correlations do not imply causal relationships!

After receiving a chain mail about the "dangers" of microwave ovens and then pointing out that Snopes.com proved it to be a cheap emotional attempt to promote nonsense, the sender mentioned that "microwaves for being around for several decades....hasn't cancer also been on the rise in the last couple of decades......"
Those that know me know that I can't let that kind of invalid association go unchecked. I replied the following:

as are synthetic fabrics, plastics, toxins from industrial processes, processed foods, and the erosion of natural habitats that buffer human pollution. On the "up" side, we have longer life expectancies, political stability, education, careers, internet, ample food and clothing, infrastructure to keep us warm in winter, cool in summer... the only thing you can sustain indefinitely is balance, but nobody seems to agree as to where the right mix is or what factors to include. why? because human nature does not appear to be programmed that way since, sadly, the only way we can keep our mental and physical skills at their best is through continued conflict.

This is why civilizations rise and fall, and ours has already peaked.