The Spark

Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, is a field of study that involves the creation of machines that can mimic human intelligence. AI systems use algorithms and data to learn and improve, and can perform tasks like analyzing data, making predictions, and responding to language.

AI and misinformation has been a huge topic leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election.  Matthew Jordan is a Professor of Film Production and Media Studies in the Penn State Bellasario College of Communications. Professor currently teaches a class on media and democracy.

It's very difficult to know what you're voting for and what the people are going to do. So, when misinformation or disinformation enters into the system, it clouds the it clouds the picture for people. And that's increasingly a problem because all of the misinformation that we once got, which is just kind of, you might say, preach, I was content form creators and now everything is done at scale by machines. So, this has created a new challenge for the domain that I've been working in, “said Jordan.

Professor Jordan says social media can play a huge role in misinformation online.

“So much comes at people every day on their phones that it's very difficult for the consumer alone to know what what is you know, what is true and what is not. Unfortunately, the social media companies have over the last couple of years reduced their curation capacities, what they used to call their trust teams. And they because I don't think they're able to deal with it at scale and because their business model is based on, you know, kind of drawing revenue from engagement, they haven't done a very good job of doing that. And I think the only way for the problem to be solved is for not only the public to be much more aware of inauthentic content that they're interacting with, but also for social media companies that profit from the proliferation of misinformation to be held accountable, just like any publisher would be, “said Jordan.

Jordan says there are some things you can do to differentiate between misinformation online.

I would say there are there are certain techniques that you can use, as I mentioned before, kind of if you're looking at something that looks like a news source, but you've never heard of it before. Check it out. See if it's real. And then also, if you're looking at a at a site and there's no byline, you know, no reporter that you can see if it's a real person, that's a good sign that it's probably generated by a lie. And those things are easy fixes or easy kind of tools for, for content that is not authentic, “said Jordan.

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Asia speaks with Dan Tomaso about what we can expect this week and coming into fall.

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The Humane Society of Harrisburg Area (HSHA) will be holding a free vaccine clinic Saturday September 21 for dogs and cats. HSHA will be providing rabies, distemper, and FVRCP shots for owned cats and dogs. Microchips will be available for $10.

Humane society is requesting for cats to be in carriers and dogs to be leashed. According to Amanda Brunish, Director of Marketing & Outreach for HSHA, over the years, there’s been an uptick for low- cost services for pet owners.

“We understand that sometimes, you know, people have, you know, times where they struggle a little bit financially or even just want to save a little bit. You know, we're not here to judge. The most important thing is taking care of your pets and getting them, you know, these vaccines. You know, these vaccines are just so important because, you know, it helps, you know, prevent illness in your pets. And it can also help with potential illnesses that would be very costly to treat down the road. So, you know, that's why we want to be able to treat pets while we can.”

Parvovirus and distemper in dogs and panleukopenia in cats is the most prevalent deadly diseases affecting pets, and are preventable with simple vaccines that will be provided at the free clinic.

“Working on an animal shelter myself, just simply walking through the shelter, I could, you know, get something on me and bring it home. And anyone could do that anywhere if they're interacting with animals or even wildlife as well. So that that's important to think about, too. There's vaccines that are considered core, like I mentioned earlier, but then there's also what's called lifestyle vaccines. So, for example, if you live in the woods, it would be recommended that you get the vaccine for Lyme disease for your dog, because there's a much higher chance of your dog getting a tick on them. It doesn't mean if you don't live in the woods, you should not get it. But, you know, depending on your lifestyle situation, what you do with your pet, you might get, you know, different recommendations for vaccines. But vets are always going to say there's just a couple of vaccines that you really, absolutely should get because it's going to cover some of the most common, most contagious illnesses that.”

The vaccine clinic will take place at the Hamilton Health Center parking lot from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

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September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Dr. Val Arkoosh, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services says it’s critical to raise awareness surrounding mental health and suicide.

