Episodes
Sunday May 31, 2020
America is Burning - FACE VALIDITY with Bacon & Doc: LIVESTREAM 05-31-2020
Sunday May 31, 2020
Sunday May 31, 2020
Bacon and Doc kick off an unscheduled livestream to offer face validity on the rapid progression of rioting and civil unrest across America. Nick Schulaner and John Steele join to complete the cabinet. Regional observations from member checks across the country; dissecting the velocity of information; and what does this civil unrest chaos mean for our finite voltage? How close are people to the breaking point - and what happens if things further unravel? This marathon red eye raps up with predictions of how the events of the past week will transfer into changed or new things in the future. Read the full blog post for episode #138 at safetyphd.com. UNPRECEDENTED - TWO NATIONAL CHAOS EVENTS IN 90 DAYS. Doc explains that studies of civilian morale during times of war or similar sentinel events indicate that after 90 days, civilians begin to lose hope and this leads to a cascade of negative effects from depression to violence to suicide. This is known as finite voltage, as coined by military field psychiatrist Appel. It’s well-documented that during wartime, governments’ public propaganda units put a fresh spin on the situation every 3 months. That might be calling something a “new phase” or promoting some unifying event such as the scrap metals drives of WWII. Recently, city parades for medical staff and essential workers fell into this category of boosting civilian morale. FINITE VOLTAGE - MOTHER IN CALIFORNIA. Bacon shared a recent conversation with his strong-minded, resilient mother living in California, he detected psychological fray. In other words, she was becoming increasingly agitated with the virus lockdowns, requirements to wear face masks, and now the additional layer of restrictions due to civil unrest. This behavior is typical given the circumstances. He adds that Americans have had a relatively stable society for the past 60 years. Nick notes that people’s torus’, or what they are comfortable with from day-to-day, is very small (as described in the book School of Errors). HERD MENTALITY. Herd mentality, also called mob mentality, describes how humans adopt behaviors, buy merchandise, and follow trends based on their circle of influence. It explains how one’s point of view can be easily altered by those around them. This becomes dangerous when people simply follow others or the media narratives. Imagine walking outside and suddenly 500 people frantically run past you. The reaction by most will be to join them - as “they must be doing this for an important reason.” CONTAGION THEORY. Crowds easily become uncontrolled, wild, and frenzied. In this state, they can exert a hypnotic impact that results in unreasonable and emotionally charged behavior among the members. For example, with mob mentality, superstitions can evolve from a misconception or rumor between a small group of people and escalate quickly. John Steele notes that the police have demonstrated extreme restraint during protests that have become violent with rioting, looting, and rocks thrown at officers. Fights have erupted between protesters - an interesting twist on the binary nature of a protest. However, as protests devolve to riots and as more people become involved, the likelihood increases for a substantial deadly confrontation. David offers another contingency in stating that as protests continue, the targets might include power sub-stations, city water wells, fire departments, and hospitals. If that happens, martial law would be imminent and confrontations would include deadly force. RECOGNIZE CHAOS ASAP AND THEN PEG THE VELOCITY OF INFORMATION. Doc notes that following a sentinel event, such as 9/11, information is highly unreliable during the 72 hours following the event. There are two factors people need to be cognizant of, (1) recognize that they are in chaos and immediately begin making decisions based upon the evolving situations and contexts; and (2) obtain as much authentic information as possible from what you, and others, observe. DECISIONS WON’T BE PERFECT - BUT YOU MUST MAKE DECISIONS. Who is the perfect person in real time? Who has perfect, complete information - it must be sifted through. Be authentic - your decision is laminated to context and situation. You made the best decision at the time. WHAT WILL THINGS BE LIKE A YEAR FROM NOW (our predictions). Listen in as we balance between the negative and the positive - and address things you’re not thinking of right now. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 138 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-31-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Friday May 29, 2020
Homeless in San Francisco | Videographer Juan Cabrera | LIVESTREAM 5-28-2020
Friday May 29, 2020
Friday May 29, 2020
Juan Cabrera is a videographer of the homeless condition and has observed San Francisco transform itself into a deranged city due to malfunctioning local and state level policies. He is a Mexican immigrant who grew up in The City by the Bay. Read the full blog post for this episode (137) at safetyphd.com. