Will outdated pancake mix kill you? For that matter, if you freeze a bottle of water, will the chemicals in the plastic turn toxic? Those are two urban legends again making the rounds on the Internet.

By The Bakersfield Californian Dec. 27--Myth: A reader wrote to The Californian this week asking us to check out what he considered a "very upsetting" claim, especially to folks with family members and friends serving in Iraq.

By Tony Hicks IN THE GOOD OLD DAYS, it would take weeks -- or even months -- to hear about a tsunami washing a dead mermaid ashore. Now we have the photos in our computer's inbox in mere hours. Yes, it's a whole new world for urban legends.

SEATTLE _ Ever get one of those e-mails purporting that Starbucks doesn't support U.S.

By Goldsborough, Reid But plenty of sophisticated people can and do get taken in by these ruses, and time is wasted in trying to respond and reassure.