Thursday, June 21, 2007

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Skull session

Many human remains are not found by law enforcement. Frequently, they are found by average citizens in the course of their normal activity. Dr. Hugh Berryman, forensic anthropologist and MTSU faculty member, says of citizen discoveries, “Most of the time, if the skull is there, then it’s reported. If there’s no skull there, it may or may not be reported, especially if there’s no clothing. … I suspect there have been infants found that have never been reported because people didn’t recognize what they were.” Berryman helped to form the Forensic Anthropology Search and Recovery Team, a group of undergraduate and graduate students that assists law enforcement in skeletal crime scene location, documentation, and recovery.

Contact Berryman at 615-494-7896.
berryman@mtsu.edu

Internet isometrics?

Since anyone can put information on the Internet, is it safe for dieters and exercisers to depend upon it for the information they need to improve their health? Dr. Mark Anshel, health and human performance, says, “I do not think the use of the Internet will result in poor or invalid information—at least, not any more than most articles and books that are published. Any means of communicating the need for exercise and providing exercise instruction to the public is a good thing. Some people are more responsive to the Internet than others. But the Internet is unlikely to lead to any revolution of exercise techniques and habits. The Internet keeps us sedentary, in fact, so the more we are moving around, the better.”

Contact Anshel at 615-898-2812.
manshel@mtsu.edu

Narrowing the field

Why are radio talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh and G. Gordon Liddy so successful? They’re not broadcasting, they’re “narrowcasting,” says Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication. “The audience demos that these air personalities reach (mostly older, angry white men) are tiny compared to TV, but there’s a lot of money in niche broadcasting. Why try to appeal to everyone when you can pinpoint your target audience, ‘super-serve’ them, and make a ton of money? The (Don) Imus incident is a good example of niche-specific media meeting mainstream media after a blogger posted Imus’ racist remarks on the Internet. And why did the mainstream go with the story? Because it pandered to the most consistently used journalistic convention in media: the conflict frame. Oh, what irony.”

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

TR EXTRA

THE GRIDIRON GIRLS, WHOSE THEME SONG IS “THANK YOU FOR BEING AN END”--MTSU Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill and the MTSU football staff invite you to join them for the 2007 Ladies Football Clinic on Saturday, July 14 in Murphy Center. The clinic, which will feature seminars on strategy, equipment, training and rules, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with registration slated to start at 8 a.m. Ladies will be encouraged to take part in coaches’ drills and demonstrations. The goal is to provide a fun learning experience. Participants will receive commemorative T-shirts and lunch will be provided. The cost of the clinic is $25 dollars. For the children, the Rick Stockstill Youth Camp for rising 1st through 8th graders will be held June 4-7. For more information, contact Danny Lewis at 615-898-2311.