Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

American no-fly zones?

Federal officials are reviewing regulations that allow small planes to fly in Manhattan airspace following the plane crash that claimed the lives of New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle and his flight instructor, Tyler Stanger, on Oct. 11. U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) says anyone flying in the area should be under the supervision of air traffic controllers in the post-9/11 era because any kind of plane could be carrying explosives, biochemical weapons, or a “dirty bomb.” Dr. Wayne Dornan, aerospace, disagrees and says current procedures are sufficient. “It’s just going to ruin general aviation if they do that,” Dornan says. “They have a good system in place now to monitor unauthorized aircraft.”

Contact Dornan at 615-898-5832.
wdornan@mtsu.edu

Promoting peace by pummeling poverty

Muhammad Yunus, winner of the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize and former MTSU economics professor, has revolutionized the lives of millions of people all around the world with his “microcredit” concept. Dr. Anantha Babbili, dean of the College of Mass Communication, covered the work of Yunus and his Grameen Bank as a journalist on the Indian subcontinent. “I've known many many women who could not have had access to banks if Mr. Yunus hadn't come along,” Babbili says. “He is a phenomenally important figure in the economics of the poor. Although it started in Bangladesh, this lending idea for the poor has taken off in other developing countries, in Africa, for example, and other poor countries. It really is a boon for women who now have an optimistic future just because the Grameen Bank emphasizes a humane lending system.”

Contact Babbili at 615-898-5872.
ababbili@mtsu.edu

Fit as a fiddle and ready for learning

The Tennessee Heatlh Coalition’s “Fit for the Future” conference will receive an uplifting message from entertainer Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary TODAY. Yarrow, who heads an anti-bullying movement called Operation Respect, will provide the music and words for children of all ages at 8:30 a.m. at Tucker Theatre. Yarrow’s appearance will be free and open to the public. Other sessions scheduled for the conference include discussions of “How Schools Can Provide Daily Physical Education,” “Keeping Sales Up with Fat and Sugar Down,” and “School Health Services—It’s More than Just the Nurse.” Media welcomed.

For more information, contact Dr. Doug Winborn, health and human performance, at 615-898-5110 or jwinborn@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

DYNAMISM AND SENSITIVITY--Masaaki and Chikako Tanaka, two distinguished Japanese artists, will display their word through Friday, Nov. 3 in the Todd Gallery at MTSU. Receptions for the Tanakas are slated for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 16 an from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28, in the gallery. The receptions are free and open to the public. “(Masaaki Tanaka) is a master in the use of the paper stencil technique of screenprinting, the process by which colors and shapes are layered onto paper and coalesce, after many applications, into the finished image,” Dr. Lon Nuell, professor of art, says. By contrast, Nuell says Chikako Tanaka’s work is “fanciful, ethereal in some instances, suggesting the dream-like imagery of the surrealists.” Contact Nuell at 615-898-5653 or 615-898-2505 or lrnuell@mtsu.edu

A WHOLE NEW WORLD--Your children can be transported to Japan, China and Indonesia without flight reservations. A new exhibit at the Discovery Center enables youngsters to play dress-up with sarongs and kimonos, view animated superhero Astro Boy or learn about Japanese folklore on a 20-inch DVD player, construct their own colorful kites, make origami figures, work challenging tangram puzzles, stage their own hand puppet theatre and hold Japanese tea parties. The interactive exhibit is made possible by generous donations from Toshiba, Nissan, the Foreign Ministry of Japan and the Japan-U.S. Program of MTSU. The Discovery Center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Saturday and from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for anyone age 2 and up. Contact Steve Hoskins at the Discovery Center, 502 SE Broad Street, Murfreesboro, at 615-890-2300.

BE OUR GUEST!--Register now for the Nov. 11 Fall Visit Day. Prospective students can register for the tour and meetings with student services departments such as financial aid, housing, admissions and academic representatives from various colleges by going online to http://www.mtsu.edu/~admissn. Click “Prospective” and then “Campus Tour.” Or you can call 1-800-331-6878 or 615-898-5670. Both Saturday tours will start at 10 a.m. Central time and will begin in the lobby of the Cope Administration Building. Prospective students and their parents or guardians also may schedule a tour and campus visit during the week Monday-Friday except for today (fall break) and Nov. 22 (day before Thanksgiving). For more information, contact Christopher Fleming at 615-898-2237.

WHAT’S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?--To dramatize how dating violence traumatizes the lives of young adults, the June Anderson Women’s Center and Women 4 Women, a student organization, will present “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in the Keathley University Center Theatre. The original play, written and produced with ABC grants from Allied Arts of Chattanooga and the Tennessee Arts Commission and directed by Dr. Ayne Cantrell, professor emeritus, follows the travails of a female college freshman whose boyfriend has jealousy and anger management issues. “It’s Love, Isn’t It?” is free and open to the public and is part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month at MTSU. For more information, contact the June Anderson Women’s Center at 615-898-2193 or jawc@mtsu.edu

TO YOUR HEALTH--What causes depression and suicide? What are the triggers and the physical signs? What can you do for a friend or family member who is depressed or having thoughts of suicide? Mental health professionals will answer these important questions in a satellite videoconference aimed at students in grades 7-12 at 9 a.m. TODAY. The instructors will be P.J. Davis, Statewide Education Coordinator, Mental Health Association of Middle Tennessee; Kim Rush of the Middle Tennessee Mental Health Institute; and Scott Ridgeway of the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network. This is a prerecorded videoconference—no field trips or call-in questions. This enrichment program is transmitted through the Satellite Videoconferencing Center at MTSU. For more information, contact Jenny Marsh at 615-898-2737 or vmoxley@mtsu.edu