Tag Archives: Fake News

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger Just Die Of Heart Attack?!

Did Arnold Schwarzenegger just die in the hospital from a heart attack?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-26 : Added new details
Originally posted @ 2023-04-04

Claim : Arnold Schwarzenegger Just Died From Heart Attack!

People are sharing YouTube and TikTok videos claiming that Arnold Schwarzenegger just died in a hospital after a heart attack, with titles like :

5 minutes ago / Sad News / R.I.P Arnold Schwarzenegger / died on a way to the hospital?

1 Hour Ago / R.I.P Arnold Schwarzenegger / Heart stopped #arnoldschwarzenegger

5 Minutes Ago / Rip Arnold schwarzenegger / Goodbye Arnold schwarzenegger

5 Minutes Ago… Arnold Schwarzenegger R.I.P.

Sending Our Thoughts and prayers to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Family. It’s a huge loss.

Arnold Schwarzenegger died today. Rest in peace #rip #motivation #idol #gym #resteasy #arnoldschwarzenegger

Truth : Arnold Schwarzenegger Did Not Die From Heart Attack!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by people to generate income from page views and YouTube advertising, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported His Death

These YouTube and TikTok videos have been circulating for weeks and months, but people don’t seem to notice that no legitimate media has reported his death or heart attack!

Arnold Schwarzenegger is not only a Hollywood legend, he served as the 38th governor of California for 8 years! Everything he does, no matter how small, is covered in detail by the media and celebrity blogs.

When “the Governator” got fed up and fixed a neighbourhood pothole with his team, it even became international news! So if he actually suffered a heart attack, it would have been covered by legitimate news media.

Yet, no legitimate media outlet or even a celebrity blog reported that Arnold Schwarzenegger suffered a heart attack recently, much less died in a hospital. That’s because it never happened!

Fact #2 : Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Still Alive + Well!

Arnold Schwarzenegger (born Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger on 30 March, 1968) is very much still alive, as of Monday, 25 September 2023!

That was when he shared two posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), with comments like “Bryan, we are all rooting for you“, and “Fantastic work!“.

Just four days ago, Arnold even posted a video getting some exercise after his elbow surgery!

These and many other public posts appeared days and weeks after people started claiming that Arnold Schwarzenegger died from a heart attack!

Fact #3 : Viral Photo Was From 2020 Heart Surgery

The viral photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger clutching a red heart-shaped pillow while unconscious on a hospital bed is real, but it was taken from his 2020 heart surgery.

On April 16, 1997, Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent elective heart surgery to replace a defective, congenital aortic heart valve. He chose to get a tissue valve, as he felt that a mechanical valve might limit his capacity to exercise.

On March 30, 2018, Arnold Schwarzenegger had his pulmonary valve replaced at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

On Friday, 23 October 2023, Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent a third heart valve procedure at the Cleveland Clinic to replace his aortic valve. That was when the viral photo was taken.

That operation was successful of course, because Arnold is not only alive today, he posted a photo of himself with a thumbs-up on social media!

Thanks to the team at the Cleveland Clinic, I have a new aortic valve to go along with my new pulmonary valve from my last surgery.

I feel fantastic and have already been walking the streets of Cleveland enjoying your amazing statues. Thank you to every doc and nurse on my team.

Fact #4 : Arnold Schwarzenegger Death Hoax Is Driven By Fake Fact Check Too

This Arnold Schwarzenegger death hoax is, ironically, also being driven by a fake fact check article by the MediaMass Project, which keeps “updating” the dates in their fake fact check article:

News of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the May 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the actor best known for his roles in Total Recall or The Terminator is alive and well.

Rumors of the actor’s alleged demise gained traction on Sunday after a ‘R.I.P. Arnold Schwarzenegger’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the American actor’s passing:

“At about 11 a.m. ET on Sunday (September 24, 2023), our beloved actor Arnold Schwarzenegger passed away. Arnold Schwarzenegger was born on July 30, 1947 in Thal. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 76-year-old actor, politician, business man and bodybuilder was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.

Where as some trusting fans believed the post, others were immediately skeptical of the report, perhaps learning their lesson from the huge amount of fake death reports emerging about celebrities over recent months. Some pointed out that the news had not been carried on any major American network, indicating that it was a fake report, as the death of an actor of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s stature would be major news across networks.

Show less

Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Arnold Schwarzenegger Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake fact check spiel for fake celebrity deaths.

The statement from Arnold’s unnamed rep confirming that he is not dead is exactly the same as statements from other celebrities whose reps MediaMass claimed were victims of death hoaxes, like Barry Gibb, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Celine Dion, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolly Parton, Harrison Ford, Justin Bieber, Lionel Messi, Lucy Liu, Madonna, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Pattinson, Simon Cowell, Sylvester Stallone, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, and Tom Hanks.

He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.

Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.

Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.

Fact #5 : This Is Just Fake Celebrity News

This is yet another example of fake celebrity news created to generate page views and money through advertising, just like these examples:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Celebrity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

MPH Free Books : Don’t Fall For This Scam!

Leave a reply

Is MPH giving away free books on financial planning and stocks?! Find out what’s going on, and warn your family and friends!

Updated @ 2023-09-26 : Added a new version of this scam
Updated @ 2023-08-14 : Added new versions of this scam
Originally posted @ 2023-05-20

Watch Out For MPH Free Books Scam!

Scammers are running Facebook advertisements that claim MPH is giving away free books because it has either achieved 500,000 fans, or is shutting down its bookstores!

🎉To celebrate MPH Books breaking 500,000 fans in Malaysia, thank you for your support
👋MPH Books specially prepares best-selling books on financial planning and stocks to give to everyone for free. I hope everyone has to help!
limited quantity available. (Free shipping)

📢📢 Sorry everyone, I have to say goodbye to everyone
Due to the continuous decline in store performance, the store cannot continue to operate normally
👋👋So the head office decided to close the store and give away the remaining financial and stock books in the store to everyone for free. I hope everyone has to help!
📣📣Finally, thank you again for your long-term support and trust. The book donation activity is the only feedback activity we can do at present!
limited quantity available. (free shipping available)

🎉To celebrate the 99 Supermarket Malaysian branch exceeding 1,000, thank you for your support
❤️99 Supermarket specially prepares best-selling books on stocks and gives them to everyone for free
🔥The number of stock books is limited, while supplies last

👋👋对不起真的很遗憾，这次真的要和大家说再见了！
由于店内销量持续下滑，书店无法继续经营了！
所以公司决定关闭本店，并将店内剩余的金融股票书籍免费赠送给大家，希望对大家有帮助！
数量有限，送完为止。（可免费邮寄）

👋👋Sorry really sorry, this time I really want to say goodbye to everyone!
The bookstore can’t continue to operate as sales in the store continue to decline!
So the company decided to close the store and give away the remaining financial stock books in the store for free, hope it will help everyone!
Limited quantity until delivery lasts. (Free shipping available)

Show less

MPH Free Books Scam : What You Need To Know!

This MPH free book scam is being promoted heavily on Facebook in May 2023, so please alert your family and friend!

Fact #1 : MPH Did Not Close Bookstores In 2023

MPH closed many of its physical stores since June 2020, as it shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns to an online store with a “digitally-driven omnichannel business model”.

MPH has not announced closing down any further bookstores in 2023.

Fact #2 : MPH Reported These Pages / Ads As Fake

MPH is aware of these fake advertisements being run by scam Facebook pages, posting this scam alert on May 9, 2023:

⚠️𝐅𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐑𝐓!⁣⚠️⁣⁣

Hey readers, we noticed that irresponsible parties have been impersonating the MPH brand by creating fake pages and ads to confuse and lure our customers to share their data.⁣⁣⁣

Please note that MPH is not associated in any way with these pages and we DO NOT run any free book giveaways nor do we request customers to PM us your personal details.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our followers and customers for updating us about these pages. We sincerely thank YOU for your continuous support!⁣

Stay vigilant & protect yourself from scams!⁣⁣

#fakepagesalert #scammeralert

Fact #3 : MPH Is A Business, Not A Charity

Please do NOT be naive. MPH is a business, not a charity. Just because it hits 500,000 fans in Malaysia, it’s not going to give away its books.

Heck, why should it give away books even if it’s closing down its bookstores? It would be more logical for MPH to offer discounts to clear its books, so it won’t lose so much money.

In fact, MPH itself pointed out in its scam warning – “we DO NOT run any free book giveaways“. Why should they? They are a corporation whose business is not make money, not a charity to give you free books!

Fact #4 : Giveaways Were Not Posted In Official Website / FB Page

If MPH was really giving away free books, it would have posted the offer on:

its official website (mphonline.com), or
its official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mphclick/)

These scams are being run off fake Facebook pages that are brand new, and have nothing to do with the real MPH:

MPH Group Publishing
MPH Book
MPH English Bookstore

Fact #5 : MPH Does Not Use WhatsApp To Communicate

MPH offers a multitude of contact options by email or telephone number. What it does not have is a WhatsApp account. So when scammers message you to collect your “free books” by messaging a WhatsApp number, be warned!

Please add librarian Gek Tiang’s Whatsapp message ”Pm“ to get free stock books (free shipping) Whatsapp: https://xxxx.xx/601170131707

Fact #6 : Scammers Will Try To Scare You

Scammers will try to scare you into contacting them, by telling you that stock is running out. Just ignore them!

There are only 3 free places left, which have been reserved for you, please add and leave a message as soon as possible Whatsapp : https://xxxx.xx/601170131707

There are many friends who have claimed it, please tell us whether you have added it successfully! If you do not add or reply, it means that you will give up the quota by default and automatically transfer it to the next friend. Thank you for your understanding!

Fact #7 : One Victim Lost RM480K To Investment Scam!

In November 2022, a 60 year-old housewife from Port Dickson fell for a similar “free book” scam, and lost almost RM480,000.

After being offered the free book on Facebook, she was asked to join a WhatsApp group called Family Discussion, where she was asked to convinced to “invest”.

The WhatsApp group administrator instructed her to download an application called Forza, and open a savings account. She was then asked to deposit money into certain bank accounts, and upload the slips using that Forza app as proof.

The lady withdrew her savings and borrowed from her children and friends to invest RM476,100. However, when she wanted to withdraw the interest paid by the company, her account was blocked. The group administrator told her that she would need to deposit an additional RM427,200 to withdraw the interest.

That was when the lady realised she had been scammed, and lodged a police report. By then, it was too late – she had already lost every sen she “invested”.

Please help us FIGHT SCAMMERS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Mayo Clinic Admit Hydroxychloroquine Can Treat Covid?!

Leave a reply

Did the Mayo Clinic just admit that hydroxychloroquine may be used to treat COVID-19?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Mayo Clinic Admitted Hydroxychloroquine Can Treat COVID-19!

People are sharing a Mayo Clinic article, or screenshots of that Mayo Clinic article, claiming that it shows the Mayo Clinic quietly admitting that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can be used to treat COVID-19 patients!

Peter Navarro : From Mayo Clinic website grudging admission of glaring truth: “Hydroxychloroquine may be used to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) in certain hospitalized patients.” For all you murderers at @CNN
@johnberman who spread lies about hydroxy, this one’s for u.

Chief Nerd: Well how about that…

DC_Draino : 🚨Mayo Clinic quietly updates website to say Hydroxychloroquine can be used to treat Covid patients

Doctors were fired and censored for saying this

Media smeared it

All because Big Pharma couldn’t have any therapeutic drugs available in order to make billions from vaccine EUA

Truth : Mayo Clinic Did Not Admit Hydroxychloroquine Can Treat COVID-19!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS about COVID-19 treatments, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Mayo Clinic Posted This Back In 2020

First, I should address the claim that the Mayo Clinic “quietly” updated its website recently to say that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) can be used to treat COVID-19 patients.

The truth is the Mayo Clinic first mentioned hydroxychloroquine as a possible treatment for COVID-19 more than 3 years ago – on 22 May 2020, to be specific.

It was not a recent development, or even a quiet change. The last time Mayo Clinic appears to have changed its hydroxychloroquine article regarding COVID-19 was in June 2020!

Just because some people did not notice the changes until three years later in September 2023, does not mean the Mayo Clinic “quietly” admitted anything.

Fact #2 : Mayo Clinic Warned About Hydroxychloroquine

The Mayo Clinic article only stated that hydroxychloroquine “may also be used” to treat COVID-19 in “certain hospitalised patients“.

Hydroxychloroquine may also be used to treat coronavirus (COVID-19) in certain hospitalized patients.

More importantly, the next paragraph actually warned people against self-medicating with hydroxychloroquine, and said that it “should only be used for COVID-19 in a hospital or during clinical trials“.

The Mayo Clinic article also explicitly pointed out that hydroxychloroquine may increase the risk of developing heart rhythm problems.

Using this medicine alone or with other medicines (eg, azithromycin) may increase your risk of heart rhythm problems (eg, QT prolongation, ventricular fibrillation, ventricular tachycardia). Hydroxychloroquine should only be used for COVID-19 in a hospital or during clinical trials. Do not take any medicine that contains hydroxychloroquine unless prescribed by your doctor.

Fact #3 : Mayo Clinic Article Changed According To Evidence

The Mayo Clinic article on hydroxychloroquine actually changed twice in 2020, as new evidence presented itself during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To make it easier for you to understand, here is the timeline of the Mayo Clinic updates on hydroxychloroquine, and some significant points in the use of HCQ to treat COVID-19:

18 March 2020 : The WHO announced that chloroquine and HCQ would be tested in the multinational Solidarity clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments using existing drugs.

19 March 2020 : US President Donald Trump encouraged the use of chloroquine and HCQ during a national press conference, causing a massive increase in demand for both drugs in the US.

28 March 2020 : US FDA authorised the use of chloroquine phosphate and hydroxychloroquine sulfate to treat COVID-19, under an Emergency Use Authorisation as an experimental treatment for emergency use in hospitalised patients.

8 April 2020 : The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) began the first clinical trial to assess whether hydroxychloroquine is safe and effective to treat COVID-19.

24 April 2020 : US FDA cautioned against using chloroquine / hydroxychloroquine outside of a hospital or clinical trial, after reports of adverse events including heart problems and deaths.

Between 8-22 May 2020 : Mayo Clinic first updated its hydroxychloroquine article to say that it “may be used” to treat COVID-19 patients in “certain hospitalised patients”

5 June 2020 : Hydroxychloroquine was discontinued in the UK RECOVERY Trial when a preliminary analysis of the data showed that it provided “no beneficial effect” in patients hospitalised with COVID-19.

Between 5-13 June 2020 : Mayo Clinic updated its HCQ article to warn about the risk of heart rhythm problems while taking hydroxychloroquine. It also warned that HCQ should only be used “in a hospital or during clinical trials“.

15 June 2020 : US FDA revoked the EUA for both chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, while allowing clinical trials for both drugs to continue.

20 June 2020 : US NIH halted its clinical trial of hydroxychloroquine, after it showed that HCQ was “unlikely to be beneficial to hospitalised patients with COVID-19”.

4 July 2020 : WHO discontinued the hydroxychloroquine arm of the Solidarity Trial, after HCQ produced “little or no reduction in the mortality of hospitalised COVID-19 patients“.

24 September 2023 : Mayo Clinic article from 13 June 2020 went viral on social media after former Trump advisor, Peter Navarro, posted it on X (formerly known as Twitter).

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Lionel Messi Just Die In High Speed Car Accident?!

Leave a reply

Did football legend Lionel Messi just die suddenly in a high speed car accident?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-24 : Added video fact check and comparison!
Updated @ 2023-09-22 : Added new details
Originally posted @ 2023-04-20

Claim : Lionel Messi Died Suddenly In High Speed Car Accident!

People are sharing TikTok and YouTube videos which claim that football legend Lionel Messi just died suddenly in a high-speed car accident, with photos of the tragic car crash!

LIONEL MESSI DIES IN UNBELIEVABLE CAR CRASH

Messi, Xavi and Christiano dead after car accident

INFO CHOC: Lionel Messi est décédé
SHOCK INFO: Lionel Messi has died

#fyp #soccer #messi #dead rest in peace legend👑⚽️🕊️

#Rip Messie Messie❤️ respect for Messie ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️⚽️🥅
Messie the best of the world ❤️🇦🇷❤️❤️#Messie

Truth : Lionel Messi Did NOT Die In High Speed Car Accident!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by people to generate income from page / video views and advertising, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported His Death

These social media posts, as well as YouTube and TikTok videos have been circulating for months now, but people don’t seem to notice that no legitimate media has reported on Lionel Messi’s death!

Lionel Messi is one of the world’s best footballer and a mega celebrity. His death would have been covered extensively by the media across the globe! And his fans would have mourned his death on social media.

Yet, no legitimate media outlet has reported that Lionel Messi died recently from any cause, never mind a tragic car accident. Why should you believe no-name websites, or random YouTube / TikTok videos?

Fact #2 : Lionel Messi Is Still Alive + Well!

