There was no shortage of topics for the Nerd Out gang to get into this month as Dave, Bridget and Joe dug into recent events. Starting off with some follow ups to hurricane predictions, outdoor festivals, and Piers Morgan (is it marketing or misinformation), the team batted around some of some of the challenges with these areas and some recent publications that can help teams plan for moving forward. Then the nerds really got into some great discussions around monitoring and situational awareness around recent incidents in NYC (subway shooting) and Ohio (arrest of security guard), as well as the escalated protests around the Quran burning in Sweden and if organizations need to think about copy-cats or a revival of protests and demonstrations this coming summer. Wrapping up with an attempt to be fun, the gang just showed how big of nerds they are yet still managed to give some suggestions for light-hearted shows or materials.

Discussed on the pod:

Conspiracy Theories: https://www.npr.org/2022/04/20/1093698123/online-conspiracy-theories-are-bleeding-into-all-parts-of-georgias-politics

AstroWorld Report: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbotts-texas-task-force-on-concert-safety-releases-final-report

Joe Levy is the chairman of the International Associate of Venue Managers (IAVM) Venue Safety and Security Committee. In addition, Joe is the Chief Operating Officer at the Usdan Center for the Creative & Performing Arts. IAVM website https://www.iavm.org/ Venue Safety and Security committee contact information: [email protected]; LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelevy1/

Bridget Johnson is the Managing Editor for Homeland Security Today. In addition her contributions on Homeland Security Today (hstoday.us), they are also running a series of webinars (Webinar signups, https://www.eventbrite.com/e/le-only-anti-government-extremists-who-they-are-how-to-combat-them-tickets-144507635227?aff=ebdsoporgprofile). Twitter: @BridgetCJ