Today I received a text message from an old pal and this is what it says:
“Coming October 17, 2008 the sun will rise continuously for 36 hrs (1.5 days). During this time the US countries will be dark for 1.5 days.
It will convert 3 days into 2 big days. It will happen once in 2400 yrs. We're very lucky to see this. So don't miss it. –Courtesy of CNN/BBC News”

Sometime last week another friend also asked me if I’ve heard of this news. It was the first time I’ve heard of such so I tried to research it but didn’t find any coming CNN or BBC. Since tomorrow is the 17th of October I decided to write an entry about this. Sorry to disappoint you guys but this is hoax. False. Untrue. (Just like any other chain letters or emails.) I don’t know who started this faulty report but isn’t it funny how a lot of people spend so much time spreading it?

This online rumor actually started circulating sometime last August. David Emery, of About.com, wrote an entry last 15th of September debunking that “During a one-month period from mid-August to mid-September 2008, over 15,000 postings containing the phrase ‘the sun will rise continuously for 36 hours’ appeared on the Internet.”

As we all know the sun does “rise” continuously. We only perceive it as setting because the earth, while rotating on its own axis, revolves around the sun. The sun does not really (literally) stop rising or slow its speed of setting. So for such 36 hours sunrise phenomenon to happen, the earth would actually have to stop revolving and rotating on its orbit. And guess what, that has never happened and will never happen.

So for you out there waiting for that supposed 1.5 days of sunrise or 1.5 days of darkness, you can continue to live your normal life and go on with your daily activities since no such report will occur.

So I did my usual rounds of computer activities this morning; I checked my emails on yahoo, my friendster, and multiply. Then I realized I needed to google up something for school so, of course, where would I start to “google up” something? At Google of course! I clicked on my little Google icon then suddenly the their usual white main page was black. For a second, I thought something was wrong with my laptop or I accidentally pressed a wrong key.

I got surprised to know that even Google experiences blackouts.
*Laughing* Of course, they do.. not! It turned out that they are participating in the worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. I’m not going to elaborate on this Earth Hour for I want you to discover and learn it for yourself.
So please visit their website and click on the link: 60 Earth Hour

I’ve also posted a copy of their main page video here


Here is also how Google’s page looked like when they forgot to pay last month’s electricity bills: Google Earth Hour

Now, I don’t want to rant about global warming because I trust my readers to already know about it. Well, maybe not a lot of information about it but at least some general idea as to what it is and how it affects the entire world. Another reason why I also don’t want to start explaining is because I did researches and written papers about this major issue and if I try to share it here I might not end any time soon. (you wouldn’t want that for sure)

Let me just share with you three simple things I regularly do to contribute in the reduction of global warming:
1. Turn off lights when not in use. In fact, even unplug my laptop from time to time while using it especially when I know the battery’s already full. So pull up those blinds, open those curtains and windows, and greet the lovely sunshine! Not only will you save on electricity but letting some sun into your house also kills bacteria inside.
2. Reduce the wattage of the light bulbs. So I actually convinced my whole family to change the wattage of the light bulbs we use in the entire house. Come to think of it, by doing so you not only contribute to global warming reduction but also lower down your electric bills. *wink*
3. Share the knowledge! Of course, little actions help reduce this global phenomenon but it also helps a lot if we share that knowledge to other people. They may know about this issue but they may not actually be doing something to help. Sharing some information may entice them to start acting on it. Hey, it doesn’t take you a minute to say “Ei Buddy, by the way can you please turn off the lights if you’re not using it. That really helps a lot in reducing Global Warming. Thanks my friend”.

Other than my research papers, I get additional information from the organizations I signed up with – organizations that promote awareness and action about this global issue. I also receive regular updates from emails and postal mails. And I hope you guys do it too.

Let us love our planet guys. Let us all unite in saving it. It’s our mother. And it’s our home. Let’s go and make a difference.

Okay okay. This post is not a lecture about "The Issue", okay? I'm not going to write about that.

I would just like to share my observation.

The other night, I was searching on the internet where I could watch for free the documentary "The 11th Hour." I needed to watch it to have a headstart for my next English class paper. Anyway, I know several sites that host movies and videos even before the certified dvd's are officially out. So I searched those sites, used several keywords and, unfortunately, failed. I could not find the movie anywhere. For whatever reason, I don't really know. However, I came up with an assumption. Could it be that people care less about this growing issue of global warming? I refuse to believe it though but what else can I think of when movies and shows from almost all countries (from GP to R and even X rated) could be found in those sites other than this one?

Well, I may be wrong with my assumption. I hope I am.

I would still want to believe that people in this world care about the issue of global warming and would want to help stop it. This earth is the only home that we humans have. She chose to help us survive these years of existence and probably it is time that we help her too.