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE HOMELESS IN CALIFORNIA? At last official count 151,278 individuals are homeless in California, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That's the highest number since at least 2007, and represents a nearly 17% uptick since 2018. Estimates place the homeless count in San Francisco between 8,000 and 17,000 people per various sources. As Juan notes, the definition of homeless includes people who are without a permanent residence and might be staying with relatives - although the media portrait of homeless is often that of individuals living on sidewalks or parks. The true numbers are higher than anything that’s reported. HOMELESS LAWS IN CA AND BAY AREA. In California, there are hundreds of “anti-homeless” laws. Although there is nothing that specifically bans or restricts homelessness, cities in the Golden State have created nearly a thousand codes and ordinances that experts and homeless advocates argue disproportionately affect unsheltered people. One such ordinance - known as the "sit-lie" law - makes it a criminal offense to sit, lie or sleep on a public sidewalk anywhere in a city. Some cities put boulders on sidewalks to prevent homeless people from sleeping or camping there, but these practices are ineffective at solving bigger problems and often just make things worse for homeless people. WHAT INSPIRED JUAN TO BECOME A VIDEOGRAPHER OF THE HOMELESS CONDITION? Six years ago, Juan and his brother began an annual tradition to purchase and distribute socks to homeless people on Christmas. It was through this act of kindness, meeting and observing homeless people, that Juan found himself wanting to learn more about homelessness in his city. JUAN’S OBSERVATIONS OF HOMELESSNESS IN SAN FRAN. As a father, Juan perceives that exposure to the raw elements of San Francisco are impacting his children. “They are becoming conditioned to it.” Traveling through parts of the city, such as “The Tenderloin,” brings risks of mentally ill homeless people darting into traffic, defecating in public, or littering the city with needles. Public transportation is no longer safe due to fights on busses and drug paraphernalia tucked between seats. WHAT IS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE. Juan shared that policies are exacerbating the homeless condition. Policies that include police told to not prosecute most property crimes under $1000; pervasive bartering of EBT cards for cash; public-financed alcohol and drugs for homeless people to allegedly support them during the COVID19 lockdowns; and no fines for public urination, defecation or lude acts. Per Juan, none of these steps are improving the quality of life for people that are homeless - or anyone else in the city. HOW THIS IMPACTS JUAN. The homeless issues are amplifying. The city provides many resources to homeless people, the climate is favorable, and Juan has observed a type of inertia in the homeless community - meaning that once people claim a patch of the city, they are unlikely to trade it for a stay in a shelter as doing so would force them to surrender their possessions and have to eventually find another place to stay after they left the shelter. The despair of the situation weighs upon Juan and he contemplates moving his family away from the urban decay. Juan also explained his approach to vehicle insurance was simple: liability only. Due to increasing vandalism and vehicle break-ins (which aren’t investigated or prosecuted), Juan budgets for 2-3 replacement side windows per year. WHAT COULD BE DONE TO MAKE THINGS BETTER? It’s clear that actions to help remedy this situation will be highly-charged in the political arena. Juan argues that enforcing laws, such as consequences for breaking into vehicles, and stopping public-funded distribution of alcohol and drugs must occur to slow this spiraling situation. He’s also aware that if nothing is done, homelessness will swell and businesses will close due to lack of viable store fronts; diseases such as typhus will take root; and fewer people will invest in large sections of the city - essentially leaving those areas to rot. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or community safety. This is episode 137 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-28-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Monday May 18, 2020
Monday May 18, 2020
Memory is changing. Research shows that as we use the Internet to support and extend our memory we become more reliant on it. Whereas before we might have tried to recall something on our own, now we don't bother. As more information becomes available via smartphones and other devices, we become progressively more reliant on it in our daily lives." Full blog post at safetyphd.com WHAT IS COGNITIVE OFFLOADING? Rather than attempt to mentally store and manipulate all the relevant details about a situation within the brains of individuals (also known as actors), we physically store and manipulate those details out in the world, in the very situation itself. All of us do this - some of us are more effective at it. Cognitive offloading is anything you do to reduce the cognitive demands of a task: basically, to make it take up less mental space. WHAT INFORMATION ARE WE EXPECTED TO MEMORIZE? In practice - cognitive offloading replaces memorizing maps, state capitals, names of former presidents -- instead, you know where this information is stored and; (A) how to query it; (b) how to access it; and (c) how to apply it. EXAMPLES OF COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Here are examples of how humans cognitively offload information into the environment (instead of committing it to memory): (1) checklist for winterizing your lawn mower; (2) flipchart for what to do during a crisis; and (3) AED with voice output directions and various colored light cues to step you through how to use it to save a life. INTERNET HAS MADE OUR BRAINS LAZY. Per researcher Dr. Benjamin Storm, 30% of participants who previously consulted the Internet failed to even attempt to answer a single simple question from memory. We look external for answers instead of attempting to figure out things on our own. By discarding face validity (our own observations), we commit to trusting that search results will bring us the most vetted information. WHY IT’S DIFFICULT TO STUDY COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. Despite much research, the mechanisms that trigger cognitive offloading are not well understood at present -- such as why people offload some things and not others and how people optimise cognitive-offloading strategies without those strategies needing to be explicitly instructed. Researchers find it difficult to