Ballyvaughan and Galway

So here’s the deal with Ballyvaughn. 38 years ago, Kay and I flew to London, spent the night, then took the train to Fishguard, Wales, and thence to Wexford, Ireland. It was Kay’s first trip abroad; I had been a few times. We drove all around the country, with stops all around the West Coast.Continue reading "Ballyvaughan and Galway"

Ireland Day 3 (or 4?): Dingle and Beyond

This has been a long and interesting day. Kay and I met our son, his wife, and the machatunim at a cafe in Killarney for breakfast in downtown Killarney and then headed for the Dingle Peninsula. Jon came with us and handled the driving, and we went to the Gallarus Oratory. I looked it up,Continue reading "Ireland Day 3 (or 4?): Dingle and Beyond"

Ireland Day 2: The Wonders of Killarney

Day 2 was a wee bit stressful. We arranged to meet my son and his wife at the airport, where we picked up our car. We had rented a Golf Polo, but we were upgraded to a Skoda. It would have been easier to figure out how to operate it if they had included theContinue reading "Ireland Day 2: The Wonders of Killarney"

Off to Ireland: Day 1-Dublin

It’s been a long day. Yesterday, Thursday I think, Kay and I grabbed an Uber to the C&J bus and thence to Boston Logan. We got on the Aer Lingus Airbus for the 6-hour flight to Dublin. Given that it was a relatively short flight, we decided not to cough up for business class. NotContinue reading "Off to Ireland: Day 1-Dublin"

Live Free or Believe Anything: Matt Drew’s War on Vaccines: An Open Letter to Representative Matt Drew

Dear Representative Drew, House Bill 1811, your effort to repeal all statutory vaccine mandates in New Hampshire, was decisively rejected by the House on a 192–155 vote. Thirty‑four Republicans crossed over to join Democrats in killing the bill, a notable rebuke given the chamber’s narrow partisan balance. The margin suggests that, whatever sympathy some membersContinue reading "Live Free or Believe Anything: Matt Drew’s War on Vaccines: An Open Letter to Representative Matt Drew"

Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Continuing Education, Pseudoscience, and the CEU Shell Game

January Again: The Biennial Panic It's January, and it is already time for me to start making belated plans for fulfilling my continuing education requirements. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but this happens every two years. I put it off and put it off month after month until I really have to hustleContinue reading "Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Continuing Education, Pseudoscience, and the CEU Shell Game"

Pseudoscience, Protein Wars, and RFK Jr.’s Merry Band of Nitwits

I can’t help but be fascinated by RFK Jr. It’s kind of like driving by a motor vehicle accident-horrifying and yet you can’t look away. Granted, we live in strange times and there is so much to be horrified by that I have to take it in small doses. For years I’ve tried to helpContinue reading "Pseudoscience, Protein Wars, and RFK Jr.’s Merry Band of Nitwits"

Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Competence to Stand Trial

Whenever people ask me what I do for a living, and I say that I’m a forensic psychologist, I generally get some version of “Oh, that must be so cool!” I get it; the only exposure most people have to the professions is what they see on “L.A. Law” or “CSI.” Generally, they see aContinue reading "Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Competence to Stand Trial"