Profnets of the Week

by jill ~ October 3, 2008

It’s time again to take a look at some of the strange and interesting queries from Profnet, a service that sends us journalist queries and calls for sources dozens of times throughout the day. Enjoy!

If it was up to my father, the only appropriate answer here would be ketchup.
FOOD/TODAY: Condiments for Food — Hoy Newspaper
I am seeking the best condiments for food, the ones that will increase the flavor in the most common dishes that any homemaker can prepare at home. I would like to know prices, quality, quantity, places to purchase them and suggestions on how to use them. This is for Hoy newspaper in Los Angeles and Chicago. I’m a freelancer. I prefer responses in Spanish, but English is OK. Contact: XXXX@aol.com

This seems like a really bad idea to me, but could it really be the future?
EDUCATION: Online High School Education — HotChalk.com
I seek comment from university education professors or analysts on the phenomenon of “virtual” classes for high school students. This is for a freelance article to run in an education-related Web site, www.hotchalk.com.  Contact:  xxxx@prodigy.net

Interesting…
RELIGION: Church Outreach in a Post-Christian Generation — Medill News Service
I am doing a project on how the Christian church has had to adapt its approach to a new generation (be it post-modern, transmodern, post-Christian, post-denominational), especially in large metropolitan centers. Since major cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, L.A., etc., are the places trends like these begin (such as the trend of megachurches for the postmodern generation), how is this happening now, and what are churches doing to address it? I am looking for churches or church leaders that have been forced to change, merge congregations or have adapted to the changing culture and what those best practices are. I am also looking into how gentrification or a demographic shift into or out of city centers has contributed to this trend. I plan to visit Atlanta, New York City, Baltimore/D.C., and possibly one or two other cities in the next two months for interviews. Contact: xxxxxxx@gmail.com
 

The Bad Seed? This is terrifying:
PARENTING/TODAY: Violent Kids — New York Daily News Pegged to today’s story about a seven-year-old who broke into a zoo and threw live animals to the crocodiles, I am assigned to write a parenting story on what you can do when your child has violent tendencies. I would like to interview child mental health experts who could talk to me about the warning signs, what is normal and what is not, the long-term prognosis for a violent child, and what steps a parent can take to help a violent child. Contact: xxxxx@mail.computer.net  

Once again, Woman’s World does not disappoint:
FOOD: Pancake-Mix Lovers: Chefs, B&B Owners, Lay People — Woman’s World
I’m writing a “best of” pancake-mix article, for which I seek expert advice (and that could just mean you’re an unrepentant brunch-lover). I need to fill five categories with unbiased selections: the best diet-friendly mix; the best gourmet mix; the best super-fluffy stack; kid-friendly (fortified with nutrients); the biggest, juiciest blueberry-included mix; and/or others depending on the passions you kindly share with me. In order to meet my deadline, I’d love to steal only about 10 minutes of your time for a quick phoner sometime this week at your convenience. Contact: xxxxx@bauerpublishing.com