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Released: 27-Mar-2008 8:00 AM EDT
Child Sexual Abuse Cases Languish in Criminal Justice System
University of New Hampshire

New research from the University of New Hampshire Crimes Against Children Research Center finds that child sexual abuse cases in the criminal justice system take an unusually long time to be prosecuted and resolved. This is concerning because a prolonged court process has been shown to be detrimental to a child victim's recovery and ongoing mental health.

   
Released: 25-Mar-2008 3:10 PM EDT
UIC Publishes 'Green Schemes' for Urban Design
University of Illinois Chicago

The University of Illinois at Chicago's City Design Center has produced a 96-page electronic publication illustrating ideas for green development in East Garfield Park as a case study for use by Chicago neighborhoods and individuals.

Released: 21-Mar-2008 1:00 PM EDT
Millennials Could Help Determine Next U.S. Leader
Central Michigan University

The highly contested race for president has spurred a sharp increase in participation from young voters. J. Cherie Strachan, an authority on youth participation in American politics, says that politicians may need to change their approach, however, in order to keep this age group engaged until November. She is available for comment on the subject.

Released: 21-Mar-2008 10:45 AM EDT
Presidential Primary Expert Available to Discuss Richardson’s Endorsement of Obama
University of New Hampshire

Presidential primary expert Danta Scala with the University of New Hampshire is available to discuss former Gov. Bill Richardson's endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama for president.

Released: 19-Mar-2008 10:55 AM EDT
Nepal Struggles for Democracy in the Lead Up to April Elections– Expert
Queen's University

Ronald Watts, fellow at Queen's University's Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, recently returned from a visit to Nepal where he participated in discussions with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) about creating a federal system there.

Released: 12-Mar-2008 8:50 AM EDT
'Creating a Livable Delaware' Topic of March 25 Conference
University of Delaware

A daylong conference titled "Creating a Livable Delaware: Pathways for Enhancing Prosperity and Quality of Life" will be held Tuesday, March 25, at the University of Delaware's Clayton Hall Conference Center in Newark.

Released: 11-Mar-2008 8:55 AM EDT
Superdelegates: Who Are They? Why Do They Matter So Much This Year?
University at Buffalo

Election-law expert James Gardner, professor, University at Buffalo Law School is available to members of the media seeking commentary on the role of super delegates in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Released: 10-Mar-2008 1:20 PM EDT
Out of Step Or Leading the Parade? Public Opinion About Income Support in Alberta
University of Alberta

A University of Alberta study has looked into public opinion on one of the most contentious political topics in Alberta's history, namely the two waves of welfare reform initiated by the Conservative government from the mid-90s onward. In both 1995 and 2004, Harvey Krahn, Chair of Sociology at the U of A and Amber Gazso, Assistant Professor of Sociology, York University, assessed Albertan's opinions on social assistance programs using data collected by the U of A Population Research Laboratory. They found that, even in 1995 when the provincial government was first making substantial cuts to welfare benefits, the majority of Albertans were not supportive of these cuts.

Released: 10-Mar-2008 9:00 AM EDT
Expert Available: News Coverage of Iraq War on Fifth Anniversary
University of New Hampshire

Joshua Meyrowitz, professor of media studies at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss news coverage of the Iraq War in conjunction with the five-year anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq on March 19.

Released: 5-Mar-2008 4:10 PM EST
Law Professor Urges Courts to Re-consider Bar on Emotions in the Courtroom
University of Iowa

The U.S. legal system was put in place by people who believed logic and reason were the highest values. But University of Iowa law professor Todd Pettys says that today we live in the Age of Oprah, and the country's legal system should adapt by allowing emotion into the courtroom. He points to research research in neurology and psychology that shows our emotions play an important role in developing what we perceive to be logical and rational ideas.

Released: 5-Mar-2008 1:55 PM EST
Pennsylvania’s Approaching Primary Crucial to Senators Clinton, Obama Says Prof
Gettysburg College

With Pennsylvania's primary approaching April 22, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will pour millions of dollars into advertising and grassroots efforts across the state to capture the critical urban and youth votes, according to Gettysburg College political science professor Shirley Anne Warshaw.

Released: 4-Mar-2008 8:45 AM EST
Class Project: Young Voters' Take on Election 2008
American University

Sixty-seven percent of young voters ages 18 to 29 in the four battleground states of Ohio, Florida, Colorado and Virginia say the economy is the most important issue in the upcoming election, according to an online survey of 128 young voters conducted by American University students.

