Do you believe every email you receive?
By blungel0830
@blungel0830 (841)
Philippines
August 3, 2009 5:49am CST
I received an email sometime ago about a spectacular happening in August and to be exact, it is going to happen on my husband's birthday! It instructs readers to go outside on August 27 and behold the sky. It said "Mars is going to look as large as the full moon! No one alive today will ever see this again."
I got so excited that I almost forwarded the email. But something inside caused me to check if the information was correct. And this is what I found out--If I went out in the evening of August 27, this is what will happen--NOTHING! And that this email has been circulating since 2003. In August 2003, Mars and Earth did have a close encounter but not close enough to make it appear that we have 2 moons! See this link for the full explanation--
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09jun_marshoax.htm
Will you do likewise and verify before you forward?
I got so excited that I almost forwarded the email. But something inside caused me to check if the information was correct. And this is what I found out--If I went out in the evening of August 27, this is what will happen--NOTHING! And that this email has been circulating since 2003. In August 2003, Mars and Earth did have a close encounter but not close enough to make it appear that we have 2 moons! See this link for the full explanation--
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2009/09jun_marshoax.htm
Will you do likewise and verify before you forward?5 people like this
26 responses
@ishavasyam (1801)
• India
4 Aug 09
Hello blungel0830, good morning..u r worth appreciating for ur rational approach and the scientific outlook...congrats keep it up..have a nice day..bye..
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
4 Aug 09
Hi, ishavasyam!
Thank you for your kind words.
Do enjoy your day too! 
@ishavasyam (1801)
• India
4 Aug 09
hello blungel0830...oh ,so nice of u..thank u so much for this recognition..which is quite rare,....bye
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
4 Aug 09
I very seldom forward anything. Most of the things I do forward are amusing things. The few times I have forwarded things that seemed exciting for one reason or another someone sent me a link from snopes.com that proved the information to be false so I stopped forwarding things until after I went there. Most of the time, I don't even look at forwards anymore. Thanks for bringing this up.
1 person likes this
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
10 Aug 09
You are most welcome.
Snopes is really a very informative site. 
Have a nice day.
Snopes is really a very informative site. Have a nice day.
@grecychunny26 (9483)
• Philippines
4 Aug 09
I almost got in this email too. Me I do forward mails without verifying it if it is true. I learned the lesson because of your discussion. From now on I will not forward emails, verified or not veriefied hahahahaha. I am lame to know if that is true or not hahahahaha.
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
4 Aug 09
I am thankful that this discussion has taught you a bit.
But don't be afraid to forward useful information that might prove helpful to your friends.
But don't be afraid to forward useful information that might prove helpful to your friends.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
4 Aug 09
well i am very cautious about information i receive via email. it is so convenient to forward emails that people just don't stop. i've received this email about Mars for many times now. i knew it was not true immediately because i actually made special efforts to see Mars when it was really close in 2003! there are other emails that i received and delete straight away. i will only forward emails that i have verified to be true because i don't want to be part of a chain letter. 
1 person likes this
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
4 Aug 09
I hate chain emails too! 
When I get to the part that says "Forward this to your friends", I immediately hit the "DELETE" button.
When I get to the part that says "Forward this to your friends", I immediately hit the "DELETE" button. 
@mysdianait (66009)
• Italy
4 Aug 09
No I don't! After somany years online I have become so wary and in the unlikely event of something appearing as though it just might be possible, I check it out first. I usually use Snopes.
Amazing that so many people have so much time on their hands and just fill up cyber space with garbage.
1 person likes this
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
4 Aug 09
Hi mysdiana.
If only most people were as meticulous as you, then we would have less garbage circulating on the internet.
If only most people were as meticulous as you, then we would have less garbage circulating on the internet.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
3 Aug 09
I always check out an email with Snopes before I forward it. When I get one, I go to Snopes and if they disprove it I send the link to the one who sent me the email. People will believe anything, it seems!
Nope, I don't believe anything I hear and only half of what I read.
The Perseid meteor shower starts August 12, if you like that stuff (I do!). We'll have at least one per second here in the Eastern sky. I don't know where you would look in your country but it should be easy to find out.
1 person likes this
@blungel0830 (841)
• Philippines
3 Aug 09
I go to Snopes, too to verify if an email is an urban legend or a hoax and send the link to inform the sender.
Should I go verify that information about the meteor shower?
Thanks for your response.
Thanks for your response. 
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
4 Aug 09
NO I DO NOT! I am rather cynical and have to research or check out almost everything before I believe it.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
6 Aug 09
I dont believe very many as most are some sort of
scam or spam, and I just delete those. I use common
sense and good judgment and work accordingly.If it
sounds to good to be true delete it dont bother
trying to g et a million dollars from a scam,you
are just wasting your time. dont believe those
kind of emails, just delete them.
@EliteUser (3964)
• Australia
2 Oct 09
Hey,
No way I do not believe every email that I actually receive. This is because many of the emails that I actually receive are totally fake. Many of the people just bombard everyone with all this spam and things like that. Make sure you have a good day, God bless and Happy Lotting!!
@strawberrychocodahi (4818)
• Philippines
3 Aug 09
The answer is NO. Not unless it came from the person I know, and it was not a forwarded message but a letter, personal letter. I do forward such cute messages though, but I would never easily believe on something that was forwarded specially when it comes to speculating an event or so.
1 person likes this
@youngpatrol (425)
• United States
21 Aug 09
Now if that isn't something, another stupid hoax. I hate it when there is all this stupid hoax email's going around.
@vikram3101989 (684)
• India
4 Aug 09
no i don't believe in every mail I receive as most pf them turn out to be spam we don't even sign up for their newsletter even though we still get their mail i using a spam filter will definitely be the right choice.
@_sketch_ (5742)
• United States
4 Aug 09
If I don't know who sent the email, I don't even open it and so I don't really ever get emails like this, but if I had I would probably assume that it was a hoax, especially about mars looking as big as the moon. It just doesn't make sense. Anyways, I would definitely look something like that up before forwarding it. And it's a good thing that you did.
@minhminh0604 (342)
• United States
4 Aug 09
I always receive a lot of emails.
Some of them are important, but some are trunk mails.
I always delete them, and never bother to read trunk emails at all because they are scam, and I never believe them.
@getpradeep (11)
• India
4 Aug 09
no i dont believe in all emails from unsolicited users. Most of them are spam.
