Kevin Engel

See also:
Getting kids hooked on sugary beverages
www.strategian.com/2019/03/19/g...
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Polar stereographic map showing 2-m air temperature anomalies in October 2025 for the Arctic Circle with red shading for warmer anomalies and blue shading for colder anomalies. Most areas are warmer than average. The baseline is a 1981-2010 reference period using ERA5 data.

Here's a look at the extent of the "warmth" across the #Arctic in October. This map uses my normal anomaly scaling for each month, but it clearly doesn't work for something this extreme.

Data from doi.org/10.24381/cds...

How do people respond to political stress? Ted Eytan How do people respond--positively and negatively--to political stress? There is no denying that tens of millions of people in the United States--and many millions worldwide--face turmoil, dread, anxiety and real physical and psychological symptoms from the political divisions created by some politicians, their backers, and corporations often motivated primarily by power, greed, and wealth through corrupt means. Instead of public service, these politicians and their syncophants (including those in the media and other institutions like the legal system) serve primarily themselves and/or operate out of fear of losing their positions and status.

How do people respond to political stress?

Ted Eytan How do people respond--positively and negatively--to political stress? There is no denying that tens of millions of people in the United States--and many millions worldwide--face turmoil, dread, anxiety and real physical and psychological…

Is there a “tipping point” for public opinion? Ted Eytan / CC BY-ND 4.0 Deed How and when does an established viewpoint of a society change? What does it take for a society (a very large group of people) to alter its collective opinion? Is there a “tipping point” for public opinion? A 2018 study using a naming game discovered that when a minority viewpoint became held by “at least 25% of the population,” that viewpoint “was likely to rapidly become the majority viewpoint.”

Is there a “tipping point” for public opinion?

Ted Eytan / CC BY-ND 4.0 Deed How and when does an established viewpoint of a society change? What does it take for a society (a very large group of people) to alter its collective opinion? Is there a “tipping point” for public opinion? A 2018 study…

You have the power to make your own decisions about issues important to your life–use it! It can seem--sometimes very visibly and brutally--that we are losing the ability to make and influence decisions about our own lives.  That no matter what we do and what we want, forces greater than us and our families and even our communities will steamroll us in order to impose someone else's will--and that generally means greater power and greater wealth for a set of politicians and billionaire CEOs.

You have the power to make your own decisions about issues important to your life–use it!

It can seem--sometimes very visibly and brutally--that we are losing the ability to make and influence decisions about our own lives.  That no matter what we do and what we want, forces greater than us and…

AI, social media, the Internet and how we experience the world; what is real? what are the impacts? It is common these days to see people walking their dogs or walking along streets, in parks, staring at or speaking to their smart phones. Yes, they are physically out in the "real" world but, in reality, they are deeply immersed within the artificial world created by AI, social media, and, yes, the Internet. In this hybrid existence, what is real?

AI, social media, the Internet and how we experience the world; what is real? what are the impacts?

It is common these days to see people walking their dogs or walking along streets, in parks, staring at or speaking to their smart phones. Yes, they are physically out in the "real" world but, in…

Artificial Intelligence and Education - SBO Like the Internet in the 1990's, the hype surrounding artificial intelligence (AI) and its real, forecast, and imagined impacts on education at all levels overflows. As a student, as a parent, as an e...

AI and Education; follow the story at --
sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/artificial-i...
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What do followers of authoritarianism believe? What do people who support authoritarian leaders believe? Why do some people support political violence? "For over 80 years, political psychologists ... have studied the authoritarian personality—a collection of attitudes and behaviors that increase a person’s susceptibility to authoritarian leaders. We have found that authoritarian followers share three tendencies: they obey authority figures from their in-group (called authoritarian submission); they punish rule breakers (authoritarian aggression); and they rigidly endorse long-held traditions (conventionalism)." …

What do followers of authoritarianism believe?

What do people who support authoritarian leaders believe? Why do some people support political violence? "For over 80 years, political psychologists ... have studied the authoritarian personality—a collection of attitudes and behaviors that increase a…

Sugar in foods and beverages: health effects throughout life “Most people consume many different types of sugars from a variety of foods and beverages in their diet. A high intake of sugar is linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers ... Sugary beverages are the greatest source of added sugar in the diet, followed by sweets and grains such as ready-to-eat cereals." …

Sugar in foods and beverages: health effects throughout life

“Most people consume many different types of sugars from a variety of foods and beverages in their diet. A high intake of sugar is linked to an increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers ...…

News you may have missed (volume 1) Important news that you may have missed (from CuratedSci): New Analysis Details the Public Health Impacts of Proposed Gas Plants in Wisconsin (Healthy Climate Wisconsin) (Report PDF) How to make America healthy: the real problems — and best fixes (Nature)The United States has lower life expectancy than most similarly wealthy nations. Chronic disease is part of the cause, but so are guns, drugs and cars.

