I go stright to snopes.com

But I thought you were from New Zealand? or are you just practising your Aussie accent?

The only point I'm trying to make is this: some stories sometimes contain some truth. I like being right too; but I'm happy to be proven wrong, especially in a case such as this. Still, I look at the stats they've altered, and not all are that far wrong - so those ones, I'm interested to mull over. The rest I'll happily reject because sjm tells me they is, ahem, wong.

I don't believe in fwding everything I receive and in fact I recently asked the aggressive fwders among my acquaintance to please stop sending any non-personal email - because I was just taking far too much time to read it. Now, if I get a fwd, often as not, I'll delete it unread. Not invariably, but.

You just gotta go with yer own personal filter. And if you must point out the error of others' ways, do it nicely. (I'm forever - it feels like - sending people to Symantec Antivirus Research Centre, when they've sent me a false alarm about a virus that n'existe pas.)