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Watch your step…snake season is in full swing! Let our experts help with your questions!

In Georgia there are sure signs of spring - flowers are in bloom…and snakes are back in the grass. Now before you shriek or shirk away at the sound or sign of a snake, it is important to know that snakes play and important and vital role in the local ecosystem.  They’re essentially nature’s pest control - keeping rats, mice, moles and other rodents at bay. In fact, seeing a snake is usually a sign of good environmental health for your garden, property or local environment. And now for the less than good news.  Some snakes in Georgia are dangerous. In fact, there are six different venomous snakes slithering around the state. And it’s not just in the forests and countryside, copperheads are all part of the metropolitan urban landscape too. So, what precautions do people need to take? What are the simple do’s and don’ts if you encounter a snake? Are there easy ways to identify dangerous and non-dangerous snakes? And – this season seems to be producing a much more pronounced snake population– why is that? There are a lot of questions to be asked – and that’s where our experts can help.  Lance McBrayer from Georgia Southern University is an expert in organismal ecology and snakes. He’s happy to talk with media - simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Cybersecurity – Is it finally getting the attention it deserves? Ask our experts!

It’s been talked about, dominated the news and has cost some companies billions – but it seems like finally America’s leaders are taking the issue of cybersecurity seriously. With an election looming and non-stop threats coming from enemies near and afar, it seems like America’s leaders are now on side in the battle against cybersecurity. Last week President Trump signed an executive order directing the creation of programs to grow and strengthen our cybersecurity workforce to meet the challenges of the 21st century. “America built the internet and shared it with the world; now we will do our part to secure and preserve cyberspace for future generations.” President Donald J. Trump It’s a lofty goal – and odds are an expensive one, but will it work? Who are the chief actors behind potential cyber-attacks? What are the key targets? What are the costs to secure America’s cyber-territory? And more importantly, what are the consequences if we do not? There are a lot of questions out there and that’s where out experts can help. Dr. Seth Hamman earned his Ph.D. in computer science with an emphasis in cybersecurity at the Air Force's graduate school, the Air Force Institute of Technology, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. As a researcher he is interested in helping to shape the young and growing discipline of cybersecurity education. Contact him today for your story! Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Measles is back…and our experts want people to leave the facts about vaccinations to the experts

Last week, America hit a record.  Confirmed cases of measles eclipsed 700 cases. The disease that was once considered eradicated is now back and it has public health officials concerned. Dr. Todd Reinhart is the Dean of Sciences and Health Professions at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and he has more than two decades of experience in infectious disease research.  He’s a strong proponent of vaccinations and weighed in with his thoughts and perspective. “I’m not shocked,” says Reinhart. “I know there’s been a strong anti-vaccination movement and there’s a lot of misinformation out there.” He believes social media has been largely responsible for this movement to not vaccinate. The publication of the “Wakefield” paper, which suggested that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine might be linked to autism — even though retracted — got a lot of attention.  However, that research that vaccinations cause autism has been debunked and even most recently there’s a study out of Denmark that covered 5,000,000 person years and there was no association with immunization and developing autism. Reinhart wants the public to look at the bigger picture and consequences. “It’s important to protect that child but also the broader society. Vaccines have been the strongest public health success story over the last few centuries. Measles is one of the most highly contagious viruses that we know. The odds of your getting it, if you’re exposed to it and you haven’t been immunized, is 90 percent. Part of the concern is for infants who aren’t immunized, the elderly because their immune systems are weaker, and those who are immunocompromised.” But there is also the matter of rights to be considered and that is playing a big part in all of this. “The problem is that individuals’ rights intersect with medicine, public health practice, and collective rights. If my infant, who couldn’t be immunized, contracts it through a carrier who could have been immunized, who has the higher ground because of rights? The problem is that even with clear data and clear information, people have been allowed the right, for the most part, to make the decisions they want,” Reinhart reiterates. If you are looking for answers and facts when it comes to vaccinations – it’s best to visit credible sources like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or local public health websites. If you need to speak with an expert about this topic for your news coverage – let us help. Dr. Todd Reinhart is Dean of Sciences and Health Professions, Professor, Biology and Health Professions at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He has a degree in cancer biology from Harvard University’s School of Public Health and is an expert in the areas of infectious diseases. Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

