I was going through some of the AOPA online courses and thought some of you might be especially interested in the one called: 

Weather Wise: Thunderstorms and ATC

Within this course there is an ATC recording of the Lancair IV that flew into the thunderstorm and crashed.  Please know what the controllers mean when they say things they say.  In this example, one controller gave the LNC4 a heading around an area of heavy precip that was shown on the scope.  When he was handed off to the next controller, the clearance was proceed direct when able, and the LNC4 read back, "direct XXX", and proceeded to turn directly into the middle of the thunderstrom.  The en-route controllers deal with air carrier and business jet aircraft most of the time (ones with on board radars), and a clearance to deviate for weather Left (or Right) is often followed by proceed direct when able because the aircraft are nagivating around the weather themselves.  Controllers don't know which aircraft are equiped with on board radar, and it is not a controllers responsibility to keep aircraft out of weather.  ATC does have an obligation to tell you what they see, but it's up to you to ask to deviate or ask for a vector if you can't do it on your own, and if there is a question at all, YOU need to clerify what you think they meant.  

Ron Galbraith