If anyone is confused as to the difference between correlation and causation - here is an excellent article: [link]

One thing you'll constantly hear in discussions is "correlation does not imply causation". Causation isn't really a mathematical notion - and that's the root of that confusion. Correlation means that as one value changes, another variable changes in the same way. Causation means that when one value changes, it causes the other to change. There is a very big difference between causation and correlation.

...

One more really interesting example that I read about when my daughter was little. There was a study published a few years ago showing a pretty strong correlation between leaving a night-light on in a child's room, and that child developing nearsightedness. This caused a big stir at the time; it got written up in newspapers, reported on by various television programs, etc. But other studies were unable to reproduce that correlation. Finally a group from Ohio State found that while they could not consistently reproduce a direct linkage between night-lights and nearsightedness, they could find a correlation between nearsighted parents and nearsighted children, and that there was also a correlation between nearsighted parents and the likelihood of having a night-light in their child's room. In other words, children whose parents are nearsighted are more likely to have a night-light in their childrens' rooms, and children are also likely to inherit nearsightedness from their parents. Correlation, but not causation: both the night-lights and the nearsightedness are caused by the parents' nearsightedness; there's no causal connection between the night-lights and the nearsightedness.

I think that all children should be taught skills in critical thinking. Stuff like logical fallacies, common mistakes when people (especially the media) try to explain scientific results or mathematical analysis of things, common ways that politicians, corporations, etc. try to mislead us, etc.

Anyway, this sorta' fits with that....

His weakness?

Well, he's been known to do both.

What are the most common dumb ways to give yourself a brain boo-boo?

Well, it turns out, one of the side effects of the drug is that it can inhibit the formation of scar tissue and clotting (cause it is designed to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels in the tumor specifically, but could affect other systems) and the question was about if that made it more dangerous. His answer was "only if you go around..."

So you aren't far from wrong!

Also talked with my SIL. By "talk," I mean laugh my ass off as she and brother have a sparring match over her pedestrian taste in food. I couldn't have a relationship with all that mock conflict, but the two of them thrive on it. She's 23 weeks and is shocked she's only gained 1.5 lbs despite eating like a horse. Ultrasound tomorrow at 2 pm my time! Told my brother he is to call me at work. The flake probably won't.

This is my dad looking like a big dork.

It makes me laugh (from one of his S&R trainings.) He loves this stuff.

Oh, -t, if anyone can see both sides of this facon issue, it's you.

Well, other than "they're all pretty yummy" I have no insight. I've tried every kind of bacon I've met, but none close together in time, and none all that frequently, so to my mind's tastebuds they are all the same.

Who's a cute little godless killing machine? Knut is, yes he is.

So many ultrasounds for so many babies! How exciting!

other than "they're all pretty yummy" I have no insight

That's pretty much all is needed, though, right?

So many ultrasounds for so many babies! How exciting!

It's like they're all having their own mini F2F, only it's UltrasoundMachine2UltrasoundMachine, and, well, the only way they meet is through these posts about them.

Any child meeting my brother's sprog(s) is doomed to a life of world domination. (btw, nephew is lobbying for a sister. Might be mom's influence, but who knows.)

:Waves to Nilly:

Sorry, it's almost my bedtime so I don't have anything useful to offer.

Gronk. I didn't even do all that much today, but I just feel drained.

But now I'm watching skating, which is fun. And it reminds me that I have my skates here, and there's a new Metro-accessible skating rink, so I've got to go skating soon.

Huh. For the first time in I don't remember how long, I like both of the top-ranked US female skaters. (Emily Hughes and Kimmie Meisner.)

mac update.

he was not punched in the face, he was accidently elbowed and today there were apologies and all is better. the teacher was not even present when it happened and only became aware of it due to my note. Since none of these kids have a firm grasp of English and since no one share's mac's language, they had no common ground to discuss it, but "i'm sorry" is understood. YAY!

my new favorite thing to do at bedtime is to ask him who loves him and he says "MOM loves (real name) VERRRRRY MUCH" and then uncontrollable smiles.

it's almost my bedtime so I don't have anything useful to offer

It's almost my out-of-bed time, and I am almost completely useless.

msbelle, yay on all is well with mac!

my new favorite thing to do at bedtime is to ask him who loves him and he says "MOM loves (real name) VERRRRRY MUCH" and then uncontrollable smiles.

This could easily become one of my favorite mac stories. How adorable!