Lionel Messi (born Lionel Andrés Messi on 24 June 1987) is still very much alive and well, as of Wednesday night, 20 September 2023, when he played for Inter Miami against Toronto FC at Fort Lauderdale in Florida. However, he was quickly taken off the field after he appeared to have a leg issue.

Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tara” Martino later said that Messi had “an old injury that had been bothering him”, and confirmed that the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner would miss at least one more match.

Despite his old injury cropping up again, Lionel Messi is very much still alive, many weeks after those social media posts, YouTube and Facebook videos claimed that he died suddenly in a tragic car accident!

Fact #3 : This Car Accident Photo Was From 2009

To convince you that Lionel Messi died (even though he’s still alive), the fake news creators had to make use of unrelated car crashes.

In this example, the video claimed that Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, died in this car accident.

The truth is – that is a photo of a Ferrari 599 that crashed in October 2009, on the Great Ocean Road in southern Victoria, Australia. The driver was a 64 year-old man called Carlo Vaccari.

Mr. Vaccari lost control while driving his Ferrari 599 at 80 km/h and ploughed into two motorcyclists travelling in the opposite direction. He was convicted of careless driving, but only fined $3000.

Fact #4 : This Car Accident Photo Was Posted In 2014

It is unknown when this car accident happened, but this undated car accident photo was posted by WreckedExotics.com on August 13, 2014.

Apparently, the driver lost control of his Ferrari 458 Italia while trying to overtake another car, and crashed into a trash bin. The driver left the scene of the accident, possibly under the influence of drugs / alcohol.

Even though this incident happened in Madrid, Spain, this photo is old and has nothing to do with Lionel Messi.

Fact #5 : This Car Accident Occurred In 2012

This photo does not show Lionel Messi’s fatal car crash. This accident actually occurred at around 9 PM on 1 September 2012, at the E42 highway near Francorchamps in Belgium.

The driver was a 63 year-old man from Saint-Ghislain, and was obviously not Lionel Messi.

Fact #6 : Lionel Messi Death Hoax Is Driven By Fake Fact Check Too

This Lionel Messi death hoax is, ironically, just another fake fact check article by MediaMass Project, which keeps “updating” the dates in their fake fact check article:

News of footballer Lionel Messi’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the April 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the 36-year-old footballer is alive and well.

Rumors of the footballer’s alleged demise gained traction on Tuesday after a ‘R.I.P. Lionel Messi’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the Argentine footballer’s passing:

“At about 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday (September 20, 2023), our beloved footballer Lionel Messi passed away. Lionel Messi was born on June 24, 1987 in Rosario. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 36-year-old footballer was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.

Show less

Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Lionel Messi Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake fact check spiel for fake celebrity deaths.

The statement from Lionel Messi’ unnamed rep confirming that he is not dead is exactly the same as statements from other celebrities whose reps MediaMass claimed were victims of death hoaxes, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barry Gibb, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Celine Dion, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolly Parton, Harrison Ford, Justin Bieber, Lucy Liu, Madonna, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Pattinson, Simon Cowell, Sylvester Stallone, Taylor Swift, Toby Keith, and Tom Hanks.

He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.

Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.

Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake Celebrity News

This is yet another example of fake celebrity news created to generate page views and money through advertising, just like these examples:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Sports | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Putin Threaten To Release 9/11 Satellite Evidence?!

Leave a reply

Did Russian President Vladimir Putin threaten to release secret satellite evidence of US government’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-21 : Added new information on the Pravda article, and the Russian satellite.
Originally posted @ 2022-03-11

Claim : Putin Threatened To Release 9/11 Satellite Evidence!

People are sharing a long message which claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to release secret satellite evidence of US government involvement in the 9/11 attacks!

They appear to believe that Putin issued this threat in retaliation for US sanctions against Russia, and military assistance to Ukraine. It’s a long post, so please skip to the next section for the facts…

Putin is going to hit once, but he’s going to hit hard. Russia is preparing the release of evidence of the involvement of the US government and intelligence services in the September 11 attacks. The list of evidence includes satellite images.

Published material can prove the US government complicity in the 9/11 attacks and the successful manipulation of public opinion. The attack was planned by the US government, but exercised using her proxy, so that an attack on America and the people of the United States looked like an act of aggression by international terrorist organizations.

The motive for deception and murder its own citizens served US oil interests and the Middle East state corporations. The evidence will be so convincing that it utterly debunks the official 9/11 cover story supported by the US government.

Russia proves that America is no stranger to using false flag terrorism against its citizens in order to achieve a pretext for military intervention in a foreign country. In the case of “the September 11 attacks,” the evidence will be conclusive satellite imagery.

If successful, the consequences of Putin’s tactics would expose the US government’s secret terrorist policies. The government’s credibility will be undermined and should bring about mass protests in the cities leading to an uprising, according to American analysts..

And as the United States will look on the world political arena? The validity of America’s position as a leader in the fight against international terrorism will be totally undermined giving immediately advantage to rogue states and Islamic terrorists.

Show less

Truth : Putin Did Not Threaten To Release 9/11 Satellite Evidence!

This is yet another example of pro-Russia FAKE NEWS that are spamming social media, as well as WhatsApp and Telegram groups. Here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Pravda Article Was Posted In February 2015

The Pravda article (translated archive | original Russian) was actually posted on 7 February 2015, and updated on 10 February 2015. This was specifically mentioned in the 2015 examples :

VT Editor’s note: Russian satellite evidence proving the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center using “special weapons” was reviewed by a VT editor while in Moscow.

The article below was forwarded to us for publication in the US and translated from Russian. It is 3 days old, published on February 7, 2015.

The fake news creators removed that section, to mislead you into thinking that this was a new threat by Putin in 2022 and 2023.

Fact #2 : No Evidence Putin Threatened To Release 9/11 Satellite Photos

Even though the viral post is based on a Pravda article, there never was any evidence that Vladimir Putin himself actually threatened to release satellite photos, or evidence of any 9/11 conspiracy.

The Pravda article itself did not make that claim. It only claimed that Russia is “preparing” to release evidence of the involvement of the US government and intelligence services in the 9/11 attacks.

Fact #3 : Russia Did Not Release Any Evidence Of 9/11 Conspiracy

If the Pravda article is true, then Russia is taking an extraordinarily long time to release evidence of a 9/11 conspiracy by the US government and intelligence services.

Despite preparing for over 8.5 years – since February 2015 – the Russian government has never released any evidence of any conspiracy by the US government in the September 11 attacks.

No satellite imagery… no photos… no documents… no evidence in any form or manner. Why not? Does it take that long to develop and digitise the photos from Russian satellites?

Fact #3 : Russian Satellites Were Terrible In 2001

It would also be quite a feat for Russia to provide “conclusive satellite imagery” as the Pravda article alleges, as Russian electro-optical satellites were not quite “state-of-the-art” in 2001, and that’s being generous.

At that time, they used the Yantar-4K2 (Cobalt / Kobalt) satellite – a slightly improved version of the Yantar-4KS1M (Neman / Неман) satellite, which had a resolution of just under a meter using the Zhemchug-18 camera.

These satellites have a limited lifespan of just 26 to 32 weeks, and used film which could be returned using two small canisters mid-mission, and a larger reentry module at the end.

Russia only had one in operation at that time – (Космос 2377) Cosmos 2377, which was launched on 29 May 2001, and dropped out of orbit on 10 October 2001.

Cosmos 2377 could plausibly have taken photos of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City, but the images was likely only as good as the Maxar IKONOS commercial imaging satellite.

Note that the Kobalt satellite is different from the Kobalt-M (Yantar-4K2M) satellite, which features upgraded optics with reported image resolution of 30 cm (0.3m), and a modernised platform. The first Kobalt-M satellite was launched on 24 September 2004.

Fact #4 : There Are Many Satellite Images Of 9/11 Attack

There is no real need for the Russians to share their satellite photos, because there are many publicly-available satellite photos on the September 11 attacks.

The private satellite imaging company, Maxar, for example, shared this high-resolution photo of ground zero at the World Trade Center on 15 September, 2001.

Taken by IKONOS, which had a resolution of 0.82 to 1 metre, it gives you a good idea of the image quality and resolution that are already available for free to the public. So it begs the question – do the Russians really have better images than that?

Fact #5 : Satellites Have Limitations

Despite being extremely useful, imaging satellites not magical instruments. They have limitations in what they can and cannot do.

For example, they have to generally stay in a pre-determined orbit, and “fly through” an area – leaving large gaps during which there is no coverage.

They also cannot look inside or under solid objects – planes, buildings, trees; and their view can be obscured by smoke and clouds, unless they have multi-spectral ability.

You can see how the smoke obscures the picture in this Maxar image taken of the Manhattan financial district on September 11, 2001.

It is therefore highly improbable that any satellite image from way up high would have captured “incriminating evidence” of the US government’s involvement in the September 11 attacks.

Fact #6 : 9/11 Attack Was Committed By Al Qaeda

In the past 22 years, the many conspiracy theories have all been repeatedly looked into and debunked.

We now know, with absolute certainty, that the September 11 attacks were conceived by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, approved by Osama bin Laden, and carried out by nineteen Al Qaeda terrorists.

There was no US government involvement in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

Osama bin Laden himself claimed responsibility for the 9/11 attacks on several occasions. You don’t need a satellite to know that.

Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Military | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Toby Keith Just Die Suddenly In Hospital?!

Leave a reply

Did country music star Toby Keith just die suddenly in the hospital from stomach cancer?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-21 : Added new details
Originally posted @ 2023-06-17

Claim : Toby Keith Just Died Suddenly In A Hospital!

People are sharing YouTube videos claiming to prove that Toby Keith just died suddenly in a hospital from a stomach cancer, with titles like :

5 minutes ago / R.I.P Singer Toby Keith Died on the way to the hospital / Goodbye Toby Keith.

Heart stopped beating, country singer Toby Keith died of stomach cancer at Los Angeles hospital

Toby Keith – His Last Goodbye On His Deathbed, Ending After Years Of Suffering.

R.I.P Toby Keith – Finally stomach cancer took his life. Goodbye talented country singer!

Prayers Up, Toby Keith Is In Critical Condition After Being Rushed To Hospital

Prayers Up: Country Toby Keith Is Currently On Life Support After Diagnosed With Dangerous Disease.

Sad News Country singer Toby Keith Is Pass Away Expected Soon Family Prepare To Say Goodbye

Truth : Toby Keith Did Not Die Suddenly In A Hospital!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by people to generate income from page views and YouTube advertising, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Toby Keith Is Still Alive

Toby Keith (born Toby Keith Covel on July 8, 1961) is still alive as of 17 September 2023. We know this because his official Instagram account announced that Toby Keith would be performing live at the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards on September 28, 2023!

Big news…Toby will be performing live at the first-ever People’s Choice Country Awards in a few weeks! Tune in on 9/28 at 8/7c on @nbc or @peacock! #PCCAs

Obviously, that would not be the case if Toby Keith is already dead! In fact, it tells us that he is doing much better now!

Fact #2 : Toby Keith Is Fighting Stomach Cancer

Toby Keith announced in June 2022 that he had been diagnosed with stomach cancer at the end of 2021. He said that he underwent chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery in the past six months since that diagnosis.

Last fall I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I’ve spent the last six months receiving chemo, radiation and surgery. So far, so good. I need time to breathe, recover and relax.

In November 2022, Toby Keith told CMT Hot 20 Countdown’s Cody Alan, that he was thinking about getting back to “fightin’ shape” as the cancer treatment was “pretty debilitating”. However, he suggested that everything was looking good.

I’m thinking about getting back to fightin’ shape. I need a little bit of time to just rest up and heal up. It’s pretty debilitating to have to go through all that, but as long as everything stays hunky-dory, then we’ll look at something good in the future.

On June 2, 2023, Toby Keith posted a rare photo of himself to raise awareness for the non-profit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. He looked noticeably thinner, but very much still alive.

Then on July 15, he posted a video singing at the back of his Uber ride, which had a karaoke machine! He looked much better in this video.

Fact #3 : No Legitimate Media Outlet Reported His Death

These YouTube videos have been circulating for weeks and months, but people don’t seem to notice that no legitimate media has reported Toby Keith’s death.

Even though he has not released any new songs since 2017, Toby Keith remained one of America’s top country music star.

If Toby Keith really died from stomach cancer, or any other cause of death, the American press would have reported on it, if not the worldwide media.

No legitimate media outlet reported that Toby Keith died suddenly in a hospital from any cause. Only a bunch of small-time celebrity death blogs / small YouTube channels.

Fact #4 : Toby Keith Death Photos Were Edited

I analysed the photos used in these videos, and traced the origin of two examples used in many of these videos.

This photo used to show Toby Keith unconscious and intubated in a hospital bed is actually a photo of Pittsburgh radio DJ, Sean McDowell, who retired from the WDVE station in May 2019.

In August 6, 2019, he posted these photos on Twitter, revealing that a year ago – on August 6, 2018, he had an operation to fix his heart’s mitral valve.

Exactly 1 year ago today, St. Clair Hospital, Dr. Scott Halbreiner sawed thru my sternum, opened my rib cage, fixed my heart (mitral valve) & then wired me shut! Biggest Thanks Ever to Dr. Halbreiner, Dr. Dave Burkey & the nurses in the CVSU! Because of you guys, I’m still here!

Recommended : The Sara Lee Car Accident / Death Video Scam!

This photo of an intubated man lying in a hospital bed is actually a stock photo with a photo ID of 1745351552 on Shutterstock. It was taken on May 20, 2020, with the following description.

DUQUE DE CAXIAS,(BRAZIL),MAY,20,2020: doctors take care of patients with covid-19 and an intensive care unit (ICU) at hospital são josé specialized in the treatment of covid-19

Fact #5 : Toby Keith Death Hoax Is Driven By Fake Fact Check Too

This Toby Keith death hoax, ironically, is also being driven by another fake fact check article by MediaMass Project.

News of singer Toby Keith’s death spread quickly earlier this week causing concern among fans across the world. However the September 2023 report has now been confirmed as a complete hoax and just the latest in a string of fake celebrity death reports. Thankfully, the singer best known for hit songs like Red Solo Cup, I Love This Bar or Should’ve Been a Cowboy is alive and well.

Rumors of the singer’s alleged demise gained traction on Thursday after a ‘R.I.P. Toby Keith’ Facebook page attracted nearly one million of ‘likes’. Those who read the ‘About’ page were given a believable account of the American singer’s passing:

“At about 11 a.m. ET on Tuesday (September 19, 2023), our beloved singer Toby Keith passed away. Toby Keith was born on July 8, 1961 in Clinton. He will be missed but not forgotten. Please show your sympathy and condolences by commenting on and liking this page.”

Hundreds of fans immediately started writing their messages of condolence on the Facebook page, expressing their sadness that the talented 62-year-old singer and songwriter was dead. And as usual, Twittersphere was frenzied over the death hoax.

Show less

Their claim of a viral R.I.P. Toby Keith Facebook page is false. There is no such Facebook page. It is their standard fake fact check spiel for fake celebrity deaths.

The statement from Toby Keith’s unnamed reps confirming that he is not dead is exactly the same as statements from other celebrities whose reps MediaMass claimed were victims of death hoaxes, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Barry Gibb, Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood, Celine Dion, Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolly Parton, Harrison Ford, Justin Bieber, Lionel Messi, Lucy Liu, Madonna, Melanie Laurent, Morgan Freeman, Oprah Winfrey, Robert Pattinson, Simon Cowell, Sylvester Stallone, Taylor Swift, and Tom Hanks.

He joins the long list of celebrities who have been victimized by this hoax. He’s still alive and well, stop believing what you see on the Internet.

Hidden in the description page for the MediaMass Project is a disclaimer that they are a “satire” website. That’s the usual “cover” for websites peddling fake news.

Regardless of their reasons, anything posted by MediaMass.net must be considered as fake news, until proven otherwise.

Fact #6 : This Is Just Fake Celebrity News

This is yet another example of fake celebrity news created to generate page views and money through advertising, just like these examples:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Celebrity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Patriots Fan Dale Mooney Die Suddenly From Vaccine?!

Leave a reply

Did Patriots fan Dale Mooney die suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine during a game with the Miami Dolphins?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Patriots Fan Dale Mooney Died Suddenly From Vaccine!

Right after news broke that a Patriots fan called Dale Mooney died suddenly during a game with the Miami Dolphins, some people immediately claimed or suggested that the he died from the COVID-19 vaccine!

Died Suddenly : A 53-year-old man tragically #diedsuddenly while attending the Patriots’ home game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday … after experiencing what officials are calling an “apparent medical event.”

It’s almost like we can’t go a day with out a sudden death amongst large gatherings of people.

Hasan الإنسانية أولا : #vaccinedeaths #VaccineGenocide ❌💉❌💉❌💉❌💉👈

JK John Kage : Um homem 53 anos tragicamente ☠️eqto assistia ao jogo dos Patriots x Miami Dolphins no domingo,depois de experimentar o q as autoridades estão chamando de “aparente evento médico”. É quase como se não pudéssemos passar 1 dia sem uma☠️súbita entre grandes aglomerações de pessoas.

