ProfNet Experts Available on Veterans Day, Volcano Eruptions, Berlin Wall, More
Also in This Edition: Jobs for Writers and Media Industry Blog Posts
NEW YORK, Nov. 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network that are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please contact them via the contact information at the end of the listing. To receive these updates by email, send a note to [email protected] with the industries you cover, and we'll add you to the appropriate edition.
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EXPERT ALERTS
- Veterans Day Stories: Transition Challenges Faced by Post-9/11 Veterans
- Fall of Berlin Wall's Impact Beyond Central Europe
- Homeowners Paying for Energy Star Homes May Lose Out in the Long-Term
- What Happens When a Volcano Erupts
MEDIA JOBS
- Editor – Dallas Business Journal (TX)
- Reporter – Clinton Herald (IA)
- Editor – Daily Republic (CA)
OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES
- Blog Profiles: Book Blogs
- Making Lateral Moves as a Freelancer
- Freelancing, Time Management and the Single Mom
EXPERT ALERTS:
Veterans Day Stories: Transition Challenges Faced by Post-9/11 Veterans
Col. David Sutherland, US Army (ret.)
Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer
Easter Seals Dixon Center
"Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers have spent the past 13 years at war at a great personal and professional cost -- and their numbers are expected to surge by 26% by 2016. Yet, as thousands of organizations reach out to them, these veterans are still not receiving the care and services they need to transition successfully. Community-based solutions resolve that challenge, and ensure that veterans and military families can succeed where they live -- even as the wars recede from the minds of the American public and the needs of veterans and military families evolve."
Col. Sutherland served in the U.S. Army for 29 years, commanded the U.S. combat brigade in Diyala Province, Iraq (2006-2007), and served as special assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (2009-2012) with a focus on warrior and family support. He is the chairman of Easter Seals Dixon Center, one of 16 veterans service organizations (VSOs) to be highlighted at "THE CONCERT OF VALOR" this Veterans Day. Col. Sutherland is available for interviews about the challenges veterans and military families face as they transition from deployments and war to permanence at home. Areas of expertise include employment, education and health/wellness, which runs the gamut from healthcare to transportation to caregiving.
Website: http://eastersealsdixoncenter.org
Media Contact: Marie Manning, [email protected]
Fall of Berlin Wall's Impact Beyond Central Europe
Michael Weis
Professor of History
Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington
"The fall of the Berlin Wall ended the Cold War and made the world a much safer place, as it lessened the threat of a direct Soviet-U.S. nuclear confrontation. The wall's demise hastened the collapse of the Soviet Union, which allowed for the creation of several new and independent Soviet republics. In addition, it allowed these nations to reintegrate their economies with the West and become a part of the European Union and NATO. The ramifications of the end of communism in Europe and central Europe are well known; however, the collapse of communism had worldwide effects as well. Weis, an expert on Latin America, can discuss the effects on Cuba, where it's interesting to note the Cubans did not overthrow their dictator as Romania, Bulgaria and other countries had done. They certainly had reason to be unhappy: within the first year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Cuban economy declined by 50 percent. All the economic growth Cuba had experienced between 1965-1988 was wiped out in a three-year period (1989-1992). Yet, there was no popular uprising in Cuba to overthrow the puppet dictator -- Fidel Castro -- that had occurred in Romania, Bulgaria and other countries. Cubans held on to the model of state socialism, but over time adopted practices such as trying to attract more tourists and other strategies that helped the country eke out a survival."
Weis, a history professor and a specialist in U.S. foreign relations, is available to discuss the fall of the Berlin Wall as its 25th anniversary approaches on Nov. 9.
Media contact: Kim Hill, [email protected]
Homeowners Paying for Energy Star Homes May Lose Out in the Long-Term
Carmen Carrion-Flores
Assistant Professor of Economics
Binghamton University
New research conducted by Carrion-Flores has found that homebuyers who pay extra for Energy Star homes may be losing out in the long-term. Says Carrión-Flores: "People who pay a premium expect increased value. Developers are selling houses at a premium, but when I analyze the repeat sale, the owners are not selling at a premium."
