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Human Behavior

The 5 best books of 2021 according to Jessica Ferri – Los Angeles Times

As 2021 comes hobbling to an end, we ask four book critics to pick their favorites from a very fruitful year (at least where books are concerned). Here are five books that Jessica Ferri loved.

If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.

By Patricia Lockwood Riverhead: 224 pages, $25

My mom has an expression: Im laughing to keep from crying, and that could very well describe my reaction to this brilliant novel. After the past two years, it felt so good to laugh out loud at her portrayal of the utter insanity of social media. The second section tells of a family tragedy thats the to keep from crying part. Had the book ended halfway through, it still wouldve been one of my favorite novels of the last 10 years. But Lockwood goes further. Thank God.

By Gail CrowtherGallery: 304 pages, $28

Were all just poor suckers starving to death at the banquet of Plath Studies, and 2021 was a banner year. Beneath the blazing tail of Heather Clarks biography, Red Comet, sailed this fascinating book about Plath and her contemporary Anne Sexton. Inspired by the boozy afternoons the two spent together after Robert Lowells poetry seminar, Crowther delves into the archive to humanize two monolithic icons of poetry and feminism.

By Joy WilliamsKnopf: 224 pages, $26

I had never read Williams before, and Im not sure I completely understand the ending of Harrow, but perhaps thats the point. For those interested in plot, it has to do with the end of the world, though it feels terrifyingly familiar. This book shimmers like an oil slick. Williams has the weird ability to write about minor characters in such detail, its like catching a glimpse of someone and wondering Whats their story? Her writing feels like someone walking over your grave.

By Maggie NelsonGraywolf: 288 pages, $27

Nelson, quite simply one of the best writers and thinkers weve got, explores the title concept through four spheres: art, drugs, sex and climate. But at its heart this is a book about abolition more specifically the abolition of the policing of our own minds. Nothing could be more radical, as we navigate the last two years of continued racial violence and a pandemic, than her idea that no one is disposable.

By Katie KitamuraRiverhead: 240 pages, $26

Kitamuras last novel, A Separation, frustrated readers with its reluctance to tie its narrative up in a neat bow. Intimacies, about a woman who works as a translator in the Hague, is similarly demanding. But the authors choice to leave her stories suspended in a gelatinous stew of human behavior is exactly what keeps her fiction so sticky; we cant shake it off. Intimacies makes you wonder just how much is lost in the most basic translation from one mind to another.

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The 5 best books of 2021 according to Jessica Ferri - Los Angeles Times

Human Behavior

Plant-based meat isn’t perfect, but it is a form of harm reduction – Fast Company

Its been several years since the newest wave of plant-based meat, made by leading companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods, made its debut. Nowadays, you can get a vegan burger or taco at major fast-food chains. Even your staunchly omnivorous dad might throw a plant-based patty on the grill. Techy plant-based meat has penetrated industry and culture in a way that would have been unthinkable to vegetarians and vegans even a decade ago.

But as with any wave of change, plant-based meat has been the subject of some healthy criticism, particularly from the perspective of nutrition. Its no secret that these legume-derived, highly processed patties arent a diet food: By design, they have comparable caloric values, as well as fat and protein contents, as an equivalent serving of beef. And while many nutritionists agree that a Beyond or Impossible patty is a better choice than actual red meat, some detractors urge health-conscious eaters to opt instead for more traditional veggie burgers made with whole legumes and grains.

Heres the thing: Some people just wont. Black-bean and other veggie burgers, as we know them, have been around for decades, and despite the obvious health advantages they have over animal-based meatgenerally fewer calories, less saturated fat, no cholesterolnot everyone has come around. For some, the new-wave, realistically meat-like plant-based burgers are the first and only alternative to classic beef that they will accept. Taste preferences and tradition are hard to overcome, obviously. If not, salads would be the classic American dish, not burgers, and we probably wouldnt have much of a processed-food industry at all.

When health leaders and influencers urge people to eschew Beyond and Impossible meat and their ilk for an entirely whole food plant-based diet, theyre ignoring the realities of human behavior. Weve seen this line of thinking before, especially in public-health policy. Its been almost 40 years since First Lady Nancy Reagan told American children to just say no to drugs; abstinence-only sex education advocates ask teens to avoid unwanted pregnancies and STI transmission by avoiding sex altogether. Surprise, surprise: In both cases, theres overwhelming evidence that these moral appeals just dont work.

Askingor demandingthat anyone having premarital sex or abusing a substance simply stop doing it completely ignores the basic principles of human behavior and science of addiction. And if the only intervention being made is telling children to just never engage in the behavior in question, youre essentially giving up on aiding, informing, or empowering the huge swaths of the population who are unable or unwilling to follow the flat abstinence directives.

The tactic is to avoid unwanted outcomes by wholly discouraging behavior that carries risk. I see this paralleled whenever someone advocates for a diet consisting entirely of whole, unprocessed foods. Sure, meat is bad for you, but plant-based burgers are only marginally healthier and should be avoided too, or so the argument goes.

But if youre only interested in reaching those who are willing and able to make a full dietary change, youre giving up hope on changing the behaviors of anyone else. And no matter how reprehensible you or I might find the practices of industrial-animal agriculture or eating loads of factory-farmed meat, to the rest of those peoplewhich is to say, most of the populationit matters. To treat them as lost causes is not only moralistic and judgmental, it does nothing to address the real issues at stake: public health, the suffering of animals, and the health of the planet.

