Amy Alkon: Three isn't just a crowd.

Any ideas for a non-allergic pet?

I was shopping at Amazon.com today and noticed that pet supplies were greatly marked down. The pet supplies on sale ranged from dog beds to multivitamins for reptiles.

I sadly looked at these items and realized that I have no pets as I am allergic to most four-legged animals and even some two-legged animals. We had two wonderful cats but had to find new homes for them after myself and my daughter became violently ill for months on end due to allergies.

I remember growing up with collies and beagles and how much fun it was to have a pet to run around with. Unfortunately, in my household, we are totally pet free. All the other animals I can think of to get seem like no fun or too much trouble. A lizard seems really dull and the last fish we had died. I know this just sounds like a sob story (okay, if this is the worst of my problems, not much going on in my life) but does anyone have any suggestions for allergy-free pets that might be more suitable? Or, if you are pet-free due to allergies, how do you or your kids cope?

Ask Dr. Helen on PJTV: Threesome Marriages

Do you think it's hard having one spouse to contend with? Now, imagine having two or more. Sasha, Janet and husband Shivaya were featured recently on their threesome marriage by The Daily Beast. Sasha, a psychologist, and Janet Lessin share more about their story with me in this PJTV interview-- what is polyamory?, why is it popular among baby boomers and how do people react to their non-traditional marriage. I would love to hear your views in the comment section.

But first, you can watch the interview here or click on the picture above.

Update: You can also read more about Polyamory at the Lessin's website at World Polyamory Association.

Childless man released from child support debt

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- A Georgia man who spent a year in jail for nonpayment of child support -- despite the fact he has no children -- has been cleared of the debt, his attorney said Tuesday.

Frank Hatley, 50, spent 13 months in jail for being a deadbeat dad before his release last month. A judge ordered him jailed in June 2008 for failing to support his "son" -- a child who DNA tests proved was not fathered by Hatley.

Jules Crittenden: Top ten reasons to buy my wife's book.

Critical thinking suspended

Barbara Oakley, author of Evil Genes, had the misfortune to attend a Democratic--uhh, I mean APA convention. After the experience, she wrote this column at Psychology Today with the fitting title, "Kiss my APA!"

"Forensic science was not developed by scientists"

I read a recent article from Popular Mechanics entitled, "CSI Myths: The Shaky Science Behind Forensics" that is finally up on line (found through Instapundit):

Forensic science was not developed by scientists. It was mostly created by cops, who were guided by little more than common sense. And as hundreds of criminal cases begin to unravel, many established forensic practices are coming under fire. PM takes an in-depth look at the shaky science that has put innocent people behind bars.

Glenn and I interviewed Bill Bass a while back, who is the author of many books, including the popular Death's Acre. He spoke to us about the "CSI effect," which often leads juries and other people to expect cases to be solved immediately using the latest forensic science but the truth is, as Popular Mechanics points out, this science can be shaky. TV shows that make solving crimes seem easy are often just plain wrong.

Turning girls into geeky boys

Great, now that boys are no longer bothering to go to college, the admissions office at select schools is trying to turn girls into geeky boys. I hope this is just a fad. Kenneth Anderson at the Volokh Conspiracy interviewed someone close to the admissions process at a reasonably select school and here is what they said:

Selective schools are not interested these days in girls who like English and history, like to read and are able to write clearly and well. Those skills fill the bell curve for smart girls ... Selective schools have absorbed the folk myths of bobo culture. So cool girls are math smart, genetically destined to be hackers, risk takers, and into competitive sports. Cool girls for selective schools prefer engineering over history, math over English, computer science over political science, and economics over psychology. A touch of Asperger's isn't a bad thing for a girl, either. Actually, it's a great thing. It will be a long time before being able to write well, disconnected from technical skills in math or science, will be a valued skill for its own sake in admissions.

How many girls really fit into this category? And what kinds of boys are "cool" to the admissions office? Since when did being "cool" become a main qualification for getting into college? Is college just the new junior high? If so, yuck, and I hope people bypass it.