Michael B. Duff

Mr Kristof repeatedly cites the percentage of total national income taken in by the top 1% of American earners, as if this number taken in isolation contains useful information about the quality or justice of American institutions. But it doesn't. If we take a moment to note that the United States contains 40% of the world's billionaires, and stop to see how America's wealthiest people came by their fortunes, it's easy to conclude that the statistic Mr Kristof waves about like a bloody shirt actually reflects the fact that American institutions are unsually conducive to innovation and the creation (as opposed to the expropriation) of immense wealth.

“Oil and gas will continue to be pillars for global energy supply for decades to come,” said James Burkhard, a managing director of IHS CERA, an energy consulting firm. “The competitiveness of oil and gas and the scale at which they are produced mean that there are no readily available substitutes in either one year or 20 years.”

The biggest difference? Ethnic profiling.

Steve: Don't tell him I put this in here, but one time Keith was playing a character he really loved. It was this half-orc fighter named Deatharm. He had won the heart of a hot babe and built a castle and everything. Deatharm fell into a spike trap in a lame dungeon I was running and Keith cried. That character was only like level 8 or 9. Imagine if he were level 14.

Zack: Yeah, but how old were you at the time?

Steve: 24.