A 53-year-old man was tragically ☠️ watching the Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins game on Sunday after experiencing what authorities are calling an “apparent medical event.” It’s almost as if we couldn’t go a day without a sudden ☠️ between large crowds of people.

Truth : Patriots Fan Dale Mooney Did Not Die From COVID-19 Vaccine!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…

Fact #1 : Dale Mooney Died After Being Punched

On Sunday night, 17 September 2023, 53 year-old Dale Mooney, was watching the game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at the Gillette Stadium, when there was bickering between two sections of the 300 tier.

His friends who were watching the game with him said that a group of Dolphins fans “verbally taunted” Dale Mooney, who was standing at the aisle. He suddenly pushed his way into the other section to tussle with the group.

Some people tried to break up the altercation while others tried to get away. Mooney’s Patriots hat fell off just before he was punched twice in the face by a Dolphins fan. He then collapsed to the ground, and never got back up.

Police and fire personnel responded quickly to the scene at around 10:57 PM, and performed CPR on him for 10-15 minutes but could not revive him. Dale Mooney was taken to the Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he was pronounced dead.

One witness at the scene, Joseph Kilmartin, said that Dale Mooney fell unconscious after getting punched twice in his face.

They started tussling around for a few minutes. At one point another Dolphins fan walked over. He punched him three times, and the man just went out. It was pretty hard to watch.

Mooney’s widow, who was not at the game, later claimed that he was punched to death after being taunted by Dolphins fans. An eyewitness claimed that Dale Mooney and the Dolphins fan who punched him had been arguing for much of the game.

Obviously, the COVID-19 vaccine has no bearing on Dale Mooney’s death, as he only collapsed after being punched three time, with two hits right in his face.

Fact #2 : Dale Mooney Will Undergo An Autopsy

Norfolk County DA’s office has opened an investigation following “normal protocol”, with an autopsy due to take place in coming days.

A man in his 30s, who was described as having a salt and pepper beard was led away by the police. However, no arrest has been made over this incident, and no changes have been filed so far.

Until and unless the autopsy report reveals that the COVID-19 vaccines somehow caused his death, anyone who claims that Dale Mooney died suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccines is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Unknown If Dale Mooney Was Vaccinated

Despite claims that Dale Mooney was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is possible that Dale Mooney was unvaccinated against COVID-19. After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States.

In fact, many people who were injured or died suddenly were actually unvaccinated, like Kris Jordan, Aaron Carter, Kirstie Alley, Stephan Bonnar, Shane Macaulay, David Wayne Burleson, and Kaden Clymer.

Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Dale Mooney was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.

Fact #4 : Claims Of COVID-19 Vaccine Injuries Often Proven False

Most claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next death or tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Were French People Caught Urinating On African Child?!

Leave a reply

Were the French people just caught urinating on an African child, while filming their vile act?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : French People Were Caught Urinating On African Child!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp and Facebook, claiming that the French people were just caught urinating on an African child after the French ambassador in Mali was expelled!

The video has also been promoted or shared by pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛).

On WhatsApp : Lets make this go viral until the people responsible for this human rights abuse are arrested and prosecuted. This is the filth of France, the ugliest scandal of the twenty-first century!!!

The inhuman and shocking scene of two men and a woman urinating on an African child, in one of the French villages, and the child, completely stripped of clothes, lying face down on the ground, while numbers of The French men and women, whose country has always shocked the world with the sophistication of their civilization, are watching this obscene, dirty, and abnormal act, without any sign of intervention from any of them!!!

This was after the state of Mali expelled the French ambassador. The French arrested one of the Malians in a French village and urinated on him publicly. Africa must wake up to see the true, ugly face of France.

We regret the ugliness and horror of the scene, but where are the human rights advocates in this? It is unfortunate that globally Black Africans are associated with misfortune everywhere.

Truth : French People Did Not Urinate On African Child!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Is An Old Video

First, let me start by pointing out that this incident did not occur in 2023. The video was actually recorded on January 17, 2013. So it is more than ten years old!

Fact #2 : There Was No African Child / Woman

The child / woman who was being peed on in the viral video is not an African child or woman.

That is actually Guatemalan performance artist, Regina José Galindo, who covered her body in black coal.

Born on 27 August 1974, Regina was 39 years old when that video was recorded, and is 49 years old in 2023.

Fact #3 : Video Was Recorded In Brazil

The video was not recorded in Mali, but thousands of kilometres away, in São Paulo, Brazil.

To be specific, the video was recorded at Departamento de Artes Cênicas (CAC) – the Department of Performing Arts, which is part of the School of Communications and Arts (ECA) of the University of São Paulo.

Fact #3 : It Was Performance Art Called Piedra

The video is actually a 2013 performance called Piedra (Spanish for stone), which aims to expose the history of violence against Latin American women, and address the exploitation of the female workers of Brazil’s colossal coal mining industry.

In the Piedra performance, Regina painted her body black and crouched into a petrified metal position. Every 10 minutes, a male-bodied “audience member” would approach Galindo, unbutton their pants and pee on her as she remained deathly still.

The obvious nonchalant attitude and ease in which these male-bodied actors could defile the artist’s body parallels the wide-spread apathy regarding the safety and care of women’s bodies. The public aspect of the performance only “further underscores the myopic nature of everyday actions that propel repetitive structural violence.”

In presenting her body as an insignificant piedra (Spanish for stone), Galindo is suggesting a quality of disposability, with the female body vulnerable (like a stone) to violent abuse.

Piedra : The history of humanity has remained inscribed on the bodies of Latin American women. On their bodies— conquered, marked, enslaved, objectified, exploited, and tortured—one can read the terrible stories of power and struggle that shape our past. Bodies are fragile only in their appearance. It is the female body that has survived conquest and slavery. Like a stone, it has stored the hatred and rancor of memory in order to transform it into energy and life.

Fact #4 : This Video Is Being Abused By Different Parties

This video is, unfortunately, being abused by different parties to drive narratives that are contrary to what actually happened.

Some African netizens are sharing it to fan the deeply-rooted anti-French sentiment in West Africa, after a series of military coups in Mali, Niger, Guinea, and Burkina Faso.

On the other hand, pro-CCP netizens and the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) are using the video to fan anti-West sentiments in Africa (where China is making inroads), and draw attention away from criticisms of their “re-education” activities in Xinjiang.

As you have seen – the truth is they were all lying / misrepresenting the video. Here are other examples you may have seen on WhatsApp or social media platforms recently:

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Photo + Video | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

US Gov Stole $50 Trillion Of Gold + Oil From Iraq?!

Leave a reply

Did the US government steal $50 trillion worth of gold and oil from Iraq?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-19 : Refreshed with updated info
Originally published @ 2022-04-12

Claim : US Gov Stole $50 Trillion Of Gold + Oil From Iraq!

People are sharing photos of US soldiers posing with gold bars, as evidence that the United States sold gold and oil from Iraq worth tens of trillions of dollars!

These photos was revived on the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and then on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, as part of the information warfare surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is also being shared and promoted on pro-CCP and pro-Russia groups on social media, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc.

Here the US thieves in Iraq. Bringing democracy aka stealing a country’s gold. Same thing they want to do in Russia. But Russia is no Iraq or Libya.

The #US ransacked and plundered the whole of #Iraq. Banks, museums, all of their gold reserves. The US is the biggest gang of thiefs in the whole history. They have raped most of the planet in the last 50 years. #Ukraine #UkraineRussianWar #UkraineRussiaWar #Russia #Putin #NATO

🇺🇸 “liberates” gold & oil while 🇷🇺 liberates humans.

#Denaƶification & #Demilitarization of #UkroNaƶiLand

Truth : US Gov Did Not Steal Gold + Oil From Iraq At All!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or propagated to deflect criticism of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : US Did Not Steal $30 Trillion Of Iraqi Oil

Claims that the US stole $30 trillion worth of oil from Iraq are false. The United States did lose track of 8.7 billion dollars worth of Iraqi funds though.

After the invasion of Iraq concluded, Iraqi oil was sold to help fund the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI). Other sources of funds include surplus funds (about USD 10 billion) from the UN Oil-For-Food Program, and the sale of seized Iraqi assets.

The United States did not truck away Iraqi oil, as claimed. In July 2010, the US Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) discovered that the US Department of Defense could not account properly for USD 8.7 billion of DFI funds.

This led the Iraqi Parliament to request the United Nation’s help in demanding that the US return $17 billion of “oil money” that it said was stolen from the Iraqi people :

All the indications are that the institutions of the United States of America committed financial corruption by stealing the money of the Iraqi people, which was allocated to develop Iraq, (and) that it was about $17 billion.

… Our committee decided to send this issue to you … to look into it and restore the stolen money.

Stealing $30 trillion worth of oil would require 1.7 billion oil trucks, or 46,000 of these trucks every day for 100 years!

Fact #2 : US Spent $60 Billion To Reconstruct Iraq

There is no evidence that the unaccounted money was repatriated to the United States, or officially taken by the United States.

Even assuming that it was not poor accounting and all of the $8.7 billion was truly stolen, that is a far cry (0.029%) from the $30 trillion that was “allegedly” stolen.

It is also rendered ludicrous by the fact that the United States spent US$60 billion in the reconstruction of Iraq – almost 7X of what it allegedly stole.

Also consider the fact that Iraqi oil production only reached 4.4 million barrels per day in 2016. Assuming an average sale price of USD 60 per barrel, it would take them 311 years to sell enough oil to make $30 trillion.

Fact #3 : US Did Not Steal $20 Trillion Of Iraqi Gold

The United States also did not steal gold from Iraq, certainly not $20 trillion worth of gold!

All those photos of US soldiers with Iraqi gold bars are genuine, but they only show them taking photos with the gold they seized in Iraq.

The Iraqi gold bars (as well as currency and other valuables) that US soldiers seized were transported to the US Army’s headquarters in Kuwait.

There, they were examined by the Secret Service and/or the US Department of Treasury to determine their authenticity and value, before being returned to the Central Iraqi Treasury or the Development Fund of Iraq (DFI).

This is a picture of Lt. Col. Scott Schmidt, who was in charge of the 230th Finance Battalion. The battalion’s job was to seize Iraqi assets like currency, gold bars and other valuables.

Fact #4 : The Entire World Does Not Have So Much Gold!

In 2003, Iraq had under 6 tonnes of gold reserves, worth less than $70 million. So how can the United States possibly steal 20 trillion dollars worth of gold from Iraq? $20 trillion worth of gold would weigh at least 1,714,285 tonnes in 2003.

Guess how much gold mankind has ever mined in history? Only 208,874 tonnes as of February 2023 – which is just 12% of what people are claiming that the United States stole from Iraq.

As of January 2023, the value of all the gold in the world is only USD 13 trillion – less than 2/3 of what the conspiracy theory claims the United States stole from Iraq… and that’s only because gold prices have gone up tremendously since 2003.

Even with the much higher gold price, it would take an additional 90 years of mining gold before the entire world has $20 trillion worth of gold for the US government to steal.

Now that you know the truth, please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check out!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Military | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Toxic Fukushima Water Kill Fish + Birds In Kuching?!

Leave a reply

Did the toxic Fukushima waste water just kill fish and birds in Kuching, Malaysia?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Toxic Fukushima Water Killed Fish + Birds In Kuching!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show hundreds of fish in Kuching killed by the toxic Fukushima waste water. It’s paired with warnings like this:

How to explain this happen here in Kuching 🫤🤔

Not too long ago, the pigeons at our waterfront drop dead from poisoning ☹️🫤

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/WhatsApp-Video-2023-09-18-at-12.33.24.mp4?_=1

Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Fish + Birds In Kuching!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Viral Video Was Recorded In Kuching

The viral video was streamed live by Sarawak Edition at 12:14 PM on Sunday, 17 September 2023.

Sarawak Edition said that it recorded the video at Jalan Rock in Kuching, near the Shell petrol station, and an Indian temple.

I managed to geolocate the exact location the video was recorded (Google Map link) to the monsoon drain next to the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple at Jalan Rock, Min Chun Garden, in Kuching, Sarawak.

On the left is the Google Map Street View taken on March 2019, and on the right is a screenshot from the video showing the same electrical pole and high-rise building.

Fact #2 : It Was A Monsoon Drain

If you look carefully at the video, you can see that it is a monsoon drain, and not a river.

According to the person on the video, the dead fish appears to be tilapia. That’s not surprising – tilapia are hardy freshwater fish that can often be found in these monsoon drains.

I should point out that monsoon drains collect waste water from the surrounding area to be treated or released into the sea. The waste water goes into the sea, not the other way around!

Fact #3 : Fish Are Sometimes Found Dead In Monsoon Drains

Even though tilapia are hardy fish, they can sometimes be found dead in monsoon drains. That can occur if toxic substances are poured into the monsoon drain, or drains that flow in.

In February 2022, for example, tilapia fish were found dead in Kulai, Johor. Similarly, over 1,000 dead fish was found floating in a monsoon drain in Taman Seraya, Ampang in October 2014.

Obviously, all those cases have nothing to do with the release of the Fukushima waste water in Japan on August 24, 2023.

Fact #4 : Fukushima Waste Water Cannot Fly…

Fukushima is over 5,000 kilometres away from Kuching, Sarawak, as the crow flies. It is quite impossible for the waste water released by the nuclear power station there to flow all the way here.

Even if the Fukushima waste water is a homing torpedo designed to attack Kuching, it would have to flow past Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, and Vietnam, to reach Sarawak. There would have been reports of dead fish from those countries, but of course, nothing of that sort happened.

But most importantly, the dead fish is located deep inland – some 20 kilometres away from the nearest seaside.

Even if the Japanese somehow designed the Fukushima waste water to attack Kuching, the waste water cannot fly over land to kill tilapia fish 20 kilometres inland!

Fact #5 : Pigeons Were Found Dead On 2 August 2023

It is true that 41 pigeons were found mysteriously dead at the Kuching Esplanade. However, that incident occurred on the morning of 2 August 2023.

The Fukushima-Daiichin NPS only started releasing its treated waste water more than 3 weeks later – on Thursday, 24 August 2023. So the dead birds were definitely not killed by the release of the treated radioactive water from Fukushima…

Unless the Japanese invented a time machine to go back in time to kill those birds with the treated waste water? Now that might make for a good movie plot!

Fact #6 : Kuching Pigeons Were Likely Poisoned

The Sarawak Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) director Dr. Adrian Susin Ambud said that the department collected samples, and a preliminary investigation ruled out avian influenza (bird flu) as their cause of death. He believes that the pigeons were most likely poisoned.

The section of the Kuching Waterfront where the dead pigeons were found is known as a place where the public often feeds a large flock of pigeons. In fact, in this photo, you can see some bird food scattered on the roadside.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Peter McCullough Testified To EU Parliament On Vaccine Safety?!

Leave a reply

Did Dr. Peter McCullough testify to the EU Parliament on COVID-19 vaccine safety on 13 September 2023?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Peter McCullough Testified To EU Parliament On Vaccine Safety?!

People are sharing Twitter (X) and Rumble videos of Dr. Peter McCullough, claiming that he testified about the dangers of COVID-19 vaccines to the EU Parliament on 13 September 2023:

Blake 🔮 : Must Watch: Dr. Peter McCullough Calls For Complete Stop To All COVID Injections – Not Safe For Human Use (9/13/23):

@P_McCulloughMD testifies in the European Parliament to end all COVID vaccinations.

“I submit to you the COVID-19 vaccines and all of their progeny & future boosters are not safe for human use.”

World Council for Health (WCH) : In a session focused on the @WHO, Dr Peter McCullough (@P_McCulloughMD) delivered a powerful speech to the EU Parliament ahead of his upcoming WCH event in Bath, UK with Dr Tess Lawrie on Tuesday.

William Sumner Scott : The EU decided to allow Dr. Peter McCullough to make his presentation of the dangers of the covid – 19 vaccines. Bottom line, do not take any more of them.

America Out Lout : Dr. McCullough delivered a speech to the European Union Parliament on September 13, 2023, in a session dedicated to the World Health Organization and Pandemic response.

Peter McCullough Testified At EU Parliament : What I Discovered

Don’t be surprised if you did not see any EU Parliament announcement about banning COVID-19 vaccines, after Dr. Peter McCullough’s damning testimony to them.

Such a tremendous testimony should have made international news, shouldn’t it? After doing some research, this was what I discovered…

Fact #1 : Hearing Was About New WHO Proposed Rules

Like me, you probably thought that the EU Parliament invited Dr. Peter McCullough to testify about the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

However, the event was actually billed as an “Expert hearing with Q&A” on “Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules“.

The new WHO rules they are referring to are really proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) that WHO member states themselves have drafted and negotiated since December 2021.

Fact #2 : It Was Not An Official European Parliament Event

If you check the European Parliament website, you will not find this event listed at all. You also won’t find it in the European Parliament’s list of official events for September 2023:

Hearings : A committee is permitted to organise a hearing with experts, where this is considered essential to its work on a particular subject. No hearings were held in August or September 2023.

