As a teacher in a college setting, I sometimes get a glimpse into what the next generation is like and what they're thinking. More often than not, they're not thinking much at all, apparently. But here's what happens when they do. This response was evoked, first of all by a statistics problem, second of all by an innocent question.

Question:

"Joan theorized that mu should be 30 on a measure of contentment with life. She obtained data from a random sample(n = 4) and found that the sample mean was 44.00 and MSw = 64.00. Create a 95% confidence interval aroud muT.(20 points) Determine whether we can falsify Joan's hypothesis with these data and state why or why not.(10 points)"

Don't worry about whether you know the answer or don't understand what this all means. Just know that this is a fairly simple problem for anyone taking this class and is solved mathematically by testing whether or not the sample mean fits into the interval. Now for this maniac's response:

"Can we falsify Joan's data?

No. Besides being morally unethical, she has presumably written down her theorized mu as well as the actual statistics. Assuming that she, as I do, knows the moral guidelines of the APA as well as the consequences for violating such rules, as well as knowing her comparably low salary to others involved in corruption, I couldn't be paid a proper sum of money, nor anyone else who is able to complete her task. And if her coercion(sic) and file doctoring skills are remotely similar to her guessing skills, she doesn't have a prayer. She would be happier(therefore being less biased) if she accepted failure every now and then."

This is the mind of the fanatic, whether it be religious or otherwise, and it lives in the next generation just as strongly as the current one. This is the type of person Osama Bin Laden or whoever convinces to drive a plane into a tower. This is the type of person who should be wire tapped and put under constant CIA surveilance. Mark my words, this is the type of person who will kill you. I'm holding on to this person's name and keeping my ears open beause I'm sure in 2010 or 2015 I'll hear it on the news. Of course, I can't report this to anyone or else I'll be sued by the student for slander or some such. I can't print the name here to save people for the same reason. So let's face it, name withheld to save my own ass.