News you may have missed (volume 1)

Important news that you may have missed (from CuratedSci): New Analysis Details the Public Health Impacts of Proposed Gas Plants in Wisconsin (Healthy Climate Wisconsin) (Report PDF) How to make America healthy: the real problems — and best fixes (Nature)The…

See also:
www.strategian.com/2021/08/08/m...

The magnitude of glacial collapse in the Alps is hard to grasp! 😲🔥

Remember Sept 2022 when Tsanfleuron Pass was first ice-freed?

Now it looks like this... 😱

And for context, there was at this location in 2008 at least 35 m ice thickness connecting the 2 parts! 🧊

🎥 Harsh Beria

Does AI really help students learn? Getty Does the use of artificial intelligence (AI) really help students learn? Is it better or worse or just different than more traditional and tested teaching methods? Should it not be incorporated into K-6 education? K-12? Is higher education the best place for using AI as part of the teaching and learning process? Is the endless hype and hyperbole that surrounds AI in education only a smokescreen for profit-hungry tech companies and/or corrupt, power-hungry billionaire CEO's and politicians?

Does AI really help students learn?

Getty Does the use of artificial intelligence (AI) really help students learn? Is it better or worse or just different than more traditional and tested teaching methods? Should it not be incorporated into K-6 education? K-12? Is higher education the best place…

Scholten says Iowa needs ag competition, regional food systems and conservation • Iowa Capital Dispatch J.D. Scholten, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, proposed policies Monday he said would make Iowa's farmers more competitive.

I’m proud to be the first candidate to introduce a plan to address our farm crisis. Corporate ag monopolies are taking over and family farms are hurting. We must work together to break up monopolies and invest in regional food systems and conservation.
iowacapitaldispatch.com/2025/08/04/s...

Cats as pets and companions: are there mental and physical health benefits for humans? Scout--in her favorite bowl Pet ownership/pet companionship has been shown to bring both mental health and physical health benefits to humans. But that is often most associated with dogs. But what about cats? Opinion has been more divided there. What does the research say? Featured articles: *Dinis, F. A. B. D. S. G., & Martins, T. L. F. (2016). Does cat attachment have an effect on human health?

Cats as pets and companions: are there mental and physical health benefits for humans?

Scout--in her favorite bowl Pet ownership/pet companionship has been shown to bring both mental health and physical health benefits to humans. But that is often most associated with dogs. But what about cats?…

AI and education: background, impacts, tools, and psychology From Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impacts on education (K-12 and higher ed) ... Follow the developing story at -- Artificial Intelligence and Education Recent additions: *AI and the death of student writing: The move away from true hands-on scholarship feels tragic (The Chronicle of Higher Education; requires subscription) *The Handwriting Revolution: Five semesters after ChatGPT changed education forever, some professors are taking their classes back to the pre-internet era…

AI and education: background, impacts, tools, and psychology

From Artificial intelligence (AI) and its impacts on education (K-12 and higher ed) ... Follow the developing story at -- Artificial Intelligence and Education Recent additions: *AI and the death of student writing: The move away from…

Tribalism: used by politicians and corporations to divide, dominate, and manipulate society Tribalism has been used for centuries by some politicians, dictators, authoritarians, etc. (including religious leaders) and, more recently, by some large corporations to divide, dominate, and manipulate societies. Statements by the Trump administration in the United States, Vladimir Putin in Russia, Viktor Orban in Hungary, Narendra Modi in India, among others, offer prime examples. The motivations to divide and dominate are often…

Tribalism: used by politicians and corporations to divide, dominate, and manipulate society

Tribalism has been used for centuries by some politicians, dictators, authoritarians, etc. (including religious leaders) and, more recently, by some large corporations to divide, dominate, and manipulate…

Extreme and unusual weather: United States Midwest — impacts, consequences Immediate impacts: June 20-21, 2025; combination of high temperature, high humidity, and high winds--highest, in some cases, since 1929 Tornados (Iowa, USA) Flash flooding (Iowa, USA) Flooding along the Missouri River (Iowa/Nebraska, USA) Missouri River flooding (Iowa, USA) Polar cold (Chicago, Illinois, USA) More frequent and longer-lasting droughts and flash droughts (Kansas, USA) Immediate and longer-term consequences for people, agriculture, wildlife, etc.:

Extreme and unusual weather: United States Midwest — impacts, consequences

Immediate impacts: June 20-21, 2025; combination of high temperature, high humidity, and high winds--highest, in some cases, since 1929 Tornados (Iowa, USA) Flash flooding (Iowa, USA) Flooding along the Missouri River…

The Future of Tech: Black Boxes or Clear Communication? To optimize what’s happening in the world of digital technology, we’ve got to understand the unspoken rules of that world.

