Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

“Does MSNBC have to be the Lohans?”—Jon Stewart to Brian Williams on “The Daily Show”

You won’t be seeing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as news anchors on MSNBC’s future election coverage. They are returning to their regular roles as pundits reportedly because their pointed remarks during the Democratic and Republican conventions went over the line in the eyes of Tom Brokaw and other established NBC journalists. In fact, not only were Olbermann and Matthews showing what some perceived as bias, they were sniping at each other and at colleagues on the air. Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, says, “It could be that MSNBC sent Olbermann and Matthews back to their respective shows because the angry sarcasm when they were together was simply NOT entertaining and made for very uncomfortable television viewing. It was clear the pairing was chemically wrong at the get-go and spun out of control in a few days.”

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

Autism speaks … and walks

“Walk Now for Autism” will take place on Saturday, Sept. 13, at the Nashville Super Speedway beginning at 10 a.m. Lasting two hours, the event will culminate with a two-mile walk around the Speedway in a show of solidarity against autism. Some 230 teams already have surpassed their goal of $100,000 for this first-of-its-kind event in Tennessee. Ed Evans, an MTSU student, is the chairperson of the walk. His two sons, Joshua, age 11, and Jacob, age 6, are autistic. “You simply cannot understand what it is and what it does to you until you have felt the full brunt of the spectrum and watched your child grow from cradle to crawl, from crawl to walk, from walk to talk, but not advance in the way you always thought he or she would,” Evans says.

Contact Evans at 615-439-7379.
edevans43@comcast.net

You can’t even get a fuzzy navel?

A ruling by a three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals might pave the way for new kinds of restrictions on adult entertainment. The judges decided that the Ohio Liquor Control Commission may ban the sale of liquor at businesses that permit nudity or sexual activity on the premises. Owners of three strip clubs were unsuccessful in trying to convince the court that the commission’s action violated the First Amendment. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “The commission contended the regulation, Rule 52, was necessary to combat harmful adverse effects—called secondary effects—allegedly associated with adult businesses. Such adverse secondary effects are said to include increased crime and decreased property values.”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1600.
dhudson@fac.org

TR EXTRA

LOSING … AND LOVING IT--Faculty and staff at MTSU will embark on a 12-week Wellness Program again this semester at the Campus Recreation Center. However, there’s a twist this time. Participants will have an opportunity to opt into a “Biggest Loser” competition, which will include weekly weight and body fat percentage calculations for each team. The team’s cumulative results will be posted in the Rec Center, but individual statistics will remain confidential. There will be weekly personal challenges for that week’s pounds lost to count in the final week. The team that loses the most body weight percentage by the end of the program will receive a prize to be announced during the semester. The winning individual also will receive a prize. The registration deadline has been extended to Friday, Sept. 12. Contact Jerry Langham at 615-898-2104 or jlangham@mtsu.edu.

WALL-TO-WALL JAZZ--The public grand opening event for “Entering the Modern Era: Murfreesboro’s Jazz Age,” an expanded exhibit, will be from 4-6 p.m. tomorrow, Sept. 11 at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. “New transportation routes, along with the emergence of educational and medical facilities and industries,” says Melissa Zimmerman, heritage programming specialist for the center, “helped shape the quality of life during this modern era of social change and urbanization.” Supported by the MTSU Center for Historic Preservation, the newly expanded exhibit will be anchored by a six-foot-tall, 20-foot-long mural that recently was completed by nationally recognized artist Erin Anfinson, an assistant professor of art at MTSU, and two students, Emily May-Ragland and Sarah Sullivan. Call 615-217-8013 or send an e-mail to Jennifer Butt at jbutt@mtsu.edu.

THE MTSU VIEW--This month’s edition of “MT Record” features a trio of stories related to the preservation of war history. They include packages on the use of GPS technology to investigate a location near Stones River National Battlefield, the MTSU students who work with park officials to the benefit of its history and its natural beauty, and the contribution of one MTSU professor to a guidebook to help battlefield visitors in France appreciate the World War I exploits of Alvin York. Also, “Centennial Countdown” returns to 1935 to look at how three Coffee County freshmen reduced their college costs; “The A List” profiles history major Keith Schuman; and Gina Logue interviews Olympic veteran Dr. Andrew Owusu on the impact of the 2008 Summer Olympics. “MT Record” airs on NewsChannel5+ at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday. Go to mtsunews.com to find which local cable outlet airs it in your area. Contact John Lynch at 615-898-2919 or jlynch@mtsu.edu.

TIMS FORD TIMES--Researchers collecting oral histories from people who lived on land that was taken for the creation of Tims Ford Lake have turned up some fascinating historical information about the area and are anxious for more. People who lived in Elk River Valley communities during the 1950s and 1960s are encouraged to contact researchers to contribute to an oral history. “The project has turned up some amazing pictures and first-person accounts of life in the area,” says MTSU graduate student Dollie Boyd. Area residents will get a chance to see photographs, documents, rare maps and oral histories at a Heritage Day celebration scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13. Boyd and fellow student Albert Whittenberg are working with Dr. Rebecca Conard, history professor, on the project. Contact Boyd at 615-594-1238.