Friday, November 20, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Troop maneuvers

Germany has agreed to extend its military presence in Afghanistan, contingent upon parliamentary approval, even though the mission is becoming more unpopular at home. Meanwhile, NATO has postponed a meeting on the approval of reinforcements for its force in Afghanistan pending President Obama’s consideration of how the U.S. will move forward in its efforts. Dr. Karen Petersen, political science, says, “For the United States, our troops in Afghanistan have dealt a serious blow to the ability of al-Qaeda and sent the political message that we will fight. To leave now or fail to support the troops we have in the region would be seen, rightly, as a sign of weakness. Additionally, it would not take long for the Taliban to reemerge and provide exactly the safe haven we sought to destroy.”

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

“There ain’t no time to wonder why/Whoopee! We’re all gonna die!”—Country Joe and the Fish

The movie “2012,” which opened last Friday, has some people thinking about doomsday in a variety of unsettling ways. Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says he has encountered one person who “insisted that the Mayans had been spot on with their predictions so far. He didn’t say they had been right this time, but still …” Another person “lingered to inform me that he thinks (President) Obama is the antichrist,” Oliver says. Yet another person told Oliver that he believes the leader of the 1997 Heaven’s Gate suicide cult, “who pronounced in a YouTube-preserved recruitment video his bizarre belief that he and his friends must depart this earth in order to ‘evolve’ in the direction of their alien progenitors, was not obviously insane.”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

How to succeed in business without really crying

The focal point of the final day of Global Entrepreneurship Week at MTSU will be an address by David Bullock, CEO of White Bullock Group of Murfreesboro, today, Nov. 20, at 1:30 p.m. in Room S102 of the Business and Aerospace Building. Bullock will talk about “Strategic Leveraging of Social Media: An Entrepreneur’s Guide.” At 3:30 p.m. in the same room, Rich Miles, managing member of Capstone Business Advisors, LLC, in Brentwood will discuss “Ego and Pride—Driving Success and Failure.” These Global Entrepreneurship Week events are open to the public, and media are welcomed.

For more information, call 615-898-2902.

TR EXTRA

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

I’LL GRANT YOU THAT.--The MTSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women is offering three grants of $1,800 each to faculty members who want to integrate the experiences and perspectives of women into the curriculum. The grants are intended for use in the summer of 2010. The 2009 winners include Dr. Gretchen Webber, sociology, for her new undergraduate course “Gender, Work and Family in the 21st Century; Dr. Meredith Huey Dye, sociology, for her special topics course “Women in Prison;” and Dr. Tricia Farwell, journalism, for her “Advertising and Social Media” course. The deadline for faculty to submit applications for the 2010 grants is Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

PICTURES OF YOU, PICTURES OF ME--A different take on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is on display in Stan Strembicki’s exhibit “Memory Loss/Lost Library” in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center at MTSU. Strembicki has been photographing the streets, people and events of New Orleans since 1984. Returning after Katrina, he was drawn to photograph not the ubiquitous crushed homes or overturned cars, but the subtler tragedy of washed-away personal ephemera in the debris of the Lower Ninth Ward. “Memory Loss/Lost Library” will be on display until Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.

MICKEY MAKES A SCHEDULE CHANGE--The date of the Disney Keys to Excellence Conference hosted by MTSU’s Jennings A. Jones College of Business at the Sheraton Downtown Nashville has been changed to Tuesday, Dec. 1, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This is a rare opportunity to take an exclusive look at the "business behind the magic" from Walt Disney World© insiders, who will share the successful business practices and unique philosophies that have made the Disney name synonymous with creativity, quality, and innovation the world over. To learn more and to register, go to www.keysnashville.com or call 877-544-2384.