The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order. [this one is dubious and probably untrue]

(Coca-Cola is still going strong, however, holding down the #1 spot as the world’s highest-ranked brand name in both 2001 and 2002, followed by Microsoft and IBM. Rounding out the top ten are (in order) General Electric, Intel, Nokia, Disney, McDonald’s, Marlboro, and Mercedes.)

A duck’s quack doesn’t echo and no one knows why. [how this idiotic story stays alive is beyond me]

(Urban legend. A duck’s quack DOES echo.)

Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump. [obviously false — turtles can’t jump, neither can snails. I think it started out as “the only *mammals* that can’t jump,” but I doubt rhinos or hippos can either.]

(Here are some other animals that can’t jump:

* African Warthog * Giant Anteater * Black Rhino * Hippo * California Sealion * Greater Flamingo * African Buffalo * Dromedary Camel * Salt Water Crocodile * American Bison * Emperor Penguin)

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Pearls melt in vinegar.

Not a big suprise….aren’t they made from calcium or similar?

(During a school excursion as a youth to the museum in Melbourne we saw a painting depicting a story about Cleopatra she allegedly made a cocktail by dipping her pearl into vinegar. I think I remember the tour guide telling us it was one of the largest pearls and had been given to her by Caesar.)

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No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

Have you tried it? you can’t get neat fold, this one is true!!

(How neat the fold is just depends on how thick the paper is.

If you take a piece of paper which is a quarter the thickness and four times the size of any other given piece of paper, obviously you can fold it two more times than the other given piece, and end up with a folded piece of paper that looks similar.

Therefore, clearly you can fold a piece of paper in half more than 7 times.)

(You can fold a sheet of single-ply tissue paper 10 times easily if you wet it and compress it after the first 6 folds.)

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(How about: Gravity is a myth, the earth sucks.)

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It’s physically impossible for you to lick your elbow.

Almost everyone who reads this email will try to lick their elbow.

(Just another ‘try this at home’ one… …it’s impossible to burp and fart at the same time!)

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(The one I do like is that your eyes will pop out if you keep them open when you sneeze…)