“Suicide can impact individuals from every walk of life, all sorts of different circumstances. And I just want people to know that help is always available. I think we can all agree that even one life lost to suicide is one too many. And we also know that death by suicide has ripple effects on those that survive. People often have been left with a lot of unanswered questions about complex emotions. And there's a lot of stigmas that remains around death by suicide. Oftentimes, survivors feel quite isolated or are nervous about talking about how their loved one died because they're nervous that that they will be similarly stigmatized. And so, I just so appreciate this opportunity to talk with you today to let folks know that this is something we should be talking about. There is no need for stigma around this issue. And now today, we have a new relatively new at this point, suicide, national suicide crisis, line nine, eight. And this is truly a lifeline. Anybody can call or text nine, eight, eight. And when they do that, they will get no judgment. They will just get help, “said Dr. Arkoosh.

Dr. Arkoosh just toured Centre Helps, a 988-call center to connect with staff about the importance of accessible, affordable, and local mental health and substance use disorder services. Centre Helps is one of 12 call centers in Pennsylvania that is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988.

“They work very closely with a number of Penn State student volunteers who go through extensive training to answer these calls. And I was so impressed by the way that they work in their community. They have brought all kinds of resources to the table to assist people with a variety of needs. And they've done it in such an effective way with the people in their community. I also was impressed by how impactful their work is. They take such pride in their work and deservedly so. They have been extremely successful in handling most of the calls just right over the phone without the need to deploy additional resources or send someone somewhere else. But when that is required, they're ready to do it. And they have a great system in place to help the folks in their community, “said Dr. Arkoosh.

Lex Remillard, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for Altior Healthcare says many people are dealing with suicidal thoughts.

“One of the biggest reasons is it's one of the major causes of death for young people. And older people now. So, there's a much higher increase in suicidality with the youth and much higher suicidality with older folks. So, the good news is that collectively, we can all do a lot more. On this difficult subject because it affects everyone, “said Remillard.

Remillard says it’s important for those battling those suicidal thoughts to reach out to a trusted confidant.

“Well, considering that adolescent suicidality in young, young adults suicidality activities is on the rise, I think the first the first place. You would look would be maybe in school like a school counselor. They have resources that would be like a first step if you belong to a church. Talking to someone like a pastor. Getting in to see a professional therapist, “said Remillard.

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Kindred Spirits Alcohol Free Bar in Chambersburg founded by Chuck Dutrow, a recovering alcoholic. When he quit drinking, he wanted to create a space for everyone to enjoy without alcohol.

“I founded it because in a town where, unless you are a member of a club and drank alcohol, there was really nothing to do. And after I. Quit drinking and. Didn't lose the taste for it. And there was no socialization. I figured it was a great platform to offer people that didn't drink alcohol and also wanted to socialize. And then it also part of the socialization of it was the idea of the camaraderie amongst people who. Got sober themselves for whatever their reasons were, “said Dutrow.

Dutrow says he was depressed and self-medicated with alcohol. One night he says he passed out on the couch and woke up in the emergency room. He realized when speaking with the doctor, he needed to change his ways immediately.

“I ended up having a talk with the doctor after, you know, this. It was like, we're going to do this and get you out of here and do that and get you out of here and see. I had a sense for something wrong, but no one was talking. So, I asked to speak to the doctor. He came in, we sat down, and he told me, he said, I need you to be straight with me and tell me what's going on. And he said, “Well. But he said, you continue on the road, you're on 3 to 6 months, you're going to be dead. And I saw. No, no, no. I don't like that outcome, I said. So, I asked him. I said, so what do I do to fix this? He said, “I don’t know that there's anything you can do to fix it. But I said, well, as a doctor, what would your best solution be like? What would your best? So, I see. And he said, well, first officer, he quit drinking. And second, he said, I would start with eating right, exercising right. Reasonably change everything you're doing in your life. To a healthy lifestyle and a healthy work. And so that began my journey, “said Dutrow.

Dutrow also founded Zero Proof Market, a marketplace for premium alcohol-free beverages. The beverages ranges from alcohol-free wine, beer, whiskey, cocktails, tequila, and cognac.

“They figured out a process where they can take the alcohol out and leave all the flavor in. And so, what I've done is created a dozen cocktails that are 100% organic. They're natural. Everything. Every ingredient we use, we use all kinds of we use fresh fruits and vegetables and pretty much we name it, we make our own syrups. But what we do is we create elevated drinks that. The drink had to stand on its own. But it tastes like. Your own tastes like rum. Tequila. I got seven different types of tequila. So, I mean, they all taste like that type of tequila. And. Same way with bourbon, “said Dutrow.