Workshops : Workshops are organised by the policy departments and enable members to put questions to and exchange views with experts on subjects associated with parliamentary business or subjects of current interest. No workshops were held in September 2023.

Other Events : All other public events organised as part of committee activities involving external speakers or experts. Only one event was scheduled for September 2023 – the 13th meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europe on 20 September 2023.

As far as I can tell – the Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event was not an official European Parliament event. It appears to consist of allotted time for the speakers to speak to the attendees and a livestream from within a European Parliament room, similar to the earlier International COVID Summit III.

Perhaps that was ultimately the purpose of this event – to give those speakers the patina of European Parliamentary approval? Perhaps that was all they wanted.

Fact #3 : The Event Was Held At De Madariaga S7 Room

It took some digging, but I managed to trace the location of this event. It was not held in the grand plenary hall where the 705 Members of the European Parliament meet, of course.

Rather, the Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event took place from 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM at the S7 room in the Salvador de Madariaga (SDM) building.

This is a different, secondary building across the river from the main Louise Weiss building, with many rooms available for MEPs to use.

This appears to be a smaller version of the earlier International COVID Summit III event.

Fact #4 : Event Was Hosted By ECR + ID Parliamentary Groups

The Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event appears to be sponsored or hosted by several European Parliament Members from the ECR (European Conservatives and Reformists), and the Identity and Democracy (ID) groups.

MEP Christine Anderson, Identity and Democracy – Germany
MEP Mislav Kolakušić, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – Croatia
MEP Ivan Vilibor Sinčić, Non-attached Member of the European Parliament – Croatia
MEP Cristian Terheş, European Conservatives and Reformists – Romania
MEP Virginie Joron, Identity and Democracy – France

That explains how this event was held within the European Parliament building, even though it was not an official or sanctioned event. This is similar to the earlier International COVID Summit III event.

Obviously, speaking to those five MEPs do not constitute speaking to the European Parliament itself, since 700 other MEPs were not in the room, and it wasn’t even an official event!

On top of that, the event banner shows that they were not there as official representatives of the European Parliament, but as “hosting MEPs”…

Fact #4 : European Parliament Had Plenary Session At That Time

While it may appear that Dr. Peter McCullough and the other people at the event were speaking to the European Parliament itself, the truth is – the European Parliament was in the midst of a 4-day plenary session from 11-14 September 2023.

At the same time that Dr. McCullough was giving his “testimony” in the S7 room in the Salvador de Madariaga building across the river, the European Parliament itself was in the grand plenary hall in the Louise Weiss building for issues like:

Topical debate (Rule 162) – Reviewing the protection status of wolves and other large carnivores in the EU
Presentation by the Council of its position on the draft general budget – 2024 financial year
Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020
Opening of negotiations of an agreement with the United States of America on strengthening international supply chains of critical minerals
Report with recommendations to the Commission on amending the proposed mechanism to resolve legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context

Fact #5 : All Hosting MEPs Attended Plenary Session!

The Health & Democracy under WHO’s new proposed rules event was hosted by five MEPs. However, the video does not actually show them present in the McCullough testimony video.

When I checked the attendance register, I was surprised to see that all five MEPs attended the plenary session on 13 September 2023 at the Louise Weiss building across the river!

Christine Anderson
Mislav Kolakušić
Ivan Vilibor Sinčić
Cristian Terheş
Virginie Joron

It is possible that those five MEPs may have taken time off from the plenary session to drop by the unofficial event they hosted. But there is currently no evidence that I can find to show that they were present during Peter McCullough’s testimony.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Science | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Traffic Lights Now Have CCTV Cameras To Catch Drivers?!

Leave a reply

Do traffic lights in Malaysia now have CCTV cameras to catch drivers crossing the white line?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Traffic Lights Have CCTV To Catch Drivers!

People are sharing a photo of a JPJ (Road Transport Department) traffic offence fine issued to a driver called Koh Chip Wee.

They claim that he was fined after a CCTV camera at the traffic light caught him stopping his vehicle over the white line. This example warns motorists that they could be fined RM2,000 or jailed for up to 6 months for this offence:

It’s a RM 2K fine or 6 months jail for waiting across the white line at traffic lights monitored by cameras, the notices hv already started going out by post… Cheers

Other people are sharing the photo with this audio message of a man warning people that traffic lights in Kuantan, Pahang, now have CCTV cameras that are designed to catch motorists who stop over the white line.

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/WhatsApp-Audio-2023-09-14-at-15.28.40.mp3?_=1

Truth : Traffic Lights Do Not Have CCTV To Catch Drivers!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : You Can Be Fined For Stopping Over White Line

First, let me just confirm that this part is true – motorists may be fined up to RM2,000, or jailed for up to 6 months, if they are caught stopping any part of their vehicles on any zebra crossing, including crossing that unbroken white line at any traffic light.

Mana-mana individu yang melakukan kesalahan boleh dikenakan denda tidak melebihi RM2,000 atau dipenjarakan selama tempoh tidak melebihi enam bulan.

Any individual who commits an offense may be fined not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisoned for a period not exceeding six months.

In other words – this is a serious offence, with serious consequences. You must stop your vehicle before the unbroken white line at all traffic lights.

Most of us motorists never think about this. So this is a timely warning. Please SHARE this warning with your family and friends!

Fact #2 : Traffic Lights Currently Do Not Have CCTV Cameras

The traffic lights currently do not have any CCTV cameras installed to catch drivers crossing the white line, or committing any other traffic offences.

That device you see on many traffic lights these days is an active infra-red sensor. Such infra-red sensors are used to determine the presence of vehicles, for traffic control.

If the sensor does not detect the presence of a vehicle waiting, the traffic light for that lane may skip a turn to allow vehicles using other lanes to go through the junction for a longer period of time.

In the viral photo, the angle of the photo taken indicates that it was not taken by any camera attached to the traffic light. The photo was taken from behind the vehicle and even shows the traffic light itself.

Fact #3 : Driver Was Fined For Running A Red Light

The motorist in this case was not fined for stopping his vehicle over the white line at the traffic light.

If you look closely at the notice, you can see that he was actually fined for running a red light. In addition, he was only fined RM300 for the offence, not RM2,000.

Kesalahan : Gagal mematuhi isyarat merah pada isyarat lalulintas

Offence : Failed to obey red light at traffic light

Recommended : Warning – PDRM Parking Fine Scam Alert!

Fact #4 : Only Known Traffic Light CCTV Camera Was A Test

The only known CCTV camera (with AI technology) that was installed for the purpose of catching traffic offences started operating in Miri on 4 July 2023.

This AI Violation Detection CCTV camera is designed to automatically monitor and record driver behaviour at the intersection, including:

collecting data on vehicle speed and details
automatically detecting and recording speeding vehicles
recording driver offences like using mobile phones, smoking, and not wearing seatbelts while driving

However, this CCTV camera with AI technology was installed as a proof-of-concept trial that will only last 6 months.

The trial period would be six months and the results will be presented to the ministry to decide on the next course of action.

It may be just a matter of time before such cameras are deployed in Malaysia, and other countries around the world. But right now, there really are no CCTV cameras installed at traffic lights to catch drivers committing traffic offences like stopping over the white line.

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Travel | Money | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water?!

Leave a reply

Did former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda die from cancer, after drinking treated radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power station?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-17 : Some minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Added new fact check video, and other minor updates.
Updated @ 2023-09-10 : Updated article with proof Yasuhiro Sonoda is still alive!
Originally posted @ 2023-09-01

Claim : Yasuhiro Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

At the end of October 2011, Yasuhiro Sonoda, the then Japanese cabinet minister, poured half a glass of water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in front of media reporters in order to prove that the treated Fukushima nuclear-contaminated water was “drinkable and no problem”. The treated nuclear-contaminated water of Units 5 and 6 was “drinked twice.”

In December 2014, Yasuhiro Sonoda’s social platform stopped updating; in June 2015 , Sonoda Yasuhiro announced his retirement; at the beginning of 2018, Japanese media said that Sonoda Yasuhiro had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma; in August 2020, Sonoda Yasuhiro died of illness in Melekeok, the capital of Palau.

JERRY GOODE : 🚨☢️ 🇯🇵: Japan MP Yasuhiro Sonoda’s hands shook as he downed a glass of Fukushima Nuclear Contaminated Water in front of reporters and cameras. NOW HE IS MISSING! What happened to him?💀

Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.

In June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda announced his retirement.
Early 2018. Due to physical discomfort, got checked up in Japan, and diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
At the end of 2018, he received treatment at MIT Medical School in the United States, but failed.
At the end of 2019, he went to Palau to recuperate (waiting to die).
In August 2020, he died in Melekeok, the capital of Palau, due to multiple myeloma and his whole body decomposed.

终于破案了，园田康博已死，死于 2020年，死手多发性骨髓瘤。

2015年6月，园田康博宣布引退。
2018 年初。因身体不适。在日本接受检查。
确诊多发性骨髓瘤。
2018 年末，在美国麻省理工医学院接受治疗
无效。
2019 年末，来到帕劳疗养（等死）。
2020年8月，死于帕劳首都梅莱凯奥克，因多发性骨髓瘤，全身身体腐烂而亡。

INF.News : …many years later, the Health Bureau of the Republic of Palau announced a regrettable news: Yasuhiro Sonoda passed away in Palau in 2020 due to his body gradually decomposing due to multiple myeloma.

Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.

The Republic of Palau chose to announce the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda at this critical moment, not only to express their dissatisfaction with the Japanese government, but also to alert the global community to the risks associated with nuclear energy.

Show less

Truth : Yasuhiro Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This appears to be another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Drank Fukushima Water In 2011

First, let me just give you a quick overview of Yasuhiro Sonoda and why he became viral in 2023.

Born on June 9, 1967, Yasuhiro Sonoda (園田康博 / そのだやすひろ) was elected to the House of Representatives in the Diet (Japanese Parliament) in 2003, as a member of the Democratic Party of Japan.

After the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, the 44 year-old MP sought to ease concerns over the safety of the treated water. In response to a challenge by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa, he promised to drink the treated waste water.

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) prepared a bottle of water from Fukushima Daiichi reactors no. 5 and no. 6, which was filtered and treated using its Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps. Even so, he pointed out that the data was more important than the demonstration:

I am aware that just drinking [the treated water] doesn’t in itself mean that safety has been confirmed. The best way to do that is to present data to the public.

Fact #2 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From Politics

The viral messages suggested something nefarious after Yasuhiro Sonoda stopped posting on his Twitter account in 2014. The truth is – he stopped tweeting after he lost elections for the second time.

After that infamous demonstration, Yasuhiro Sonoda lost his seat during the 46th House of Representatives election on December 16, 2012. He subsequently lost again in the 47th House of Representatives election on December 14, 2014.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

Fact #3 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Is Still Alive!

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead.

As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he is still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

Sonoda said, “I would like to once again apologize to those who experienced the earthquake and the people of Fukushima Prefecture,” regarding the spread of false rumors caused by his actions at the time.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

Fact #4 : No Evidence Yasuhiro Sonoda Has Multiple Myeloma

There is also no evidence that Yasuhiro Sonoda was diagnosed with multiple myeloma – a type of white blood cell cancer.

There has been no media report of such a diagnosis. Neither did Yasuhiro Sonoda mention it publicly. In fact, the viral messages also offered no evidence to back up this claim.

Unless Yasuhiro Sonoda or his family publicly reveals that he is suffering from multiple myeloma, or any kind of cancer for the matter, anyone who says that is likely lying to you.

Fact #5 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Was ACD CEO

Yasuhiro Sonoda kept a low profile after leaving politics. However, Taiwanese fact checking website, MyGoPen, discovered that Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. in March 2018.

ACD Co., Ltd. is a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), which focuses on the cross-border e-commerce platform called ANA Overseas Shopping. This was confirmed by a June 17, 2019 CoinON interview with Sonoda as ACD CEO.

It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Fact #6 : Yasuhiro Sonoda Retired From ACD In 2020

It appears that the claim that Yasuhiro Sonoda went to Palau at the end of 2019 for palliative care is false. He was still CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020.

On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

Fact #7 : Palau Never Announced Yasuhiro Sonoda’s Death

There is no evidence that the Bureau of Health for the Republic of Palau ever announced the 2020 death of Yasuhiro Sonoda from multiple myeloma.

A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.

The websites promoting this claim did not provide a link to the announcement. Suspicious, isn’t it?

Fact #8 : Ngerulmud Is The Capital Of Palau

I should point out that Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.

Fact #9 : MIT Does Not Have A Hospital / Medical School

MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is one of the top private universities in the United States, with five schools in Science, Engineering, Architecture and Planning, Management, and Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

MIT, however, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

Fact #10 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Al Franken Get Jew Call Warning Of 9/11 Attacks?!

Leave a reply

Did US Senator Al Franken get a Jew call, warning of the 9/11 attacks before they happened?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : A Jew Call Warned Al Franken About 9/11 Attacks!

Conspiracy theorists keep claiming that former US Senator Al Franken received advance warning of the 9/11 attacks through “Jew call”.

Apparently, Al Franken himself claimed that a “Jew call” helped him escape getting killed when the Twin Towers collapsed, or was “demolished” by the Zionists.

The evidence, they claimed, was clearly stated in his 2003 book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them:

One of the widely disseminated stories was that no Jews died in the collapse of the Trade Towers because they had received calls telling them not to go to work that day.

To tell you the truth, I got the Jew call. I had an office in the Trade Center where I used to do most of my writing. The call came from former New York mayor Ed Koch.

“Al,” he told me, “don’t go to work on the twenty-third day of Elul [September 11, 2001].

Truth : A Jew Call Did Not Warn Al Franken About 9/11 Attacks!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the September 11 attacks, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : His Book Was Political Satire

What people may not know is that the book, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, was political satire.

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them was a satirical piece on American politics, targeting Republicans and conservative personalities and media. Its subtitle “A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right” was actually a parody of the Fox News tagline – “Fair and Balanced“.

Fact #2 : Al Franken Writes A Lot Of Satire

Al Franken was not just a US Senator, he is also an American comedian, actor and writer. In fact, he was a regular writer and performer on Saturday Night Live in the 70s and 80s!

Before Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, he wrote a number of satirical books, like:

After Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, he wrote The Truth (With Jokes) and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate – more political satire books. As you can probably tell by now, Al Franken likes to write political satire…

Fact #3 : Al Franken Was Satirising Jew Call Claims

Conspiracy theorists keep insisting that it was not clear that what Al Franken wrote was just satire. They keep telling everyone to “read between the lines“.

The truth is – anyone who even reads the book can clearly see that Al Franken never actually said he got a Jew call that gave him advance warning of the 9/11 attacks.

The conspiracy theorists merely cherry picked the part they wanted, and “conveniently” removed the rest. Take a look:

One of the widely disseminated stories was that no Jews died in the collapse of the Trade Towers because they had received calls telling them not to go to work that day.

To tell you the truth, I got the Jew call. I had an office in the Trade Center where I used to do most of my writing. The call came from former New York mayor Ed Koch.

“Al,” he told me, “don’t go to work on the twenty-third day of Elul [September 11, 2001].

Actually, I watched the events of that awful day from Minneapolis, where I was visiting my mom. Mom’s in a nursing home, so I was staying at a hotel.

That morning, as I grabbed some coffee, I noticed people huddled around the TV. A plane had hit the World Trade Center. Must have been a commuter plane. Maybe the pilot had a heart attack or something.

Then the second plane hit. It was sickening. Then came the Pentagon. We were under attack.

Somehow, I got through to my wife in Manhattan. She was fine at home on the Upper West Side about 5 miles north of the (World) Trade Center. My son was at school on the Upper East Side, my daughter away at college.

As I watched the first Tower collapse, I was stunned. But I still couldn’t register the magnitude of what was happening, even as the second one went down.

I spent the rest of the day at the nursing home watching TV with my mom.

As you can see, Al Franken was not even in New York at that time. He certainly did not receive any “Jew call”.

In fact, he was satirising the conspiracy theory that Jews did not die in the 9/11 attacks because they received a “Jew call” – an alert not to go to the Twin Towers.

Did these conspiracy theorists and bloggers lie about what Al Franken said in his book? Or were they blind to what he wrote?

Fact #4 : Many Jews Died In 9/11 Attacks

Conspiracy theorists claim that no Jew died in the 9/11 attacks because they received the “Jew call” to avoid the Twin Towers on the 23rd of Elul (September 11, 2001).

However, at least 400 victims of the 9/11 attacks were either “confirmed or strongly believed to be Jewish“, according to The New York Times.

On the other hand, only 28 Muslims died in the Twin Towers, and another 3 Muslims were passengers on the two planes. If there was a conspiracy, you would expect the Zionists to do a much better job of protecting their kind, no?

Fact #5 : Al Franken Did Not Have Any WTC Office

Finally, I should point out that Al Franken did NOT have an office in any of the World Trade Center buildings.

So even if there was a Zionist conspiracy to demolish the Twin Towers and blame it on “the innocent Muslims”, there was no need for anyone to give him a “Jew call”.

