PROFNET EXPERT ALERTS: Consumer Spending / Healthy Holiday Meals / Local Shopping

Nov. 23, 2011

EXPERT ALERTS

1. Behavior: Similarities Seen in School Sex Scandals

2. Consumer Issues: Consumer Spending Post-Thanksgiving

3. Health: Authority at Heart of Obamacare Hearing

4. Nutrition: Having a Healthy Holiday Meal

5. Shopping: Three Reasons to Shop Local on Small Business Saturday

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

1. Interesting Expert of the Week, Thanksgiving Edition

2. Grammar Hammer: Does Thanksgiving Effect or Affect You?

3. A Brief Blog Profile: Ecopolitan Bride

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EXPERT ALERTS:

Via Expert Alerts, ProfNet members can alert reporters to experts who are available to discuss timely news topics. If you are interested in interviewing any of the experts, please see the contact info at the end of the alert. You can also find Expert Alerts online on ProfNet Connect at http://bit.ly/pncalerts

**1. BEHAVIOR: SIMILARITIES IN SCHOOL SEX SCANDALS. Charla Aldous, Dallas trial attorney who won a $9.3 million verdict this past September against the Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD) based on the school's role in a sex abuse case. Aldous represented a young woman who was only 16 years old when her 34-year-old ESD teacher began the process known as "grooming" before initiating a sexual relationship: "The emerging details from the Penn State scandal sound all too familiar. In both the ESD and Penn State cases, you're dealing with highly respected schools that seem to be more concerned with their own reputations than they are the welfare of children. This type of case is ugly and administrators at both schools seem to want to just sweep things under the rug, rather than face them head on." News Contact: Mark Annick, mark@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534

**2. CONSUMER ISSUES: CONSUMER SPENDING POST-THANKSGIVING. Dr. Joann Raphael, professor of economics at Strayer University in South Florida: "American consumers are asking retailers to make finding the best budget-saving deals simple and convenient this holiday season by promoting them online, on mobile devices, in newspapers and in stores. But even in an increasingly digital world, more than half of adult shoppers say they will continue to look to time-honored newspapers and circulars to help them hold the line on their holiday budget. The budget-conscious consumer is taking a targeted approach to their holiday shopping by doing their homework before setting foot in a store. Consumers know what they want and they expect retailers to fight for their hard-earned dollars." Raphael speaks Spanish. News Contact: Tracy Hamm, thamm@wrayward.com Phone: +1-704-926-1315

**3. HEALTH: AUTHORITY AT HEART OF OBAMACARE HEARING. Rich Phillips, appellate attorney from the Dallas office of Thompson & Knight: "When it weighs the constitutionality of Obamacare, the U.S. Supreme Court has indicated that the justices will focus on the act's mandate that every American have health insurance. While many states mandate auto insurance for drivers, a federal requirement imposing health and safety regulations sets up a key question on the scope of congressional authority. State laws requiring auto insurance apply only to drivers, while the mandate to purchase health insurance, passed under Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce, would apply to everyone. While the court has traditionally interpreted that power broadly, it also has held that the Commerce Clause has limits. We often perceive the federal government as the most powerful regulatory body, but states actually have much broader and more flexible powers." News Contact: Barry Pound, barry@androvett.com Phone: +1-800-559-4534

**4. NUTRITION: HAVING A HEALTHY HOLIDAY MEAL. Eda Vesterman is a chef and culinary arts instructor at The Art Institute of California - Los Angeles who combines nutritional expertise with culinary creativity to present a holistic approach to the dining experience: "While we want to enjoy all that holiday meals have to offer, it is helpful to keep in mind how to make some recipes healthier. Add olive oil to mashed potatoes instead of butter. It provides the same texture and creaminess without the saturated fat. And adding an 'orange' item to your holiday will be easy with butternut squash. Not only is it a vibrant fruit packed with folic acid, antioxidants, carotenoids and phytochemicals, but it is also naturally low in fat and has a low glycemic index for a carbohydrate." Vesterman holds a master's degree in nutrition. News Contact: Sandra Bernardo, sbernardo@aii.edu Phone: +1-714-338-1303

**5. SHOPPING: THREE REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL ON SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY: Dr. Joey Faucette, best-selling author of "Work Positive in a Negative World: Redefine Your Reality and Achieve Your Business Dreams" (Entrepreneur Press): "Shoppers will crowd the super centers and malls on the weekend following Thanksgiving. But for those who truly want to create a positive impact with their holiday spending, here are three reasons to shop locally on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26: 1) $68 of every $100 you spend returns to your local community; 2) you receive personal service from the relationships you form with these retailers who, unlike big boxes where you can't find anybody, really want to help you find that just-right gift for your special someone; and 3) discover locally produced or themed products that carry with them an emotional attachment for the recipient." Faucette can expand on how to remain positive in business and in life in today's negative world. News Contact: Jillian McTigue, jmctigue@entrepreneur.com Phone: +1-949-622-5274

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

**1. INTERESTING EXPERT OF THE WEEK, THANKSGIVING EDITION: ProfNet Director Maria Perez interviews two experts on the origins of New England cooking and traditional Thanksgiving food: http://bit.ly/vxuOxt

**2. GRAMMAR HAMMER: DOES THANKSGIVING EFFECT OR AFFECT YOU? ProfNet Editor Grace Lavigne explains how to use "effect" vs. "affect" using Thanksgiving-themed examples: http://bit.ly/vEY5Vb

**3. A BRIEF BLOG PROFILE: ECOPOLITAN BRIDE: Thomas Hynes spotlights Ecopolitan Bride, a blog about green wedding planning: http://bit.ly/rtZyeU

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/PRNewswire – Nov. 23, 2011/

SOURCE ProfNet