The people tagging this story with "correlation is not causation" are a perfect example of what Slate is talking about this week on how silly this meme has become. Ok, so are you saying that the frakking does not cause the earthquakes? What, is it the other way around? No, I'm guessing it's a mythical third factor causing both. Some mystery force is causing both the frakking and the earthquakes. Maybe birds. Who knows? But nothing something correlated!

People, the correlation thing is nice and all, but can we please not forget Occam's rasor? The frakking causing the earthquakes really is the simplest explanation, digging out the correlation argument is just as logical as closing your eyes and singing la-la-la. Proving correlation does not prove causation, but it is a necessary step in doing so, not a logical no-no. Even the scientist quoted in the article is aware of the distinction. There is no "gotcha!" here.

Thank you, Slate. I really had not realized how silly this had become.

I am trying to imagine a world-view in which this is "news that matters," and somehow, it is just not coming to me. How this got posted is beyond me.

I'm sorry I'm replying to myself, and so soon, but I still can't get over this. I just read TFA, and the word "privacy" appears nowhere. It is like nobody at CNN is even aware of the notion, and nobody reached by CNN. Everybody's just happy that there are three strikes now before the teen is sent to prison for having a sex life and a smart phone. This is beyond insane! Don't Americans have any rights, anymore, or are teens not Americans?

The US thinks it is the government's business what a teen sends their bf or gf on their cellphone. The US thinks that when you travel, you give up all privacy rights. The US thinks that getting angry with a border guard is a crime. The US assassinates its own citizens, believes in torture, and incarcerates people indefinitely without a trial. And I could go on. But the amazing thing about all of this is that the US thinks it is a shining example of freedom and democracy around the world. How insane is that?

Americans used to live in a great country, but honestly, that country is gone, now. It's a shame. They need to collectively get their heads out of their asses and learn to question the government, because it is not getting any better. I am not an American, and boy am I happy about that, because I live in a country that is actually an example of freedom and democracy, and that feels great.

Did you notice that to make sure no one saw the story, they even made sure the arrest took place on the SAME DAY as the launch of WoW Cataclysm? That's how bad they wanted this one to fly under the radar.

Hello again,

(Second question! See? I respect the rules.)

I know the Monk will not be part of the next Player's Handbook. First, thanks for taking the time to think through this class, because it was very problematic at best. I know you wanted to make it into a "Striker" (a damage dealer like the rogue) and have basically a request. Everyone in my gaming group fondly remembers the monk class from RoleMaster, way back when, that had tons of crazy movement abilities like you see today in movies like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He didn't jump a little bit further: he could jump 100 feet even at fairly low levels. My request is this: would you please consider doing something like that with the monk? I mean like making it the striker that would be the undisputed king of mobility on the battlefield, or something like that. I have seen so many people choose a monk and just hope they would be able to do something cool and martial arts-y with it, I do not want ten more years of that.

Thanks very much. I am still very much looking forward to the 4th edition.