In more recent years, figures in public health have embraced harm reduction as a better solution to the problems caused by drug use and teenage sex. We dont know any way to cure society of addiction and transmissible diseases overnight. But there are actions our governments can take, and are taking, to minimize overdoses, to reduce rates of HIV and hepatitis infection, to mitigate teen pregnancy, and to prevent all sorts of associated issues, ranging from poverty and hunger to public safety. And evidence shows that, unlike, say, the costly decades-long D.A.R.E. project, harm reduction strategieslike clean needle exchanges and naloxone trainingactually work. Providing resources and education without making judgments or unrealistic demands of people just works better than any abstinence-based approach.

I see plant-based meat as a form of harm reduction, both for our health and that of the world around us. No matter how much time and money you spend, youre not going to convert everyone to a diet of nuts, seeds, fruits, and veggies. If swapping a beef burger for a vegan one every so often is the only intervention a person is willing or able to make, fine. At the very least, theyre saving themselves the cholesterol, heart disease, and stroke risks associated with eating too much red meat. Theyre also sparing the environment at least 10 pounds of CO2 emissions, 150 gallons of water, and 50 square feet of land per burger as compared to traditional beef.

Public health agencies have begun to accept the reality that an all-or-nothing approach to risky behavior wont put an end to it, but harm reduction strategies can create real, material benefits to the health and safety of a community. Its time for advocates of veganism to accept this principle as well. Big Techs plant-based meat certainly isnt without its drawbacks, both for us and the environment. But its still an improvement. And with the ticking clock of climate change looming over us, we cant afford not to take advantage of every tool at our disposal. Perfection is unattainable, but progress is not.

Brian Kateman is cofounder and president of the Reducetarian Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy to create a healthy, sustainable, and compassionate world. Kateman is the editor ofThe Reducetarian Cookbook(Hachette Book Group: September 18, 2018) andThe Reducetarian Solution(Penguin Random House: April 18, 2017).

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Plant-based meat isn't perfect, but it is a form of harm reduction - Fast Company

Human Behavior

My Turn: On the power of sharing International Human Rights Day – The Recorder

We start by inquiring, What is a right? What makes a right human? How and why do we make the effort to conflate the two into a universal day of Human Rights?

A right is something is something we have earned during our life journey. Human Rights are, by their very terminology and definition, for all of us, regardless of circumstance and situation. Human rights are moral principles or norms for certain standards of human behavior and are regularly protected in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable, fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because they exist in the form of a human being. Human rights are inherent for all of us.

That these rights have been systemically and systematically ignored, overrun, over-turned, misused, and abused is beyond question over the nearly 250 years our country has in its history. The question that remains to us as we enter 2022 and celebrate this years International Human Rights Day (Dec. 10), is: How does the world bring human rights to the forefront of all human endeavor? More and most importantly, what can we each of us, you and me do to install them into each day and each act of our existence?

Here, I pause as I wonder, What does it take to get genuine and authentic agreements, across peoples, places, and cultures, to create and sustain human rights as inalienable? At present, our nation and the world are highly dichotomized and hyper-charged, with a chasm wider and deeper than the Grand Canyon.

What has happened, I contemplate. As a developmental and intercultural psychologist, I have come to understand that there is a different breach at work the breach of open, honest, and civil discourse and communication. I observe that people have stopped listening and caring form one another when there is a diversity of opinion present. Without the patience, the poignancy and the respect to listen deeply for what lies underneath the surface of the days headlines, it becomes nearly impossible to build a community focused on seeking unity.

In our busy little city of Greenfield, we, too, have daily human rights challenges. Sadly, this has personally affected many of us, and our neighbors and colleagues lives in ways too many of us just dont see or experience.

At the same time, we are fortunate to have written right into the essence of our City Charter that there is a standing statute that affords all of us a voice and a place to advocate for our human rights: the Greenfield Human Rights Commission.

As the current chairperson of this group, I know that many people dont know much about us. We are currently composed of seven individuals who are steadfastly committed to bridging the gap in our services, attitudes, systems and activities when they do not promote equity throughout our diverse community.

Rest assured, those involved and those wishing to be involved want to know that our your needs and wants are being respected and held with equanimity. And, we are actively seeking two more commissioners.

If you are interested in serving on our Greenfield Human Rights Commission or know someone in Greenfield who might be or are just curious about who we are and what we are doing our meetings are generally held on the second Monday of each month. All are welcome, as is each and every voice. Dates, times, and further information are supplied on the citys Website approximately three days before each meeting is held.

In the ordinariness of everyday life, I can and do commit to all of the following to exercise and strengthen my and our human rights:

I will willfully engage in holding others accountable for jokes, slights, and stereotypes and interrupt them.

I will greet each person kindfully and with respect as though they are an intimate friend.

I will seek the goodness out in each person and each interaction I have and appreciate them.

I will look for opportunities to bring people with differences of opinion and perspective together so that they will listen and hear one another out.

I will use the worlds best-ever question, Is there more? to aid in gaining deeper insight and understanding.

And, I will ask myself, What else can I do on a daily and moment-by-moment basis?

On this International Day of Human Rights, it will help our friendship circles, professional and working relationships, and our community if we each take a moment to consider how each of us can be more active and engaged in the dynamic interplay of human relations to build an ever-strengthening network of human rights, and what is right about being human.

Daniel Cantor Yalowitz, Ed.D., chairs the Greenfield Human Rights Commission.

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My Turn: On the power of sharing International Human Rights Day - The Recorder

Human Behavior

Head of New York City Cyber Command Joins Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies Faculty – Middlebury College News and Events

Geoff Brown, who is winding down his tenure as both New York Citys chief security officer and the first-ever head of New York City Cyber Command, will be sharing his expertise in defending against digital crimes as a professor of cybersecurity in the Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies(NPTS) program.