study the act of people creating reminders for delayed intentions without explicitly telling them about the existence of a compensatory strategy. People tend to do offload more in a condition they perceived as more difficult, not necessarily the condition that was objectively more difficult. WHAT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING LOOKS LIKE IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Cognitive Offloading manifests as crisis flipcharts hung by classroom doors or converted to electronic files accessible on desktop computers and mobile devices. It also takes the shape of the “step you through a crisis” phone apps that are inherent to most school safety protocols. FLAWS WITH COGNITIVE OFFLOADING IN SCHOOL SAFETY. Crises have befallen schools with elaborate school safety plans. These tools fatigue if not exercised by the actors - or the students, staff and families. You can’t just expect to retrieve critical safety information from the environment during a high-stakes crisis situation. You need some level of practice, of familiarity. If we could just retrieve information and immediately make sense of it per our stressed situation and context, each of us could successfully land an airplane. FOUR WAYS TO BE BETTER AT COGNITIVE OFFLOADING. (1) Probability of having to deal with a situation - if it’s infrequent, opt for cognitive offloading. Aso, use visuals, handwritten notes. Writing notes by hand generally improves your understanding of the material and helps you remember it better, since writing it down involves deeper cognitive-processing of the material than typing it. (2) Don’t offload things you need to memorize such as the rules of the road for driving. (3) Practice how to search for information from reliable sources such as JURN.org or by talking with your face validity member check network. You’ll excel at harvesting valid, trusted information and others will see this admirable characteristic in you. (4) Practice metacognition, or awareness of how you think, to avoid the Dunning-Kruger effect of cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. These are the, “I’m smart enough to know how to do this…” FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show seeks to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 136 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-18-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Friday May 15, 2020
Pandemic Lingo | Shaking a Contact Tracer | Bacon Maldito Interview
Friday May 15, 2020
Friday May 15, 2020
Guest Bacon Maldito talks about new terms since the COVID19 pandemic, shaking Contact Tracers, closing city streets for green space, permanent protocol changes for a temporary event, & deals at Dissmore's IGA. PANDEMIC LINGO - 15 NEW TERMS SINCE MARCH. In a mere sixty days, Americans have expanded their vocabularies with at least 15 new pandemic-driven terms / directives, including: (1) Practice Social Distancing; (2) Shelter in Place; (3) 6 Feet Apart; (4) Essential Travel Only; (5) Safer at Home; (6) Sanitize Every Hour; (7) Wear N95 Mask; (8) Use Gloves; (9) Wash Hands Every Hour; (10) Flatten the Curve; (11) Self-quarantine; (12) High-touch areas; (13) Essential business; (14) Essential Worker; and (15) Social Distancing. As Bacon and Doc carve through at least three of these terms, the matters of ambiguity and inter-rater reliability surface. What is an essential business? Is this static, or does it change throughout a prolonged crisis, such as a pandemic? Oh yeah, Bacon brings out the festivus pole for his extended “airing of grievances” periodically interrupted with plugs for restaurants, stores and products not otherwise endorsed by The Safety Doc Podcast. WEARING MASKS - THERE IS A RISK. The purpose of wearing a mask during a pandemic is recognized by Bacon and Doc. A mask will limit aerosol particles from entering a person’s nose or mouth and will also dampen aerosols expelled by the person through breathing, talking or sneezing. Yet, with a range of masks now being marketed to the public and a wider range of homemade masks, the media narrative is silent about masks contributing to excess CO2 inhalation which is known to present health risks and diminish cognitive abilities. In fact, the National Institutes of Health studied CO2 and O2 concentrations in integral motorcycle helmets. In the September, 2005, edition of Applied Ergonomics, one such study (and yes, there are several studies of closed-face helmets and masks relative to CO2 concentrations) found that motorcycle riders wearing full-face helmets could increase their CO2 intake by 4% or more - and this could contribute negatively to a motorcyclist’s cognitive abilities. As the media taps “experts” on how to make masks out of socks and coffee filters, a very real issue is not addressed - and that is how to create a mask that doesn’t result in a person inhaling some of the CO2 that they just exhaled? WHEN THE CONTACT TRACER COMES A KNOCKIN. H.R. 6666, the TRACE Act, was introduced on May 1st by US Rep. Bobby Rush. The bill would approve billions of dollars for contact tracing - both in technology and in staffing people that would work as contact tracers. After someone tests positive for COVID19 (or a future virus), a contact tracer would work to identify where the person has been and who he or she has come into contact with. Nearly 1,400 people are being trained to help with COVID19 contact tracing in Washington State. While participation in contact tracing in Washington State is voluntary, other states have sabre rattled consequences for persons refusing to cooperate if a contract tracer knocks at the door. Bacon, Doc and a lively chat room unpack the Pandora’s Box of information obtained by a contact tracer - and potential misuse of harvested data. DISSMORE’S IGA. Doc gives a nod to 2-time Safety Doc Podcast guest Nick Schulaner by displaying four outrageous grocery values from Dissmore’s IGA - located near Nick’s place in Washington State. BOOK IN CAN. And, friend of the show John Steele noted that canned goods can be feasibly mailed by the postal service if you claim it’s a “Book in a Can” - thus invoking the $3.33 flat media rate. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 135 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-14-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Tuesday May 05, 2020
