Monday, May 7, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Olmert ouster?

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is in political trouble. He faces a possible vote of “no confidence” in the Israeli parliament today as the backlash over his handling of last year’s Lebanon war continues. Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, says it is likely that Olmert will be forced to resign. She says the war in southern Lebanon was “a diplomatic disaster. Reliance on international institutions to solve the problems in Lebanon continues to be a naïve and dangerous policy, yet Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni hamstrung the military operations with a push for international assistance in order to salvage Israel’s reputation. In the end, Hizbullah was able to claim outright victory due to their ability to control the media in the area and, thus, international public opinion.”

Contact Petersen at 615-494-8662.
kpeterse@mtsu.edu

Who are you? Who, who, who, who?

The Department of Homeland Security is considering a new type of driver’s license that would amount to a national ID card in the view of some people. Civil libertarians are concerned that the information will be kept in a giant data base that rogue federal agents, hackers and others without legitimate cause can access. Dr. Larry Burriss, journalism and First Amendment expert, notes that department officials are making contradictory statements about the idea. Burriss says, “First, we’re told the standardized information on the cards will be used to find terrorists. That’s a good thing. Then we’re told the information will be maintained by the states and will not be part of a giant data base accessible by the federal government. But, if the information is going to be used to find terrorists, won’t the government have to have access to the records?”

Contact Burriss at 615-898-2983.
lburriss@mtsu.edu

Cannes do

The most prestigious film festival in the world, the Cannes Film Festival, is slated for May 16 through May 26. One of the movies that will find an international audience of cinema connoisseurs is “My Name is Wallace,” a short film written and directed by MTSU electronic media communication professor Dr. Bob Pondillo. The motion picture is slated to be part of the festival’s fourth annual Short Film Corner, which is described on its Web site (http://www.shortfilmcorner.com) as “an essential meeting place between directors and producers from both short and feature films communities, but also a place to discover new talents and to sell your films.” “Wallace” tells the tale of a lonely man with social issues who reaches out naively for companionship through a phone sex hotline.

Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465.
pondillo@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

WE PAWS FOR THIS MESSAGE OF INTEREST.--MTSU’s Office of Student Organizations & Community Service will present the second annual See Spot Run at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 12, on campus. The 5K run/walk will give humans and their canine companions a chance to exercise at the same time. All proceeds, including entry fees, admissions, and sponsorships, will go to Habitat for Humanity. The goal is to raise the $50,000 necessary to sponsor a “blitz build,” an intensified construction effort, on campus. The entry fee is $15 before May 1 and $20 thereafter. Entry fees include T-shirts to the first 250 participants. Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m. on race day at Peck Hall. Also, registration is available at http://www.mtalumni.com or 615-898-5812.