Thursday, July 20, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

The chemistry of “snapdragon”

There’s an old English Christmas tradition known as “snapdragon” that puts most contemporary“drinking games” to shame. It involves pouring warm brandy in a warmed dish, sprinkling raisins into the dish and light it all up with a match. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “Tongues of flame will dance excitedly, and the object of the game is to stick your fingers in, pick up raisins and pop them in your mouth. First-time players will usually be reluctant to stick their fingers into the flaming dish (which is imagined to be the snapping mouth of a dragon). Chemistry majors, who have learned about the thermochemistry of oxygenated hydrocarbons, are ringers. To further mitigate the limited heat transferred to their fingers by evaporation of water, they might lick their fingers first.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Belly, belly good

MTSU’s Wright Music Hall will be the venue for “The Bohemian Sanctuary: An Evening of Dancing and Drumming at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 29. All proceeds will benefit the Rutherford County Rape Recovery and Prevention Center. The RhythMystik Tribal Percussion Duo will lead off the evening’s entertainment. They describe their music as “organic compositions combining elements of Latin and African drumming with jazz, rock and hip-hop to create aggressive entrancing rhythms.” Following the RhythMystiks will be several belly dancers from the Nashville and Murfreesboro areas with educational commentary by Shawna Deslatte. Tickets are available in advance through the RRAPC office. Admission is $10. Media welcomed.

Contact Justine Biola at the RRAPC at 615-494-9881.

Identity theft

As fond as college students are of the Internet, it could be an invitation to identity theft. Chief Carl “Buddy” Peaster, director of MTSU’s Department of Public Safety, says, “Keep your sensitive information confidential. Lots of people enjoy writing about themselves online, and plenty of people keep a profile online.” But “it is also vital that people shred letters, offers and other papers and mail that have these personal identifiers on them.” Peaster also advises students to keep their Social Security numbers, account numbers, passwords and dates of birth off Internet sites.

Contact Peaster at 615-898-2929.
cpeaster@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

RAISING MONEY FOR ROCK ‘N’ ROLL—TONIGHT--The Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp (SGRRC) will sponsor two fundraising nights of music this week. At 9 p.m. TONIGHT at The 5 Spot, 1006 Forrest Ave. in Nashville, Happy Birthday Amy, A Poet Named Revolver, and Cantasy Famp will perform in a benefit. Admission is $5. at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 22, Cutthroat Junction, Juan Prophet Organization, and SGRRC founding mother Anna Fitzgerald will perform at The Boro, 1211 Greenland Dr. in Murfreesboro. Admission is $5. Persons aged 18 and over only. All proceeds from both will go directly to the Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp, slated for Friday, July 31 to Saturday, Aug. 5 at MTSU. For more information, contact SGRRC at 615-849-8140 or sgrrc05@gmail.com.

A CENTURY OF BEAUTY--Beautiful bonsai trees will be on display at the Middle Tennessee Regional Bonsai Show Saturday, July 29 and Sunday, July 30 in Room 322 of the Keathley University Center. The show is co-sponsored by the Nashville Bonsai Society and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. “Unlike ikebana (arranged flowers), bonsai trees have a long life, often more than 100 years, and require not just love but much physical and mental commitment on the part of the grower,” Dr. Kiyoshi Kawahito, director of MTSU’s Japan-U.S. Program, said. Bonsai Master Warren Hill, former supervisory curator for the U.S. National Bonsai Collection, will conduct a demonstration at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The tree he sculpts will be auctioned off during the demonstration. Admission both days is free. Media welcomed. To register for the show or for more information, contact Barbara Walton at 615-337-4728 or 615-449-6693 or cuchem@charter.net.

FROM CAMP TO COLLEGE--Kayley Kravitz is a veteran of all three years of Southern Girls Rock & Roll Camp. She studied guitar, bass and piano. In the fall, the 18-year-old graduate of The Webb School in Bell Buckle will attend Boston’s Emerson College, where she will major in journalism with an eye to becoming a music journalist. Simultaneously, Kayley will minor in music at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She encourages parents to enroll their daughters (ages 10-18) in this year’s camp, which is slated for July 31-Aug. 5. “Not only will they get to learn the ins and outs of the music business—they will gain a self-confidence that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Kayley says. Contact Kelley Anderson, Anna Fitzgerald or Courtney Sharpe at sgrrc05@gmail.com or call 615-898-8140.

COACHES’ CORNER--MTSU alumni, friends and fans are invited to attend a Blue Raider Blast from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. TODAY at the Celebration Pavilion off Celebration Way in Shelbyville. Director of Athletics Chris Massaro and MT head doaches Rick Stockstill (football), Rick Insell (women’s basketball) and Steve Peterson (baseball) will be on hand to meet fans and share exciting news about the upcoming season. There will be inflatables, face painting and music for families to enjoy. Whitt’s Barbecue will provide dinners for $5 per plate. Admission is free. Contact the MTSU Office of Alumni Relations at 1-800-533-MTSU (6878) or at http://www.mtalumni.com/.

GET ACCUSTOMED TO IT--Nine sessions of orientation for new students, called CUSTOMS, will be offered in July for freshmen and transfers on a first-come, first-served basis. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Basic and Applied Science and Mass Communications and undeclared majors will have CUSTOMS July 24-25. Students pursuing majors in the colleges of Education and Behavioral Science, Liberal Arts and Business and undeclared majors will be held TODAY AND TOMORROW. Transfers may complete CUSTOMS online and be cleared by their advisers to register for fall classes. For more information, call the Office of New Student and Family Programs at 615-898-5533 or visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~customs.

HEAD FOR THE MOUNTAINS!--Some 16 MTSU alumni and several faculty members have contributed to the newly published “Encyclopedia of Appalachia.” The title has more than 2,000 entries which provides ready reference to information about the people, culture and history of Appalachia. MTSU’s Center for Historic Preservation was contacted by scholars at East Tennessee State University’s Center for Appalachian Studies and Services about collaborating on the project. CHP Director Dr. Carroll Van West says he agreed to participate because of his interest in southern architecture and because the Applachian region suffers from stereotyping. Contact the Center for Historic Preservation at 615-898-2947.