Return of Chuck Mak: Face Validity from Pittsburgh
Tuesday May 05, 2020
Tuesday May 05, 2020
Chuck Mak delivers face validity from Pittsburgh, describing the rapid scale up of University of Pittsburgh Medical’s campus for influx of coronavirus patients; the biggest IT challenges; essential worker papers; COVID19 GIS hotspots tracked by phone; economic smash landing; and locus of control. This is episode 133 of The Safety Doc Podcast and was published on May 5, 2020. SCALING UP ONE OF THE NATION'S TOP MEDICAL FACILITIES. University of Pittsburgh Medicals’ Chuck Mak describes the rapid closure of the university campus agency to the hospital and contingency plans to utilize dorms to house essential medical workers. He notes the silence and complete evacuation of an area that otherwise resembled a bustling city. BIGGEST IT CHALLENGE FOR HOSPITAL. The network, it seems, had ample capacity to expand and to embrace more people using it. The barriers, Chuck notes, are access to mobile devices such as iPads and Chromebooks that would be necessary for telemedicine. Within weeks, the use of telemedicine increased approximately ten-fold. While this might constrict after the coronavirus event, Chuck anticipates that telemedicine will follow an overall growth trend and that the information network and technology has proven it can support such a model. ESSENTIAL WORKER PAPERS & GIS PHONE MAPS FOR PANDEMIC HOT SPOTS. As an IT employee, Chuck was immediately deemed “essential” by his employer. He was provided with a document to carry with him whenever he drove to or from work - a document that he would provide to police if he was stopped. Additionally, he was accessing real-time global information system (GIS) maps on his phone that revealed areas of his county that were reporting the highest numbers of COVID19-positive persons. Chuck noted that the map was both intriguing and puzzling, as the purpose of the large blue circles (dense positive areas) didn’t translate into him altering his route or daily activities. REAL BUT NOT TRUE - FACE VALIDITY. From mid-March to present, Chuck has served as a member check for Doc - reporting what he authentically was observing in Pittsburgh. Face validity from someone “on the ground” confirmed what was real, but also not true. For example, Chuck reported that the hospital was rapidly expanding its mobile IT capacity and preparing to use more locations both on campus and off campus in anticipation for an influx of pandemic patients. The expansion of IT capacity was real. However, the influx of patients didn’t manifest. This isn’t to purport some type of conspiracy, but rather to delineate the difference between real and true. LOCUS OF CONTROL. As a small business owner with an online platform, Chuck noted that the demand for his sports memorabilia items had evaporated as the economy slammed into a wall the past month. He opted to idle his storefront and focus on the things that he could control - such as his work at the hospital, accepting in-person rotations on campus, and securing essential items such as food. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 133 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 5-5-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
The Dunning-Kruger Effect | What it is and how to fight it | LIVESTREAM 4-24-2020
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
Saturday Apr 25, 2020
In the field of psychology, the Dunning–Kruger Effect is a cognitive bias in which people with low ability at a task overestimate their ability. It is related to the cognitive bias of illusory superiority and comes from the inability of people to recognize their lack of ability. Without the self-awareness of metacognition, people cannot objectively evaluate their competence or incompetence. FACE VALIDITY CHECK IN. Doc shared that the local authorities are monitoring social distancing on city basketball courts; the small engines place has opened up for pick up / delivery; even more facing at WalMart due to thinning supply in paint and hardware aisles; more traffic; fewer OBO posts to Craigslist and rebound in the pricing of the area’s firewood market; and local hospitals re-starting elective surgeries on Monday. BADGER BOUNCE BACK - RED FLAG OF MANUFACTURED SLOGANS. Doc notes how state governments are becoming creative, and weird, with new terms and slogans specific to the pandemic response and easing restrictions. For Wisconsinites to gather in groups of 10 or more again, there must be two consecutive weeks of declines in all flu-like illnesses. Influenza, a head cold, the sniffles; it doesn’t matter. But, how does this work across 72 counties? What about Wisconsin’s wicked allergy season. Doc car is already dusted with pollen. Scrutiny of these “phases” plans reveals them to be highly subjective, vague and really not much of a plan at all. SEVEN NEW TERMS IN THE PAST 45 DAYS. From the chat, Bacon Maldito brought awareness to new terms that have been infused into American’s vocabulary over the past month and half. (1) Social distancing; (2) Shelter in Place; (3) Six feet apart; (4) Essential travel only; (5) N95 mask; (6) Flatten the curve; and (7) Self-quarantine. A problem with such new terms is a lack of inter-rater reliability, for example, what is “Essential” relative to travel, work or recreation? DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT. The concept is based on a 1999 paper by Cornell University psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger who caution that incompetent people tend