Holiday shoppers drawn to deep discounts
   The holiday shopping season got off to a strong start on "Black Friday," as retailers have dubbed the day after Thanksgiving, but as merchants' sale prices disappeared, so did a lot of business, says Ken Bernhardt, professor of marketing at Georgia State University. "I think consumers are as bargain-hunting-oriented as they've ever been," he says. "Over the past several years, retailers have trained them only to buy when things are in deep discount. It's going to be an interesting season. Retailers may decide to offer big bargains before Christmas instead of after. There are really no hot sellers that everybody has to have this year." For more perspective on the consumer mindset this season, contact Bernhardt at 404-651-4191 or kbernhardt@gsu.edu.

Holiday stress can bring on the blues
   Between stuffy office parties, frenzied shopping trips, a barrage of family activities and the pressure to find a date for New Year's Eve, the holiday season may seem to take more than it gives. Increased stress and fatigue, coupled with added responsibilities and unrealistic expectations, can lead to emotions ranging from mild sadness to severe depression, known as the "holiday blues," says Georgia State University counselor Cheryl Johnson Ransaw. "There's extra stress and extra activities - and we tend to take on too much and don't manage it well," says Ransaw. "Combined with our normal work and home challenges, the holidays can be overwhelming." For tips on coping with the "holiday blues," contact Ransaw at 404-651-4741 or cjransaw@gsu.edu.

Picture this: Make your holiday memories last a lifetime
   Holidays tend to bring out our inner shutterbug. Rarely-seen relatives and baby's first Christmas may send us scrambling for the camera, but will those photographic memories stand the test of time? Georgia State University photo archivist Peter J. Roberts offers tips on how to get the most bang for your click. "Share copies of your photos with friends and relatives," suggests Roberts. "If your house ever burns or floods, you'll be able to make copies. Also, make sure you identify people, places and dates on the back of photo prints so future generations can know who or what the photo is of, and when and where it was taken." To store pictures, Roberts recommends avoiding photo albums that feature "magnetic" pages because over time the adhesive backing can fuse to the prints. Instead, he says, look for albums that feature acid-free pages or archival plastic to prevent damage, and store them in a cool, dry location (not attics or basements). For more, contact Roberts at 404-651-3890 or libpjr@langate.gsu.edu.

Work off holiday sweets - and tension
   With turkey to eat, parties to attend and presents to buy, exercise can take a backseat during the holidays. But working out - even for short periods - has long-term benefits and can help people manage seasonal stress, says fitness expert Walt Thompson, a Georgia State University professor of kinesiology and health. Thompson can offer suggestions on how to squeeze in exercise during the holiday bustle and how to develop a routine that lasts well beyond New Year's Day. He can be reached at 404-651-3924 or wrthompson@gsu.edu.

Social stress may be responsible for gallstones
   Researchers at the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience in Atlanta believe there's a strong possibility of a link between social stress -- anxiety disorders, or work, status or money worries and the like -- in humans and the occurrence of gallstones. A recent study by Georgia State University biologists Ryan L. Earley and Matthew Grober, and Lawrence Blumer of Morehouse College, suggests that social stress can increase bile retention, a precursor to gallstone formation. The scientists studied the effects of one type of social stress -- social subordination -- on bile retention in cichlid fish and found that subordinate fish retain much higher levels of bile than the fish that dominate them. Social stress works through the nervous system similarly in humans. "This study could hold clues to evaluating the risk factors that contribute to gallstone formation," said Earley. The research is published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. For more information, contact Earley at 404-651-4347 or biorle@langate.gsu.edu.

'Safe' brownfields devalue land even from a distance
    Environmentally contaminated land parcels known as "brownfields" can harm property values beyond their immediate vicinity, even if the government dubs them relatively safe, says Laura Taylor, associate professor of economics at Georgia State University. An expert on brownfields, Taylor has discovered land value losses as far as one and a half miles away from hazardous sites that were recognized by the federal Environmental Protection Agency but failed to make its national priority list. Taylor's recent research looked specifically at the effects of contaminated sites on commercial and industrial properties. "Experts in risk management argue that these sites generally pose only a small threat to human health and the environment," Taylor says. "But it's not the actual risk but the perceived risk that affects the willingness to pay for a property." Estimated land-value losses caused by brownfields often are large enough to warrant tax-increment financing, the issuing of bonds by local governments to pay for cleanup efforts, she says. Contact Taylor at 404-651-2873 or taylor@gsu.edu.

Crime shows give distorted picture of black, white offenders
   While TV crime dramas and reality shows remain an audience draw, they may give the public a distorted picture of who commits crime and who brings justice to victims, says a Georgia State University researcher. "There are more white offenders on television, but the general public believes the opposite, that blacks commit more crimes," says Sarah Eschholz, an assistant professor of criminal justice. "One reason is because when blacks are shown, they're much more likely to be shown as offenders than as victims or police officers. Whites are more likely to be shown as victims, police officers and in other sympathetic roles. It does contribute to the image of the black male offender, because there aren't very many positive images." Eschholz analyzes the racial content of popular television shows "Law & Order" and "NYPD Blue" in a forthcoming article in the Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. Contact her at 404-651-3659 or seschholz@gsu.edu.

Happening at Georgia State University:

Fall commencement speakers announced
   About 1,500 students will march during Georgia State University's fall commencement exercises at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Dec. 20 in the Georgia State University Sports Arena (125 Decatur St.). Leonard Jenkins Jr., president of the Georgia State University Alumni Association and chief executive officer of Elite Staffing Services of Georgia, will be the morning (10 a.m.) commencement speaker. Andrew Agwunobi, Grady Health System president and chief executive officer, will address graduates at the 3 p.m. ceremony. Graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Andrew Young School of Policy Studies will march in the 10 a.m. ceremony. Students from the Robinson College of Business, College of Health and Human Sciences and College of Law will march in the 3 p.m. ceremony.

Shirim Klezmer Orchestra presents 'Klezmer Nutcracker'
   Soulful and virtuosic, Shirim is the ultimate klezmer concert experience. The group's top-selling klezmer/classical recording, "Klezmer Nutcracker," is the basis for the annual National Public Radio special "The Golden Dreydl." Shirim has performed internationally, captivating audiences with its rocking renditions of classic klezmer music and unusual arrangements of klezmerized Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Mahler. The band evokes the seething fervor and ecstatic joy of the Jewish minstrels who kept people dancing, crying and laughing in the shtetls of Eastern Europe for hundreds of years. The performance is scheduled for 8 p.m. Dec. 13 at the Rialto Center for the Performing Arts (corner of Forsyth and Luckie streets). Tickets range from $20 to $45 and may be purchased at www.rialtocenter.org or by calling 404-651-4727. For more information, contact Amy Moudy Comeau at 404-651-2981 or acomeau@gsu.edu.

Georgia State Leads: Business/Law is a quarterly e-mail tip sheet from the Department of University Relations. For more information about the publication, contact Beth Flannigan at 404-651-3576 or bflannigan@gsu.edu.

Don't see what you're looking for? Call University Relations at 404-651-3025 for fast access to faculty experts and university news. After hours and on weekends, contact Betsy Robertson, assistant director, via pager at 404-655-3456.

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