ProfNet Experts Available on Impact of Terrorism, Affirmative Action, Employment Discrimination, More

NEW YORK, April 24, 2013 /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

• Economic Impact of Terrorism
• Supreme Court Affirmative Action Case
• SCOTUS: Employment Discrimination and Retaliation
• Air Traffic Control Towers: A Needed Precaution
• Bill Could Increase Trade-Secret Litigation
• Corporate Cyberthreats on the Rise
  

MEDIA JOBS

• Reporter – Law360 (CA)
• Senior Editor – Forbes Travel Guide/Startle.com (GA)
• Content Editor – Yahoo! (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Bylines, Contributed Content and Opinion Pieces
• The Q&A Team: The Interpretation of 'Off the Record'
• Grammar Hammer: In a World Gone Mad, the Earth Keeps Spinning

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Economic Impact of Terrorism
Daniel M. Perkins
President
Daniel M. Perkins, RIA, LLC
"The goal of terrorism against the United States is not just body count. While we in the U.S. tend to focus on the number of dead and injured, terrorists look toward their actions by assessing the impact their attack has had on the economy of a city, state or nation. Looking at last week's attacks on Boston, the leadership of the city reacted to the bombings by mandating that citizens stay inside their homes, halting local commerce for the day. So while all felt the loss of life and mass injury, what was overlooked was the economic loss faced by the city of Boston surrounding the aftermath of this tragedy -- an estimated $250 million. Essentially, terror brought the economy of Boston to a standstill. This begs the question, were the Boston terrorists successful? Americans didn't realize or understand that the attack on Sept. 11 was more about bringing down the American economy than bringing down buildings. The attack in Boston is a perfect example of how with two pressure cookers, Boston has been changed forever."
Perkins, a registered investment advisor with over 40 years of experience in investing internationally, has also published a book on terrorism titled, "The Brotherhood of the Red Nile, A Terrorist Perspective." Perkins' money management experience, coupled with his knowledge on terrorism and the economic vulnerabilities of the U.S., makes him uniquely positioned to discuss the economic impact of terrorist attacks, as well as the mindset of terrorists. He is based in Florida.
Website: http://moneyinmot.blogspot.com
Expert Contact: [email protected]

Supreme Court Affirmative Action Case
Kevin D. Brown
Richard S. Melvin Professor of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
"If Justice Kennedy continues to follow his reasoning from the previous Grutter v. Bollinger decision, he might uphold the use of race as a decision factor at the University of Texas. The result of Kennedy's reasoning is that race can count in admissions decisions – it just can't count as much. Ironically, that could leave minority applicants much worse off than now. If admissions officials at selective higher education programs are told that race cannot count for as much in the future as it does now, the only way that admissions officials can operationalize this requirement is to substantially reduce the percentage of underrepresented minorities that they admit."
As the Supreme Court draws closer to a decision on Fisher v. The University of Texas, race, education and law expert Brown is available to comment on the case. According to Brown, Justice Anthony Kennedy's vote will be the deciding factor in the case, with potentially devastating results for affirmative action.
Bio: http://bit.ly/RqPrAc
Website: http://www.law.indiana.edu http://www.law.indiana.edu
Media Contact: Brianne O'Donnell, [email protected]

SCOTUS: Employment Discrimination and Retaliation
Deborah Widiss
Associate Professor of Law
Indiana University Maurer School of Law
"Congress writes the law and is supposed to have the ultimate say on what that law means. If the court disagrees with one single provision, then it is also saying that Congress would have to rewrite every law that could potentially be affected by the court's one decision – giving the courts a louder voice in creating legislation than Congress. This creates an unworkable situation. Depending on the outcome of the UT Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar case, it could either be a step forward in employment litigation or it could highlight the already broken-down dialogue on what Congress intends with and how the court chooses to interpret a law."
Widiss, an employment law and discrimination expert, is available to comment on the Supreme Court case UT Southwestern Medical Center v. Nassar (oral arguments on April 24). According to Widiss – who wrote an amicus brief on behalf of Nassar – while employment discrimination and retaliation is most certainly at the heart of the case, the case is also about the relationship between Congress and the court and whether Congress can effectively disagree with judicial interpretation.
Bio: http://bit.ly/QJkoUV
Website: http://www.law.indiana.edu
Media Contact: Brianne O'Donnell, [email protected]

Air Traffic Control Towers: A Needed Precaution
David Norton
Aviation Attorney and Pilot
Shackelford, Melton & McKinley in Dallas
"The announcement that the FAA has delayed the planned closure of 149 air traffic control towers nationwide is indicative of the significant struggle the federal agency is encountering in trying to balance mandates to cut costs as part of the 2013 budget sequestration against its primary purpose of preserving safety in the national airspace system. There are procedures in place that certainly make it possible to safely operate an airport without a control tower; however, the larger and more active the airport is, the more important it is to have an active control tower in order to ensure the safety of pilots, passengers and everyone on the ground."
Media Contact: Rhonda Reddick, [email protected] 

Bill Could Increase Trade Secret Litigation
Joe Ahmad
Attorney
Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C.
"Pending legislation that would apply the Uniform Trade Secrets Act to Texas could result in an uptick in trade secret litigation. Sponsored by State Sen. John Carona, Senate Bill 953 includes a provision requiring that any alleged trade secrets disclosed during the course of litigation be kept confidential. Under current law, many companies choose *not* to pursue a trade secret lawsuit out of concern that whatever secrets they're trying to keep might become public. Knowing that the UTSA places a cone of confidentiality over their trade secrets, or at least what they claim are trade secrets, gives companies the peace of mind they might need to go ahead and file suit without fear that they'll risk disclosure of the very information they're trying to keep secret."
Media Contact: Mary Flood, [email protected] 

Corporate Cyberthreats on the Rise
Rose Romero
Attorney and Former Regional Director of the SEC
Thompson & Knight in Dallas
"The risk of corporate cybersecurity breaches continues to grow, despite greater awareness of the dangers and improved information sharing about threats. Even the federal government is not immune, as shown by the Pentagon's disclosure of a massive data leak that included defense documents and more than 500,000 emails regarding the cases of Guantanamo Bay detainees. Unfortunately, the likelihood of a data breach is less a question of 'if' and more a question of 'when.' Public companies are required to meet high standards of reporting and notification about these incidents. It's more critical than ever for corporate managers to understand these regulations, make the investment to limit such attacks, and follow plans for disclosure when a breach occurs."
Media Contact: Barry Pound, [email protected]

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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: http://bit.ly/pncjobboard

• Reporter – Law360 (CA)
• Senior Editor – Forbes Travel Guide/Startle.com (GA)
• Content Editor – Yahoo! (NY)

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 [email protected]

• BYLINES, CONTRIBUTED CONTENT AND OPINION PIECES: Last week, we attended a PCNY luncheon on the topic of how to submit contributed content. The panel consisted of editors from Advertising Age, CNN Digital, The Muse, Bloomberg View, Huffington Post and Business Insider. Here is a recap of the event: http://bit.ly/ZJNdOD
• THE Q&A TEAM: THE INTERPRETATION OF 'OFF THE RECORD': You've heard the term "off the record," but what does it really mean? In this week's Q&A column, three ProfNet experts discuss what the phrase means to them, and how to differentiate between what you can and can't use in a story: http://bit.ly/Y1SBCr
• GRAMMAR HAMMER: IN A WORLD GONE MAD, THE EARTH KEEPS SPINNING: In honor of Earth Day, Cathy Spicer, aka the Grammar Hammer, discusses when to capitalize "Earth": http://bit.ly/ZDLPB0

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