He wouldn’t have gone to the World Trade Center on that September 11, 2001, or any other day for the matter, because he never had an office there!

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Toxic Fukushima Water Kill Fish In Indonesia?!

Leave a reply

Did the toxic Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Indonesia?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Toxic Fukushima Water Killed Fish In Indonesia!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show thousands of fish in Indonesia killed by the toxic Fukushima waste water. It’s paired with warnings like this:

ALERT: TOXIC SEA WATER HAS ARRIVED AT INDONESIA.

Fishermen are catching more dead fishes than live ones.

Jangan makan ikan dulu. Limbah racun dari jepang sdh masuk ke indonisia.

Don’t eat fish yet. Toxic waste from Japan has entered Indonesia.

日本“毒水” 相信已漂到印尼水界. 食海产可要小心。

Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Fish In Indonesia!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Happened In Tuban, East Java

The viral video appears to be recorded on Tuesday, 12 September 2023, at the beach in front of Hotel Purnama, along the Tuban-Semarang road in Tuban, East Java, Indonesia.

Fact #2 : Fish Were Caught, Not Found Dead

The fish seen in the video were not found dead on the beach, or in the sea. Rather, they were caught by fishermen in the area.

In fact, you can see one of the fishing boats at about 0:26 in the video. The fisherman was merely dropping off his catch at the beach, to be collected by the white Bintang Novelita pickup truck seen at 0:13 in the video.

Fact #3 : Only One Type of Fish Was Caught

If you look carefully at the video, you will notice that it only shows one species of fish. Known locally as Jamal Roti or Manyung, it is a marine catfish from the Ariidae family.

This is actually the spawning season for this catfish, which not only causes them to gather, they also rise to the surface, making it easy for fishermen to catch them.

The fishermen caught about 2 tons of this catfish that day. A week earlier, they caught one ton of the same fish.

If there was any contamination killing fishes in the area, there would be an assortment of different fish species, not just one particular fish species.

Fact #4 : Jenu Police Refuted Viral Claim

On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, Jenu Police Chief Rialto confirmed that the large number of fish were not stranded on the beach, but caught by local fishermen.

Fact #5 : Tuban Fisheries Service Refuted Viral Claim

On Wednesday, 13 September 2023, the head of the Tuban Regency Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security Service, Eko Arif Yulianto confirmed that the Manyung catfish were spawning at that time. He appealed to the public to stop believing in unverified information.

Fact #6 : Tuban DKP2P Fisheries Refuted Viral Claim

On Thursday, 14 September 2023, the head of the Tuban DKP2P Fisheries Division, Lingo Indarto, publicly refuted the claim that the fish were killed from the Fukushima waste water.

The fishermen in the video, was identified as called Sutrisno from Karangsari. He said that the fish were all caught at sea, and were healthy and fresh.

Mr. Linggo called for netizens to stop believing in unverified rumours, as they can cause great losses to the fishermen. He is also coordinating with the East Java Province Maritime and Fisheries Service to fight this fake news.

Fact #7 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route

For the Fukushima waste water to reach Tuban, it would need to travel some 7,000 kilometres past southern Japan, the Philippines, the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi, Bali and Surabaya.

Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Tuban?

Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Travel | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Marshall Minor III Wireless Earphones Scam Alert!

Leave a reply

Please watch out for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones scam! Take a look at the scam, and find out what the facts really are!

Marshall Minor III Wireless Earphones Scam Alert!

Scammers are running Facebook ads that promote an awesome discount for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones! Here is one recent example:

😣”Frustrating” 😣I had to queue for 5 hours at IOI City Mall to buy MARSHALL MINOR III wireless headphones for only RM179 (original price RM596), I was surprised because I thought they only sold directly I heard it’s open for sale online in 2 more days https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms And also get the same discount as buying at the store. Free shipping nationwide.

But the 4 hours of queuing was worth it. As a Marshall fan, I was very excited when I heard the news that the Minor III series was coming out. And don’t waste your time waiting, the design is very beautiful, more stylish than the old version 💯 Great sound quality. Clear bus, fast Bluetooth connection, suitable for all types of devices, super battery life, 5 hours of continuous use and 25 hours with charging box, waterproof. The best thing about these headphones is the close-to-ear design. Comfortable, can play sports without worrying about falling. If you don’t buy it, you will be very disappointed.

I let my colleagues borrow it to play games because it sounded so realistic. There is no delay in movement.
Many people ask me if the store still has promotions? I just saw information that the store has a discount in the next 2 days. Order quickly. At the end of the promotion, the price will return to the original price of RM596. I leave the purchase link here for those who want to buy: https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms

Recommended : Bantuan Rakyat Malaysia Scam Alert!

Marshall Minor III Offer : Why Is It A Scam?!

This is yet another example of SCAMS circulating on Facebook, and here are there reasons why…

Fact #1 : Marshall Minor III Price Absurdly Low

The first thing about scams involving electronics, is that they often promise ridiculous great deals. If it’s too good to be true, it often is just a scam.

In this particular scam, scammers are offering the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones for just RM179 (US$39). That’s absurd, as the Marshall Minor II wireless earphones has an official retail price of $159 (approximately RM699)!

Marshall is a high-end audiophile brand, and its electronics are never cheap. Even if they offer a discount, it wouldn’t be anything like 70% to 75%. That’s just ridiculous.

For your safety, here are legit purchase options online for the Marshall Minor III earbuds :

Malaysia : Shopee | Shopee | Shopee
Singapore : Shopee
United States : Amazon | Amazon
United Kingdom : Amazon

Fact #2 : Facebook Advertisement Is Fake

The Facebook advertisement appears to be created by a handsome influencer called 𝐀𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠 瑾.鍾.瑾. with 5.5 million followers.

But that’s what the scammers put in the intro. If you look carefully, this scam page only has 13 followers!

Recommended : Warning – PDRM Parking Fine Scam Alert!

Fact #3 : That Is “Push” Puttichai Kasetsin

The page is not owned by any influencer or digital creator called 𝐀𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠 瑾.鍾.瑾.

Those are actually photos of Puttichai Kasetsin – a Thai actor, model, DJ and TV host who is also known as “Push”.

Fact #4 : IOI City Mall Does Not Have A Marshall Outlet

The claim by these scammers that Alvinn Chong queued up for 5 hours at the IOI City Mall to buy the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones is easily debunked.

If you check the IOI City Mall tenant listing, you will quickly discover that it does not have a Marshall outlet.

Fact #5 : Queue Photos Are From Vietnam

The two photos which claim to show long queues for the Marshall Minor III wireless earphones were not taken in Malaysia. They were actually taken in Vietnam.

This photo does not show people in IOI City Mall queueing up outside a Marshall outlet. It actually shows people queuing up for the opening of the 15th Pandora store at the Long Bien Aeon Mall, on 28 April 2022.

Incidentally, Pandora is a Danish jewellery brand, and does not sell Marshall audio products…

The second queue photo is also from Vietnam, but taken many years ago on 11 November 2017. It does not show people queuing up to buy any Marshall products either.

They were actually queuing up at Royal City Shopping Center in Hanoi, for the opening ceremony of the second H&M store in Vietnam.

Fact #6 : Scam Website Not Affiliated With ASH Asia

ASH Asia is an authorised distributor of Marshall products in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

However, the scam page (https://www.marshall-ash.asia/ms) has nothing to do with ASH Asia, whose official Marshall Minor III page is https://ash-asia.com/ms.

On top of that, ASH Asia does not sell the Marshall Minor III directly (like the scam page). Instead, ASH Asia sells the wireless earphones through Shopee and Lazada.

In fact, if you check the main domain itself, you will get an error message, stating:

Your domain name has been successfully pointed! Please publish a Landing Page with the above domain name to use the service. Thank you!

This not only gives it away as a scam website, it also suggests that the scammers are operating out of Vietnam.

Fact #7 : Scam Website Admits Selling Fake Marshall Minor III

Ironically, the scam website itself has a disclaimer, warning potential buyers that it is not selling genuine Marshall Minor III wireless earphones, but a replica instead…

Most people won’t notice it because if you click to order, the website is designed to skip past this warning.

Fact #8 : Package Apparently Contained “Trash”?

To assure you that this is safe, the scammers say that you only need to pay on delivery. Sounds good, doesn’t it? That guarantees that you will at least receive the item, doesn’t it?

Not quite, as one person who claimed to have purchased from this scam website explained…

I was attracted and clicked in, filling in my address and phone number. Three days later, I got a call saying that my package would arrive through DHL-COD, and asked me to make sure I was home.

I started looking forward to it, but when I thought about it, I became more suspicious. Since when does DHL provide Cash On Delivery service? I can’t believe they would dare to pay for first-class service without any payment from me. I figured it might be a scam!

What’s the scam? You may not have any doubts when you receive the package. When I open it immediately and take a look, then I realized it was full of garbage. [Unfortunately] I had already paid the delivery person, who ran away.

我被吸引点了进去，填了地址电话。跟着三天后有电话来说我的包裹会到，DHL-COD的，确定我在家等。我开始很期待。跟着想，越想越不对。DHL有COD的服务咩？我还没过账他们就这么敢与服务一流到我不敢相信。我猜可能是诈骗！骗什么？当你收到包裹时是不会怀疑，立刻打开来看的。然后才发现里面是垃圾。人跑了钱给了。。。

If true, the scam involves giving you an empty package filled with trash to receive your cash payment. After which, you have no recourse.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Mobile | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Are Elderly Tourists Banned From Group Tours In China?!

Leave a reply

Are elderly tourists now banned from joining group tours to China?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Elderly Tourists Banned From Group Tours In China!

This warning has gone viral on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, claiming that elderly tourists are now banned from group tours in China!

New Regulations of the National Tourism Administration

Dear group members, while you are still allowed to travel, take advantage of the opportunity and travel around China! Group tours are no longer allowed after the age of 80.😀😀😀😀😀

The Mainland Tourism Administration has newly regulated the provisional rules for seniors traveling in group tours. According to the “Travel Law of the People’s Republic of China” and “Travel Agency Senior Tour Service Standards”, these rules are formulated:

Article 1: The elderly refer to tourists who are over 60 years old (inclusive) on the date of travel.
Article 2: Aged over 60 years old on the date of travel (including this
Number) – Tourists aged 69 years old should sign a “Safety Responsibility Letter” with the travel agency. The “Safety Responsibility Letter” should state personal health conditions, communication methods, and emergency contact information, and should be signed by the tourist.
Article 3: Aged over 70 years old on the date of travel (including this
Number) -Tourists who are 75 years old, unless signing in accordance with Article 2 of the Rules
The “Safety Responsibility Letter” must also provide a valid health certificate or physical examination report issued by a Class III A hospital within 3 months.
Article 4: For those who are over 75 years old on the date of travel, in addition to signing a “Safety Responsibility Letter” in accordance with Article 2 of the rules and providing a valid health certificate or physical examination report issued by a grade 3A hospital within three months, they must also be elderly Tourist visa for adult immediate family members
If you are traveling in Yu, and are accompanied by adult family members, and if you are over 80 years old on the date of travel (including your age), you are not allowed to register.
Article 5: The person in charge of the company’s business department, sales department, and branch is the person responsible for the rules. If the above rules are violated.

*#Travel agencies are not allowed to accommodate people over 80 years old! *
75-79 years old, accompanied by family members + physical examination certificate!
70-75 years old, physical examination certificate + letter of responsibility!
60-69 years old Sign the safety responsibility letter!

Show less

Truth : Elderly Tourists Are Not Banned From Group Tours In China!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms, and here are there reasons why…

Fact #1 : Viral Message Circulated Since 2019

First, let me just point out that the viral message isn’t new. It has been circulating since March 2019, if not earlier.

Initially, it started in Chinese social media platforms like Weibo and WeChat groups, but eventually made its way to WhatsApp and other social media platforms.

Fact #2 : National Tourism Administration Ceased In 2018

According to a Chinese fact check, the viral message could not have been issued by the National Tourism Administration of China, as it no longer existed in 2019.

As part of institutional reforms announced by the Chinese State Council in March 2018, it was replaced by the Culture and Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China Ministry of Tourism.

Fact #3 : Ministry of Culture and Tourism Has No Such Restrictions

A reporter for Jiefang Daily and Shangguan News checked the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Culture and Tourism, but could find no announcement of any restrictions on elderly tourists travelling in group tours.

The reporter also noted that there were no specific restrictions on the “travel age for the elderly” even in previous policy documents.

Fact #4 : Shanghai Tourism Hotline Confirms No Such Restriction

The reporter also called the Shanghai tourism hotline to ask about whether there were new restrictions on elderly tourists planning to join tour groups in China.

The Shanghai tourism staff told the reporter that there is currently no national guidelines that prohibit group tours for those over 80 years old.

They suggested that the requirement that elderly people need to be accompanied by family members and/or have medical certificates may be the “voluntary requirements” of some travel agencies.

In such cases, the staff recommended that elderly tourists should consider some travel agencies in Shanghai that specialise in serving the elderly as they may be more suitable, and may not have such requirements.

Fact #5 : Travel Service Standards For Elderly Do Not Have Age Restrictions

In 2016, China issued its Travel Agency Elderly Tourism Service Standards, which stipulates that if elderly tourists participate in group tours, the travel agency should:

communicate and negotiate with the insurance company on the upper age limit for travel accident insurance,
collect detailed information of the elderly tourists,
ask elderly tourists who are over 75 years old to be accompanies by adult family members, or ask their immediate family members to sign off on their travel,
discuss the potential risks of senior tourism products and the health requirements of senior tourists before traveling, and
provide oral safety reminders and produce a “Safety Notice” to ensure that elderly tourists choose appropriate senior tourism products.

However, the 2016 Travel Agency Elderly Tourism Service Standards do not restrict elderly tourists of any age from travelling in group tours.

Fact #6 : Travel Agencies Refute Claims On Age Limits

The same reporter also reached out to Chinese travel agencies like Ctrip and CYTS on these claims of group tour restrictions on elderly tourists.

The Chinese travel agencies said that there is “no hard and fast age requirement” for seniors travelling in group tours.

They pointed out that different tours have different physical requirements, some of which may require elderly tourists to be accompanied by family members, or produce medical certificates and other documents to assure the travel agencies of their fitness.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Travel | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Florida Anti-Vaccine Advice Slammed As Dangerous!

Leave a reply

Former Florida surgeon general Dr. Scott Rivkees and the CDC just publicly slammed the state’s advice against getting the updated 2023-2024 COVID-19 vaccine!

Find out what he said, and what’s going on!

Florida Recommends Against 2023 Updated COVID-19 Vaccines!

Just one day after the CDC recommended that everyone 6 months and older should get the new 2023 updated COVID-19 vaccines, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo issued a statement recommending against people under 65 getting the updated vaccine.

In his statement, Ladapo claimed that getting the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines make it easier for people to get infected, while running risk of getting cardiac problems. Instead of getting the new COVID-19 vaccines, Ladapo recommends staying physically active outdoors, and eating more vegetables…

As the federal government makes new boosters for COVID-19 available, the Florida Department of Health (Department) reminds health care providers of their obligation to remain up to date with the current literature related to the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

A new mRNA COVID-19 booster was approved on September 11, 2023, by the federal government. While the initial mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) utilizing human clinical trial data, the most recent booster approval was granted in the absence of any meaningful booster-specific clinical trial data performed in humans. In both cases the federal government has failed to provide sufficient data to support the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines. Health care providers are expected to include the information in this guidance in discussions with patients regarding the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Based on the high rate of global immunity and currently available data, the State Surgeon General recommends against the COVID-19 booster for individuals under 65. Individuals 65 and older should discuss this information with their health care provider, including potential concerns outlined in this guidance.

Providers and patients should be aware of outstanding safety and efficacy concerns:

Throughout the pandemic, studies across geographic regions have found that the mRNA
COVID-19 vaccines are associated with negative effectiveness after 4 to 6 months. As efficacy waned, studies showed that COVID-19 vaccinated individuals developed an increased risk for infection. This is not found in other vaccines, including the flu vaccine.
The mRNA COVID-19 vaccines present a risk of subclinical and clinical myocarditis and other cardiovascular conditions among otherwise healthy individuals.
There is unknown risk of potential adverse impacts with each additional dose of the mRNA
COVID-19 vaccine; currently individuals may have received five to seven doses (and counting) of this vaccine over a 3-year period.
Elevated levels of spike protein from the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine persist among some individuals for an indefinite period of time, which may carry health risks.

Improving habits and overall health help manage and reduce the risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. The State Surgeon General and the Department continue to encourage Floridians to prioritize their overall health by:

Staying physically active,
Minimizing processed foods,
Maximizing vegetables and healthy fats, and
Spending time outside to support necessary vitamin D levels.

Show less

Former Surgeon General Slams Florida Vaccine Advice!

Former Florida surgeon general Dr. Scott Rivkees just publicly slammed the DeSantis administration and Dr. Joseph Ladapo for advising people against getting the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr. Scott Rivkees preceded Dr. Joseph Ladapo as the state surgeon general, resigning in September 2021 after being shunned by Ron DeSantis for encouraging COVID-19 precautions when the Florida governor wanted virtually no preventive measures.

