How many different color moons have YOU seen?
Most of us have heard the term, "Once in a blue moon." If you first heard this when you were little, perhaps you actually thought there was a moon that was blue. If you are currently an adult, and have Facebook or even "surf the net", perhaps you believe there is a green moon, or even a pink moon. Well...sorry to disappoint.
A "Blue moon" is the term given to a full moon that occurs twice in one calendar month. It is a rare occurrence, thus the term, "Once in a blue moon." But it really isn't colored blue.
But now, with the advent of the Internet, there seem to be all manner of different colored moons! These are usually announced with great flare as a "once in a lifetime" event - or certainly once in every gazillion years!
Caveat lector (reader beware)! And I don't just mean about colored moons. What? You mean everything on the internet is NOT true? Oh ye of little faith. Yes, sadly, for the innocent and gullible, there is a ton of #$%@ on the Internet.
We want to believe. We want to believe that Bill Gates is giving away a gazillion dollars if we just "like" or "repost". We want to believe that posting an elaborately worded treatise on our privacy rights will be protect us from misuse. We want to believe certain posts because one of our friends or even a relative posted (reposted) something. But beware!
A few years ago, my older sister reposted something about the dangers of reheating food covered in plastic wrap in the microwave. The post even cited a professor at some prestigious university. I trusted my sister.. I trusted that she wouldn't have said something that she didn't believe was true. I trusted that she had done her research....oops.
Yes, it is a sad state of affairs when one can't even trust their own sister! But when it comes to the Internet, we must be vigilant. I won't even delve into the plethora of political postings that are false, as there is not enough time or space in the universe to list them all!
Suffice it to say, once again, caveat lector. When you see something that seems just a little "too good to be true" - head for the hills, or at least www.snopes.com.