Global existential risks comprise more than anthropogenic climate chaos/drought/inundation, asteroid impacts/megavolcanoes, bioterrorism/pandemics, cyberterrorism/grid failure, inequality-induced war/ nuclear holocaust, runaway AI, or unintended CRISPR/biotechnological failure. Understanding the catastrophic exinanition[1] of humanity through study of the risks of increased propensities for suicide, abuse, terror, and generalized selfishness and anomie[2] and their potential countervalences is also crucial. An…
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, video calling apps have been popular for remote learning. Zoom has been perhaps the most used, and, unfortunately, some of its features have made it susceptible to hijacking or “Zoom-bombing.[1]” In order to keep your calls secure, there are countermeasures that can be implemented. In many cases, the problem isn’t a…
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Background On July 31, 2020, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a significant COVID-19 outbreak among overnight campers attending sessions in Georgia from June 17-27, 2020.[1] Forty-four percent (44%) of attendees (significantly, with high positivity rates among all age subgroups) tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 despite the camp’s adoption of most of…
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The question of reopening schools during the COVID-19 pandemic and until a vaccine or effective treatment exists is one of the most potentially significant questions of our time. The top priority in school reopening plans is the health and safety of students and staff. In order to ensure this occurs, schools should work in collaboration…
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The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 or viruses mutating therefrom and the resulting disease COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID-19 pandemic”) is infecting people wherever and whenever they gather and causing significant illness, death, social disruption, and economic loss. Our serious policymakers’ primary concern continues to be minimizing illnesses and deaths, but a vital secondary concern is the successful rebound of…
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http://riskandpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/School-Violence-Project-as-of-3-9-2018.pdf
To use this spreadsheet, download it, and open it in read-only mode.[gview file=”http://riskandpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/US-School-Shootings.xlsx”]
A month since its release on July 6, 2016, Pokémon Go, the first widely known, phone-based, augmented reality game, has over 100 million downloads worldwide. During this short period, it has been both praised and blamed for its impacts on the larger world. Some players with depression and social anxiety claim the game has helped them…
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The problem of lead content in U.S. drinking water extends beyond Flint. For examples: LAUSD and Los Angeles, CA see http://achieve.lausd.net/Page/3450 and http://achieve.lausd.net/cms/lib08/CA01000043/Centricity/domain/135/pdf%20files/LeadAdvisory.pdf (This testing would tend to imply that all LADWP customers should have the same concerns.) Washington, DC see http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5312a6.htm Newark, NJ see http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/water-ban-30-jersey-schools-lead-fears-37520400 Sebring, OH see http://www.planetizen.com/node/83433/excessive-lead-drinking-water-spread-ohio Stockton, CA (maybe) see http://legacy.abc10.com/story/news/local/stockton/2016/01/21/erin-brockovich-weighs-recent-stockton-water-controversy/79146864/…
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