When the current Florida surgeon general issued that advice against getting the updated COVID-19 vaccine, he spoke up against it to USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida.

Dr. Rivkees, who is a pediatrician and now a professor at the Brown University School of Public Health, pointed out that the COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be “very safe” and “very effective”.

Rates of COVID vaccination are lower in Florida than they had been. I think the cumulative effect of this anti-vaccine messaging is being felt.

COVID is a vaccine preventable disease. These vaccines are very safe and very effective.

CDC Labels Florida Vaccine Advice As Dangerous!

The CDC also publicly criticised both Florida governor Ron DeSantis and his surgeon general Joseph Ladapo for advising against getting the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccine, with CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen calling their comments “dangerous“.

Vaccination against COVID-19 remains the safest protection for avoiding hospitalizations, long-term health challenges, and death.

As we head into the fall and winter seasons, it is important that Americans get the updated COVID-19 vaccine. They are proven safe; they are effective, and they have been thoroughly and independently reviewed by the FDA and CDC.

Public health experts are in broad agreement about these facts, and efforts to undercut vaccine uptake are unfounded and dangerous.

The US FDA has also stated publicly that the new 2023 COVID-19 vaccines have been thoroughly reviewed and tested for safety:

The public can be assured that these updated vaccines have met the agency’s rigorous scientific standards for safety, effectiveness, and manufacturing quality.

We very much encourage those who are eligible to consider getting vaccinated.

– Peter Marks, Director of the FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

And please protect yourself and your loved ones, by vaccinating against COVID-19 and other preventable diseases!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

2023 COVID-19 Vaccines Have “A Lot Of Red Flags”?!

Leave a reply

Should you listen to Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo who claimed that the 2023 COVID-19 vaccines have “a lot of red flags”?!

Find out what he said, and what the facts really are!

Claim : 2023 COVID-19 Vaccines Have “A Lot Of Red Flags”

Days before the FDA approved the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines that the CDC later recommended for everyone 6 years and older, Florida’s Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo went on a rant.

During a “Mandate Freedom” press conference with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on September 7, 2023, Ladapo criticised the 2023 COVID-19 vaccines, claiming that there are “a lot of red flags”.

There’s a new vaccine that’s coming around the corner, a new mRNA COVID-19 vaccine, and there’s essentially no evidence for it.

There’s been no clinical trial done in human beings showing that it benefits people. There’s been no clinical trial showing that it is a safe product for people — and not only that, but then there are a lot of red flags.

So something that you don’t hear much about, but we’ll be talking more about is that there are multiple studies now from around the world – Brazil, I think Australia, United States, that show that over time, these vaccines, these mRNA COVID-19 products actually increase your chances of contracting COVID-19.

That’s not normal, and unfortunately, you are going to have people who are going to get on television and try to explain why you should be comfortable with that, you should be comfortable with taking a product that ultimately, like its predecessors, increases your chance of contracting something.

No Evidence 2023 COVID-19 Vaccines Have “A Lot Of Red Flags”

Let’s take a look at the claims Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo made at the “Mandate Freedom” press conference, and see what the facts really are…

Fact #1 : Joseph Ladapo Was Appointed By Ron DeSantis

First, I think it is important to note that most US states do not have a surgeon general. State surgeon generals are a recent “invention”, with only five states creating this position:

Pennsylvania : 1996
Michigan : 2003
Arkansas and Florida : 2007
California : 2019

Even so, Michigan has not filled its Surgeon General post since 2010. All other US states and territories do not their own state surgeon generals, and rely on the US Surgeon General, who is currently Vivek Murthy.

Joseph Abiodun Ladapo was appointed to the post of Florida Surgeon General by Florida governor Ron DeSantis on September 21, 2021, following his op-eds promoting unproven COVID-19 treatments like hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin, questioning the safety of vaccines, and opposing lockdowns and mask mandates.

At that time, he claimed that these opinions were based on his “experience in treating COVID-19 patients at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). However, UCLA staff roster do not show him treating any COVID-19 patients. Several of his colleagues also stated that Ladapo had never treated any COVID-19 patient.

Fact #2 : Ladapo’s Advice Are Often Controversial

After he was appointed as Florida Surgeon General, Joseph Ladapo’s first move was to repeal quarantine requirements for schoolchildren exposed to COVID-19.

He also recommended that children in Florida should not be vaccinated against COVID-19, making Florida the first state to contradict COVID-19 vaccine guidelines by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Ladapo also suggested that men aged 18 to 39 should not be vaccinated, claiming high cases of cardiac-related deaths for those who took the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines – a claim that was rejected by many medical professionals.

In a sign that his views were possibly disgraceful, the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine removed Ladapo’s name and biography from its websites.

In January 2023, the Faculty Council of the University of Florida College of Medicine said that Ladapo’s recommendation was based on “careless and contentious research practice” and might have violated the university policies on research integrity.

On March 10, 2023, the CDC and the FDA publicly rebuked Joseph Ladapo (PDF download) for claiming that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines cause widespread adverse events.

Fact #3 : Ladapo Comments Were Made Before Vaccine Approval

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo made those comments on 7 September – four days before the US FDA approved the updated 2023 vaccines, and five days before the CDC recommended their use in people 6 months and older.

So how did Ladapo know that these updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines have “a lot of red flags” days before the FDA and the CDC announced their findings?

Fact #4 : Ladapo Did Not Offer Any Evidence

Even more troubling – Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo did not offer any evidence to back up his claim that the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines have “a lot of red flags”.

What exactly are those red flags? He didn’t say.

Fact #5 : Ladapo Asked People To “Feel” Instead

Instead of providing evidence that the updated 2023 COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo asked people to “feel” instead.

Listen inside to what makes sense, what feels right, you know, what feels like truth. What has that feeling, and that resonance of truth. That clarity of truth, like we all know it when we feel it inside.

Ladapo also explained that some people are more able to “feel” the truth, because they are more advanced in their “spiritual journeys”.

Some of us know it more readily than others, and it’s because we are all in different points in our spiritual journeys”.

To be clear – that’s not what they teach in medical school. Doctors are not taught to “feel” what is right, or what is wrong, for their patients.

Doctors are trained to examine patients, and use a variety of investigative tools like x-ray, ECG, MRI, ultrasound, etc. to come to a diagnosis. Then they prescribe a treatment based on the research conducted by other doctors and scientists.

Whether they are religious (or spiritual) or not, should not be a factor in the diagnosis or treatment of any patient.

Fact #6 : COVID-19 Vaccines Are Safe + Effective

The truth is – COVID-19 vaccines have been proven to be safe and effective. And we know this because not only have they passed large Phase 3 clinical trials, billions of doses have been administered worldwide in the past 2.5 years.

Thanks to the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines in preventing hospitalisation and death from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, hospitals are no longer filled with people gasping for breath. In fact, the world has successfully reopened, thanks to the COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccines do not make it easier for people to get infected. It only appears that way because many people are now vaccinated. If 90% of the world is vaccinated, then it is only natural that 90% of infected people have been vaccinated.

I should also point out that the COVID-19 vaccines were designed to prevent death and severe disease. They are not force fields that block you from being infected, so fully-vaccinated people will still get infected.

However, because the COVID-19 vaccines have trained your own immune system to fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, you are more likely to suffer a mild disease, or even remain asymptomatic.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Mexico Did It Photo : Can It Infect Your Phone With Virus?!

Leave a reply

Can the “Mexico Did It” photo infect your phone with a virus in just 5 seconds?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-13 : Revised for a new wave
Originally posted @ 2022-11-07

Claim : “Mexico Did It” Photo Will Infect Your Phone With A Virus!

The warning about the “Mexico Did It” photo or image that will infect your phone with a virus keeps going… viral on WhatsApp and social media.

There are two versions so far – in English, and in Spanish.

FYI: They are going to publish an image that shows how Covid 19 is cured in Mexico and it is called “Mexico did it”, do not open it because it enters the phone in 5 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. It’s a virus. Pass it on to your friends and family. Now they also said it on CNN and BBC. DO NOT OPEN IT

Pass it on

Van a publicar una imagen que muestra como el Covid 19 se cura en Mexico y se llama “Mexico lo hizo” no lo abran porque entra al telefono en 5 segundos y no se puede frenar de ninguna forma. Es un virus. Pasenlo a sus familiares y amigos. Ahora lo dijeron tambien en CNN y BBC

Truth : There Is No “Mexico Did It” Photo / Virus!

This is just another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Viral Message Has Been Circulating Since 2021

The viral message about the “Mexico Did It” photo or virus has been circulating on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter since April 2021.

Fact #2 : This Is A Modified Version Of “Argentina Is Doing It”

This viral message is actually a modified version of an earlier fake message, which claims that a video on WhatsApp called “Argentina is doing it” will hack your phone in 10 seconds.

It just replaces Argentina with Mexico, a video with a photo, and changes it from a 10-second hack into a 5-second virus attack.

Those two fake news are, in turn, probably based on the even older fake claim that hackers are using greeting photos and videos to hack your phone.

Fact #3 : There Is No “Mexico Did It” Photo / Virus

There is no such thing as a “Mexico Did It” image or photo. Neither is there a virus called “Mexico Did It“.

There is also no known virus that can infect your phone with a virus simply using a photo or image.

Fact #4 : CNN + BBC Never Reported On Such A virus

It’s been over 2.5 years since this fake story first appeared on Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp, but neither CNN nor BBC has ever reported on a “Mexico Did It” virus.

Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…

Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.

It is also possible to embed malicious code within a photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.

At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest… but it cannot hack your smartphone by itself.

Fact #6 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action

In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.

However, the image itself has an “almost white” rectangle that is recognised by the script, triggering it to redirect the user to the cybercriminals’ website. Once there, the victim is tricked into installing a Trojan disguised as an Adobe Flash Player update.

Such a clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.

You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.

Fact #7 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately

If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t take 5 seconds, as the hoax message claims.

Generally, malware won’t wait a few seconds before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.

Unless the malware creator designed it to only infect your phone when you are sleeping (like the early hours of the morning), it pays to execute immediately.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE this article with your family and friends, and SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Can Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card Hack Your Phone?!

Leave a reply

Can the Seismic Wave Card containing photos of the recent earthquake at Morocco hack your phone?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card Can Hack Your Phone!

This warning about the Seismic Wave Card containing photos of the recent earthquake at Morocco has gone viral on WhatsApp:

They are going to upload some photos of the Moroccan earthquake on WhatsApp. The file is called Seismic Waves CARD, don’t open it and see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Share the information with your family and friends.
DO NOT OPEN IT. They also said it on TV

他们将在WhatsApp上上传一些摩洛哥地震的照片。该文件称为地震波CARD，不要打开或看到它，它会在10秒内破解您的手机，并且无法以任何方式停止。与您的家人和朋友分享信息。
不要打开它。他们还在电视上说过

Truth : There Is No Morocco Earthquake Seismic Wave Card!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Seismic Wave Card!

First, let me just point out that there is no such thing as a Seismic Wave Card.

The Seismic Wave Card is an Internet hoax that keeps getting recycled for every earthquake that comes along, like these examples show:

They are going to upload some photos of the Cariaco earthquake on Whatsapp. The file is called Waves Seismic CARD, do not open or see it, it will hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends. DO NOT OPEN IT. They also said it on TV.

They are going to upload some photos of the Calvario earthquake on WhatsApp. The file is called CARD Seismic Waves. Do not open them or see them, they hack your phone in 10 seconds and it cannot be stopped in any way. Pass the information on to your family and friends. Don’t open it. They also said it on TV.

Fact #2 : Photos Are Shared Directly On WhatsApp

There is no need to open any file, or install any app, to view photos on WhatsApp. You simply click to view photos shared by other people on WhatsApp.

Of course, people may sometimes share high-resolution photos in ZIP or RAR files, because WhatsApp greatly reduces the resolution of photos shared on its platform.

Those ZIP or RAR files may be opened using apps like WinZip (Android | iOS) or RAR (Android) or Unarchiver (iOS). However, you should be wary if you are asked to download and install any app.

Unless you know what you are doing, it’s best to only view photos and videos directly inside WhatsApp, and not download any compressed files at all.

Fact #3 : Seismic Waves Card Is Not A Browser Hijacker

Seismic Waves Card appears to be falsely labelled as a browser hijacker by at least one “cybersecurity” website:

The scam message known as Seismic Waves Card is notorious for its disruptive behavior while surfing the web. Generally, scams like this, and other like Mintnav and Lookaside fbsbx, are crafted to meddle with your browser’s settings, replacing homepages and default search engines to promote affiliated sites and generate advertising revenue.

This transgression doesn’t end here; they siphon sensitive data and create vulnerabilities in your system’s security framework, providing a gateway for more perilous threats, such as malware and phishing schemes, to invade.

The protracted presence of Seismic Waves Card in your system exponentially escalates the risk of serious compromises, emphasizing the dire necessity for its immediate removal. Recognizing the malicious potential of such unwanted apps is essential in maintaining a secure and safe digital environment. Stay vigilant and prioritize your cybersecurity.

There is no evidence that a malware or browser hijacker called Seismic Waves Card exists. The article itself does not offer any evidence to prove its existence. In fact, the article and its guide on how to “remove” the malware appears to be generic, and may possibly be AI-generated.

Fact #4 : Image-Based Malware Is Possible, But…

Digital steganography is a method by which secret messages and other data can be hidden in digital files, like a photo or a video, or even a music file.

It is also possible to embed malicious code within a photo, but it won’t be a full-fledged malware that can execute by itself.

At most, it can be used to hide the malware payload from antivirus scanners, which is pretty clever to be honest… but it cannot hack your smartphone by itself.

Fact #5 : Image-Based Malware Requires User Action

In January 2019, cybercriminals created an online advertisement with a script that appears innocuous and would pass any malware check.

This is an incredibly clever way to bypass malware checks, but even so, this image-based malware requires user action.

You cannot get infected by the Trojan if you practice good “Internet hygiene” by not downloading or installing anything from unknown websites.

Fact #6 : Malicious Code Executes Immediately

If you accidentally download and trigger malware, it will execute immediately. It won’t take 10 seconds, as the hoax message claims.

There is really no reason for malware to wait before it infects your devices. Waiting will only increase the risk of detection.

Whether the malware serves to take over your device, steal your information or encrypt it for ransom, it pays to do it at the first opportunity.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Cybersecurity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

4-Day Water Cut For 2023 Klang Valley Pipe Upgrade?!

Leave a reply

Is the Klang Valley going to be hit by a 4-day water cut for a major pipe upgrade in October 2023?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : 4-Day Water Cut For 2023 Klang Valley Pipe Upgrade!

People are sharing a TikTok video together with this warning about a 4-day water cut for the entire Klang Valley in October 2023:

Pls save enough water from 13 to 16-Oct-2023 as Klang valley pipe water upgrade exercise

https://www.techarp.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/WhatsApp-Video-2023-09-12-at-08.55.16.mp4?_=2

Truth : 4-Day Water Cut Is For 2021 Klang Valley Pipe Upgrade!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are reasons why…

Fact #1 : Video Is Genuine But Old

First, let me just confirm that the video is genuine, and was posted by the @SelangorTV channel on TikTok. However, it is an old video from 2021, and has nothing to do with any water cut or pipe upgrade exercise in 2023.

Fact #2 : Air Selangor Did Not Announce Major Water Cuts

There are always minor water cuts to fix broken pipes and other localised issues, which you can check on the Air Selangor app.

For major water cuts that affect entire states or regions, Air Selangor will issue press releases, and make public announcements. However, there has been no such announcements in September 2023.

Fact #3 : Video Referred To 2021 Water Cut

If you look carefully at 00:54 of the video clip, there is a single frame that shows the date of the 4-day water cut – 9 AM on 13 October 2021.

Fact #4 : 4-Day Water Cut Happened In October 2021

The 4-day water cut for the entire Klang Valley was a momentous event caused considerable hardship for many people, and businesses. However, it occurred almost two years ago.

On 1 October 2021, Air Selangor announced a 4-day water cut from 13-16 October 2021, to allow it to complete critical upgrading and maintenance works at the Sungai Selangor Phase 1 Water Treatment Plant (SSP1 WTP).

Here was the original Air Selangor press release announcing the commencement of the 4-day water cut:

Scheduled Upgrading and Maintenance Works for Air Selangor’s Critical Asset in Sungai Selangor Phase 1 Water Treatment Plant (SSP1 WTP) Commence

Posted on 13/10/2021

Kuala Lumpur – Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) would like to inform that the upgrading and maintenance works for critical assets in Sungai Selangor Phase 1 Water Treatment Plant (SSP1 WTP) has commenced at 9:00 am today according to schedule as announced on 1 October 2021.

