I have been quite remiss in sending out new notices. It has been a relatively quiet time while I worked hard on a large writing project that is now nearing completion, but I wanted to send out a brief note before the change of the year. There are a few things happening early next year that I will be able to reveal soon, but for now, here are a few loose ends from the end of 2018.
- Janyce Boynton
Back in November, I published a new Skeptical Inquirer column on the Maine collage artist Janyce Boynton, who has a remarkable history. Some years ago Janyce was a speech therapist who began using the discredited communication technique Facilitated Communication. Today she is a leading advocate for abolishing its use. A version of this article will also appear in the March/April issue of the print version of Skeptical Inquirer.
I was recently quoted in an article in Romper “7 Superstitions That Are Actually Based In Truth.” I think what they mean is that at one time these superstitions had some sort of rational basis but have lived on past their useful time. The classic example is the “three on a match” superstition. It is considered bad luck to light three cigarettes on the same match, a belief that stems from the foxholes of World War I. Leaving a match lit too long could give an enemy sniper a 
good target, but the belief continued long after WWI. Three On A Match also became a popular 1932 movie starring Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, and Bette Davis. Naturally, something bad happens….
As the end of 2018 approached, my publisher Oxford University Press asked me to write a brief statement about what I thought was the biggest event in psychology this year. They posted the piece on their Facebook page, but because not everyone is on Facebook, I have provided a screenshot of it here.
That’s my last missive of 2018. I hope that 2019 brings health and great happiness to you and yours. See you next year.
SV
Just a brief note to share some exciting news. I was recently asked to write an article for Time magazine as a tie-in to the new edition of my book, 
As usual, I was called in as the token skeptic to throw water on the possibility that crystals have magical powers. I suppose we should be thankful that the author bothered to seek out a science-based point of view as a counterpoint to those making money on pseudoscientific claptrap. Many writers on these trendy subjects never do.
be the case.
is up on the website. In this column, I investigate a USDA web page that once had some very useful information about the nutritional value of food purchased or consumed away from home. I think you will find the story interesting. A week after the column went up, new information came to light, so I appended a brief final chapter to the story.
2008, Americans are still struggling with debt and financial insecurity. The nature of our money problems has changed, but in many respects, our circumstances are no better than in the years before the crash.
changeling myth is very old and widespread and its roots are universal. In the article, I draw a connection between changelings and the motivations of parents who embrace Facilitated Communication, the pseudoscientific treatment for autism, as well as those who become anti-vaxxers.
Happy New Year! It has been over a month since I last visited your inbox. For those of you who are not in New England this picture shows the world outside my window this morning.
column for Skeptical Inquirer is entitled 
read them, you will have to pick up a copy of the magazine or email me directly. The issue includes a special section called “A Skeptic’s Guide to Racism,” inspired by the sad and disturbing events of Charlottesville. I wrote a short piece for this section called, “Combating Racism through Shared Goals.” My regular column is entitled “Yes, We Do Need Experts.” It reviews a great book called “The Death of Expertise” by Tom Nichols.