America needs a better opposition party. The GOP has only been on the job one week, and they’re already sucking at it. I mean, this economic stimulus package is a big deal. We’ll be saddled with a huge debt, and it may not even work. While ultimately it may be necessary, [...]

I’m a cognitive psychologist by training, and so well aware of the confirmation bias. People have a tendency to seek evidence in favor of their established view, rather than unbiased evidence. They tend to distort or ignore evidence contrary to their view, and put such evidence under greater scrutiny, while accepting (weak) evidence [...]

It turns out I have just been the victim of credit card fraud from the world’s dumbest criminal. The fellow stole my credit card number, and used it to check into a room at a Marriot Hotel. He then proceeded to try and make purchases online, but since he didn’t have the expiration [...]

The big news of Obama’s first full day as president seems to be the Senate confirmation hearings of two of his highest profile cabinet nominations. And what the media and the Senate wants to talk about is Bill Clinton’s foundation’s donor lists and Tim Geithner’s taxes. New president, same old dumb issues.

My preliminary thoughts on the Obama speech:
1) Very well delivered
2) Inclusive of everybody - religions, races, ideologies. His rhetoric, at least, is making good on the post-partisan pledge.
3) About a third of the way through the talk I thought to myself that this was the death knell for the GOP. He basically co-opted [...]

In his Op-Ed today, Paul Krugman makes perhaps the most forceful argument I have yet seen that the Obama Administration should pursue a full criminal investigation against the Bush Administration. The argument is that besides pushing past all reasonable limits on torture and surveillance, that the Bush folks repeatedly made illegal and dangerous personnel [...]

I’m an atheist. But I’m a live and let live atheist. I respect your faith, and in return merely ask that you respect my lack thereof. So, I get frustrated when I read things like this. Here’s an atheist who wants to prevent somebody else from expressing religious faith.
Now [...]

It’s past time to forget about the past, at least where the Middle East Conflict is concerned.
Of course, just by saying that, I’ve alienated 1/3 of people, 1/3 of people think I’m hopelessly naive, and 1/3 of people are saying “right on!”. But whichever category you fall in, hear me out.
In any conflict, it’s [...]

The NFL lost one of it’s greatest coaches yesterday, as Colts coach Tony Dungy retired. Dungy ought to be a sure-fire Hall of Fame coach–but I’ll get to that in a moment. What really sets Dungy apart is his quality as a human being. You didn’t have to be told that Dungy [...]

Sitting here I am appreciating a quiet, pristine moment of bittersweet pride in being an American. My husband is talking football with his friend on the phone and I just saw this posted on the front page of the NY Times:
Obama Set to Issue Order Next Week Closing Guantánamo
I pointed the article out [...]