Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Parsing political pontification

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin ran the 2004 presidential and vice-presidential speeches through a computer analysis. They found subtle linguistic patterns that they say indicate that John Edwards and George W. Bush sounded least sophisticated and Dick Cheney sounded smartest. Dr. Mohammed Albakry, English, says, “There are many computer programs out there that could tell us with a high degree of accuracy whether an author of a certain text is male or female, young or old, and even if he or she is likely telling a truth or lying. We could also determine speakers’ socioeconomic status and level of sophistication, as well as their state of mind and way of thinking.”

Contact Albakry at 615-484-8658.
albakry@mtsu.edu

Spinning the discs

Vinyl records are making a comeback, despite much-inflated reports of their demise due to compact discs and Internet downloads. The problem is that hooking up a turntable to today’s electronic sound systems just won’t work in most cases. But Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism, says the industry is responding. “Several companies are starting to manufacture the equipment you need to play that old turntable through modern sound systems,” Burriss says. “And at least one company is making the device using, of all things, vacuum tubes. Apparently, some people in the know swear that even transistors distort the signal, so that pure sound can only be obtained through a system using tubes.”
Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

Too young for the street

The creators of “Sesame Street” are releasing new “Sesame Beginnings” DVDs targeted to kids as young as six month of age. But child development experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics advise against letting children under age two watch any TV at all. Dr. Carol Michler Detmer, human sciences, says it’s not clear that watching TV and DVDs is bad for those youngsters, but it’s not clear that its helpful, either. “Some studies indicate that fast-paced shows such as ‘Sesame Street’ may be connected with children’s attention spans being shorter if watched by children under two,” Detmer says. “Also, children need a great deal of attention from adults to develop optimally … Far better to cuddle your child and read (him or her) a story!”

Contact Detmer at 615-898-2198.
cdetmer@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

POWWOW POWER—TODAY, 9 a.m.—Georgia Dennis, coordinator of the annual American Indian Festival, conducts a satellite videoconference tour of the powwow, featuring cultural traditions, native arts and crafts, game and skill demonstrations and more for students in grades 4-8. For more information, contact vmoxley@mtsu.edu or call 615-898-2737.

JUGGLERS ARE THE ULTIMATE MULTITASKERS—TODAY, 7 p.m.—The Golden Dragon Acrobats, a troupe of 25 artists, will dazzle the audience at Tucker Theatre with their gravity-defying juggling act. This group has earned seven National Association of Campus Activities “Entertainer of the Year” awards and a Campus Activities Today “Performers of the Year” award. Tickets are $5 each. They may be purchased in advance in Room 308 of the Keathley University Center or at the door. For more information, call 615-898-2551.

HE HAS A STORY TO TELL—TODAY AND TOMORROW--Former astronaut Story Musgrave, a veteran of six space flights, will be the headline speaker for the “Tennessee Summit on Mathematics & Science Education: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce Today” event at the Doubletree Hotel in Nashville. Musgrave will present his address following the 6:30 p.m. dinner TODAY. Governor Phil Bredesen will speak following the 11:30 a.m. lunch TOMORROW. The purpose of the summit is to bring together business, government and education leaders together from across the state to emphasize the need for improved math, science and technology education for all Tennessee students. MEDIA WELCOMED. Contact Dr. Ray Phillips or Dr. Dovie Kimmins at 615-904-8573.

NOT-SO-INTELLIGENT DESIGN?—TOMORROW, 7 p.m.--Raiders for Rationalism will host a talk titled “Is Intelligent Design Falsifiable?” in Room S118 of the Business Aerospace Building. The speaker will be Sarah Jordan, a campus and community organizer for the Center for Inquiry on Campus. The theory of intelligent design posits that life on Earth occurred through an” intelligent agent” instead of through evolution. Dr. William Langston, associate professor of psychology and faculty adviser for Raiders for Rationalism, says, “Intelligent design, which depends on the intervention of a supernatural designer, is often criticized for being a wholly religious hypothesis that offers no testable scientific claims.” He says Jordan will argue during her lecture that two criteria for intelligent design are inadequate and principally rhetorical. Contact Langston at 615-898-5489 or wlangsto@mtsu.edu.

VOICES OF VICTIMS AND MEN—TOMORROW, 7 p.m.--On New Year’s Eve 1995, Andrea Cooper returned home from a party to find that her 20-year-old daughter, Kristin, had taken her own life. Cooper eventually learned that Kristin had been so traumatized by an acquaintance rape that she had fallen into a deep depression that spiraled downward even further when her boyfriend rejected her. Cooper will talk about Kristin in Tucker Theatre. Immediately following Cooper’s address, Ben Atherton-Zeman will lighten the mood at Tucker Theatre with a humorous presentation poking fun at some male attitudes toward women through movie characters such as James Bond, Austin Powers and Rocky Balboa. These Sexual Assault Awareness Month events are free and open to the public. MEDIA WELCOMED. Contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu.

BOYS AND GIRLS AND EXERCISE—THURSDAY, 3:30 p.m.—Dr. Kathryn Davis, health and human performance, lectures on “The Influence of Gender on Teaching Elementary Physical Education” as the final presentation in the 2005-2006 Women’s Studies Research Series in Room 100 (the Faculty Senate room) of the James Union Building. For more information, contact the Women’s Studies Program office at 615-898-5910 or Dr. Trixie Smith at 615-904-8153 or tgsmith@mtsu.edu.

ATTENTION: MTSU AUDIO CLIPS

MTSU Audio Clips and radio-ready stories for your newscasts are available at:http://mtsu20.mtsu.edu:880/redirect?http://www.mtsunews.comClick on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.TOPIC 1—BATTER UP!: It’s spring, when every young fan’s heart turns to baseball. Dr. Ron Kates, associate professor of English and Chicago Cubs fan extraordinaire, will celebrate this annual rite of rebirth with the Baseball Literature Conference March 31st. Special guests will be East Tennessee State University’s Dr. Don Johnson, editor of the sports literature journal “Aethlon,” and former Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos pitcher Bill “The Spaceman” Lee.

TOPIC 2—NATIONAL WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: The president of the American Civil Liberties Union, Nadine Strossen, will be the keynote speaker for National Women’s History Month at MTSU. Dr. Elyce Helford, chair of the Women’s Studies program, discusses Strossen’s upcoming appearance and the other events on tap to celebrate women’s fight for equality and justice.
Radio stations, if you need audio from MTSU, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. We will be glad to send MP3 audio via email or post the audio on our Audio Clips web page http://www.mtsunews.com/. Click on "MTSU Audio Clips" on the right side of the page.

VIDEO UPLINK

TV stations, if you need video from an event at MTSU, interviews with MTSU experts, or other specific video from the MTSU campus, please call 615-898-2919 or email news@mtsu.edu. With sufficient advanced notice, we have the capability to uplink video to stations with digital decoding equipment, or we can make arrangements to deliver tape or DVD to you.
04/11/06