Month: October 2021

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Misinformation and false statements continue to plague social media sites

Social media giant Facebook is facing allegations of putting profit over safety.

A previously anonymous whistleblower recently revealed thousands of pages of internal documents alleging the company “deceived the public and investors about their ability to deal with hate speech and misinformation on the platform.”

Allegations of misinformation on the social media site have plagued Facebook since the 2016 election, only this time there appears to be documents that support the assertions.

Fighting online misinformation in the social media age is a constant battle and is often left to the discretion of platform users. Misinformation and the impact it can have on daily lives is significant, particularly in the tense political climate today.

Joining Smart Talk Wednesday to discuss the role of misinformation in our cultural climate are Dannagal Young, Ph.D., Professor of Communication and Political Science at the University of Delaware, author of Irony and Outrage: the Polarized Landscape of Rage, Fear, and Laughter in the United States. Also on the program, Sinan Aral, Ph.D., Professor of Management, Marketing and IT at MIT Sloan School of Management and author of The Hype Machine: How Social Media Disrupts our Elections, Our Economy, and Our Health — and How We Must Adapt.

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Audit of U.S. monuments reveal common traits and a reverence for war-fighters

The bronze Columbus monument has overlooked Schenley Drive since 1958.

The Christopher Columbus statue at Marconi Plaza in Philadelphia was “boxed” after the site became a location for violent protests in the wake of the George Floyd murder.

A Commonwealth court recently ruled it will remain covered for the time being. The ruling comes at a time when monuments around the country are garnering public attention by their presence and who they represent.

The Monument Lab recently completed an audit to assess the current monument landscape in the U.S. The findings are part of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation’s Monument project which intends to “transform the way our country’s histories are told in public spaces and ensure that future generations inherit a commemorative landscape that venerates and reflects the vast, rich complexity of the American story.”

Paul Farber, Ph.D., is the Co-Founder of Monument Lab and Co-Director of the Audit and he appears on Smart Talk Tuesday with Naima Murphy Salcido, Director of Partnerships for the Monument Lab.

 

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Federal flood insurance rates changing and policy owners could feel the pinch

Changes are coming to the way flood insurance rates are determined under the Federal Flood Insurance Program, which could raise rates significantly for some policy owners.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency administers the program for the Federal government and they contend that changes to the pricing method will mean that policy prices will be more fair, particularly for lower-cost properties.

The new pricing method is known as Risk Rating 2.0 and it took effect on October 1. People living in areas vulnerable to hurricanes and heavy rain, often along the coasts, are most affected by the change.

Joining Smart Talk Tuesday to share how consumers could be impacted here are Rich Sobota Insurance Specialist, FEMA Region 3 and David Buono, Acting Pennsylvania Deputy Insurance Commissioner, Office of Market Regulation.

 

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The U.S. Supreme Court term begins with several high-profile, controversial cases on the docket

The Supreme Court as composed October 27, 2020 to present. Front row, left to right: Associate Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer, and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor. Back row, left to right: Associate Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, Associate Justice Elena Kagan, Associate Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett. Credit: Fred Schilling, Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States

The Supreme Court 2021 term began this month and it has been called the most important term in decades.

Court watchers are zeroing in on several cases with big impact potential. Abortion rights and gun rights are two cases getting the most attention, mainly because conservative Justices are in the majority on the court. Abortion rights advocates are especially concerned a majority decision could impact the status of Roe vs. Wade.

Appearing on Smart Talk Monday to analyze the impact of the current SCOTUS term are Michael R. Dimino, JD., Professor of Law, Widener University Commonwealth Law School and Michael Moreland, JD., Ph.D., Professor of Law and Religion and Director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy with the Villanova University School of Law.

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As Alzheimer and dementia cases rise health officials express concern about a lack of care options

Alzheimer's patient Dorothy Eckert and her husband John Eckert's hold hands at their home in Norristown Pa., Thursday, April 19, 2007. Alzheimer's caregivers seldom can make time in their daily grind to seek out help. And when they do, they too often find waiting lists for services, or programs geared only toward people with advanced disease and not the larger pool in the purgatory that is dementia's decade-long middle ground between independence and helplessness.
Alzheimer’s patient Dorothy Eckert and her husband John Eckert’s hold hands at their home in Norristown Pa., Thursday, April 19, 2007. Alzheimer’s caregivers seldom can make time in their daily grind to seek out help. And when they do, they too often find waiting lists for services, or programs geared only toward people with advanced disease and not the larger pool in the purgatory that is dementia’s decade-long middle ground between independence and helplessness.

