Nevada Writer

Parenting Tips: Praise Can Be Bad; Lying Is Normal : NPR

“Talwar has a variety of experiments where she tempts children to cheat in a game, which puts them in a position to offer real lies about their cheating. She videotapes these, too, and when she shows those videotapes to the child’s own parent — and asks, “Is your child telling the truth?” — the parents [...]

The Nevada Sagebrush » Banks change overdraft policies

“National overdraft fees average $26, according to the research firm Moebs Services. The firm reported 44.5 percent of all banks and credit unions in the country have overdraft income greater than net income, with totals reaching $38.5 billion in 2009. This is a 10-year increase of more than $20 billion.” Great article by Neal Morton.
via [...]

Chase and Bank of America Revise Policies on Overdraft Fees – NYTimes.com

Chase and Bank of America Revise Policies on Overdraft Fees – NYTimes.com.
Two of the biggest banks are now curtailing some of their predatory behavior, which is good. After scooping up $38 billion in outrageous fees at rates as high as 3,500 percent APR (!), they now say they are “listening” to their customers. I’m not [...]

The American Debate: Suddenly, they’re czar-struck | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/20/2009

It’s hard to keep track of all the BS, but Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Inquirer does a nice job:
The American Debate: Suddenly, they’re czar-struck | Philadelphia Inquirer | 09/20/2009.
If you care to observe how deeply confused some Americans are about the role of “czars” in our government, please watch this video.

Here’s what PolitiFact.com has [...]

Why He Will Not Read Your Fucking Script – Deadline.com

Why He Will Not Read Your Fucking Script – Deadline.com.
If you’re not Chris Coake’s friend on Facebook, you should be. He posts the most interesting articles, including this one, as well as the one in this post and this one. (The photo is of Josh, not Chris.)

Who are the undeserving “others” benefiting from expanded government actions? – Glenn Greenwald – Salon.com

Black is white and white is black in this increasingly feudalistic world.
Who are the undeserving “others” benefiting from expanded government actions? – Glenn Greenwald – Salon.com.

Sociopathy on the Right: Ayn Rand and the Triumph of Conservative Cultism

via Daily Kos: State of the Nation.
Great article by Tim Wise. I’ve long been fascinated by sociopaths — their prevalence, their insidiousness and how they are motivated to dominate others, as well as by the general unwillingness of non-sociopaths to believe that underneath a charming exterior some people actually don’t give a rat’s ass [...]

De-Icer: USGS report details “recent dramatic shrinkage” in U.S. glaciers, matching global decline « Climate Progress

In case you’d forgotten about climate change in all the hubbub and uproar about our president being a Nazi. Here’s what global warming has wrought:
De-Icer: USGS report details “recent dramatic shrinkage” in U.S. glaciers, matching global decline « Climate Progress.
Just sayin’ …

BBC – dot.life: Teenage hackers: Making a better world

Read the story:
BBC – dot.life: Teenage hackers: Making a better world.

Can Capitalists Learn to Love Socialized Medicine?

Can Capitalists Learn to Love Socialized Medicine?.
Neil Buchanan, an economist and attorney who writes for FindLaw.com, argues that socialized medicine is actually a boon to business. We currently have government-run education operating in tandem with private education, and the system is a boon to business, as well. Think about it. My father worked for the [...]