CLICK HERE to be directed to the Kindred Spirits- alcohol free bar.

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The Main Street Matters (MSM) program is designed to support local downtowns and surrounding neighborhoods with tools to create welcoming communities. This 20-million-dollar initiative will impact smaller communities like Hummelstown Borough.

Rick Siger, Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, says this new initiative comes out of Governor Josh Shapiro’s budget for this year.

 “We created it to support Main Street, to support business districts, small businesses and local communities all across Pennsylvania. It's about making downtowns more vibrant. It's about thriving businesses and enabling Pennsylvania communities to achieve their full potential. As you said, in the lead in, you know, it's a funding tool, $20 million across the state that will help Main Streets maximize what makes them great things like façade improvement, small business grant programs, things like streetscape improvements, whatever Main Street managers, borough managers like Theresa need, you know, to make their main streets great places to live, to work, to visit and to play, “said Siger.

Those eligible to apply for MSM are units of local government, Redevelopment and/or housing authorities, Nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, and Business improvement districts.

Hummelstown Borough Manager Theresa Eberly felt this program would benefit the borough.

“It's all about the heart of our community. If our main street thrives, the residents thrive. We have a vibe, walkable community, a viable community. And this type of funding gives us just what we need to have that lift that we need to continue to invite businesses and improve our economic development. And so, our community thrives. So, we're very excited about Main Street Matter program.”

Applications for Main Street Matters funding will be accepted through November 15, 2024.

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The 12th Annual Harrisburg Book Festival will take place at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore from Oct 9-13.  The book fest promotes reading and community. Alex Brubaker is the Program Director of the Midtown Scholar Bookstore and Executive Director of the Harrisburg Book Festival.

Midtown Scholar is an independent bookstore, something Brubaker is proud to be a part of.

“We’re in charge of our own community events. We get to decide what gets put on those shelves, and we have more intimate interaction with our customers. We get to know our customers a little bit better than maybe a large box, big box store might, or an online retailer might. So, we get to host our author events, we get to curate the books, and we get to have that sense of curation that perhaps a corporate bookstore might not, “said Brubaker.

The festival will offer an outdoor tent sale offering discounts on over 30,000 books, 25 high profile authors, and a Children’s Day. Abbott Kahler, Author of Eden Undone:  An Afternoon with Abbot Kahler, will be among the visiting authors.

“One of the great pleasures about being an author is that after years of isolation and research in the archives and connecting with your long dead characters, in my case, you get to go out and talk to live people who are interested in the story, who want to ask you questions. You know, especially a really strange story like this. I've been hearing from a lot of people who've been to the Galapagos Islands and are really interested more in this dark slice of history from that unique place, “said Kahler.

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Over the summer PennDOT opened to the public a comment period on the Highly Automated Vehicles (HAVs) guidelines. The HAV advisory Committee was created in 2018 to advise and consult the Secretary of Transportation on each aspect of highly automated vehicles.

Derrick Herrmann, Chief of Transformational Technology at PennDOT, and Matthew Johnson-Roberson, Director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University joined The Spark, to share more about research about the HAV and driverless vehicles

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The Appalachian Trail Museum has announced its 2024 Class of the Appalachian Trail Hall of Fame. The induction will take place September 21 at 1 p.m. at the Army Heritage Education Center in Carlisle.

The Appalachian Trail museum tells the stories of the founding, construction, maintenance, preservation of the trail since it’s been created.

The 2024 Hall of Fame class honorees include:

• Edward B. Ballard
• Arno Cammerer
• Raymond Hunt
• Ronald S. Rosen

To register to the induction, send an email to [email protected].

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Coming up on this week's edition of The Spark Weekly.

Host Asia Tabb Speaks with LNP reporters and WHTM ABC27 Sports Director Allie Berube about coverage of local Friday night football games, and the importance of shining a light on local sports teams.

Also on the program:

On this day 23 years ago, the worst terrorist attack on American soil unfolded. Two highjacked planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, One hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the fourth United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Somerset County Pennsylvania.

The field is now the site of Flight 93 National Memorial. At 9:28 a.m. on September 11, 2001, Flight 93 was heading from Newark, New Jersey to San Francisco. Four men in firs stormed the cockpit and hijacked the plane.

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