EXPERT ALERTS
1. Environment: PHEVs and the Hybrid Car Market
2. Environment: Design Tips for Reducing Carbon Footprints in NYC Office
3. Law: Impact of Ruling Against Investors in Securities-Fraud Case
4. Politics: Understanding Initiatives to Gauge Voter Intent
5. Politics: Racialization of Presidential Campaign is Dirty Politics
REAL ID STANDARDS
The REAL ID Act establishes national standards for state-issued driver's licenses and non-driver's identification cards. The act, scheduled to take effect in 2011, is designed to make it harder for terrorists, illegal immigrants and con artists to get government-issued identification. However, it faces stiff opposition from civil liberties groups, which fiercely object to the effort, particularly the sharing of personal data among government agencies. Following are experts who can comment:
1. AMOS N. GUIORA, professor of law, S.J. Quinney College of Law, UNIVERSITY OF UTAH:
"I suggest examining the issue from four perspectives:
1. balancing individual rights with national security rights of the state;
2. Does the proposed measure effectively contribute to homeland security;
3. Does the proposed measure benefit society and, if yes, at what cost?
4. How do we define homeland security, terrorism and counter-terrorism?
Prior to implementation, lawmakers must determine criteria for determining effectiveness primarily based on goals the policy is to achieve. If security (not policy-legal) can empirically demonstrate that the proposed measure will contribute to effective and legal counter-terrorism, then it has merit. However, if the measure is yet another example of 'groping in the dark,' not based on reliable and effective intelligence information, then it is a non- starter. The bottom line is that for a measure to be considered effective, it must empirically demonstrate the ability to contribute to counter-terrorism, both short- and long-term." News Contact: Dennis O'Connor, dennis.oconnor@paradigmshiftpr.com Phone: +1-781-530-3700 Web site: http://www.law.utah.edu/amos_guiora (1/16/08)
2. GEORGE C. WU, staff attorney with the ASIAN AMERICAN JUSTICE CENTER (AAJC), a civil rights organization that works to advance the human and civil rights of Asian-Americans through advocacy, public policy, public education and litigation:
"The Department of Homeland Security has seemingly ignored the concerns of not only American citizens, civil rights and privacy advocates, but also 17 states that passed legislation rejecting REAL ID. REAL ID creates a system in which all Americans will be judged as either 'approved' or 'suspect.' In addition, REAL ID will create a poorly conceived system of information sharing amongst states and government agencies that threatens the privacy of all Americans. There is also concern that there will be a disparate adverse impact on Asian-Americans who are elderly, poor or limited-English proficient. These individuals will have limited access to information about any changes to their state's ID system and face many obstacles if they need to apply for new IDs." News Contact: Leonie Campbell-Williams, lcampbell@advancingequality.org Phone: +1-202-296-2300, ext. 135 (1/16/08)
3. ROBERT BRANDEWIE, senior vice president, Public Sector Solutions Group at ACTIVIDENTITY, most recently served as the director of the Department of Defense's Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), where he was architect of the DoD's Common Access Smart Card system. During his tenure with DMDC, he was also responsible for the oversight of the largest and most comprehensive automated personnel database in the DoD, and management of a dozen major operational DoD programs. Based on his work at DMDC, Brandewie has been a frequent speaker on identity issues in both the U.S. and internationally. He has also served as technology liaison to visiting governments from around the world as they planned their large-scale smart card implementations. Throughout Brandewie's career, he has been honored with several prestigious awards, most notably for the Smart Card Alliance's Outstanding Smart Card Achievement Leadership Award for 2005 and has three times been the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service. News Contact: Tim Polakowski, Timp@mcgrathpower.com Phone: +1-408-200-3766 or +1-408-375-7193 (1/16/08)
4. JANICE KEPHART, president of 9/11 SECURITY SOLUTIONS, LLC, in Alexandria, Va., and former counsel to the 9/11 Commission, helped draft the Commission's recommendation that eventually became REAL ID and has authored white papers on the Act. She held a key staff position on Capitol Hill before Sept. 11, and has testified numerous times on document security issues. She is a broadly acknowledged expert on REAL ID and other border security issues. News Contact: Delisa M. Davis, ddavis@rhstrategic.com Phone: +1-202-585-0210 (1/16/08)
5. HONORABLE C. STEWART VERDERY JR., partner and founder at MONUMENT POLICY GROUP, LLC, in Washington, D.C., and former assistant secretary for Homeland Security for Border and Transportation Security Policy, managed credentialing policy, among other responsibilities at DHS, from 2003-2005. He held a key staff position on Capitol Hill before Sept. 11, and has testified numerous times on document security issues. He is a broadly acknowledged expert on REAL ID and other border security issues. News Contact: Delisa M. Davis, ddavis@rhstrategic.com Phone: +1-202-585-0210 (1/16/08)
EMPLOYER INCENTIVES FOR HEALTHY BEHAVIOR
ProfNet has added the following to items posted previously at http://media.prnewswire.com/en/jsp/latest.jsp?beat=BEAT_MEDIA&view=LATEST&reso urceid=3641702&packageid=1004072: 1. JEFF SKELTON, regional vice president of sales, SPECTRUM ATHLETIC CLUBS: "As long as companies continue to have a vested financial interest in the health and productivity of their employees, they will also have a share of the responsibility. Currently, companies participating in incentive-based wellness programs are reporting favorable returns on their investment, as well increased morale and productivity. With that in mind, these incentive-based programs are more of a "cost shifting" than a direct expense. Rather than waiting until an employee has reached a diseased state and requires attention that is costly to the company (direct, as well as indirect), it is shifting a fraction of those funds to employees that exhibit healthy lifestyle behaviors. When considering that a high percentage of health care costs are spent on lifestyle-related illnesses, it becomes quite obvious that the preferred choice should be on prevention rather than solely on reactive medical attention that is much more costly." Headquartered in San Antonio, Spectrum is the 10th largest fitness company in the United States, and an innovator in healthy lifestyle approaches to fitness. The company is very active in working with companies to implement fitness programs into its benefits packages. News Contact: Leslie Komet Ausburn, leslie@kometcommunications.com Phone: +1-210- 479-7255 Web site: http://www.spectrumclubs.com (1/14/08)