It’s time to talk about death and dying – let our experts explain

It’s a fact – we are all one day, going to die.  For doctors and frontline health care providers death is just part of the job.  However, talking about death with patients, care givers colleagues and families of patients – is another thing. Bed side manner is one area, but for most doctors the concept of diverging from fact-based conversations beyond treatment, diagnosis and prevention are sometimes foreign territory. The good news is times are changing.  As our populations age and as we all become more familiar with the journey towards end of life, comfort levels are easing, and more and more clinicians are becoming familiar with how to talk about dying. Those conversations are never easy, and neither is covering such topics in the news – but that’s where our experts are here to help. Dr. Dennis Sullivan serves as professor of pharmacy practice and director of the Center for Bioethics. His research and writing interests include biomedical ethics, moral philosophy, and end of life issues. Contact him today for your story! Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Is Wall Street hedging on a Trump win in 2020? Let our experts tell you why.

“The economy, stupid!” It’s a famous quote that Bill Clinton campaigner James Carville used in 1992. And the Ragin’ Cajun was right – odds are, when it comes to Americans casting a vote in presidential elections – the economy calls the shots on how they vote. And despite the scandals, the Tweets, the gaffes and the indictments – the economy under President Donald Trump is booming. So, while convention and traditional politics would likely write of the presidency of Donald Trump as a one term wonder - an article about a recent report commissioned by Goldman Sachs says Democrats and pundits shouldn’t be so sure to write him off. ‘In a comprehensive report released late Saturday, the investment bank gave its preliminary thoughts on a general election that’s still more than a year away. While Trump re-election is far from assured, Goldman’s economists believe the president is bolstered by “the advantage of first-term incumbency and the relatively strong economic performance,” in what is sure to be a “close call” election.’ - Yahoo! Finance Are you covering the race for 2020? Should Democrats change their focus away from the scandals and the Mueller Report and focus on economics? If not, what are the issues that will sway undecideds next year? And what will a potential run by an Independent candidate mean for the race? There are so many storylines already at play and a long way to go before November 2020 – but the election is already daily news and that’s where our experts can help. Dr. Marc Clauson is a professor of history and law at Cedarville. Marc is an expert in the fields of political and economic philosophy Dr. Clauson is available to speak with media – simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

Essays for sale – our experts weigh in with ABC news

As the college admissions scandal is becoming the story that just won’t end for some of the leading schools in the country – recently Good Morning America opened another chapter in the book that revealed just how easily college entrance essays are being offered and acquired by prospective students. From ghost writing, to essays up for grabs online at a steep price - It’s a multi-million-dollar industry and it’s growing. A leading expert from UMW was recently interviews by Good Morning America about the problem. “Contract cheating has grown a great deal over the past ten years, “said Professor David Rettinger of the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Rettinger is president of the International Center for Academic Integrity, an organization that promotes integrity in academia throughout the world. "Students are willing to use internet sites, family members, friends and other technology to get contractors to do their work.” Are you covering this topic?  We can help. Dr. David Rettinger is available to speak with media regarding this scandal as well as the importance of education in America.  Simply click on his icon to arrange an interview.

The amazing story of General Casimir Pulaski and the secret the war hero took to the grave

He’s a person who has intrigued Americans for centuries and will be the subject of a documentary airing Monday.  Scientists have confirmed that legendary Revolutionary War hero and famed General Casimir Pulaski took a secret to the grave. The General was intersex. News of this was enough to inspire an episode in Smithsonian Channel's "America's Hidden Stories" documentary series. Georgia Southern University’s Virginia Hutton Estabrook, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology, was recently contacted by media for expert perspective and comment. In the documentary — “The General Was Female?” — which premieres Monday, scientists use skeletal remains and DNA testing to make a case that the skeleton was Pulaski’s and that the Polish-born general was intersex, or what used to be known as a hermaphrodite.“That’s pretty much the only way to explain the combination of features that we see,” said Estabrook, who participated in the most recent effort to identify the bones, and appears in the documentary.“He was so important as a touchstone for the Polish community. And it’s kind of cool that in the 21st century, Pulaski can be a touchstone for a different group of people: That, hey, there were intersex people in history, too, and here’s this one who had this really amazing life: heroic, resourceful, all of the features in the American narrative that we value and treasure.” – Chicago Tribune This discovery unearths questions about what this might mean as we all look back at history and the real people who helped write it. Are you covering this story and need to expert perspective, insight and information? That’s where the experts from Georgia Southern University can help. Virginia Hutton Estabrook is an assistant professor of anthropology and played an integral role in this discovery. She is available to speak with media – simply click on her icon to arrange an interview.