The maintenance works for the critical assets are expected to be completed at 11:00 pm, 13 October 2021. Water supply will be distributed in stages starting from 5:00 pm, 14 October 2021 once the water supply system has been stabilised. The duration of the water supply disruption and recovery in the affected areas will vary depending on the distance of the consumers’ premises and the water pressure at the distribution system. Water supply is expected to be fully restored at 9:00 pm, 16 October 2021.

A complete list of the affected areas, Public Water Taps, and Commercial Water Filling Stations is as listed in Appendix A and can also be obtained at hentitugas.airselangor.com.

Air Selangor will be mobilising alternative water supply to critical premises such as hospitals, dialysis centres, COVID-19 Quarantine and Treatment Centre (PKRC) and Vaccination Centres (PPV) as well as for funerals.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Business | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Matty Lock Die Suddenly From Vaccine SADS?!

Leave a reply

Did 19 year-old politician Matty Lock just die suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine?! Find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Matty Lock Died Suddenly From Vaccine!

Right after news broke that Matty Lock died unexpectedly at just 19 years of age, some people are suggesting that the young British politician died suddenly from the COVID-19 vaccine!

1 : #DiedSuddenly #clotshot

Holly Willoughby and This Morning pay tribute to guest and Labour councillor Matty Lock as he dies

Truth-Seeker84 : DIED SUDDENLY IS THE NEW PANDEMIC!!

Holly Willoughby and This Morning pay tribute to guest and Labour councillor Matty Lock as he dies suddenly!

Cranberry Pointy Toes Kazi54 : Holly Willoughby and This Morning pay tribute to guest Matty Lock after his shock death aged 19 – Metro💔💔 only 19 ! “Sudden death” how can a 19yr old suddenly die ?

No Evidence Matty Lock Died Suddenly From Vaccine!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccine activists to blame all sudden deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccine activists…

Fact #1 : Matty Lock Died Suddenly At 19 Years Of Age

19 year-old Matty Lock was a Labour Party politician who was a parish councillor in Lydiate, and was recently elected as a town councillor in Maghull.

He first rose to prominence in 2018, when he appeared on the ITV show, This Morning, as a 13 years old enthusiast of vacuum cleaners.

His sudden death was first announced on September 9, 2023 by Bill Esterson – the Labour Member of Parliament for Sefton Central:

Many people will be devastated by the news that @CllrMLock passed away yesterday.

Matty was a lovely young man who had achieved so much and had so many plans for the future.

I’m thinking about him, his boundless enthusiasm and about his mum and dad.

Rest in Peace, Matty.

Fact #2 : Matty Lock’s Cause Of Death Is Still Unknown

It is still unknown how or why Matty Lock died so suddenly and expectedly. We only know that he died on Friday, 8 September 2023.

Despite suggestions that Matty Lock died from the COVID-19 vaccine, there is ZERO EVIDENCE of that. To be clear – neither the circumstances behind his sudden death, nor his cause of death was ever revealed.

Matty Lock could have died suddenly from a stroke, a cardiac arrest, an accident, or even suicide. We simply don’t know.

Until and unless the authorities or his family reveals his cause of death, anyone who claims that Matty Lock died from this or that cause is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Unknown If Matty Lock Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Despite claims that Matty Lock was vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine. His social media posts on Twitter and Instagram show no evidence he ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is possible that Matty Lock was never vaccinated against COVID-19. After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United Kingdom.

Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Matty Lock was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.

Fact #5 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Matty Lock was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, he would have received his doses over two years ago!

He cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not years later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Your own immune system will identify the spike proteins as foreign, and destroy them within a matter of days, although some may last for up to a few weeks. This is part of how vaccines teach your immune system to identify the enemy and destroy it.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Henry Cavill Help Nephew Prove Superman Is His Uncle?!

Leave a reply

Did Henry Cavill go to his nephew’s school to prove that Superman is really his uncle?!

Take a look at the viral story + video, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-10 : Updated with the latest details, and new video.
Originally posted @ 2021-01-27

Did Henry Cavill Help Nephew Prove Superman Is His Uncle?

This cute story of Henry Cavill going to school to help his nephew, Thomas, prove that Superman is his uncle, keeps going viral.

Whether they are posted on Facebook, or in “viral websites”, the story generally goes along these lines, with a picture of Henry Cavill walking his nephew to school :

The day Uncle Cavill had to prove his nephew was not a liar.

Little Thomas, aged only 7, went to school dressed as Superman and the teacher asked why he was dressed like this.

“Because Superman is my uncle,” he replied.

The teacher then explained that Superman didn’t exist, but Thomas insisted, repeating numerous times that he existed, and that he was his uncle. And the kid ended up at the office…

An officer was asked to see him, to warn the child not to live in a fantasy world.

As the doubt remained, she called her brother-in-law, asking him to go to school to “save” her nephew, who was radiant for all his little friends to see that he was really Superman’s nephew!

The news was confirmed in the last few hours by Cavill himself, reiterating that he had saved his nephew from a bad punishment, given his reputation for “telling lies”.

Henry Cavill Did Not Help Nephew Prove Superman Is His Uncle!

As endearing as this story is, it was really fabricated from an old but true story from 2011. Many websites keep resurrecting this story to “go viral” and make money. Here are the facts…

Fact #1 : Henry Cavill Talked About Incident In 2013 + 2018

Henry Cavill actually recounted this incident back in June 2013 in an interview with Jay Leno on The Tonight Show. He later told Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest this same story on their show in July 2018.

So all those viral and celebrity websites that claimed that Henry Cavill confirmed this “in the last few hours” lied to you. This is a really old story.

Fact #2 : Superman Uncle Incident Happened In 2011

This incident involving his nephew, Thomas, actually happened in 2011 when Henry first learned that he would be playing Superman in Zack Snyder’s film.

Henry Cavill only recounted it in 2013, during his interview with Jay Leno. This was what he said :

“My nephew Thomas was so super excited… he ran to school. “

“Now keep in mind Thomas has got a great reputation for telling stories and just making up stuff to the teacher.”

He says, “Well, because my uncle is Superman,” and she’s like, “Oh okay, and she pulls him aside. He got in trouble. [She was like] “this is sad.”

Fact #3 : Henry Cavill Did NOT Go To His Nephew’s School

Thomas’ mother – Henry’s sister-in-law – then explained to the teacher that the boy’s uncle “actually kind of is” Superman.

She did not ask Henry to “rescue” Thomas, so he did not actually go to his nephew’s school to prove that Superman is really his uncle.

Fact #4 : They Were NOT Walking To His Nephew’s School

The (fake news) creators misappropriated a photo to make it look as if Henry Cavill was walking his nephew to school to prove that his uncle really is Superman.

The truth is this was one of the photos taken of Henry, who was walking in London with his brother Niki and his family on 7 September 2013. They were NOT going to school to rescue Thomas, that’s for sure!

Fact #5 : Thomas Was Not 7 Years Old When It Happened

Henry Cavill did not mention how old Thomas was when this “Superman is my uncle” incident happened. But in a May 2021 interview with Viva Magazine, he said,

I have two nephews, aged 6 and 4. The older is known for telling wild tales in school and telling lies invented all the time. During one of the classes, the teacher asked pupils to talk about their family members, and what they do professionally. Then, the boy said: “My uncle is Superman.”

So we know that Thomas was 6 years old in 2013, and not 7 years old in 2021 as many viral websites and memes are claiming.

We also know that the incident happened sometime between 2011 and 2013. So Thomas was likely between 4 and 6 years old when it happened.

Little Thomas would be a strapping 16 year-old teenager in 2023. Even if Uncle Cavill offered to go to his school dressed as Superman, you can be sure he would definitely refuse the offer!

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Celebrity | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Japan MP Sonoda Still Alive After Drinking Fukushima Water!

Leave a reply

Former Japanese MP Yasuhiro Sonoda did not die from cancer, and is still alive, after drinking ALPS-filtered water from the Fukushima nuclear power station!

Claim : Japan MP Sonoda Died After Drinking Fukushima Water!

People are sharing videos and photos of Yasuhiro Sonoda drinking the treated Fukushima waste water in WhatsApp groups and social media, claiming that the former Japanese MP eventually died from cancer!

How is Yasuhiro Sonoda, a Japanese official who drank nuclear-contaminated water 12 years ago, now? Why did he disappear?

Finally solved the case, Yasuhiro Sonoda is dead, died of multiple myeloma in 2020.

[/su_expand]

Why did the Republic of Palau choose to announce such news at such a critical time when Japan discharged nuclear wastewater into the sea? The answer is actually quite simple: Protest.

Truth : Japan MP Sonoda Did Not Die After Drinking Fukushima Water!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and/or shared by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) and pro-CCP netizens, to scare people into boycotting Japan and Japanese food, and here are the reasons why…

I don’t want it to be seen as some kind of performance, but if that’s the best way to prove that the water is safe then I would gladly drink it right here, in front of you, any time.

Then, at an October 31, 2011 press conference, Yasuhiro Sonoda filled a glass with the ALPS-treated water before polishing it off in two gulps.

His last Twitter post was on the night before he lost his election, showing a video of his last campaign speech on December 13. The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper would later publish a news article (no longer available online) on June 14, 2015, stating that Yasuhiru Sonoda announced his withdrawal from politics.

After leaving politics in June 2015, Yasuhiro Sonoda receded from the limelight. However, there is no evidence he is dead. As a former Member of Parliament, his death would have been announced by the Japanese media. Yet, there is no mention of his passing. The viral messages certainly offered no evidence to back up their claims.

In fact, Yasuhiro Sonoda became CEO and the company’s first Representative Director of ACD. Co. Ltd. – a subsidiary of the Japanese airlines, ANA (All Nippon Airways), in March 2018. It is unlikely for him to be appointed both CEO and the first Representative Director of ACD if he was already dying from multiple myeloma in 2018.

Yasuhiro Sonoda remained CEO of ACD Co., Ltd until his retirement on 14 March 2020. On 1 November 2020, ACD Co., Ltd. issued a press release announcing that Yasuhiro Sonoda retired as Representative Director and President on 14 March 2020, and was replaced by Hiromichi Furui.

The fact that ACD announced his retirement in November 2020 also suggests that Yasuhiro Sonoda was still alive at that time. The viral message claimed that he died in August 2020.

But more importantly, Kyodo News reached out to Yasuhiro Sonoda himself via telephone on 2 September 2023, and confirmed that he was still alive! Mr. Sonoda denied that he died from cancer.

園田氏は当時の自身の行動がきっかけでデマが広がったことについて「震災を経験された人や福島県の人にあらためておわびしたい」と語った。

I should also point out that many claims in the viral messages are easily proven false:

A quick check of the Palau National Government website showed no such announcement about the death of Yasuhiro Sonoda.
Melekeok is a state, and not the capital of Palau. The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud. Before 2006, the capital of Palau was Koror City.
MIT – the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, does not have any schools of law or medicine. It also does not run any hospitals. Therefore, it is impossible for Yasuhiro Sonoda to seek medical treatment at the MIT Medical School, or the MIT Hospital as claimed.

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Fukushima Water Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang?!

Leave a reply

Did the radioactive Fukushima waste water just kill thousands of fish in Penang?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Fukushima Water Killed Thousands Of Fish In Penang!

People are sharing a video on WhatsApp, which claims to show that thousands of fish floating on the water, after being killed by the radioactive Fukushima waste water!

Nuclear sudah sampai pantai Penang… Mati penang

Nuclear [contamination/radiation] has arrived at Penang beaches. Penang is dead.

If it is true, horrible japanese

The Japanese is helping America to depopulate the world

Truth : Fukushima Water Did Not Kill Thousands Of Fish In Penang!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : This Happened On 26 August 2023

The viral video appears to be recorded on Saturday, 26 August 2023, when thousands of fish were found dead along the shores of Teluk Bahang in Penang.

Fact #2 : Fukushima Only Started Releasing Waste Water On 24 August

The Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power station only started releasing its treated waste water on Thursday, 24 August 2023.

As the crow flies, Penang is over 5,400 kilometres away from Fukushima. Even if the radioactive waste water is a missile, it would need to fly non-stop at over 110 km/h to reach Penang in time to kill the fish two days later. And this is only possible if the Fukushima waste water can actually FLY OVER Pattani in Thailand and Kedah to reach Penang!

If the evil Japanese people fired the Fukushima waste water like a homing torpedo at Penang, it would need to travel some 7,000 km to reach Teluk Bahang. That radioactive torpedo will need to “swim” non-stop at 145 km/h or 78 knots to kill fish in Penang two days later.

Fact #3 : No Dead Fishes Were Reported En-Route

For the Fukushima waste water to reach Penang, it would need to travel past southern Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Sabah and Sarawak, before going around Singapore, and past Johor, Melaka, Selangor and Perak.

Yet no dead fish were reported elsewhere. How is that possible if the Fukushima waste water is so toxic? Did the evil Japanese design the waste water to only kill fish in Penang?

Fact #3 : Fish Were Killed By Red Tide Bloom

On the day the fishes were found dead in Penang, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS) deputy director Dr. Annette Jaya Ram spotted pink tide in Teluk Bahang.

CEMACS later confirmed that the thousands of fish found dead were likely killed by the red tide bloom. CEMACS director Professor Datuk Dr. Aileen Tan said on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, that several fish that they retrieved were found to be in a state of asphyxiation with their mouths wide open.

We found them deprived of oxygen, resulting in unconsciousness or death due to suffocation.

She also said that while the algae is not known to have any direct toxicity or toxic effects, it was possible that the fish died due to high levels of discharge by the plankton.

It is more intense this time compared to April because it happened during neap tide (compared to spring tide in April). The blooms were not drifted or carried away by the tides or waves this time.

Fact #4 : DOE Confirmed Fish Were Killed By Algal Bloom

The Department of Environment (DOE) issued a statement on Wednesday, 30 August 2023, confirming that the thousands of fish found dead were killed when the algal bloom deprived them of oxygen.

Several samples were taken and initial analysis found that the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water was at 1.59mg/L to 2.09mg/L for depths between 1m (and) 4m.

Investigations found that it does not fulfil Class 2 of Marine Water Quality Standard to support aquatic life.

DOE Director General Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said that observations from two monitoring stations at Teluk Bahang suggested that the algal bloom was not caused by pollution.

Fact #5 : Algal Bloom Species Was Identified

On Wednesday, 30 August 2023, the Penang Fisheries Department identified the algal bloom as caused by Noctiluca scintillans, a species of marine dinoflagellates that is also known as sea sparkle.

Preliminary results of the analysis carried out by the Batu Maung Fisheries Research Institute found that the algae is non-toxic. It is from the Noctiluca scintillans species and is not dangerous to humans.

The department also pointed out that the very high density of algal in the water can cause fish to die, due to a decrease in dissolved oxygen.

Fact #6 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Travel | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Larissa Borges Die Suddenly From Vaccine?!

Leave a reply

Did fitness influencer Larissa Borges die suddenly from double cardiac arrest caused by the COVID-19 vaccine?! Find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-08 : Added more details
Originally posted @ 2023-09-04

Claim : Larissa Borges Died Suddenly From Vaccine!

Right after news broke that Larissa Borges died unexpectedly from two cardiac arrests, some people immediately claimed that the young Brazilian fitness influencer died suddenly from COVID-19 vaccine.

Steve Kirsch : Lot of young fit people suffering cardiac arrest. Let’s not talk about the vaccine. Brazilian fitness influencer Larissa Borges dies aged 33 after a week in a coma following a double cardiac arrest

Wayne Root : U don’t have to guess. I already know medical “experts” (ie bribed professional liars) will blame cause of death on ANYTHING other than mandated Covid vaccine. We are living in world of propaganda like 1930’s Nazi Germany or Soviet Union.

FormerFeds : Fitness influencer Larissa Borges, 33, dies following double cardiac arrest. Was it the jab?

No Evidence Larissa Borges Died Suddenly From Vaccine!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to blame all celebrity deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

Here are the reasons why this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccination activists…

Fact #1 : Larissa Borges Died After Suffering Two Cardiac Arrests

33 year-old Larissa Borges was a Brazilian fitness influencer on Instagram. On August 20, 2023, she was admitted to the Hospital Arcanjo São Miguel, after suffering a cardiac arrest in the city of Gramado.

She remained in coma for 8 days, before passing away after she suffered a second cardiac arrest on early Monday morning, August 20, 2023. She was laid to rest on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.

Fact #2 : An Autopsy Was Conducted On Larissa Borges

Even though Larissa Borges died after suffering two cardiac arrests, her official cause of death is still unknown. The Brazilian police are investigating her death, and an autopsy was conducted on her body.

According to Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police deputy Gustavo Barcellos, they are waiting for the autopsy results, which can take up to 30 days to complete, to determine her cause of death.

Until and unless the Brazilian police and/or her family reveals her cause of death, anyone who tells you that Larissa Borges died from this or that cause is likely lying to you.

The truth is – we currently do NOT know her cause of death. And there is no evidence that her cardiac arrest was caused by any vaccine.

Fact #3 : Larissa Borges Allegedly Had Drugs + Alcohol Before Cardiac Arrest

Witnesses told police that Larissa Borges was at a party in the mountain resort town of Gramado before she suffered her first cardiac arrest, where she not only had alcoholic drinks, she also took drugs.