In February of 2021, the Institute hosted Brown for a remote talk titled Preventing Hackers from Taking a Digital Bite Out of the Big Apple. At the same time, Philipp Bleek, associate professor in the NPTS program, and Jeff Knopf, NPTS chair, began consulting with Brown about how to build a cybersecurity program within NPTS. They told him they would be creating a couple of part-time positions and were looking for faculty. I know some people, Brown said. At the time, he never considered himself for such a role, which would have required him to move his young family across thecountry.

But as ongoing COVID restrictions made remote learning a viable model, Brown saw an opportunity to apply for the half-time position, with the understanding that he could do most of his teaching from New York. As a 1999 graduate of Middlebury College, he says he already felt a connection to MIIS. I have a very soft place in my heart for Middlebury itself, hesays.

Cybersecurity, Brown says, is closely tied to things people dont always think about, like continuity of operations. Theres a whole concept of resilience, which I think permeates a lot of our national and international discussion now, and it should and could be applied to food supplies, pandemic response, disaster recovery from weather events. And it certainly applies to cybersecurity in a very significant technicalway.

He says computers have proven an easy point of access for criminals. Until international law catches up with it, cybercrime is often more profitable and less risky than physical crime. The criminals who are perpetrating different schema to steal cryptocurrency or ransom major companies or do other industrial espionage can make more money than attempting to rob a modern bank, Brown says. Cybercrime has also given rise to the very lucrative business of defending against it, he adds, pointing to multibillion-dollar companies working exclusively incybersecurity.

Knopf says cybercrime is a form of asymmetric warfare, in which actors who cant compete with the U.S. in terms of military strength can still pose real threats to the country. People who are potential adversaries or potential security threats dont try to go toe-to-toe with us, army against army, Knopf says. They pick asymmetric means: nonstate actors carrying out terrorist attacks, getting WMD of various kindsnuclear, biological, or chemical weapons. He points out that those two types of asymmetric warfareproliferation (WMD or weapons of mass destruction) and terrorismare right in the NPTS programs name. And cybersecurity totally fits that same intellectual rubric, he says. Cyberattacks are another asymmetric means of going aftersomebody.

Brown says he is looking forward to bringing students a fuller picture of the kinds of people needed in cybersecurity. Its not all people who speak ones and zeroes . Its incredibly important for people not to be afraid of this discipline because they associate it with technology. Pointing to himself as an examplehe majored in American literaturehe says, I am not a scientist, youknow?

Brown doesnt discount the importance of technology experts in the field, but he wants students to understand there is just as much need for people who understand human behavior. If we try to address cybersecurity internationally, strictly through a technology lens, then were ignoring the fact that cybersecurity events only happen because people dothings.

Though Brown wont officially start teaching until next semester, he flew out to Monterey this fall to teach a two-weekend workshop, Cybersecurity: An Operational Perspective. On the first weekend, he taught the basics of setting up a cybersecurity shop inside an organization. The next weekend, the students role-played a tabletop exercise based on an actual incident that Brown dealt with in NewYork.

At the Institute, Brown will also get involved with the Cyber Collaborative, which Knopf describes as sort of an umbrella for anything cyber-related we do at MIIS. And hell be helping a team prepare for the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge, an annual event sponsored by the Atlantic Council that challenges student teams from around the country and internationally to respond to a mockcyberattack.

Brown is excited to start teaching. Every day that I show up, Ill bring to the students the ability to have a conversation about whats actually happening. And then over time, theyll help me figure out the best ways to communicate that. Thats a two-way street, and Im learning myself. He stresses that Middleburys missionto prepare students to lead engaged, consequential, and creative lives, contribute to their communities, and address the worlds most challenging problemsresonates with how he envisions his role. They want people in the fight, he says, not observing thefight.

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Head of New York City Cyber Command Joins Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies Faculty - Middlebury College News and Events

Human Behavior

Opinion: To survive coronavirus and the climate crisis, humans must have empathy – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Newby is a retired research biologist of The Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla. He was the director of The Bronowski Art & Science Forum from 1999 to 2012. He lives in Del Mar.

Humanity is now faced with a new coronavirus variant, B.1.1.529, commonly called Omicron. The common ancestor for all the coronaviruses had a long co-evolution with bat and avian species stretching far back 55 million years or more. At some time, the coronavirus jumped from bats to humans. The first of five recognized worldwide pandemics was the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. The December 2019 COVID 19 outbreak was followed by the Delta variant and other less reported variants. There are now several variants of interest.

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Data suggest that the Omicron variant is spreading more quickly and may be more contagious than Delta. It is too early to determine the severity of an Omicron infection compared to the earlier versions of the COVID virus. It has been speculated that Omicron originated possibly in an immuno-compromised person, perhaps somewhere in Southern Africa. The evolution and spreading of these coronaviruses are aided by the lack of global vaccination efforts and disdain of vaccinations and masks by too many politicians and their followers. Additionally, there are many conspirators with alternative nonscientific theories and solutions.

The climate crisis is a threat to humanity with negative consequences far greater than these virus pandemics. Coverage of our warming planet has been extensively reported. New reports of climate research appear nearly daily. One of the latest is the Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean.

The larger salty, warmer Atlantic Ocean has begun flowing faster north toward and into the Arctic Ocean, a sea with sea ice on top, cool freshwater in the middle and warm, salty water at the bottom. This Atlantic invasion is causing a disruption between these layers and transforming Arctic waters into something closer to the Atlantic. As a consequence, the Arctic is warming faster than any other ocean. This is just one more indication that we are in the sixth mass extinction, the Anthropocene. Opposing taking action to slow our warming planet are the doubters, belittling not only the science but directing ridicule toward climate change advocates. Both the pandemic and global warming have become politicized and polarized.