"Greg Epstein's 'Tech Agnostic' is a prophetic call to a better relationship with tech, a society and economy where people matter more than profits."

@publicbooks.bsky.social‬ reviews three books that interrogate our tech-mediated relationships.

Free Science books and textbooks - Strategian: Science Magazine Thousands of academic books covering areas of the sciences are available (legally) to be used at no cost. Many can be downloaded and saved and then printed, if desired. Others can be read online but n...

Use Open Access (OA) and Open Educational Resources (OER) for teaching and learning. High-quality publications that are freely-available (though not free to create and distribute). It's complicated but a step toward a better publishing model.
www.strategian.com/2024/12/02/f...
🧪 #science #textbooks

This is figure 2, which shows the trends in drought magnitude and frequency for 6-month SPEI during 1981–2022.

A paper in Nature reports an increasing trend in drought severity between 1901 and 2022. A driver called atmospheric evaporative demand is likely to have increased global drought severity by an average of 40% globally since 1981. go.nature.com/4kqjriq ⚒️ 🧪

Do you care? We need education, resolve, and action

Climate impacts and connections (WMO, 2018) WMO report documents spiralling weather and climate impacts (March 2025). Land and water degradation, food and water supply shortages, drug-resistant infections from overuse of antibiotics, overuse of…

Break the chains of misinformation and disinformation and those who create it!

Be an Information Independent!
Take charge of the information you need for your life. Don’t be manipulated by those seeking to take advantage of you!
Break the chains of disinformation by political, corporate, criminal, and other bad actors.
www.strategian.com/2025/04/17/i...

Why do we fear/resist change? Change is the most stable and enduring condition of life on Earth. Yet, many of us fight the very notion of change. We find it frightening to the point where we are paralyzed–and often ripe for manipulation.
sciencebibliographies.strategian.com/change-why-d...
🧪 #fear

The data center boom in the desert The AI race is transforming northwestern Nevada into one of the world's largest data-center markets—and sparking fears of water strains in the nation’s driest state.

A data center building boom is happening outside Reno, Nevada, centered at an industrial park bigger than the city of Detroit. @technologyreview.com's @jtemple.bsky.social reports on what it means for the region, especially when it comes to water www.technologyreview.com/2025/05/20/1...

Negative impacts of smartphone and social media use on adolescent mental health

*Capraro, V., Globig, L., Rausch, Z., Rathje, S., Wormley, A. S., Olson, J., … Van Bavel, J. J. (2025, May 15). A consensus statement on potential negative impacts of smartphone and social media use on adolescent…

Are #smartphones and #socialmedia harming a generation?

This is a hotly debated and often polarizing debate. So we surveyed over 120 experts on the topic to see where there was genuine consensus (or not), like experts have previous done for climate change.

See our paper: osf.io/preprints/ps...

Research is especially vital to investigating and understanding the way climate-change-enhanced occurrences combine to create even greater damage to communities and lives-like more intense and larger wildfires followed by more frequent extreme rainfall.
www.strategian.com/2022/04/05/c...
🧪 #wildfire

Brewster Kahle testifying to Congress as part of the Copyright Office Modernization Committee, September 28, 2023.

📚 Fair use empowers libraries, learners, journalists & creators—it’s essential to a healthy digital society.

With turmoil at the Copyright Office, @brewster.kahle.org urges us: don’t lose sight of fair use.

Read the post ➡️ blog.archive.org/2025/05/14/p...

#FairUse #DigitalRights

Phubbing: psychology, harms, and more - more fallout from technology addiction - Strategian: Science Magazine "Phubbing refers to the act of ignoring one’s immediate social interactions in favor of engaging with a smartphone." Like many facets of our digital world, phubbing leads to negative consequences.

Put down your phone ...
🧪 #technology #phubbing #mentalhealth

Phubbing: psychology, harms, and more
www.strategian.com/2025/05/13/p...