Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Got any potato chip-flavored cigarettes?

In a paper written by Dr. Charles Baum, economics and finance, for the journal Health Economics, Baum writes, “… because cigarette smoking and obesity seem inversely related, cigarette taxes may have simultaneously increased obesity. This paper examines the effects of cigarette costs on BMI (body mass index) and obesity and finds that they have significant positive effects. … Further, these effects are significantly larger for those with less income and those who are younger, potentially because they are more sensitive to cigarette costs. In addition, these estimates are significantly larger when accounting for lagged effects.”Baum observes that about 30% of Americans are obese, a 100% increase from 25 years ago.

Contact Baum at 615-898-2527.
cbaum@mtsu.edu

Nothing but net profit

The NCAA doesn’t really have to market March Madness, although it does so, of course. But the college basketball tournament sells itself. “People fill out brackets, either for fun or in pools that reward the winner with prize money, cheer for their favorite teams and adopt darling teams temporarily,” says Dr. Don Roy, management and marketing. “March Madness is a prime vehicle for marketers to reach consumers who are full of positive emotions and energy, whether it be through NCAA sponsorship, television advertising or sponsorship of bracket contests online.” Roy encourages others to find their own “marketing madness.” “Maybe it is the local high school sports teams, a half marathon/marathon race or a rodeo,” he says. “Perhaps passions are stirred by things that have nothing to do with sports. It can be an art museum, a community playhouse, a well-respected charitable organization, a community school, or other entities that hold social or cultural significance.”

Contact Roy at 615-904-8564.
droy@mtsu.edu

How long is your extension cord?

Toyota intends to build its first plug-in hybrid by 2010. The car would run on lithium-ion batteries instead of the nickel-metal hydride batteries that power the Prius. How would these compare to other kinds of prototypes of cleaner cars (ethanol, solar-powered, the Honda car that emits water vapor)? Dr. Cliff Ricketts, agriculture and agriscience, says, “The plug-in electric component is one-third cheaper than gasoline. The range of the cars in city driving and by plugging in after every 20 or so miles can result in 100+ miles per gallon.” Ricketts adds, “Ironically, other people did the plug-in on the Toyotas before Toyota did it to their own cars.”

Contact Ricketts at 615-898-2430.
srickett@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

ART FOR ART’S SAKE--The Todd Gallery at MTSU will present “Domenic Cretara: The Large Drawings,” a 19-piece exhibit by the California-based artist, through Friday, March 28, in Todd Hall on the MTSU campus. The show, which is free and open to the public, will feature works by the contemporary realist that were created in some of his preferred media—charcoal, pastels (chalk and pencil) and chalk. The Todd Gallery is open 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. weekdays.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS—MTSU Habitat will host a different activity each day through Thursday, March 27, to raise awareness and funds for Habitat for Humanity. Today, March 25, Habitat will raise money by providing a dilapidated car for individuals to bash with a sledgehammer. On Wednesday, March 26, Habitat will sell tickets to a nacho sale for five dollars each at the KUC. On Thursday, March 27, Habitat will provide a nine-hole miniature golf course, a basketball hoop game and a DJ. On Friday, March 28, Habitat members will participate in a local build. For more information, call 615-943-1644 or send an e-mail to mtsuhabitat@gmail.com or wws2b@mtsu.edu.

NO BONES ABOUT IT!--The MTSU Distinguished Lecture Committee and Forensic Institute for Research and Education will present Dr. Clyde C. Snow speaking on “Human Rights” at 6 p.m. tomorrow, March 25, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This event is free and open to the public. Some of Snow’s better known skeletal confirmations include John F. Kennedy; the men who fought at Custer’s Last Stand; Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele; the victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy; King Tut; and the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing. In the 1980s he went to Argentina to exhume mass graves filled with innocent civilians who had been killed by government death squads during the war. So far, his work has led to the conviction of five officers in Argentina. For more information, contact Becky Snow at 615-494-7713 or rsnow@mtsu.edu.