How is humanity handling these threats? If our past behavior is an indication, the future for humanity is indeed gloomy. Why are humans such a muddled species, unable to rationally deal with these threats with compassion for all of humanity?

One approach for understanding our disorganized approach to these two impending disasters is to consider that humans were and remain a tribal species. Our species lineage has a 6-million-year evolutionary history. Likely you may have some familiarity with some of our ancestors: Homo hablis, H. naledi, H. egaster, H. erectus. H. antecessor, H. heidelbergensis, H. neanderthalensis and H. denisova. Of all these hominin species, only Homo sapiens, us, have survived. What happened to the several dozen other hominin species? We became the lone survivor because we had a well-developed brain to deal with predators, other competing hominin species and the environment. We formed cohesive tribes with compassion for tribal members, and we eliminated resource competitors, likely with ruthless precision. Our tribal skills and knowledge ensured our place in evolutionary history.

It is not surprising these genetic survival behavioral traits of our ancestors remain vibrant in modern humans. Some of these traits while beneficial for our early ancestors may hinder modern relations. Two of the many genetic survival behavior traits that ensured H. sapiens survival were selfishness and compassion.

The genetic aspect of selfishness involves vasopressin. Vasopressin is a hormone involved in altruism and pro-social behavior. The gene AVPR1A is involved in the vasopressin pathway. This gene has two versions, a long and short version, either one inherited from our parents. Individuals with the long version of AVPR1A tend to be more generous. Those with the short version of this gene are likely to be more selfish and greedy.

Humanitarians are compassionate. Oxytocin functions as a hormone and a neurotransmitter.

Normal levels of oxytocin are associated with romantic love, parent-child bonding, empathy and generosity, traits that one may expect in a humanitarian. Small genetic differences in the oxytocin pathway can influence the level of oxytocin produced. Low levels of oxytocin are associated with stress, depression, lower compassion and empathy. Variant levels of oxytocin plays a role in whether one is compassionate or one lack empathy.

Decisions we make are influenced by our own experiences and education as well as our inherited behavioral genome. To mitigate both pandemics and global warming, humans will need to exhibit less selfishness and greater compassion and empathy for all humanity.

Most all our genetic behavioral traits anger, aggression, hate, greed and selfishness and compassion can be modulated. Moral guidance, laws and the threat of punishment, as well as peer pressure, can affect ones behavior.

Being unvaccinated and avoiding masks in gatherings is a selfish act of defiance. The selfish act of not acknowledging or adopting green values ultimately impedes efforts to curb global warming. At this time in human history, unfortunately, there is little unity in our approach to solving the viral pandemic or global warming. Polarizing political rhetoric with some leaders having only self-interest and little compassion or empathy has accelerated humans into the sixth mass extinction, the Anthropocene.

Defiance of common sense and science will certainly lead to cataclysmic events. A worldview which embraces compassion for all of humanity is certainly our only solution.

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Opinion: To survive coronavirus and the climate crisis, humans must have empathy - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Human Behavior

App State leads climate research at the top of the world | Appalachian Today – Appalachian State University

BOONE, N.C. Appalachian State University has stepped onto the world stage as the lead institution to coordinate the operation and maintenance of weather stations at the highest elevation on the planet Mount Everest. Managing the stations and the data transmitted funded by the National Geographic Society (NGS) is creating new opportunities on App States campus and impacting climate research worldwide.

Students with direct experience analyzing climate data are positioned for careers with governmental agencies and private sector companies who need to understand and project the future of climate change.

App States Dr. Baker Perry, professor in the Department of Geography and Planning

Dr. Baker Perry, professor in App States Department of Geography and Planning, was part of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition team that installed the network of meteorological stations on Mount Everest. This installation was recently recognized in the Guinness World Records book as the highest altitude weather station on land.

Now Perry, who is recognized as one of the worlds top experts in high altitude precipitation and climate change, continues the research in collaboration with partners from the installation expedition.

Weather data from the stations including real-time wind, temperature and precipitation measures are improving climber safety on the main Mount Everest climbing routes. Longer term, the data are enabling scientists to learn more about climate at high altitudes which affects everything from glacier health, to water supply, to agricultural growing seasons, Perry said.

Through this work with NGS (National Geographic Society), weve established a model for other international expeditions, working with long-term research collaborations with nonacademic partners. This will expand our capacity to support other research opportunities at App State.

Dr. Christine Hendren, director of App States Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics

Another benefit of the Mount Everest work occurs in the classroom. Perry said, I incorporate our findings and experiences in my teaching, and the students at App State connect what were doing on Mount Everest to what theyre learning about climate change and climate science.

Perry said the ability to work with climate data is in high demand in the workplace. Students with direct experience analyzing this type of data are positioned for careers with governmental agencies and private sector companies who need to understand and project the future of climate change, he said.

The project has raised the visibility of App State within the climate science field worldwide, Perry added. There is something about Mount Everest. As the highest place in the world, it captivates peoples attention, he said.

Appalachian State Universitys Dr. Baker Perry, professor in the Department of Geography and Planning, right, with Panuru Sherpa, a citizen scientist from Nepal who collaborates with Perry in monitoring the weather stations on Mount Everest. Panuru served as a climbing guide for Perry and his team on the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition and assisted with the weather station installations. Panuru visited Perry at App State in October. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Since the meteorological stations were installed in 2019, Perry and a team of students have been crunching data transmitted by satellite from the stations on Mount Everest to computer servers on App States campus.

Perry, his students and collaborating partners have published several papers with new discoveries from the data.

Mount Everest may be one of the sunniest places in the world, Perry said, citing one example of their findings.

