sniff test, some examples

Lets start with an easy one.  This gem has been making the rounds on Facebook:

Sniff test:  Does it seem off? Or plausible?  To me, it seemed way off, but within the realm of possibility, so I dug a little deeper

I opened a new tab to Google, and ran a search for cfl fire hazard.

Notice the first link? snopes
Also near the top: Consumer Reports and The Green Guide

These all corroborate each other in the finding that CFL bulbs in and of themselves present no fire hazards, but bad things happen sometimes, and yea, electricity can cause a fire.


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Example 2:

You may have seen This

so, lets do a quick Google

First link? Snopes is on it

Not quite enough for you? Follow the bread crumbs, Snopes gives you a good one, showing the story is actually from 2008 and before.

here's another one, a few links down, from metabunk

This story is an easy one to fall for, and react to, for me anyway.  It fits my opinion of government, call me cynical, but it wouldn't surprise me if it were true...in the case, the evidence I see says it's a hoax, and there's more important things to be concerned with in the world today.

I present both of these as examples for how to research a story or post you see, if you choose to disagree with my opinion (particularly on the second one) that's fine, if you research it and develop a different opinion, that's fine.  I simply ask that you research, check things out, that is all I ask for.  Information (and misinformation) is readily available.  I accept that we will at times accept or dismiss different things, something I hold true you may reject, or vice versa.  That is fine, but accept or reject not based off of what fits what you believe but based on the evidence available