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EXPERT ALERTS
- Sikh Temple Shooting: Tragic Result of the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the U.S.?
- Football Season Brings Fresh Focus on Safety
- Life Changes Can Wreck Relationships
- Personal-Pleasure Products Are Becoming More Mainstream
- Sitting Is Not Killing You
MEDIA JOBS
- Senior Editor - NYC
- Social Editor - NYC
- Reporter - Wichita Falls, Texas
- Online Editor - Washington, D.C.
- Reporter - Lawrence, Kan.
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
- Media News Highlight
- Beverage Blogs: Bottoms Up!
- Grammar Hammer: Since vs. Because
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EXPERT ALERTS
Expert Alerts are listings of ProfNet members who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact their media representative at the end of the listing. You can also find Expert Alerts online at bit.ly/pncalerts
Sikh Temple Shooting: Is It a Tragic Result of the Growing Anti-Muslim Sentiment in the U.S.?
Zainab Al-Suwaij
Executive Director
American Islamic Congress (AIC)
"While details of the horrific and heartbreaking incident in Wisconsin are still emerging, many are wondering what motivated such an act. Sikh cultural and religious identity is widely misunderstood. Because of their ethnicity and appearance featuring visible religious symbols such as turbans, bracelets and beards, American Sikhs are often confused with Muslims. In fact, the Sikh community has suffered greatly since 9/11 as they've been subjected to much of the same profiling, discrimination, hate crimes and other hardships experienced by the American Muslim community. As Americans try to make sense of this tragedy, it is important to provide them with facts and context. Considering the second -- and this time successful -- attempt to burn down the mosque in Joplin, Mo., that followed one day after the shooting, we must ask the hard question of whether these events are symptomatic of deteriorating religious freedom for the religious minorities in the U.S."
Al-Suwaij, the executive director of AIC since its inception just after 9/11, is a leader in the interfaith community and can speak about: 1) why Sikhs are mistaken for Muslims and what this has meant for the Sikh community since 9/11; 2) how actions and rhetoric from the nation's top leaders on down creates an environment of hate, discrimination and violence against certain religious or ethnic groups; 3) the status of interfaith dialogue in the U.S. and what it can do to help during times like these; 4) how Sikh and Muslim groups work with entities such as the Department of Justice, schools and community groups to dispel stereotypes and fears.
News Contact: Aimee Chiu, aimee@aicongress.org
Football Season Brings Fresh Focus on Safety
Eugene Egdorf
Sports and Entertainment Law Attorney
The Lanier Law Firm in Houston
"As high-school and college football workouts get under way, the safety of student-athletes is again in the spotlight. Heat-related issues during summer drills, and the threat of concussions once full-contact practice starts, are among the top concerns for coaches and officials. First and foremost, coaches, trainers and school officials need to look out for the safety of their student-athletes. The Texas UIL instituted rules this year regarding practice in the heat, and last year the state legislature addressed concussions in football because too often, we see too much of an emphasis on winning, with exhausted players told to work harder, and injured players told to 'shake it off.'"
News Contact: Alan Bentrup, alan@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Life Changes Can Wreck Relationships
Brad LaMorgese
Family Law Attorney
McCurley Orsinger McCurley Nelson & Downing LLP in Dallas
"Major life changes for one or both partners can strain a marriage to the point of breaking. When one partner retires from a highly successful career and the other remains in their profession, the change in perspectives is often impossible to overcome. The toll paid on a marriage when a spouse has a major change in their professional life can be irreparably compounded when the other is still moving ahead full speed in their chosen field. The initial compromises a high-power couple forges to make their relationship work may not be able to withstand the seismic shift in goals and expectations."
News Contact: Rhonda Reddick, rhonda@androvett.com or +1-800-559-4534
Personal-Pleasure Products Are Becoming More Mainstream
Carol Carrozza
Vice President of Global Communications
Ansell Healthcare Products LLC
“As someone who has been in the sexual-health industry for more than 20 years, I have seen attitudes evolve and trends change in terms of the way female sexuality and personal-pleasure products are perceived. Most recently, we have all seen resurgence in female sexuality and a conversation surrounding personal-pleasure products, as is evidenced by the phenomena of movies depicting male dancers, and best-selling books detailing sexual encounters that involve sex toys and adult themes. As the stigmas surrounding personal-pleasure products are fading, these products are making their way from the discrete shelves of sex shops to the prominent displays of mainstream retailers, neighborhood drugstores and even grocery stores.”
Ansell Healthcare Products LLC a major manufacturer of latex products. Throughout Carrozza's career at Ansell, she has worked in the communications area developing marketing programs for the LifeStyles brand of condoms, household and latex examination gloves, home diagnostic kits, and work gloves. She has worked to promote condom awareness and condom usage throughout North America and has appeared on NBC’s "Today" show, Fox’s "The O'Reilly Factor" and CNN’s financial news network. Carrozza continues to interview and lecture on radio stations and college campuses throughout the United States.
News Contact: Samantha Wannemacher, swannemacher@5wpr.com or +1-212-584-4281
Sitting Is Not Killing You
Kevin Butler
Senior Ergonomist
Steelcase
"The latest research confirms that sitting smart, when combined with standing and walking options can have a big impact on worker wellness and productivity. Three recent American studies performed by Marc T. Hamilton (2007), Pedersen (2009) and Stephens (2010) have shed new light on the relationship between long periods of sedentary behavior and pervasive health problems such as weight gain, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. While these studies inspired sensational media coverage warning consumers 'sitting is killing us,' such headlines misstated the findings."
Butler can speak to how a palette of posture in the office, including options for sitting, standing and walking can improve the health of employees.
News Contact: Sarah Sanzari, ssanzari@peppercom.com or +1-212-931-6175
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MEDIA JOBS:
Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: bit.ly/pncjobboard
- Senior Editor - NYC
- Social Editor - NYC
- Reporter - Wichita Falls, Texas
- Online Editor - Washington, D.C.
- Reporter - Lawrence, Kan.
See more listings here.
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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:
Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line at profnetalerts@prnewswire.com
- MEDIA NEWS HIGHLIGHT: ProfNet Editor Evelyn Tipacti shares articles and stories that might be of interest to newsroom professionals: bit.ly/QVdISV
- BEVERAGE BLOGS: BOTTOMS UP!: PR Newswire's Thomas Hynes shares some of the best beverage blogs he's seen lately: bit.ly/NjPPkS
- GRAMMAR HAMMER: SINCE VS. BECAUSE: ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne reviews when to properly use these words: bit.ly/NnVqD5