Same Ole’ Song, Different Chorus

Within the President’s 2020 education budget request, Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos gave testimony to a House appropriations subcommittee last week in Washington DC. Within a short back and forth between Devos and Katherine Clark, United States Representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, DeVos unapologetically stood behind non-black research used within a recent report justifying the removal of Obama-era school discipline guidance. The Obama guidance was beseeched to not only inhibit the national disproportionate Black v. White suspension rate, but it also attempted to curtail the school-to-prison pipeline countless education researchers, such as myself, have studied. The report DeVos submitted is nothing but a product that essentially is a reproduction of systemic racism. In order for a reproduction of systemic racism to transpire, and “subsequent measures of control to be not only in place but legitimized, an entrenchment of inferiority directed toward the marginalized is needed.” The use of systemic reproduction of racism is what created and maintains the establishment of two separate worlds—one White and one deemed Black. DeVos and the research she used as the foundation for her misguided justification for the removal of said guidance dates back much further than DeVos can count. During the late 19th and early 20th century, White so-called intellectuals William Shockley to Charles Murray have attempted to depict Blacks as less intelligent, more violent, immoral, sexual monsters, and on and on. DeVos and her findings are nothing but 21st-century scientific racism. https://www.usnews.com/news/education-news/articles/2019-04-01/rep-katherine-clark-calls-for-betsy-devos-to-resign-citing-racist-research

2019 Federal Budget Commentary

In brief, the 2019 Budget includes $22.8 billion in new spending over the next five years. The government expects revenues to steadily increase by nearly $60 billion in 2023 and projects program spending to increase by $40 billion that year. Debt payments are projected to increase by $7 billion. Based on these growth and spending assumptions, the government expects the federal deficit to increase to nearly $20 billion in 2019–2020 and 2020–21 and then decline to $9.8 billion at the end of the next five years. Cleo Melanson, Tax Partner, and Rick Bouffard, Principal & Tax Advisory, at Freelandt Caldwell Reilly LLP practice in the areas of tax and owner-managed businesses. You can contact Cleo by clicking here or Rick by clicking here to arrange an appointment regarding this topic. Articles:

Justice is Not Only Bought, it's Racist!

After reading pieces in the Guardian and other news outlets, I find the assumption many news analysts, reporters, and commentators are making regarding Paul Manafort's sentence tone deaf. Yes, we all know money talks. And we also know that money has the ability to influence the legal outcomes within the U.S. justice system. But what people are not talking about, and should, is that his final sentence handed down by Judge TS Ellis, was rooted in racialized bias. Ok, let's just say, it had racist undertones. I know what many will say, "Race has nothing to do with the case." Well, it actually does. First, Paul Manafort has been essentially convicted of lying to federal officials, obstruction of justice, excessive felonies. And one can not forget about the morally reprehensible acts regarding collaborating with foreign governments bent on toppling the United States. He received 47 months. On the other hand, Judge TS Ellis, in 2009, was the presiding judge in the Representative William J. Jefferson of Louisiana case. Jefferson was indicted on 16 charges of corruption and later convicted. Judge Ellis did not give him 47 months. Jefferson was initially sentenced to 13 years for bribery. At the time, it was considered the longest sentence ever handed down to a member of Congress. This includes not only for the charge of bribery but any other crime. Looking through Ellis' convictions, a trail is visible. This is an old trail that is aligned to nothing but systemic racism.