

This city is recognized as an architectural jewel. Frozen in the past, Trinidad exhibits a unique site, where the beauty of its nearly untouched colonial style grants the city the credit of being one of the most complete and best preserved colonial architectural groups of the American continent, an authentic invitation to photograph. Its houses and churches, its colonial mansions that became museums, all of Trinidad reminds us ancient times, like some kind of nostalgic evocation of the colonial epoch.

Trinidad offers many interesting cultural attractions for your cuba vacations. Among them are the Manaca-Iznaga tower, located in the area where one of the most influencing families of the region made its fortune, the Valle de los Ingenios, the beaches, the Tope de Collantes Mountains, as well as the art and craft traditions characterizing the small city. Its urban center stands out for its cobblestoned streets and appealing constructions protected and decorated by railings with singular shapes.

Thanks to the rich urban setting, the small squares and beautiful buildings that date from the Spanish colonial time, Trinidad has been declared by UNESCO Humanity's heritage, along with the nearby Valle de los Ingenios.

The visitor can appreciate the architecture of its 18 th and 19 th century buildings, such as the Palacio Brunet and the Palacio Cantero, which were built in the city's days of prosperity derived from the sugar trade. A combination of neoclassic and baroque styles in Trinidad's architecture is testimony of a history of opulence and wealth.

The city of Trinidad constitutes an important touristy attraction in the island. The best places of interest are located in the historical center where visiting the Plaza Mayor has become very popular fir its surrounding remarkable residences of the city: the house of the regidor Ortíz, today Gallery of Art Benito Ortíz, the house of Padrón (Museum of Archaeology Guamuhaya), the Palace of Conde Brunet (Romantic Museum), and the house of the Sanchez Iznaga family (Museum of Architecture). Another appeal of the city is the Iglesia Mayor de la Santísima Trinidad, considered one of the largest churches of Cuba which reunites several pieces of great value like the Christ of the Vera Cruz and an altar dedicated to the Virgin of Mercy.

Around the Plaza Mayor other outstanding constructions like the Cantero Palace can be admired, where the Museum of History is located at the moment; I also suggest visiting other places of cultural interest like the House of the Trova and the House of Music. In the same way the visitor can make a stop in the bar the Canchánchara, to taste a traditional drink of the same name, made with brandy, honey and lemon.

Near the city, an excursion that must be in every visitor's itinerary is a visit to the Valle de San Luis also called Valle de los Ingenios since it was beset of sugar factories in the 18 th century.
This valley is a true archaeological monument to the sugar industry because numerous ruins of the facilities related to the manufacture of sugar are conserved, like sugar mills, the large cabins of slaves, the summer houses, etc. I recommend admiring the elegant bell tower of the Manaca-Iznaga tower which was used in the past to keep an eye on the slaves. In this valley the visitor can enjoy the countryside; horse riding, the excursions to caves and rivers and the towns like San Pedro, considered a Natural Museum of the African Culture in Cuba.

Other sites are the Viewpoint of La Vigía with a wonderful view of the region, the Plaza de Carrillo, also known as the Parque Céspedes where the Parish of San Francisco de Paula, constructed in the 19 th century, is located. Nearby there is also the Bar Cafeteria Daikiri and the Casa Fisher places chosen by the Casa Artex to organize many cultural activities. In addition, one of the best views of the city can be obtained from the tower of the Convent of San Francisco de Asís.

Culture and history followers will find in the city of Trinidad and its surroundings a unique place to be on holidays. One can ramble by its spotted streets and appreciate its diversity of styles, visit its museums and its cultural facilities, and enjoy the work of the local artists of pottery, crafts, weave, music and dance; living the rhythm of a city full of customs and traditions, where popular culture will captivate any guest.

Furthermore, very close to the city, one can discover the mountainous zone of Topes de Collantes only 19 kilometres away; an ideal place for the diverse existing variants of ecotourism and tourism of health; while to the south, in the Peninsula de Ancón, the best beach of the South coast of the country can be found: the Playa Ancón.

Museums, churches, sugar mills, buildings, squares and small squares of Trinidad, the city-museum of the Caribbean Sea, constitute one of the highest expressions of national history available. This, combined with its friendly and welcoming people, make this city a great choice for your cuba vacations.

Giselle Rodríguez is a Blogger at http://www.umbrellatravel.com

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