Darin

A Wandering Eye: Sexually explicit media usage of MSMs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

I was asked to write for this open access journal. The article is available here.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted lifestyles, including sexual behaviors. With the lack of data on men who have sex with other men (MSM) and their usage of sexually explicit media (SEM), this research focused on examining if COVID had a similar impact in this area as it did with the general population. The researcher administered a survey to a small number (N = 45) of participants recruited from an MSM-focused Reddit group. The results indicated that nearly all participants used SEM to some degree, with most reporting pornography usage increased or remained the same during COVID. Dissimilar to other research, the participants largely indicated pornography usage did not impact their sexual encounters. While this was a pilot study, the research may indicate that SEM usage is different in MSM populations.

Synergy Between Cults and Terror Groups: A Systematic Review of Recruitment Processes

I started working on this article during the pandemic lockdown.

Abstract

Previous research has shown that religious organizations are more
similar to terror or violent extremist organizations than they are
dissimilar (Banisadr, 2009; Centner, 2003; Levine, 1999). Individuals
who join both usually have similar characteristics. Because
contemporary researchers have focused more on terror groups than on
cults, the archival knowledge from cult survivors and years of cult
research has not been adequately illuminated as a guide for terror
studies. The current literature review attempts to remedy this gap. Using
the PRISMA methodology (Moher et al., 2009), I examine the literature
of religious-cult recruitment, terror-organization recruitment, and
radicalization, to illuminate the multiple confluences between them. Just
as cults and terror organizations are similar in many other aspects, they
also tend to follow similar recruitment patterns. Understanding cult
recruitment can be useful to terror researchers.

A new year, a new training schedule

It’s nearly January 1, 2022. Every new year brings new responsibilities. For corporate trainers, the beginnings of a new year bring about a requirement for a training calendar. This means they have to play Nostradamus and predict the future to some degree. Corporate trainers must also anticipate supporting their usefulness to fiscally responsible C-Suite members. A new year can be rough.

This year has been almost as interesting for me as 2020. If you are like me, you started the year with the impression you may be going back into the office sometime. I haven’t yet (nor do I expect to go back into the office anymore). I started 2021 with a training calendar, goals, and dreams. Within five months, this had changed. I was only able to accomplish about 40% of what was planned for the year. There were multiple reasons why: changes to the organizational structure, a focus on greater productivity for rank-and-file employees, and several high-profile acquisitions.

Optogenetics: Could this be the key to conquering fear?

Optogenetics is the scientific technique of using light to control parts of the brain with light. It was in 2010 when news about the term hit Scientific America.

Recently, a team of international investigators working with mice were able to use optogenetics to turn fear off and on.

Read the article here.

Found a new resource: SHERLOC

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has a neat database available for researchers call Sharing Electronic Resources and Laws on Crime (SHERLOC). It is here: https://sherloc.unodc.org/cld/en/st/home.html

The Bibliography area is broken up by country, allowing users to find out information on terrorism and other transnational crimes based on the country.