Discussions with Zharphyn

Money Bags

by on Jul.12, 2011, under Discussion

I have received this email three times so far this month, and it disturbs me how many people will actually believe this stuff.

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THIS IS THE ONLY TIME WE WILL SEE THIS IN OUR LIFETIMES.
Calendar for July 2011

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Money bags

This year, July has 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays and 5 Sundays. This happens once every 823 years. This is called money bags. So, forward this to
your friends and money will arrive within 4 days. Based on Chinese Feng Shui. The one who does not forward…..will be without money.

Kind of interesting – read on!!!

This year we’re going to experience four unusual dates.

1/1/11, 1/11/11, 11/1/11, 11/11/11 and that’s not all…

Take the last two digits of the year in which you were born – now add the age you will be this year,

The results will be 111 for everyone in whole world. This is the year of the Money!!!

The proverb goes that if you send this to eight good friends, money will appear in next four days as it is explained in Chinese Feng Shui.

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It saddens me that normally rational people will fall for any Internet hoax that comes along.  I have believed more than one get rich quick scheme, only to discover that the only one getting rich quick were the guys that started it, but these kind of Internet hoaxes are so unbelievable that even a cursory investigation will show that it is false.  After all, I received the same email last October, and I suspect I will again receive this silliness in March 2013 (assuming we survive 2012).

When you actually stop and think about this hoax for a minute, you realize that it requires a month with 31 days to achieve the intended outcome.  There are 7 months per year that have 31 days.  With only seven days in a week, you are statistically likely to get a month with the requisite 3 Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at least once per year.  When you stop to think that this phenomenon happens to at least one month per year, a simple search backwards and forwards in our calendars will tell us that in July, this last happened in 2005 and will happen again in 2016.  Hardly a 823 year phenomenon.  In fact, I only had to span 15 years, to have an instance of this happening at least twice in every month.

January – 2010 & 2016

March  – 2002 & 2013

May – 2009 & 2015

July – 2005, 2011, & 2016

August – 2002, 2008, & 2014

October – 2004 & 2010

December – 2006 & 2017

Years where it does not occur – 2007 & 2012

The four dates with all ones is kinda neat, but not terribly exciting to me, and the fun fact about everyone’s age and birthyear adding up to 111 is common sense.  Next year the number will be 112 and last year it was 110.  Not exactly a brain teaser.

Happy July 2011 everyone!

 


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