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