Released: 3-Mar-2008 9:00 AM EST
Legal Expert Available to Comment on Crisis in Serbia, Kosovo
Indiana University

IU professor Timothy Waters comments on: 1) Balkan Violence: Strains on Western Security Policy? 2) UN Paralysis: Back to the Cold War? 3) Kosovo and Its North: Independence, Then a Deal? 4) Echoes in Bosnia: What's the Right Response?

Released: 27-Feb-2008 3:15 PM EST
‘Paper” Vote System To Debut in Ohio with Flaws, Researchers Say
University of Maryland, College Park

The new voting system that Cleveland and its suburbs will use in next Tuesday's primary election has serious flaws that risk greater voter error, say members of a research team from the Universities of Maryland, Rochester and Michigan who conducted a comprehensive analysis of the technology over the past several years.

25-Feb-2008 2:20 PM EST
Federal Poverty Line Grossly Underestimates the Needs of California’s Seniors
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

The new Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) for California, developed at UCLA, shows that the Federal Poverty Line (FPL), used to determine income eligibility for most public programs, covers less than half of the basic costs experienced by adults age 65 and older in the state.

   
Released: 22-Feb-2008 11:45 AM EST
Spin Expert Discusses U.S. Election Candidates
Queen's University

David Skillicorn, Queen's University computing professor and expert in political spin, says Barack Obama has a tendency to spin his messages, while John McCain has the lowest level of spin of all the candidates "“ followed by Hillary Clinton. Using computer software designed to detect deception, Dr. Skillicorn analyzed speeches by candidates for the U.S. presidential election from the beginning of 2008 to the middle of February.

Released: 20-Feb-2008 9:00 AM EST
Missile Intercept of U.S. Satellite Highlights Space Policy Issues
Secure World Foundation

The interception by sea-launched missile of a failed U.S. intelligence-gathering spacecraft raises a number of associated policy issues: How best to deal with human-made orbital debris, the need to establish space traffic control measures, and defusing concerns over the weaponization of space.

   
Released: 19-Feb-2008 4:35 PM EST
What Does Castro's Resignation Mean for Cuba?
Canisius University

As an ailing Fidel Castro resigns as Cuba's president after nearly a half-century in power, questions arise as to what his resignation will mean for the Communist country. Born in Cuba, Rene De La Pedraja, PhD, is a professor of history at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, and has done extensive research on Cuba and Fidel Castro. Dr. De La Pedraja offers some insights regarding the situation.

Released: 19-Feb-2008 4:05 PM EST
The End of Castro's Reign: Expert Available for Commentary
Central Michigan University

Cuban leader Fidel Castro stated in an announcement posted on the Web site of the state-run newspaper Granma that he will resign from his 49-year reign as head of state. Central Michigan University professor of political science Orlando Pérez, a Cuban-American who specializes in Latin American politics and U.S.-Latin American relations, is available to comment on the changes that this might bring.

Released: 19-Feb-2008 3:00 PM EST
Professor to Comment on Kosovo
Tufts University

For the past 12 years, Tufts University Professor R. Bruce Hitchner has been involved in public policy initiatives in the Balkans region, especially in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Released: 19-Feb-2008 2:45 PM EST
Prominent Experts Available to Comment on Castro/Cuba
American University

Two prominent American University experts are available immediately to comment on the resignation of Fidel Castro and the future of Cuba and U.S.-Cuban relations: William LeoGrande and Phillip Brenner.

Released: 18-Feb-2008 3:50 PM EST
Arthritis Patients on Medicare Face Losing Their Rheumatologists
American College of Rheumatology (ACR)

If Congress fails to permanently fix the flawed Sustainable Growth Rate, rheumatologists may be forced to close their doors to Medicare patients.

   
Released: 14-Feb-2008 7:10 PM EST
Legal Expert Available to Comment on Independence Crisis in Kosovo
Indiana University

Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Serbia, possibly within days. Timothy Waters, an expert on the region, addresses the implications in terms of regional stability, international law and the fate of Serbs living in northern Kosovo.

Released: 14-Feb-2008 3:15 PM EST
Concerned Families for ATV Safety Statement on New CPSC Data
Concerned Families for ATV Safety

Concerned Families for ATV Safety (www.atvsafetnet.org) co-founders Sue Rabe and Carolyn Anderson today issued the following statement in response to new data released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) showing that 1 in 5 people killed in ATV accidents in 2006 were children.

Released: 11-Feb-2008 8:45 AM EST
Forensic Students Search for Clues in Murder
Western Carolina University

Professors and students from Western Carolina University's forensic anthropology program assisted law enforcement agencies in their search for clues in a remote area of national forestland where the body of a hiker missing since October was discovered on Saturday, Feb 2.