to do three things: (1) Overestimate their own skill levels; (2) fail to recognize the genuine skill and expertise of other people; and (3) fail to recognize their own mistakes and lack of skill. Doc shares his experience with attempting to re-wire his house. PREVENTING DUNNING-KRUGER EFFECT. Practice the ability to step back and look at your own behavior and abilities from outside of oneself. This is known as having a high level of metacognition. The second way to fight the DKE is to have a network of member checks, or people who will be honest with you and tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. ULTRACREPIDARIANISM. This is giving opinions on topics poorly understood. The pandemic is churning out instant experts and when these folks are in government or positions of authority, they rush things into practice without considering the consequences - such as a municipality creating a website for citizens to report social distancing violators. OVERTON WINDOW - IT JUST CHANGED & HERE’S WHAT THAT MEANS. The Overton window is the range of ideas the public is willing to consider and accept — ideas a politician could successfully campaign on. This window shifts over time, as it’s subject to the trends of social thought and norms. All social reform movements have to shift the Overton window to make progress. The concept of women voting or animals having rights - are examples of how Overton window has moved over time. The Overton Window has drastically shifted in 2020! A year ago, campaigning on gun violence and student safety would have been strong areas in which many Americans held firm opinions about. This fall, the campaign's themes will be about: overhauling our hospitals; human tracing for personal safety - technology; mandatory vaccines; funding for unemployment / business shutdowns; building things in America; and Universal Basic Income. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 131 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-25-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Friday Apr 17, 2020
Escaped Prisoners Near Doc’s House | Humans' Finite Voltage of 100 Days | Civilian Morale | Pranking Steve in this livestream of The Safety Doc Podcast. Doc was decked out in military fatigues and Navy cap as he went full smoke-out mode securing the neighborhood from fugitives. ESCAPED CONVICTS NEAR DOC’S HOUSE - SAME PRISON WHERE JEFFREY DAHMER WAS MURDERED. Doc’s cell phone loudly buzzed at the same time his landline rang. Two inmates had escaped from the maximum security prison located near Doc’s house. Same place that housed serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer - and he was murdered there in 1994! Message from authorities was to lock doors, stay home, and monitor for suspicious activity. Sure thing. COMEDY OF ERRORS - WONKY ESCAPE. Sketchy and guarded details, but here’s what we know. The inmates previously escaped from other prisons! They were working in the kitchen. They were wearing civilian clothes. They walked out of the prison and scaled two razor-wire fences. They then went to a local hotel and called a cab. The cab driver took them to a grocery store in a neighboring community. They hopped a ride with an accomplice and remained at large. Nobody hurt. No digging of the 500 Shawshank Redemption yard tunnel. When the prison realized the inmates were missing, they called 9-1-1. Really? EVERYONE VOTES YES FOR REFERENDUMS. Doc was in disbelief that most school building referendums in his state passed in last week’s election. People continue to approve debt for proposals that are far from austerity. Doc challenges the argument that school referendum proponents state that building is justified due to historically low borrowing rates. COVID19 has proven that virtual learning is not only viable, but the future of K-16 education. It is not necessary or practical to continue to build massive, person-dense school structures. 10 FACTORS THAT INCREASE CIVILIAN MORALE DURING WAR or PANDEMIC. Doc notes that soldiers last just over 200 days in continuous front-line battles and questions how long civilians and kids will mentally hold up during prolonged chaos. We are now 30 days into pandemic stay-at-home orders. What happens when we get to day 100? He shares factors that improve civilian morale: (1) Baseball & All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (1943-1954); (2) Contributing to self / others (gardens); (3) Contributing to others (scrap metal drives of WWII, making masks of 2020); (4) Charismatic leader; (5) Movies and ice cream socials (actually a guide on how to do this); (6) Parades; (7) Sacrifice for those closest to the battle (healthcare workers); (8) Equality of sacrifices (across classes); (9) Sense of safety; & (10) Conveying a clear outcome (peace / health) (also willing to accept losses). 10 FACTORS THAT ERODE CIVILIAN MORALE DURING WAR or PANDEMIC. (1) Disruption / uncertainty in food supplies; (2) Events that last more than 3 months (must shift them into phases); (3) Negative leader; (4) Taxes; (5) Lack of medical care; (6) Lack of success; (7) Perception of state of the enemy; (8) Inappropriate or excessive precautionary measures create anxiety & avoidance; (9) Propaganda; & (10) Unanticipated attacks that disrupt routines and impeded productivity (air raid). THE UNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATION. Since 1941, the USO has existed to boost morale of soldiers and civilians. USO is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed Forces and their families. The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection. DOC CONVINCED STEVEN HE BOUGHT A $10,000 BASEBALL ON EBAY. Doc does his part to add levity to the pandemic-charged environment by sharing the story of when he played a monumental prank on his friend Steve back in 2000. Steve believed he accidently bought a $10,000 baseball off Ebay and Doc convinced others to go along with the prank. No harm, no foul. Steve wasn’t fleeced of money and this wasn’t an authentic auction. Back in the early days of Ebay, though, it was an easy platform for pranks. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 130 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-17-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Coronavirus is our Chernobyl (not our 9/11) | LIVESTREAM 4-11-2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