At such high elevation, there is much less scattering of the sunlight, Perry explained. Understanding the implications of such intense sunlight, including the melt that occurs, is helping to improve models used to project future glacier extents and water availability across the region, he said.

Mountain glacier systems are decreasing in volume worldwide, yet relatively little is known about the extent of this melt in elevations above 16,000 feet, Perry said. Findings from the highest weather stations indicate rapidly emerging impacts from the mass loss of Mount Everests highest glacier, he said.

Alex ONeil 18 21, an adjunct instructor in the Department of Geography and Planning, worked with Perry as a graduate student. He built visualizations for the weather data and forecast models resulting in improved weather forecasts for climbers. He also studied storms and glacier lake outburst floods in the Everest region.

Ray Thompson 21, a computer science graduate student from Jacksonville, is working with Perry through App States Graduate Research Assistant Mentoring Program. Thompson is building a web application to enable scientists to access and more easily study the Mount Everest meteorological data and is also modeling backward air trajectories to analyze sources of the moisture that falls as snow on the mountain.

Panuru Sherpa, a citizen scientist from Nepal who collaborates with Dr. Baker Perry, far left, in the monitoring of weather stations on Mount Everest, visited Appalachian State University in October. While on campus, Panuru, second from left, met with Chancellor Sheri Everts, second from right, and Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Heather Hulburt Norris. Photo by Chase Reynolds

Perry and his team work closely with Sherpa climbers skilled mountaineers who live in the Himalayas to maintain the meteorological stations on Mount Everest. Prior to the installation expedition in 2019, the team spent a month training the Sherpas on the weather stations.

Tenzing Gyalzen Sherpa, who works as an electrician in his community, serves as the de facto technical leader of the Sherpa team, Perry said, adding, He is a real whiz with technology and understands the electrical engineering part of the equipment.

Another key member of the team, Panuru Sherpa who served as the lead climbing guide for Perrys team on the 2019 expedition visited with Perry on App States campus in mid-October.

In the future, Perry and his team are planning to conduct more training with the Sherpa team and scientists in Nepal, sharing and analyzing data and teaching more Sherpas how to operate and maintain the weather stations.

Appalachian State University Chancellor Sheri Everts, right, presents Panuru Sherpa, a citizen scientist from Nepal, with a letter of appreciation for his contribution during the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition. Panuru served as the lead climbing guide for App States Dr. Baker Perry and his team as part of the expedition and also assisted with the weather station installations. Photo by Chase Reynolds

App States Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) has played an important role behind the scenes in administering the grant from NGS.

As a long-term international expedition, this NGS project presented challenges such as how to legally hire and compensate the team of Sherpas on an ongoing basis, how to order and ship supplies and equipment to remote locations and how to execute formal agreements with international governmental institutions, said Dr. Christine Hendren, director of RIEEE.

Perry said the successful administrative work of RIEEE on previous grants from the National Science Foundation and another NGS project the 2021 National Geographic and Rolex Tupungato Volcano Expedition were considerations in the NGS decision to partner with App State for ongoing weather station maintenance on Mount Everest.

Through this work with NGS, weve established a model for other international expeditions, working with long-term research collaborations with nonacademic partners, Hendren said. This will expand our capacity to support other research opportunities at App State.

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At 8,430 meters above sea level, the high altitude expedition team celebrates after setting up the worlds highest operating automated weather station during the National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition in 2019. Appalachian State Universitys Dr. Baker Perry is pictured third from right. Learn more at http://www.natgeo.com/everest. Photo by Mark Fisher, National Geographic

Setting world records on Mount Everest

In 2019, Dr. Baker Perry and Dr. Anton Seimon, professor and research assistant professor, respectively, in App States Department of Geography and Planning, were members of the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest Expedition team, conducting research and setting up weather stations to build understanding of the impacts of climate change on mountain systems.

The record-breaking expedition claiming three Guinness World Records was the most comprehensive single scientific expedition to Mount Everest in history, according to National Geographic.

The Guinness World Records achievements include: installing the highest altitude weather station on land, collecting the highest altitude ice core sample and finding the highest altitude microplastics on land.

Perry continues the weather station maintenance and data research in collaboration with partners from the installation expedition, including:

Host Megan Hayes welcomes Dr. Baker Perry, a high altitude climber and higher education professional who along with a team sponsored by Rolex and National Geographic installed the worlds highest weather station on top of Mount Everest. On this SoundAffect he is joined my Panuru Sherpa who helped lead the team.

June 1, 2021

Dr. Baker Perry, professor in App States Department of Geography and Planning, inspires students to reach new heights in the field and in their future careers.

April 16, 2021

The climate science research of App States Dr. Baker Perry has inspired a 4-year-old science enthusiast in Brazil. In an email to Perry, the childs father shared his son has become fascinated with Perry after watching a documentary on the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Expedition to Mount Everest, in which Perry participated.

June 14, 2019

Dr. Baker Perry and Dr. Anton Seimon were part of a multidisciplinary expedition that installed the worlds two highest weather stations (at 8,430 meters and 7,945 meters), examined soil samples and glacial lakes to better understand the range of life surviving on Earths highest peaks, and more.

The Department of Geography and Planning promotes the understanding of the spatial dimensions of human behavior within the physical and cultural systems of the earth, and the role of planning in achieving improvement in those systems. The department offers degrees in geography and in community and regional planning. Learn more at https://geo.appstate.edu.

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college. These units span the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. CAS aims to develop a distinctive identity built upon our university's strengths, traditions and unique location. The colleges values lie not only in service to the university and local community, but through inspiring, training, educating and sustaining the development of its students as global citizens. More than 6,400 student majors are enrolled in the college. As the college is also largely responsible for implementing App States general education curriculum, it is heavily involved in the education of all students at the university, including those pursuing majors in other colleges. Learn more at https://cas.appstate.edu.