There is a ‘crisis of care’ for those afflicted with Alzheimer’s Disease. The problem is emerging as a public health threat in the U.S. and Pennsylvania doesn’t appear to be ready to face the crisis, either.

In the next 30 years, the number of Americans age 65 and older with Alzheimer’s dementia may grow to 13.8 million. This is a sharp rise from the estimated 5.8 million today.

Caring for those with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia is a major concern.

According to a recent report by Spotlight PA, Pennsylvania eldercare facilities have dementia-specific accommodations for 17,157 people while there are 280,000 Pennsylvanians over the age of 64 living with dementia.

Joining Smart Talk Friday to discuss how to navigate the future ‘crisis of care’ are Clay Jacobs, Executive director of the Alzheimer’s Association of Pennsylvania, Adam Marles, president and CEO of LeadingAge PA and Dr. Faina Caplan, MD., with WellSpan Geriatrics.

For more on Alzheimer’s plus a deeper look at the changing tide of healthcare–check out WITF’s Transforming Health. Online at Transforminghealth.org, a partnership of WITF, WellSpan Health and Capital Blue Cross.

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National Geographic explores the biggest mysteries of the universe

A solar array for NASA’s Lucy spacecraft unfurls as it is tested at a Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado. Set to launch in October, Lucy will need two of these arrays to generate power during its 12-year mission to explore Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. These ancient swarms, which orbit the sun alongside the giant planet, may hold clues to the solar system’s original layout. (PATRICK H. CORKERY, LOCKHEED MARTIN)

There is still so much we don’t know about the universe.

In fact, scientists have only identified about a million solar system objects in space, and expect to find millions more in the next decade or so.

National Geographic science writer Michael Greshko authored the magazine’s September 2021 cover story, Mysteries of the Solar System. He joins Smart Talk Thursday to share details of a behind-the-scenes visit to the construction site of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft in Colorado in 2020, as it prepared for launch.

For more on this story, visit natgeo.com/space.

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Forensic science program brings a state-of-the art experience to students

Forensic Science-based TV programs are very popular on cable television channels, bringing out the inner sleuth in viewers hoping to solve the crime alongside the lead characters.

Harrisburg University of Science and Technology opened a new state-of-the-art experience for students there, that includes crime scene evaluations and evidence testing in a lab setting.

Appearing on Smart Talk Thursday to discuss crime scene processing and the school’s program are Jillian Yeakel, Instructor of Forensic Science and Carrie Wise, Instructor of Forensic Science, both with the Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.

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Pet ownership at an all-time high

The pandemic fueled an interest in pet ownership, emptying animal rescue centers and straining veterinary care facilities. Pet ownership has actually experienced huge growth in the past twenty years, nearly doubling since 1998.

Pets provide comfort and companionship, as well as an economic impact in excess of $220 billion dollars.

PET NATION: The Inside Story of How Companion Animals Are Transforming Our Homes, Culture, and Economy details how pets have gone from the backyard to sleeping on our beds, and everywhere in between.

Author Mark Cushing appears on Smart Talk Wednesday.

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Pa. won’t hit climate goals unless changes come soon, report warns

The Wolf Administration says a new plan can help the commonwealth reach its greenhouse gas reduction goals by 2050 and help avoid the worst effects of climate change.

Gov. Tom Wolf is pushing to cut the state’s emissions 80 percent by 2050, compared to 2005 levels.

Emissions have already fallen nearly 20 percent, but the 2021 Climate Action Plan says the state won’t meet the longer term goal unless changes come soon.

StateImpact PA reporter Rachel McDevitt joins Smart Talk Wednesday to discuss the plan’s specific points.

 

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‘The Great Resignation’ and the impact on the American workplace

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Between April and June of 2021 more than 11 million people quit their jobs.

A Gallup poll found that almost half of workers are actively searching for a new career or different job opportunities.

Why are so many workers looking elsewhere and is it contributing to the many employers who can’t find enough workers?

It has been called ‘The Great Resignation’ and Smart Talk Tuesday will explore the issue with Phillip Kane, CEO and Managing Partner with Grace Ocean, LLC. Kane authored an article in Inc., detailing the factors influencing this phenomenon. Also on the program are Vivienne Wildes, Ph.D., visiting Associate Professor of Management with Bucknell’s Freeman College of Management and Walter Licht, Ph.D., the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania.

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