Sunday Apr 12, 2020
As an American teenager during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Doc recalls being cautioned to stay inside whenever it rained due to radioactive rain; camera companies warning people that film images might be peppered with blotches due to radiation; isotopes destroying farm fields; and to brace for an outbreak of cancer. In this livestream, he explains why the coronavirus event is similar to the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and also the flaws with calling the pandemic “our generation’s 9/11.” MEET TEENAGE DOC. In 1986, Doc lived with his parents and brother in a small town in central Wisconsin. He played baseball, mowed lawns and fished under the bridge. And, a bomb shelter in his home’s basement was a daily reminder that the United States and Soviet Union were on the brink of WWIII. The radio station played Nena’s chart-topper “99 Red Balloons,” a song protesting nuclear war; the movie Rocky IV portrayed Russia as corrupt, evil and powerful - only to fall due to the determination and grit of American boxer Sylvester Stallone. ABC’s 1983 TV movie “The Day After” left an indelible mark on Americans questioning what would happen if the US was pulverized by Soviet ICBMs. CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR REACTOR DISASTER. On April 26, 1986, there was an explosion in the number 4 reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Power Plant in Prypyat (Ukraine) spreading radioactive clouds all over Europe and a large part of the globe. CHERNOBYL CONTINUED TO DETERIORATE. The accident caused the largest uncontrolled radioactive release into the environment ever recorded for any civilian operation, and large quantities of radioactive substances were released into the air for about 10 days. This caused serious social and economic disruption for large populations in Russia and Europe - and placed the entire northern hemisphere on high alert for months. THE RESPONSE TO CHERNOBYL - WHAT THE PUBLIC WAS TOLD. The Russian government and state-controlled Russian media were slow to alert the public. Police wore gas masks, but residents only heard rumors. In Prypiat, life briefly went on as usual and seven weddings were held the day following the disaster. The government was uncertain how to stop the radioactive fires. Water would just intensify the blaze. Sand was an option, but it had to be delivered by helicopters - dumped into the damaged reactor - that could take weeks or months - and it might not work. 36 hours after the explosion, the 47,000 inhabitants of the nearby city of Prypiat were evacuated via more than a thousand buses. PERMANENT TEMPORARY EVACUATION. Residents were told to take few personal belongings and identity papers and that they would return home in several days. They never returned home. Prypiat, and a large swatch of land around Chernobyl, was deemed inhabitable for at least 180 years. HOW THE CHERNOBYL DISASTER IMPACTED DOC. Nuclear radiation was hard to comprehend and you couldn’t perceive it with your senses (similar to a virus). Fires, floods and tornadoes were tangible - radioactive isotopes were obscure sci-fi, but the tone of the reporters, the behavior of adults, it was obvious that this was a serious situation. Media advised people to avoid the rain because it might cause cancer. Doc’s baseball coach rambled about radioactive particles on the field and how players should “wash up” after practice or a game to chase away radioactive particles. Doc’s mom canned vegetables throughout the summer and fall to offset potential food shortages due to contaminated farm fields and livestock. Ironically, the shelves of the 1960s era bomb shelter were stocked to capacity in the fall of 1986. WHEN IT BECAME REAL FOR DOC. Radiation became tangible to Doc when his science teacher walked around the campus with a brick-sized Geiger counter that made static-sounding clicks as it detected radioactive particles. It clicked a lot outside. US MEDIA COVERAGE OF CHERNOBYL. On Sundays, Doc’s household received the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel which was considered the “big city, reliable news source. The story about the Chernobyl explosion described “a deadly could of radiation across large sections of Russia and Europe.” But, the disaster was still portrayed as being remote and not something to worry about in the USA. The local library had an array of newspapers all clamped onto large wooden poles (remember those?). Per the Duluth Minnesota Herald, May 15, 1986: “Airborne radioactivity from the Chernobyl nuclear accident is now so widespread that it is likely to fall to the ground wherever it rains in the United States, the EPA said.” Doc had been to Duluth - it wasn’t that far away! COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS. It was around that time, in mid-May, when local news, teachers and parents began talking more about radiation in America - in Wisconsin. People speculated about the government’s game plan. Would everyone be required to stay indoors? Doc and his peers were aware and invincible. WHY CORONAVIRUS IS SIMILAR TO CHERNOBYL AND NOT LIKE 9/11. Chernobyl and Coronavirus are rapid onset disasters that remained “in progress” for months. 