Released: 5-Feb-2008 1:20 PM EST
President Bush Budget Leaves Great Lakes Program 'on Thin Ice'
National Wildlife Federation (NWF)

Media briefing on the Bush Administration's recently released 2009 budget and the implications for Great Lakes programs--many of which are core componenets of a $20 billion restoration plan that the President put forward in 2005, and has since distanced himself from as invasive species, sewage contamination and other threats continue to plague the largest surface freshwater resource in the world.

Released: 5-Feb-2008 8:40 AM EST
Election Media Alert
University of Southern California (USC)

USC Marshall expert available to discuss election impacts of social networking and other new-media technologies. How are social-networking technologies transforming this year's election? With Super Tuesday's tsunami of state primaries about to crest, some campaigns have effectively harnessed the power of many-to-many communications technologies such as social networking, while others have struggled. Social networking is this generation's equivalent of the television in 1968 or radio in 1932, a once-a-generation transformative media platform that reshapes the political discourse for those politicians savvy enough to understand it.

Released: 4-Feb-2008 1:00 PM EST
Could the Keystone State be a Presidential Key?
Saint Joseph's University

Randall Miller, Ph.D., political expert and commentator offers insights into the role Pennsylvania might play in the presidential election after the votes are tallied on Super Tuesday.

Released: 3-Feb-2008 9:00 PM EST
TIP/Political Experts for Super Tuesday and Beyond
University of Wisconsin–Madison

With 22 states in play in the Super Tuesday (Feb. 5) jockeying for the White House, the University of Wisconsin-Madison has experts able to analyze the race, its many moving parts and what Tuesday's primary and caucus results might mean for Wisconsin's Feb. 19 primary.

Released: 1-Feb-2008 1:00 PM EST
Speed Cameras Slow Drivers, Even Outside Enforcement Zones
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is releasing two new evaluations of speed camera enforcement in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Montgomery County, Maryland.

Released: 1-Feb-2008 12:00 PM EST
Older Americans Suffer Serious Access Limitations to Exercise Their Right to Vote
Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania

The US Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing yesterday in Washington, DC, on older Americans and the significant barriers they face in exercising their right to vote. Jason Karlawish, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Medical Ethics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, testified before the Committee, citing results from a series of his studies examining voting rights for the elderly.

Released: 1-Feb-2008 11:50 AM EST
Judge the Presidential Match-Ups by the Fancy Footwork
University of Maryland, College Park

Forget the polling data on how the remaining presidential contenders might fare against each other in November. You can get a visceral sense of what the match-ups may produce by the way the candidates move. As certified movement analysts, we see campaigns as elaborate dances and, sometimes, athletic confrontations, says Karen Bradley at the University of Maryland and her colleague Karen Studd at George Mason.

Released: 1-Feb-2008 7:00 AM EST
How “Senior Friendly” Are U.S. Presidential Candidates in 2008?
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys

With the front edge of 75 million Baby Boomers now hitting sixty years of age, policies that affect seniors could gain substantial attention in this year's U.S. presidential race. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) examined positions from leading candidates and today released their findings on seven issues affecting America's aging population.

Released: 31-Jan-2008 7:00 PM EST
What Influences Young Voters?
Saint Joseph's University

Whether it's out of frustration with the current administration or because they've embraced and identified with a candidate's platform, young people are voting in record numbers this primary season. With this early and significant turnout, candidates and political pundits want to know more about this demographic and their voting behavior before November's election day.

Released: 31-Jan-2008 5:25 PM EST
Super Tuesday: Obama’s Political ‘Movement’ Vs. Hillary’s ‘Organization’?
Rowan University

Has Barack Obama's movement grown strong enough that he can win in states where he hasn't campaigned extensively? That's the overriding question as voters head to the polls on Super Tuesday, says Rowan University professor Larry Butler.

Released: 30-Jan-2008 3:00 PM EST
Law Professor Examines Jack Bauer's Influence on National Security Law
University of Iowa

Sure, it's just a TV show, but a University of Iowa law professor says "24" can have real-world legal implications. "Ruminations on '24' would be just an entertaining diversion if it were not for the fact that the show has slowly seeped into the national debate on antiterrorism tactics," said Tung Yin, law professor and expert on national security law.

Released: 30-Jan-2008 12:00 AM EST
How Appearance and Money Influence Who Gets Elected
Washington University in St. Louis

If politics were like high school, Republicans would be the football stars and Democrats would be chess club captains. Those stereotypes are the easiest way to summarize part of the conclusions made by a marketing professor at the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis.