Since 2008, Appalachian State Universitys Research Institute for Environment, Energy, and Economics (RIEEE) has fostered interdisciplinary research on the environment, energy and economics, especially the areas in which these subjects intersect. The institute serves as an umbrella organization for three centers: the Appalachian Energy Center, Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis (CERPA) and the Southern Appalachian Environmental Research and Education Center (SAEREC). The work supported by RIEEE is integrated into Appalachians academic programs, used to facilitate discovery among K-12 student students and teachers, and employed in the regions economic development. Learn more at https://rieee.appstate.edu.

The National Geographic and Rolex partnership supports expeditions such as the Perpetual Planet Everest and Tupungato Volcano expeditions, to explore the planets most critical environments. By harnessing world-renowned scientific expertise and cutting-edge technology that reveal new insights about the systems that are vital to life on Earth, these expeditions fill knowledge gaps thereby helping scientists, decision-makers and local communities plan for and find solutions to the impacts of climate and environmental change.

Learn more about the 2019 National Geographic and Rolex Perpetual Planet Everest expedition.

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the state of North Carolina, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all. The Appalachian Experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and to embrace diversity and difference. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Appalachian is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System. Appalachian enrolls more than 20,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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App State leads climate research at the top of the world | Appalachian Today - Appalachian State University

Human Behavior

New research reveals that one third of all log-in attempts on eCommerce sites are malicious – Security Boulevard

What do humans and bots have in common? A love for visiting online shopping sites: more than half (57%) of all attacks on retail websites in 2021 were carried out by bots, compared to 33% for all other industries. It gets worse: a third of all log-in attempts on retail eCommerce websites are account takeover attempts.

New research by Imperva shows that, as the pandemic has pushed more people than ever towards online shopping, cybercriminals are enjoying an unprecedented boom: user account takeover, credit card fraud, inventory abuse by scalpers, and price and content scraping by competitors and third parties have all received a boost from the ever-increasing number of user accounts.

User account takeover (ATO) by bots is particularly damaging: a form of identity theft, cybercriminals take over legitimate user accounts to commit fraud or steal credit card information, gift card balances, loyalty points or other customer benefits. Imperva Research Labs has found that, compared to other sectors, online retailers experience a higher volume of takeover logins than other sectors. Indeed, as the Imperva Bad Bot Report 2021 outlined, many automated attacks are unique to the online retail industry.

Last holiday season saw the emergence of Grinchbots designed to exploit scant supplies to scalp and hoard high-demand items. As the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips impacted everything from gaming consoles to cars, Imperva Research Labs recorded a massive 788% increase in bad bot traffic to retail websites globally between September and October 2020.

During the early days of the pandemic, Imperva Research Labs noticed that bots were being used to hoard large inventories of face masks, sanitizers, and even home gym equipment. By the second half of October 2020, the gaming hardware market was aggressively targeted by bad bots, a trend that, such as the chip shortage, looks set to continue well into 2022. In this environment, a bot management strategy is essential for retailers to reduce the risk of malicious bot traffic.

Moderate and advanced bad bots now account for 65.6% of bad bot traffic on eCommerce sites. The former emulates browser technology and can execute JavaScript, while the latter mimic human behavior such as mouse clicks and are extremely evasive. These are difficult to detect and handle, cycling through IP addresses and using a mix of technologies to evade detection.

Whether its the holiday season or the pandemic, online shopping is continuing to grow. Its understandable that a lot of cybersecurity awareness-building focuses on consumers. As this report indicates, however, there is scope for improvement on the retailer side of the equation, too. Through adopting a proactive approach, retailers can make enhanced security part of their customer value proposition unintentionally giving your customers more than they bargained for in the form of identity theft or fraud on their account is always bad for business.

To learn more about how retailers can mitigate cyber threats and protect sensitive data, download The State of Security within eCommerce in 2021.

The post New research reveals that one third of all log-in attempts on eCommerce sites are malicious appeared first on Blog.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog authored by Bruce Lynch. Read the original post at: https://www.imperva.com/blog/new-research-reveals-that-one-third-of-all-log-in-attempts-on-ecommerce-sites-are-malicious/

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New research reveals that one third of all log-in attempts on eCommerce sites are malicious - Security Boulevard

Human Behavior

Vatican’s focus on moral and ethical impact of new technologies a challenge to do better, scientists say – ND Newswire

Staying connected

On Thursday (Dec. 9) the Vatican called on researchers and experts to discuss how new technologies could impact human development and peace in a post-pandemic world.

A conference, Promoting Integral Human Development and Peace in the Digital Age: New technologies in the post-COVID world, was centered on crucial questions about how technologies could have positive effects on issues such as food security, health care, fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, dignified labor, peace, security and promotion of a communal economy.

During the conference, Tim Weninger, the Frank M. Friemann Collegiate Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, spoke on how the internet has become the primary means of public communication. Weninger was in Rome representing a team of researchers specializing in social media analysis focused on imagery, how the sharing of memes, GIFs and videos can affect human behavior, and the potential detrimental effects on democracy, peacebuilding and prosperity.

Culture and how we communicate is defined by the imagery and the language that we use, said Weninger. Were developing tools and technologies to understand how people manipulate imagery and how that imagery is used to evoke emotions and change perceptions that can result in unfortunate behavior like radicalization or gun violence. These images and videos become part of the fabric of America.

Weninger is part of a unique collaboration of experts in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering with experts in the Keough School of Global Affairs and the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies using artificial intelligence to identify and track manipulative, false and dehumanizing messages on high-stakes issues in political discourse and develop a better understanding of the new dynamics of human communication.

