Recently, my wife and I have been binge watching “The Great British Baking Show.” I know we are late to the game, but better late than never. It may be the second greatest televised spectator sport ever. The best in NFL football. Both allow you to look up from your laptop browsing now and againContinueContinue reading “The Great British Baking Show vs. the World According to Hollie Noveletsky”
Category Archives: Musings on the Passing Scene
You’re Welcome, New Hampshire: Bail, Theater, and the Myth of the Fix
In New Hampshire politics, there is nothing quite like a good victory lap. Recently we have seen leaders step up to the podium, flanked by law enforcement, and declare that their bail changes have “made us safer” because crime is down. The photo ops are impressive. I first heard about New Hampshire’s “fixed” bail systemContinueContinue reading “You’re Welcome, New Hampshire: Bail, Theater, and the Myth of the Fix”
Grand Juries, Secret Evidence, and the Comey Case
Sometimes it’s a shock to realize that I have been working as a psychologist in the legal system for over 35 years. I’ve been a psychologist for longer than that but that was as a school psychologist and psychotherapist. I’m not a lawyer, but I do work closely with them, and you can’t spend decadesContinueContinue reading “Grand Juries, Secret Evidence, and the Comey Case”
I Lost My Sandwich to Protect America. The Airline Served It Anyway.
On Thursday, after a 2-week trip to Ireland, my wife and I flew back to Boston on Aer Lingus. It’s a pretty easy trip by international flight standards, only about 6 hours in the air. We dropped our big bags and headed for Dublin Airport security screening. You know the drill: frantically empty your pockets;ContinueContinue reading “I Lost My Sandwich to Protect America. The Airline Served It Anyway.”
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 membersContinueContinue reading “Live Free or Believe Anything: Matt Drew’s War on Vaccines: An Open Letter to Representative Matt Drew”
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 helpContinueContinue reading “Pseudoscience, Protein Wars, and RFK Jr.’s Merry Band of Nitwits”
A Holiday Potpourri
Ok, we made it through X-mas relatively unscathed. It was actually pretty good. My son, his wife, and their dog. Gifts were exchanged, and large quantities of salmon, shrimp, steak tips, mashed potatoes and gravy and mushroom casserole were consumed. This was followed by Kay’s whisky cake and key lime pie, plus several other pies.ContinueContinue reading “A Holiday Potpourri”
From Practice to Presence: Pottery, Wabi-Sabi, and the Brain’s Subroutines
It’s Sunday, and over the last year I’ve developed a routine. I don’t really sleep late anymore, so on Sundays I’m usually up and around by 7 AM. A couple cups of French press half-caf, some net surfing, and maybe throw in a load of laundry. I’m usually at the pottery studio by noon; thisContinueContinue reading “From Practice to Presence: Pottery, Wabi-Sabi, and the Brain’s Subroutines”
The House of Identical Lamps
Once upon a time there was a woman named Kay. She lived in a house with her husband, Eric. Kay liked to tap dance and play the ukulele. One evening, she sat thoughtfully in her living room, looking at the furnishings. A few years back, a hotel near their Manchester, New Hampshire, office had closedContinueContinue reading “The House of Identical Lamps”
Gluten Sensitivity
In some of my earlier posts on subjects such as ivermectin and fluoride, I talked about ways that reasonably intelligent non-scientists can evaluate research. I think being able to do this is important for several reasons. Science denial and willful ignorance seem to be all around us these days, and while the right and MAGAContinueContinue reading “Gluten Sensitivity”
Samurai Shrink (formally Wandering Shrink) 