   
Released: 25-Jan-2008 8:00 PM EST
Presidential Oratory Trumps Ideology for Some Voters
Vanderbilt University

To influence voters, especially those without strong ideological beliefs, presidential candidates should pay as much attention to their oratorical skills as stances on issues, said political scientist Christian Grose. Also, highly educated voters are more likely than those with fewer years of schooling to be influenced by complex speech.

24-Jan-2008 9:00 AM EST
Russian/American Poll: Keep Outer Space Free of Weapons
Secure World Foundation

A poll released today notes that Americans and Russians agree that their governments should work together to prevent an arms race in space. Large majorities in both countries favor unilateral restraint and a treaty that would keep space free of weapons.

Released: 22-Jan-2008 2:10 PM EST
Touch Screen Voting: Fixes for Most-Pressing Issues
University of Maryland, College Park

Electronic voting technology, especially touch screen systems, easily pass the tests of voter confidence and satisfaction, but users still make too many mistakes and ask too often for help, says a major new study led by the University of Maryland and conducted with the University of Rochester and the University of Michigan.

Released: 21-Jan-2008 9:45 AM EST
Faculty Available to Discuss and Interpret the 2008 U.S. Presidential Campaign
Colgate University

As the presidential hopefuls hit the campaign trail hard, news outlets from across the country are turning to Colgate University professors for their insight and perspective. Colgate faculty can provide analysis on topics ranging from facial characteristics of candidates and hand gestures to campaign finance reform and spending.

Released: 21-Jan-2008 7:00 AM EST
Election Forecaster Calls Nomination Races ‘Most Peculiar’ in Memory
University at Buffalo

University at Buffalo political science professor James E. Campbell has studied presidential campaigns for more than three decades and says this year's race for party nominations is the "most peculiar" he can remember.

Released: 18-Jan-2008 7:00 PM EST
Experts on 2008 Presidential Campaign Related Issues Available
Binghamton University, State University of New York

Experts from Binghamton University, State University of New York, are available to discuss issues related to the 2008 presidential campaign, including 1) illegal immigration 2) the right of workers to organize and collectively bargain 3) economic globalization 4) campaign financing 5) voter turnout.

8-Jan-2008 9:00 AM EST
Brother of the “Unabomber” to Discuss Death Penalty
American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA)

David Kaczynski, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against the Death Penalty (NYADP) will be the presenter at the discussion group entitled " On Settling the Score: Crime, Punishment, and the Death Penalty" on Thursday, January 17, 2008 from 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. as part of the American Psychoanalytic Association's 2008 Winter Meeting to be held at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York.

Released: 18-Jan-2008 12:00 AM EST
The State of Space Security: Workshop Explores Critical Issues
Secure World Foundation

A workshop will bring together experts in space policy, law and emerging technologies to discuss steps in establishing a global consensus on security in outer space.

Released: 17-Jan-2008 5:30 PM EST
Tips for Watching the State of the Union
University of Maryland, College Park

President Bush gives his final State of the Union Address on Monday, January 28. Maryland Visiting Associate Professor Karen Kohn Bradley knows a thing or two about HOW to watch a State of the Union - she's a certified movement analyst who studies the nonverbal and movement behaviors of political leaders. She offers tips on how to watch the State of the Union with a critical eye.

Released: 17-Jan-2008 3:20 PM EST
Proposed Greenhouse Gas Legislation Will Not Hinder U.S. Economic Growth
RTI International

Proposed legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will have little impact on America's future economic growth, according to a new report conducted by researchers at RTI International and Harvard University for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

   
Released: 17-Jan-2008 2:00 PM EST
California Flood Risks are "Disaster Waiting to Happen"
University of Maryland, College Park

Flooding in California's Central Valley is "the next big disaster waiting to happen," but water-related infrastructure issues confront almost every community across the country, according to engineers at the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering in separate reports to California officials and in the journal Science.

Released: 16-Jan-2008 12:00 PM EST
Obama: Helping the U.S. Reach a Political Tipping Point
Central Michigan University

Are we at a tipping point where our country is ready to elect an African-American president? Stephen Jones, Central Michigan University assistant professor of history and authority on African-Americans in the legal process, is available to discuss how we might be.

Released: 15-Jan-2008 10:35 AM EST
National Child Abuse Expert Available to Discuss MySpace Agreement
University of New Hampshire

David Finkelhor, director of the Crimes Against Children Research Center at the University of New Hampshire, is available to discuss new policies adopted by MySpace designed to protect children from Internet predators.



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