Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Autism and television

Cornell University researchers say statistics indicate there is a significant relationship between rates of autism and television viewing by children under the age of three. They found that childhood autism rose more in counties that had cable TV since 1980 than those that didn’t have it. Dr. Zaf Khan, elementary and special education, says the American Academy of Pediatrics already recommends no TV for kids under the age of two. “However, I believe, like most researchers in the field, that … in statistics, correlation does not equal causation,” he warns. “So just because two variables show an upward trend, it doesn’t necessarily mean one is causing the other. … Let’s move cautiously over this new terrain.”

Contact Khan at 615-498-5678.
zkhan@mtsu.edu

Music masters

Ninety faculty, student and guest musicians will perform 30 new works by visiting composers during five free public concerts and two paper sessions at the Society of Composers Inc. (SCI) Region IV Conference on Oct. 26-28. The free and open concerts will be held at 8 p.m. THURSDAY; at 1:30, 4 and 8 p.m. FRIDAY; and at 1:30 p.m. SATURDAY in the Hinton Hall of the Wright Music Building. George T. Riordan, director of the School of Music, says 35 composers hailing from 13 different Eastern states will participate. Also, composers from Korea, Taiwan, Argentina and Turkey will be involved. “This is the first time that MTSU has hosted a large composition conference with national exposure,” Riordan says.

Contact Tim Musselman in the School of Music at 615-898-2493.
tmusselm@mtsu.edu

Death on DVD

“Death of a President,” a fictional, but realistic documentary-style movie depicting the assassination of George W. Bush, is scheduled to make its U.S. debut this Friday, just in time for the Nov. 7 midterm elections. But the country’s largest theater chain, Regal Entertainment Group, is refusing to book the film. CNN is refusing to air advertisements for it, and NPR is refusing to air sponsorship announcements for it, although NPR will cover it as a news story. “Some critics said it will encourage copy-cat assassination attempts,” says Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism. “But, somehow I think that if someone is intent on harming the President, he won’t need a film to spur him on.” Burriss says the film raise several interesting questions, including whether the U.S. Customs Service will try to prevent its importation and whether the Federal Communications Commission will try to keep it off American television.

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@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. A reception for the Tanakas is slated for 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. SATURDAY 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.

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. TODAY 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

CURRY FAVOR WITH A DANCE MASTER--Sample some savory footwork with guest dancer Ivan Pulinkala next week. The director of dance at Kennesaw State University, Pulinkala will present a lecture on “The Sensuality of Indian Movement” from 9:10 a.m. to 10:05 a.m. FRIDAY in the University Honors College Ampitheatre. The lecture is free and open to the public. Pulinkala will teach a modern dance class and work with members of the MTSU Dance Theatre to produce a show at 10:15 a.m. SATURDAY in Room 140 of the Fairview Building following a Dance Theatre class. According to his online biography, Pulinkala, a New Delhi native, has served as the choreographer-in-residence for Delhi Music Theatre and was named among the 25 Indian artists of the Millennium in the December 1999 issue of India Today magazine. Media welcomed. Contact Kim Neal Nofsinger, director of MTSU’s dance program, at 615-904-8392 or nofsinge@mtsu.edu
To request interviews, contact the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-2919.