Consumers pay extra for an Energy Star home, expecting its greater energy efficiency will save money. They apparently plan to recoup the extra cost of purchase by passing it along to the next owner -- except they don't. Carrion-Flores, in collaboration with researchers from Brigham Young University, looked at home sales in Gainesville, Fla., from 1997 to 2009. She corrected for differing neighborhoods, arm's-length transactions, house layout and the collapse of the housing market in 2008. The numbers tell a very real story: Within five years, owners no longer recoup the extra cost to buy Energy Star's efficiencies. Carrion-Flores has several hypotheses: 1) The federal Energy Star program didn't keep up with local building codes. In the first years of the study, Energy Star homes were 20 percent more energy-efficient than houses built simply to code. But by the last years, local code had become more stringent, and Energy Star homes were only 13 percent more efficient. That makes the Energy Star home's value difficult to compare. 2) Owners don't know how to market their Energy Star homes. It's not as simple as laying out a year's worth of utility bills because of variations in individual energy use -- such as how warm or cool one keeps a house, or how much laundry one does, or how long the lights are left on. 3) The original owners are satisfied with the lower utility costs and don't feel the need to recoup the investment through a higher sale price. Carrión-Flores notes that Gainesville is just one market. Others have different building codes, housing stock and energy needs. Energy in Gainesville is primarily electricity to power air conditioners, while other markets need natural gas or oil to provide heat. Some markets have older housing or static codes, or both.
Website: http://www.binghamton.edu
Media Contact: Ryan Yarosh, [email protected]
What Happens When a Volcano Erupts
Ben Edwards
Associate Professor of Earth Sciences
Dickinson College
"Why are volcanic eruptions frequently 'slow-motion disasters'? Unlike earthquakes or severe weather, which can begin and end quickly, many volcanic eruptions last days to weeks or even years. Eruptions like the ongoing one from Kilauea can last for decades, and even lavas that appear to be moving slowly can cover huge areas given enough time, as well as igniting forest fires and spewing out noxious volcanic gases. Just like the ongoing eruption now in Iceland, we can predict that the lava flows will generally go downhill, but it is much more difficult to predict how much the flows will widen and thicken, and for how long the flows will be active. The Hawaii flows could stop at any time, or they could continue all the way down to the sea."
Edwards is available to discuss volcanic eruptions in general (especially lava flows and eruptions from snow/ice-covered volcanoes). He has field experience with volcanoes in Russia, Alaska, Hawaii, Yellowstone, Western Canada, Iceland, and Montserrat (Caribbean), and also has minor experience in Chile and Japan. He can discuss links between volcanoes and climate, experimental volcanology and volcanic rocks and minerals. He has been featured in stories on the Discovery Channel, Christian Science Monitor, Live Science, Los Angeles Times, Denver Post, National Geographic, Popular Science, Smithsonian, Associated Press and other media outlets.
Website: http://www.dickinson.edu
Media Contact: Christine Dugan, [email protected]
MEDIA JOBS:
Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/
- Writer – Boston magazine (MA)
- Reporter – The Roanoke Times (VA)
- Reporter – Central Kentucky News-Journal (KY)
See more listings here.
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 [email protected]
- MEDIA 411: DO YOU TRUST THE MEDIA? Do you trust the media? Are you confident that the news channel or news program you're watching is telling you the truth? The Pew Research Center put out a report that shows trust and distrust in news outlets is based on political beliefs. Do you agree with the results? http://prn.to/1ua5zOg
- BLOG PROFILES: BOOK BLOGS. As PR Newswire's media relations manager, Christine Cube comes across great blogs that cover a wide variety of topics and interests. Each week, she offers brief profiles of blogs you might not have heard of but that might offer writing opportunities. This week, she shares reviews of a few book blogs: http://prn.to/10wNDR2
- MAKING LATERAL MOVES AS A FREELANCER. We recently held a #ConnectChat with freelance business journalist Joanne Cleaver. During the chat, we discussed managing time, getting clients/assignments, and increasing work opportunities by making lateral moves. Check out our recap of the chat: http://prn.to/1rAneaq
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