There is a report of a possible ingestion of narcotic substances, accumulated with alcoholic beverages.

We will try to search through laboratory tests for substances that she possibly consumed.

Rio Grande do Sul Civil Police deputy Gustavo Barcellos said that the police also interviewed Larissa Borges’ boyfriend, Eduardo Moreira (who is also known as Dudu Personal) who accompanied her to the party.

The police are also reviewing videos from their phones, as well as surveillance videos from the party, to see if they can get a better understanding of what happened.

Fact #4 : Unknown If Larissa Borges Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Despite claims that Larissa Borges was fully-vaccinated, there isn’t any actual evidence that she ever received the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is possible that Larissa Borges was never vaccinated against COVID-19. After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in Brazil.

Until and unless her family reveals her COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who tells you that Larissa Borges was vaccinated or otherwise, is likely lying to you. None of us know that.

Fact #5 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Larissa Borges was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, she would have received her doses over a year ago!

She cannot possibly have suffered from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITT develop within days or weeks.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures?!

Leave a reply

Does a viral video show terrifying mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Nuclear Radiation Created These Mutant Creatures!

People are sharing a video on TikTok and WhatsApp, which claims to show that mutant creatures created by radiation from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as a warning of what the release of treated Fukushima waste water will create!

On TikTok : How frightening are the mutations caused by nuclear contamination #tiktokusa #usa #science #foryou #horror #contamination

Here is a transcript of the video:

This is a dog that has been contaminated by nuclear radiation. Pay attention. It has only one eye positioned right in the center displaying an extremely eerie mutation that gives it a profoundly unsettling appearance.

What’s even more chilling is the discovery of a group of creatures under the bridge. They hang themselves beneath the structure featuring eerie teeth in their central sections. To this day, the exact species remains undetermined. However, the extraction of their blood confirms that they have been subjected to nuclear contamination.

All of this took place in 1986, the third year after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Radioactive substances contaminated the entire sky resulting in widespread nuclear pollution across the region. By the third year of the nuclear contamination, the local wildlife had undergone severe mutations.

Three years later, scientists returned to the area and one creature without a head caught their attention. Its appearance resembled that of a headless deer with the head seemingly missing.

Now the mass before their eyes coiled into a slow undulating motion has puzzled scientists. Some speculate that they are mutated forms of animals while others suggest they might be plants affected by nuclear contamination. However, it’s certain that there is a faint consciousness within them.

What can be confirmed is that they’ve endured nuclear contamination. What exactly these entities are might not matter. But it’s likely that in the not so distant future, with Japan’s release of nuclear contaminated water, more similar organisms could come into our view.

Truth : Nuclear Radiation Did Not Create These Mutant Creatures!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : That Was A Baby Goat, Not A Dog

The dog with one eye isn’t even a dog. It was a baby goat that was born with one eye. The kid – that’s what a baby goat is called – was born on May 10, 2017, in the Indian state of Assam.

While the condition is rare, it is not unheard of. In fact, the condition is known as cyclopia, and occurs in the womb when the developing brain fails to separate into two hemispheres. As a result, the skull only forms a single eye socket.

Most animals born with cyclopia do not survive long after birth. A similar case in the past only survived for 10 hours. This cyclops goat, however, has survived longer than expected.

Needless to say, the cyclops goat has nothing to do with Chernobyl, and was not born this way because of radioactive contamination.

Fact #2 : Those Are Rabbit-Ear Barnacles

The alien-like creatures hanging under the bridge isn’t actually unknown mutants created by nuclear contamination.

They are just rabbit-ear barnacles (Conchoderma auritum), which are found all over the world. These barnacles look like that all the time, and were not created by nuclear radiation.

Fact #3 : Headless Moose / Deer Has A Head!

I cannot trace the source of the headless moose / deer video (yet), but I managed to get a higher resolution video that runs longer.

If you look closely at the video, you can see that its ears. The headless moose / deer actually has a head. It is simply looking away from the camera, which makes it appear like it is headless.

Perhaps the moose or deer was looking for a potential predator in that direction. Needless to say – a headless moose or deer was never found at Chernobyl, or anywhere else in the world.

Fact #4 : That Was A Horsehair Worm!

The mysterious tangle is not a mutant creature or plant that was created by nuclear contamination.

It has been identified by multiple experts, including University of New Mexico parasitologist Ben Hanelt, as a horsehair worm – a nematode-like parasite from the phylum Nematomorpha.

Also known as Gordian worms, these parasites pose no danger to humans, as they target insects like crickets, grasshoppers, and cockroaches.

The viral video was recorded by Huang Meilan in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on 29 August 2017. It shows a single horsehair worm which appears to be tangled in plastic mesh or plant material.

Needless to say, it has nothing to do with Chernobyl or nuclear contamination.

Fact #5 : Chernobyl Is Not Comparable To Fukushima

Now, I should also point out that the Chernobyl nuclear disaster is not comparable at all to the Fukushima nuclear disaster. You can read a detailed study about this, but here is a quick summary:

Chernobyl dispersed 10X more radioactive elements (radionuclides) than Fukushima.
Even then, over 80% of released radionuclides in Fukushima were blown offshore into the Pacific Ocean.
Environmental impact of Chernobyl is much greater than that of Fukushima.
Highly contaminated area around Fukushima is much smaller than Chernobyl.
In contrast with Chernobyl, no one died from acute radiation in Fukushima.

A 2011 study confirmed that animals living near Chernobyl have 20X more genetic mutations than normal. However, these mutations are not turning those animals into completely new species.

If such long-term exposure to nuclear radiation have not made those animals glow in the dark, or give them extra limbs, or change them into new species, it is unlikely that the far less impactful Fukushima nuclear disaster will create any new animal species.

Fact #6 : Fukushima Waste Water Is Filtered + Treated Before Release

Japan isn’t going to just release the radioactive water into the ocean. The Fukushima waste water is being filtered using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most of its radioactivity.

The ALPS uses a series of chemical reactions to remove 62 radionuclides from the contaminated water, leaving only tritium and carbon-14. Tritium and carbon-14 are radioactive forms of hydrogen and carbon, which makes them difficult to separate from water.

The treated waste water is then diluted with seawater to reduce the concentration of tritium and carbon-14 before it is released into the ocean. The final level of tritium is estimated at 1,500 becquerels per litre, which is lower than what is required by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for release, and even lower than the WHO limit for drinking water.

I should also point out that the level of tritium in the treated waste water is many times LOWER than the waste water released in other nuclear power plants, including the Qinshan NPP in China.

Fact #7 : Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster Happened In 1986

The fake video claimed that these mutant creatures were seen in 1986 – 3 years after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. That would not be possible as the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened in April 1986.

Fact #8 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Travel | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Did Ray Stevenson Die Suddenly From Vaccine SADS?!

Leave a reply

Did Rome and Thor actor Ray Stevenson die from COVID-19 vaccine sudden adult death syndrome (SADS)?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2023-09-07 : Addressed claim that Ray Stevenson died from a heart attack caused by anaphylaxis.
Originally posted @ 2025-05-25

Claim : Ray Stevenson Died Suddenly From Vaccine SADS!

Right after news broke that Ray Stevenson died after being hospitalised, anti-vaccination activists immediately claimed that the Irish actor died from COVID-19 vaccine sudden adult death syndrome (SADS)!

Ray Stevenson just died yesterday at the age of 58. Clean bill of health, but just dropped dead yesterday for no apparent reason, cause of death has not yet been disclosed which is normally the case of Vaccine related deaths.

RIP Ray Stevenson
A real shocker – a big man in every sense of the word, his career in full flow no indications of any illness! Taken ill while working – all in the era of covid vaccines

One of my favorite actors, Ray Stevenson, has died. A gentle giant, he will be sorely missed.

Sudden illness? Again. The jab took another good person.

No Evidence Ray Stevenson Died From Vaccine SADS!

It’s now tradition for anti-vaccination activists to immediately blame all celebrity deaths or illnesses on the COVID-19 vaccine.

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by anti-vaccine activists, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Ray Stevenson Died While Filming In Italy

Ray Stevenson (born George Raymond Stevenson on 25 May 1964) was an Irish actor who starred in King Arthur, the Thor movies, as well as the HBO series, Rome, and the Star Wars series, Ahsoka.

According to Italian newspaper, La Repubblica, Ray Stevenson was filming Cassino in Ischia in Italy, when he suffered “a sudden illness that required hospitalisation” on Saturday afternoon, 20 May 2023.

His condition was “very serious” when he was hospitalised, and worsened the next day, and he died on Sunday morning, 21 May 2023 – four days before his 59th birthday.

Ray Stevenson was survived by his wife, Italian anthropologist Elisabetta Caraccia, and their three sons.

Fact #2 : Ray Stevenson’s Cause Of Death Is Unknown

Ray Stevenson’s cause of death is currently unknown. Neither his representative, nor his family, have publicly announced his cause of death.

Ray Stevenson could have died suddenly from any number of reasons – a heart attack or a stroke, for example, which could hypothetically explain his hospitalisation before his death.

It has been said that the Italian media reported that his death was caused by a heart attack precipitated by an anaphylactic shock, but I can find no such report from a legitimate media outlet.

Until and unless his representative, family, or the Italian authorities, publicly reveal his cause of death, anyone who tells you that Ray Stevenson died from this or that cause is likely lying to you.

Fact #3 : Unknown If Ray Stevenson Was Vaccinated Against COVID-19

Ray Stevenson did not publicly mention his COVID-19 vaccination status, so it is currently unknown if he was vaccinated against COVID-19. His family has also not mentioned his vaccination status.

For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated against COVID-19! After all, the COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United Kingdom. Many people who died suddenly were found to be unvaccinated, like Kris Jordan, Aaron Carter, Kirstie Alley, Stephan Bonnar, David Wayne Burleson, and Kaden Clymer.

Until and unless his family reveals his COVID-19 vaccination status, anyone who claims that Ray Stevenson died from the COVID-19 vaccine is likely lying to you.

Fact #4 : Vaccine Side Effects Appear Within Hours / Days

Even if Ray Stevenson was fully-vaccinated against COVID-19, it does not mean he died from the COVID-19 vaccine, as he would have received his doses many months ago!

He cannot possibly be suffering from a vaccine side effect, because they appear within hours or days, not months later.

Mild side effects like injection site pain, fever, muscle ache, headache, lethargy develop within minutes to hours of the vaccination.

Anaphylaxis develops within minutes, while other severe adverse reactions like myocarditis and VITTdevelop within days.

The spike proteins produced by the COVID-19 vaccines also do not stick around for months. If these spike proteins are permanent (as antivaxxers claim), we would have lifelong immunity.

Fact #5 : Claims Of Celebrities Injured By COVID-19 Vaccine Proven False

So far, claims of sudden deaths / injuries due to the COVID-19 vaccine have been proven false in every instance. Here is the latest dozen of other false sudden death claims!

Will these anti-vaccination activists apologise for lying to you? Nope! They will just move on to the next celebrity tragedy…

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Don’t forget to protect yourself, and your family, by vaccinating against COVID-19!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Celebrity | Health | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!

Are Japanese Airports Empty After Chinese Boycott?!

Leave a reply

Are Japanese airports now empty after Chinese tourists boycotted Japan over the release of the radioactive Fukushima waste water?!

Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Japanese Airports Now Empty After Chinese Boycott!

People are sharing a TikTok video which claims that Japanese airports are now empty after Chinese tourists boycott Japan over the release of the radioactive Fukushima waste water!

Chinese tourists start boycotting Japan and Japanese international airport is so empty. 80% tax free stores are shutting down and hundreds employees are losing jobs. Also planned flights are cancelled because of not enough travellers to make airplane take off.

Japanese airports losing Chinese tourists
How desolate is it?
It feels like it’s really getting “cold”!
Flights are almost always late!
There is no huge purchasing power of the Chinese people
For Japan’s airports and tourism industry
It’s basically equivalent to a devastating blow
80% of shops in the airport have been closed
Even go bankrupt
Only a few stores are left to hold on.
Japan’s largest duty-free shop facing the Chinese has closed down
In the past, all the shops in Japanese airports basically spoke Chinese.
Moreover, it is overcrowded and even the checkout line has to wait for half an hour.
Now I can’t even see a ghost
Not a single passenger said anything
You can’t even see the staff
One of the busiest airports in the world
It’s basically cold in Japanese airports now
When I took this video
This should be the busiest time
However, I became the only customer in the whole place
My friend used to work at a Japanese airport
All are now unemployed
Japan is not opening up the country
Estimate Japan’s tourism industry
And the aviation industry is really going to die.

失去中国游客的日本机场
到底凄凉到什么程度？
感觉是真的快要“凉”了!
班航几乎都是欠航欠航欠航!
没有中国人庞大的购买力
对日本机场和旅游业来说
基本上就等同于毁灭性的打击
机场中80%的店铺全部关掉
甚至倒闭
只剩下极个别店铺在硬撑
日本最大的面对中国人的免税店已经倒闭了
之前日本机场的所有店铺都基本讲着中文
而且人满为患甚至结帐排队都要排半小时
现在连个鬼影都看不到
旅客一个没有不说
连工作人员你都看不到
世界上曾经最繁忙的机场之
日本机场现在基本上已经凉了
我拍这段视频的时候
本应该是最繁华的时段
然而我成了全场唯一的顾客
之前我的朋友曾在日本机场打工
现在已经全部失业
日本在不开国
估计日本的旅游业
和航空业真的要完蛋

Show less

Japanese Airports Are Not Empty + There’s No Chinese Boycott!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS surrounding the release of treated waste water from the Fukushima NPS, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : No Evidence Japanese Airports Are Empty

First, let me just point out that the viral video does not actually show any evidence that Japanese airports are now empty because Chinese tourists boycotted Japan over the release of the Fukushima treated waste water.

There are many videos showing empty Japanese airports like Narita and Haneda during the COVID-19 pandemic. The viral TikTok video could easily be a mishmash of those videos.

Unfortunately, the TikTok video creator covered up the video with text too much for me to trace the original videos. But it looks like a compilation of different videos.

Fact #2 : Chinese Account For 10% Of Travellers To Japan

Even if there is an unofficial Chinese travel boycott to Japan, it wouldn’t make Japanese airports empty, or force shops to close.

According to JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co., Chinese citizens account for 10% of international tourists to Japan in June 2023.

While that makes Chinese tourists the second largest group of foreign tourists to Japan, a complete boycott wouldn’t make Japanese airports look like a ghost town, or force their shops to close down.

Fact #3 : At Least Part Of Video Was Recorded On 12 October

Although the TikTok video creator tried to mask any identifiable features in the video, he/she let something slip.

If you look closely at the date on the flight information display that showed flight cancellations, the date was 12 October.

The year is not listed, but it is only 6 September 2023 today, and the Fukushima-Daiichi NPS only started to release its waste water on 24 August 2023.

Unless the TikTok video creator has a time machine, he/she used at least one video recorded on 12 October from past years. It may not even be as recent as the COVID-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

For example, many airlines cancelled flights in or out of Japan from 11-13 October 2019, when Super Typhoon Hagibis hit Japan.

Fact #4 : Subtitles Suggest Video Was Before Japan Reopened Borders

On the other hand, the final three Chinese subtitles in the video suggest that the video was recorded before Japan reopened its borders on 11 October 2022.

Japan is not opening up the country
Estimate Japan’s tourism industry
And the aviation industry is really going to die.

日本在不开国
估计日本的旅游业
和航空业真的要完蛋

Fact #5 : No Evidence Of Chinese Travel Boycott

In any case, there is no evidence of any Chinese travel boycott, whether official or unofficial. Many airlines are still flying people from China to Japan.

I checked to see how many flights there are from Chinese cities to a single airport from 11 September to 17 September 2023.

Instead of seeing a dearth of flights since there is a Chinese boycott, I counted no less than 158 flights from Chinese cities to Narita International Airport over 1 week!

That’s an average of 22.5 flights per day from China to Narita International Airport. And that’s just one airport in Japan. What boycott???

Fact #6 : Many Narita Airport Shops Do Not Open 24/7

The viral TikTok video appears to show that the Dior and LEGO stores are shuttered and closed at the Narita International Airport. But did they really close down as the video claims?

The truth is – not all shops inside the Narita or Haneda airports open 24/7. Dior at Narita Airport, for example, opens from 7:30 AM until 9 PM daily. The LEGO Store at Narita Airport only opens from from 9 AM until 7 PM.

If you land late at night, you will be able to record a similar video showing both shops closed. Does that mean that they shut down because of a Chinese boycott? Obviously, not.

Fact #7 : This Is Just Fake News About Fukushima

There is no doubt that Japan is facing a LOT of criticism over its release of the Fukushima waste water, even though IAEA and many experts have endorsed the plan.

However, this is just another example of FAKE NEWS being created around the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Here are other examples I fact checked earlier:

Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

Go Back To > Fact Check | Travel | Tech ARP

Support Tech ARP!

Please support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or donating to our fund. Thank you!