9/11 - as horrific as it was, concluded on 9/11. Nobody feared another attack on September 13th and two weeks later, the NFL resumed and comedians returned to comedy clubs. Radiation and a virus are invisible. Humans best perceive them through secondary face validity such as watching what authorities are doing and supplies at stores. A flood is tangible. When a flood destroyed homes near Doc’s town in 2008, he went atop the levee and joined a crowd of onlookers watching and snapping photos of decks, shingles and water heaters bobbing down the river. Furthermore, it’s a different psychological construct to battle a fire or flood versus swinging at a ghost. In addition, both events continue to build to a peak - the onset isn’t the peak. And, these events might be corralled, but never eradicated. In fact, present-day wildfires near Chernobyl are releasing large amounts of radiation that was temporarily absorbed by trees. WHEN THE DISASTER IS PROLONGED - THE BREAKING POINT. In podcast #34 back in 2017, Doc talked about WWII psychiatrist, Dr. Appel, who studied frontline soldiers. He found that infantry soldiers survived a maximum of 238 aggregate combat days (ACD) before a fate of (1) physical casualty, (2) prisoner of war, or (3) psychiatric casualty. For the first time, it was realized that every soldier had a “finite voltage” and sooner or later would break – even if they appeared to have held up magnificently under incredible stress. So we have to ask, what’s the finite voltage for each of us now that we are 30 days into stay-at-home orders and a high velocity of information of changing contexts and situations? FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 129 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-11-2020.
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
Wednesday Apr 08, 2020
New Yorker Bryan Bowden describes what’s happening in his city with a face validity update; the intersection of privacy and government surveillance of its citizens; debt forgiveness; self-sufficient mindsets; liberation and innovation; and monitoring the encroachment of social credit scores for Americans. ABOUT BRYAN BOWDEN. Born and raised in New York City, Bryan set on a path of architectural engineering, but succumbed to the reality that business was his future (even though he had a love for the sciences). He worked with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank designing models to remedy Third World debt and expanded into the brokerage aspects of major finance. Bryan is the creator, producer and cohost of the critically acclaimed "Beyond The Realm" Radio Show; a published author, producer of television content, musician and artist. POSTAL CARRIERS WITHOUT PPE. Bryan and David note they are observing mail carriers without PPE or any visible demonstration of a sanitizing practice, such as spraying mail or wiping down a package. As a face validity observation, this “business as usual” practice seems out-of-step with the various federal and state health department recommendations to wear masks and frequently wash hands. A month into coronavirus shutdowns and our mail delivery is unchanged. Why? Bryan noted that some commercial parcel transit services have systems to disinfect parcels and vehicles via heat, UV light or disinfectants. Similar to a restaurant, there might be a lot of activity behind the scenes. PROTECTING PERSONAL PRIVACY. Government tracking of personal cell phones is happening and more openly acknowledged by public health officials and law enforcement during the coronavirus event. Bryan and David step through probable reasons why this practice will be pitched as “necessary” for keeping people safe as well as the Orwellian consequences of a government being able to precisely monitor people. What happens to the data? TIME FOR DEBT FORGIVENESS? Bryan’s macro-fiscal acumen frames core questions about forgiveness of personal debts and universal basic income. As the entire world has been pummeled by COVID19, a global “leveling of the playing field” might power up economies. Is now the time to wipe away the myriad of government aid programs to install a $65,000 per year annual income for each American adult? Bryan points out that personal debt more than a year old has likely been written off the books anyway. ARE YOU ESSENTIAL? In the past month, Americans have been assigned to two groups: Essential or Non-Essential. As people derive agency and purpose from their careers or activities, how do we deal with millions of people that have told their work is non-essential and that they also must suspend it and their income? Bryan and David believe those ramifications will resonate for years. WILL YOUR DNA BECOME YOUR PRISON? A novelty as recent as two months ago, sharing your DNA with a company to learn about your ancestors was something happily done by thousands of people. What if that DNA sample is sought by the government and added to a database? What if your DNA places you at an elevated risk for the next flu - and what if the government ordered you to self-quarantine for months? Would employers need to maintain your job if it couldn’t be done from home? Bryan adds that the argument for implanting identification chips in people has been given momentum by the virus event - and some, or even many, people will consider “chipping” as a new expansion of the social contract between the state and the citizens. Imagine walking through public with various inconspicuous sensors reading your temperature and the oxygen level in your exhaled breath? SOCIAL CREDIT SCORE. China implemented a social credit score in 2019. The top score a person can receive is 1000. It’s subjective per the government. Higher scores enable individuals to access perks such as better transportation options, better tickets, etc. The concept involves maintaining or creating a “coveted” reputation - but to do so, you might be expected to spy and report on other people. As counties and cities across the US have rolled out “Report Gatherings” webpages, Bryan and David unpack the possibility of the social credit score concept emerging in the United States. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 128 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-8-2020.