The team includes Walter Scheirer, the Dennis O. Doughty Collegiate Associate Professor in Computer Science and Engineering; Ernesto Verdeja, associate professor of political science and peace studies; Michael Yankoski, postdoctoral research associate in Notre Dames Department of Computer Science and Engineering; and Kristina Hook, assistant professor at Kennesaw State University.

Together, the group is developing technology designed to flag near-real-time social media trends of concern to empower policymakers, human rights organizations and journalists and help prevent political instability and human rights violations.

The big technological factor here is that no human being, no human team can possibly look at all the data, said Yankoski. We need artificial intelligence to help parse and make sense of a chaotic torrent of data. Notre Dame is distinctly positioned to take on this work because of the unique combination of expertise within the Kroc Institute alongside experts in computer science and engineering in areas such as computer vision, network analysis and social media analysis. The combination really is rather remarkable.

Looking back over the last 15 years, Weninger said much of human communication now occurs online. The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantines and lockdowns have only intensified the use of social media and video as a means to communicate. Research in the field has focused on the use on hashtags, likes and tweets but images have taken center stage.

Everything now is imagery, Weninger said. Imagery is much more emotionally charged and evocative and it gets reactions.

The prevalence of influence campaigns, how quickly they spread and how they use imagery to change opinions and drive action are things that are still being learned by the average social media user, Yankoski said. I think as people and as citizens we are generally grappling with how social media affects how we think, behave and act. How deep are the tentacles of social media in our societal and psychological frameworks? There are some terrifying indicators. Many people know that their buttons are being pushed when they use social media, but I dont know if most people understand how expansive yet subtle these influences can be.

The conference was organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Vatican COVID-19 Commission with support from the Pontifical Council for Culture and in collaboration with Diplo Foundation, Torino World Affairs Institute, the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at the Catholic University of America and Pax Christi International. Cardinal Peter Turkson, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Francesca Di Giovanni, undersecretary for multilateral affairs in the Vatican Secretariat of State; and Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture, opened the conference.

Its really encouraging to see the Vatican doing this in such a proactive way, utilizing their convening power while many of these technologies are still very young, said Yankoski. In terms of the growth curve and the trajectory thats being set, as we start thinking about things like the metaverse, what the next 50 years of human communication are going to be like, etc. there is so much that needs to be done. The Vatican is one of the few places in the world capable of convening these conversations and helping create the space necessary for the pursuit of ethical trajectories in technological development. Its encouraging to see them using that unique convening power to bring experts together to help accomplish that.

That the Vatican aims to set an agenda and marshal brain power in this space is a call to action, Weninger said.

Hopefully it motivates others to start thinking about these problems at a deeper, more human level rather than a surface or strictly technological level, he added. Its a challenge to computing and AI in general to do better.

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Vatican's focus on moral and ethical impact of new technologies a challenge to do better, scientists say - ND Newswire

Human Behavior

Hot movies that are out this weekend – ABC 4

Weve got some hot movies this weekend and our movie critic, Val Cameron is here to share her take on whats showing in theaters.

Dont Look Up Rated R

Leonardo DiCaprio plays a college professor, Dr. Randall Mindy, an unsure professional father and husband from a small town. One of his astronomy graduate students, Kate Dibiasky, is played by Jennifer Lawrence. She discovers a comet in our solar system that is headed directly towards the earth. The comet is not just any kind of comet, it is whats known as a planet killer. As they come to terms with what a big deal this event is, they get pulled into a whirlwind of politics, press, social media, and inexcusable human behavior.

There are some really great moments in the film, Val explains. Her favorite part of the film is that it shows human behavior at its best and worst. It is stressful, funny, at points compellingly accurate while being totally asinine, Val says. The movie invokes all the emotions and is sure to leave you fired up by the time you leave. Val thinks the movie will inspire discussions and arguments will be made. She says it is worth a watch.

Grade SOLID B

Being the Ricardos Rated R

I Love Lucy is an iconic show that even after 64 years, most people know about. However, what many people dont know is how hard Lucille Ball worked as a wife and as a creator. This movie gives great insight into the world of Lucy and Desi and what they went through to be on television.

One of the best parts of the film, according to Val, is getting a seat at the table. As an audience, we get to see what happened behind the senses. The audience is let in on all of the secrets and hard times and who hates who and who is struggling. But it is told in the most human way that we can still love the memories we hold so tight. Val says that if you are a fan of the show, she thinks you will be more than satisfied with this movie. It was warm and emotional and a great reminder that we are all human.

Grade B+

Steven Spielbergs West Side Story PG-13

Like many viewers, Val loved the original West Side Story movie, so she was not sold on a remake at the beginning. But when the cast was announced, she was intrigued.

From the minute they entered the screen I was memorized, Vall explained. Mike Faist was a great casting call, but it didnt stop there for our movie critic. David Alvarez as Bernardo did more than hold his own and brought a new shine to the character. Rachel Zegler is captivating the minute you lay eyes on her. She sings, acts, dances, and feels more like a Maria than the original, Vad admits. This movie shows two Anitas because Rita Moreno, the original, is in the movie as well. Val thinks the use of Rita in this movie is thoughtful and powerful.

She also shares that there were enough changes from the original that new audiences will be able to relate to it and past fans will appreciate the care that was taken with the story, the characters, and New York.

