In the Media

 PRINT & ONLINE

Is the Arizona Cardinals’ Title Drought the Result of a Curse?” The New York Times, January 14, 2022.

download-1  “Tod durch Hypnose” (pd), Neue Zürcher Zeitung, May 2, 2021.

“‘Healing’ crystals are having a pandemic moment. But science says they’re just pretty stones.” Washington Post, April 1, 2021.

download  “Le hasard fait bien des chose” a review of “Pour Quoi Moi? Hasard Dans Tous Ses Éstats” Le Monde, January 15, 2021. [pdf]

New-York-Times-emblem.jpg “Do you believe in magic: I do. New York TimesJuly 1, 2018

icon.1500x1500.png “What Your Ability to Handle Horror Movies Says About You,” The Cut, June 14, 2018.

download.png “Immunity dog: the canine with magical powers protecting Twitter users from death,” New Statesman, August 31, 2017.

New-York-Times-emblem.jpg “Why I Wrote This Article on Malcolm Gladwell’s Keyboard,” New York Times, June 2, 2017.

associated_press_logo_2012-svg “Exorcising the Cubs’ curse and the psychology of baseball superstitions,” Associated Press, October 7, 2016.

imgres  “Why Americans are some of the world’s worst savers,” Marketwatch.com, April 14, 2016.

logo  “Want to get pregnant? Sit here.” Ozy.com, December 4, 2015.

yahoo-health-logo-e1422035820444 “America’s Top Superstitions — And Where They Come From” Yahoo! Health, October 21, 2015.

dribbble_vox_large  ”Charlie, Charlie, are you there?” Why teens are summoning demons, explained.” Vox, June 5, 2015.

imgres  “The Odd Superstition Behind Birthmarks” The Atlantic, April 8, 2015.

imgres-3 “Why that ‘Facebook copyright’ hoax will never, ever die” The Washington Post, January 6, 2015.

imgres “The Enduring Scariness of the Mad Scientist” The Atlantic, October 29, 2014.

imgres-1  “Why You Believe In Ghosts, Even Though You Know Better” Huffington Post, October 30, 2014.

logo_prweb  “Why are Americans Going Broke? A New GoBankingRates.com Investigation Dives into U.S Consumer Spending” PRWeb.com, June 26, 2013.

TELEVISION & VIDEO

p4i-qwxu “Are You Superstitious?” Chronicle, WCBV TV, Boston, October 7, 2016.

imgres-7  “Political Superstitions On Electoral DayHuffPost Live, November 6, 2012.

imgres-4  “Origins of Friday the 13th FearsCBS Sunday Morning, January 13, 2012.

newshour-logo-hires   “Americans” Reliance on Credit Leads Many Into DebtPBS NewsHour, August 18, 2008.

RADIO & PODCASTS

imgres   Triskaidekaphobia and Superstitions, The Show About Science, April 3, 2016.

imgres-6    “Friday The 13th: Are You Superstitious?The Joy Cardin Show, Wisconsin Public Radio, December 13, 2013.

imgres-5    “Science and Pseudoscience,” NPR”s Science Friday, August 29, 2003.

Recent Posts

Late August: The End of Interim & The Best Minds

Sailboats in the harbor, Stonington, CT.

Where did the summer go? It is August in this little tourist village, and the swimmers and sailors are in peak form.


It has been quite some time since I last visited your inbox because until quite recently, I have been busy finishing up as interim editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine in time for the new editor, Stephen Hupp, to take over. The last two issues produced under my editorship are now in the can. The July/August issue featured a wonderful cover story “The Ideological Subversion of Biology” by Jerry Coyne and Luana Maroja. Since its appearance, the article has been translated into four languages and has drawn worldwide attention.

The September/October issue, which will be out soon, features a cover story on pervasive bullshitters by psychologist John V. Petrocelli. Coincidently, the issue was just being finalized when we received word of the death of philosopher Harry Frankfurt, whose bestselling book, On Bullshit, was the inspiration for Petrocellli’s research on the subject. Frankfurt was a towering figure whose influence on philosophy will be felt for a long time

 


Norwich (CT) State Hospital

Now that I am back to just being a columnist at Skeptical Inquirer magazine, I will be writing my “Behavior & Belief” column on a more regular basis. My most recent article, “Mental Illness and the Tragedy of Good Intentions” came out on August 17th. It gives a brief history of deinstitutionalization and a review of the remarkable new book by Jonathan Rosen, The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions. Rosen tells the very moving story of a childhood friend stricken with schizophrenia, and in the process, he offers a clear-eyed view of the glaring problems faced by people with severe mental disorders and those who care about them.


I have been on quite a few podcasts and YouTube shows over the last few years, but few have been more enjoyable than an episode of the Eurotrash podcast with host Zaza earlier this month. We covered many topics and laughed a lot.


That’s all for now. I hope you have a few more sunny days of summer to enjoy before the realities of the fall set in.

SV

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