- Learn more about guest Bryan Bowden at www.NoBoBuMe.com
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
CORONAVIRUS CRUSHES CAMPUS | Interview with University Student Nick Schulaner
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
Saturday Apr 04, 2020
Nick Schulaner’s keen situational awareness enabled him to make the right decisions and safely navigate the rapid, unanticipated closing of his university campus due to the coronavirus pandemic. In this exclusive interview, Schulaner deconstructs the frantic shut down of his campus, migration to online learning, and overlooked electronics that are crucial to surviving in a stay-at-home decree. RETURN OF FRIEND OF THE SHOW NICK SCHULANER. Mechanical engineering emerged as a field during the Industrial Revolution in Europe in the 18th century; however, its development can be traced back several thousands of years around the world. It is perhaps the most diverse of engineering disciplines. Stage left to university student Nick Schulaner who is pursuing degrees in mechanical engineering and marketing. His aptitude coupled to knack for connecting larger schemas positions him as someone that solves problems. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS. As described in the book School of Errors, situational awareness is critical to quickly identifying changes from normal, AKA the TORUS. Nick shared that he was aware of how the coronavirus was impacting regions of the country three days before it became a furious storm that shattered his campus. WHAT ONE THING DOES NICK RECOMMEND RIGHT NOW. As jobs and education have been shuffled to online platforms, the need for a robust Internet router to handle multiple devices and larger bandwidths makes the top of Nick’s list. He recommends buying a new router and to seriously consider models designated for “gaming” as they often have options that work well for kids in virtual classrooms or people watching videos. Expect to pay more, but you won’t regret it! If your router is 5 years old, it’s probably obsolete! VIRTUAL LEARNING HAS ARRIVED. Nick notes the capacity has existed for the better part of a decade and the pandemic forced the hand of K-16 education to evolve to virtual platforms. Nick notes the paradigm shift embraced, or rebuffed, by his professors. GREAT TIME TO BUY USED ELECTRONICS. Nick adds that the economic plummet has a silver lining for anyone wanting to upgrade their phone or computer. Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist have been flooded with modern electronics. It’s a buyer’s market and Nick is confident that most people will be able to find gently-used electronics at a fraction of the price of new. IS NOW A GOOD TIME TO MARKET MY GIG? If you’re the owner of a physical location deemed non-essential, then the answer is no. However, if you are able to sell your product or services online, then now is a great time to invest in Facebook and other ads as prices have fallen in the past month. Nick describes one of his clients realizing a more than double return on investment in recent weeks. HOW WILL ENGINEERING CHANGE OUR WORLD AFTER COVID2019? First, Nick believes some things will simply be abandoned, such as dorms or other population-dense buildings that won’t be possible to retro-fit with anti-virus or social distancing technologies. He adds that someone is probably working right now on a device that will descend from the rafters of a 20,000 seat arena and either distribute a mist or laser beams to sanitize the facility after each use. Things nobody imagined a month ago will be necessary if mass gatherings resume after the coronavirus event. BATTERIES TO GET A BOOST. In addition, Nick anticipates that batteries will be rapidly innovated and that we should expect mobile devices to stay “charged” for days on a single charge. Mobile devices sold next year might come standard with batteries that last twice as long as today’s batteries. FOLLOW DR. PERRODIN: Twitter @SafetyPhD and subscribe to The Safety Doc YouTube channel & Apple Podcasts. SAFETY DOC WEBSITE & BLOG: www.safetyphd.com. The Safety Doc Podcast is hosted & produced by David Perrodin, PhD. ENDORSEMENTS. Opinions are those of the host & guests. The show adheres to nondiscrimination principles while seeking to bring forward productive discourse & debate on topics relevant to personal or institutional safety. This is episode 127 of The Safety Doc Podcast published on 4-4-2020.
- Learn more about guest Nick Schulaner at www.nickschulaner.com
- Purchase Dr. Perrodin’s Book: School of Errors – Rethinking School Safety in America. www.schooloferrors.com