2. JACK BASTABLE, national practice leader for health and productivity management at CBIZ BENEFITS AND INSURANCE SERVICES, INC.: "It's been well- documented that small, and sometimes large, employers struggle with the balancing act of keeping benefit costs in check and employee retention high. Small-business owners now can improve employee productivity while managing health costs just as well as larger companies." For the past 14 years, as an employee benefits consultant, Bastable has developed award-winning comprehensive Health and Productivity Management (HPM) strategies for employers that integrate employee health-benefits plans with workplace health and wellness initiatives. News Contact: Jimmy Moock, Jimmy@gregoryfca.com Phone: +1-610-642-8253, ext. 153 Web site: http://www.cbiz.com (1/14/08)
EXPERT ALERTS 1. ENVIRONMENT: PHEVS AND THE HYBRID CAR MARKET. STEVEN LETENDRE, professor and energy economist at GREEN MOUNTAIN COLLEGE in Poultney, Vt., and one of the nation's leading experts on plug-in hybrids and V2G, can discuss what Toyota's PHEV will mean to the hybrid car market: "This (PHEV) is the next generation of vehicles. A hybrid that gets 60 miles per gallon can get the equivalent of 100 mpg after it is converted to a PHEV, with the additional miles as a cost equivalent of a dollar a gallon." Letendre and his students are currently testing the performance of a plug-in hybrid for Central Vermont Public Service. News Contact: Laura Snyder, laura@dickjonescomm.com Phone: +1- 814-867-1963 (1/16/08)
2. ENVIRONMENT: GREEN DESIGN TIPS FOR REDUCING CARBON FOOTPRINTS IN AN NYC OFFICE. WENDY MENDES, vice president at RTKL, a global design firm: "New York business owners: Don't leave your employees freezing in the dark just because you want to make your office green-friendly. MOLD will keep the carbon footprint at bay -- Materials, Organization, Lighting and Density are the four ways to 'green' your offices without starting from scratch and spending a fortune. Overwhelming change to a company can result in disaster, but smaller adjustments lead to a more concerted, longer-term effort toward green philosophy. If every company were to take these baby steps toward green sustainability, the reduction in waste and the general footprint left on the environment would be much smaller." News Contact: Yael Hartmann, yael@blisspr.com Phone: +1-212-584-5480 (1/16/08)
3. LAW: IMPACT OF SUPREME COURT RULING AGAINST INVESTORS IN SECURITIES- FRAUD CASE. DAVID A. LIPTON, professor and director, securities law program, CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA SCHOOL OF LAW, Washington, D.C.: "The recent Supreme Court historic decision in Stoneridge Investment Partners v. Scientific-Atlanta continues a three-decade-old trend toward limiting the ability of private investors to bring suits for fraud under the Securities Exchange Act. The holding certainly will mean that, in some instances, genuine fraud will go unpunished through the process of civil suit, though alternative remedies remain available through the SEC. In other instances, however, companies and investors in those companies will be spared the costs of spurious litigation. In all instances, a portion of the plaintiff securities litigation bar will be denied the opportunity to generate fees from claims, whether genuine or spurious, based upon a type of fraudulent conspiracy." News Contact: Thomas M. Haederle, haederle@law.edu Phone: +1-202-319-5438 (1/16/08)
4. POLITICS: POLLS, SURVEYS AND THE ELECTION CYCLE: UNDERSTANDING INITIATIVES TO GAUGE VOTER INTENT. LAWRENCE BROWNELL is CEO of the MARKETING RESEARCH ASSOCIATION, the leading and largest association of the opinion and marketing research profession: "Polling is a scientific process that seeks to capture information about individual attitudes and behaviors -- both of which, as we have seen, can vary over time. While political surveys take a snapshot of the electorate at a specific point in time, they are not an election. Campaigns are fluid entities; events can -- and often do -- change how voters view candidates after surveys are conducted." Brownell represents the more than 3,000 members of the MRA. News Contact: Bruce R. Mendelsohn, bruce.mendelsohn@mra-net.org Phone: +1-860-682-1000 Web site: http://www.mra- net.org (1/16/08)
5. POLITICS: THE RACIALIZATION OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN IS DIRTY POLITICS. JESSICA DAVIS, M.Div, J.D., D.Min., president of CHICAGO MEDIA CORPORATION, is a law director at SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW: "The media is seeking to racialize the presidential campaign. Barack Obama has been intentional about not discussing race in his campaign because he wants Americans to see him as a candidate for all people. Past presidential candidates of color have not been as viable as Obama in the pursuit of their party's nomination, because they have been characterized as not having a broad-enough appeal. Since the discussion of race in America is not coming from Obama's campaign, the media ears have turned toward Clinton's campaign to characterize her as a candidate that lacks racial sensitivity, to create controversy. This is not responsible coverage, but this is dirty politics." Davis is a radio and television veteran as a political commentator, religious affairs expert, diversity consultant, two-time nonpartisan Illinois and Maryland mayoral candidate and author of "American Social Justice: Creating a Beloved Community." Web site: http://www.chicagomediacorporation.com (1/16/08) PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit query by e-mail: profnet@profnet.com To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://www.prnewswire.com/profnet To share a thought on the Expert and Daily Topic Alerts: profnetalerts@prnewswire.com SOURCE ProfNet
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