Grade B+ (but bumped up to an A- on air)

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Hot movies that are out this weekend - ABC 4

Human Behavior

The Best of 2021: Our Top 10 Films – Hyperallergic

With lockdowns continuing throughout the year, filmmakers, distributors, and cinephiles had to keep finding creative ways to engage their love of the form. Despite fluctuating restrictions on festivals and theaters, some terrific movies released in 2021. A few frequent Hyperallergic contributors and staff members came together to pick their favorites. Dan Schindel, Associate Editor for Documentary

***

Some filmmakers have their work frequently compared to dreams. Apichatpong Weerasethakul makes films that feel like daytime reveries those moments of lost time when you get so deep in your own head that the world around you seems to become heightened, even as nothing has changed. Appropriately for a story about a woman plagued by multiple possible sensory illusions, it is finely tuned to every facet of its soundscape, its images patient and indelible. Rarely have the real and unreal melded so seamlessly. Dan Schindel

Opens in theaters December 27.

Rysuke Hamaguchis two features for this year are twinned in more ways than one, their materials mirroring each other. Hamaguchis films, such as Asako I & II, have often been about some type of recurrence, and his Haruki Murakami adaptation (Drive My Car) and anthology of shorts (Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy) engage with ghosts of the past in manners both amusing and sublime. The characters struggle with lingering regrets, all their inexplicable and too-human behavior captured with keen observation and mesmerizing ambiguity. Kambole Campbell

Currently playing in select theaters. Read our piece on both films and Hamaguchis work.

Leos Carax made his English-language debut in unpredictable style when this musical masterwork opened Cannes this year. Written and scored by legendary genre-defying duo Sparks, the film fully commits to its promise as a sung-through epic, with Adam Driver giving the performance of a lifetime as a machiavellian comedian. Drawing from grand operatic tradition and the murky power struggles of Hollywood, the end result is singular, an irreverent and deeply melancholy performance about love, fatherhood, and the masculine urge to destroy everything in the pursuit of power. Hannah Strong

Available to stream. Read our first and second reviews.

It is inexpressibly gratifying that Tsai Ming-liang has returned to feature fiction. Few can make quotidian gestures the preparation of vegetables, or a lengthy acupuncture session so mesmerizing. In a time marked by widespread loneliness, this movie arrived as a poignant look at solitude as embodied (embodied being a key term, given Tsais emphasis on physicality) in two very different men. When they come together for one searingly intimate encounter, it lands with full emotional force. Dan Schindel

Available to stream. Read our review.

Many of Robert Greenes documentaries, such as Bisbee 17 and Kate Plays Christine, have interrogated what it means to reenact. Here he elliptically traces the process of his own filmmaking, as he helps a group of six men who each use the same few actors and crew to stage very different scenes unpacking the circumstances of, and their responses to, their sexual abuse by Catholic priests. (In some cases, they even portray each others abusers.) With the films coda revealing the progress or lack thereof in their respective legal cases, its painfully honest about both the potential and limits of catharsis in art. Kambole Campbell

Available to stream. Read our interview with director Robert Greene and three of the films leads.

A disquieting essay on what it means to perceive and be perceived in the contemporary US, where questions around visibility are increasingly haunted by its omnipresent surveillance panopticon. Only through the oblique approach that Theo Anthony takes (avoiding direct depictions of police brutality, looking at everything but the images themselves) can we hope to really grapple with seemingly contradictory elements, like how body cameras have somehow reduced police accountability. Its all in the eye of the beholder, but some beholders are more powerful than others. Dan Schindel

Available to stream. Read our review and our interview with director Theo Anthony.

Mia Hansen-Lves latest borrows its title from the nickname given to Fr, the small community off the coast of Sweden where arthouse titan Ingmar Bergman lived and created some of his most influential films. Vicky Krieps and Tim Roth play a filmmaker couple, Chris and Tony, who travel to Fr, and the narrative eschews convention by also incorporating Chriss latest screenplay as a film within the film, blurring the lines between whats real and fiction. It takes advantage of Frs beguiling landscapes to create a lyrical portrait of the intersection between creativity and romance. Hannah Strong

Available to stream.

Returning to the San Fernando Valley of Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and Punch-Drunk Love, Paul Thomas Anderson creates a romance for the ages. Here its the backdrop for a blossoming friendship between a directionless 20-something (Alana Haim in a luminescent debut performance for the records) and a charismatic entrepreneurial teen actor (Cooper Hoffman, ditto). They dine with superstars, volunteer for politicians, and hawk waterbeds in a loose, effortlessly charming evocation of 1970s Los Angeles. Sweet but never saccharine, its a testament to the heady but fleeting magic of youth. Hannah Strong

Currently playing in select theaters. Read our review.

Jessica Beshir returns to Harar, the city where she grew up, to survey how its changed since she and her family left. What she finds is a dark foreboding of the future for many parts of the Global South should climate change continue unabated, with farmers forced to adapt to changing conditions by replacing coffee crops with khat. Few movies to come out this year so precisely depict the relationship between people and their land. Dan Schindel

Available to stream. Read our review.

Perhaps the biggest populist documentary hit this year, but that palatability by no means suggests technical simplicity. Ahmir Questlove Thompsons directorial debut is extraordinarily assured, often breathtaking in its arrangement, beginning with a sequence intercutting a wild Stevie Wonder drum solo with a newsreel montage encompassing the sociopolitical context of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. He cuts footage of that forgotten event with new recollections from attendees and even the booked performers. It emphasizes the far-reaching emotional effect of the festival, and how painful it is that it essentially disappeared.Told with an exciting and propulsive rhythm, the film is a galvanizing reclamation of history. Kambole Campbell

Available to stream. Read our review.

Many of us also loved and highly recommend Titane, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn, What Do We See When We Look at the Sky?, The Power of the Dog, About Endlessness, The Worst Person in the World, Petite Maman, and Cmon Cmon.

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The Best of 2021: Our Top 10 Films - Hyperallergic