Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Lullaby and good night

In March 2006, Jaz’s Jammies was created to collect new pajamas for sick children in hospitals to help them feel appreciated and loved while staying extended periods of time. Jaz’s Jammies has collected nearly 3,000 pairs of pajamas. Originally, it was the Girl Scout project of MTSU student Jasmine Gray, a young woman who had experienced dozens of surgeries for a facial disorder and had spent up to three months in the hospital at a time. You can help Jaz’s Jammies spread love by donating during the 2010 Pajama Drive April 1-29. Drop off your children’s PJs at the University Honors College, the John Bragg Mass Communication Building, the Business and Aerospace Building or the second floor of the Keathley University Center. If you’re off-campus, you can set up a drive for your community organization, business or school.

For more information, send an e-mail to jazsjammies@yahoo.com.

Eat, drink, but watch the movie, too.

“Eat Drink Man Woman,” which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1995, will be the next presentation in the Chinese Film Festival at MTSU at 6 p.m. Sunday, April 4, in Room 103 of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. This movie has English subtitles and is free and open to the public. Distracted by their complicated love lives and secret ambitions, three adult sisters reluctantly humor their widower father by enduring the elaborate, traditional Taiwanese dinners he insists on having every Sunday. Ang Lee (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Brokeback Mountain”) directs this charming tale that humorously examines the clash between modernity and tradition within the contemporary Taiwanese family. Liu Xiao, a master’s degree candidate in mass communication, will guide a discussion following the screening.

Contact the Confucius Institute at 615-494-8696 or Dr. Bob Spires at 615-898-2217.

Murders on the metro

Russian state-run television reports that officials are looking for three suspected accomplices of the suicide bombers who killed at least 39 people on the Moscow metro on March 29. Is there a connection between the Chechen rebels believed to be responsible for the explosion and the most prominent name in the war on terror, Osama bin Laden? “We do have evidence that some of bin Laden’s operatives are working in Chechnya and train Chechens,” says Dr. Andrei Korobkov, political science. “We don’t know to what extent it is a large-scale operation. Obviously, there is very serious study of bin Laden’s tactics because we see very clear patterns, both in activities of terrorists in North America, Western Europe and in Russia.” Korobkov says these include conducting acts practically simultaneously, the reliance on women and the search for people who are not members of groups usually suspected of terrorist activities.

Contact Korobkov at 615-898-2945.
korobkov@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

PLAY SMART!--The Center for Physical Activity & Health in Youth at MTSU will present “Play Symposium III: Diversity, Children’s Physical Activity and Play” from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 10, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. This workshop, which is free and open to the public, is designed for student teachers, homeschool educators, public school educators and parents who want to enhance their children’s learning through physical activity and play. Dr. Kathy Burriss, elementary and special education, says, “The value of play and physical activity, no matter a child’s physical limitations, is invaluable, but one that is often overlooked. Our symposium will help participants connect physical activity with learning that is fun but also intellectually beneficial in ways that most don’t think about.” Contact Burriss at 615-898-2323 or kburriss@mtsu.edu.

NOAH’S ARK--Rebecca Carter, dissertation fellow and instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, will present “The Blessed Placemakers: Urban Violence, Religious Transformation, and Human Security in Post-Katrina New Orleans” at 12:45 p.m. Friday, April 2, in the Glassroom of Andrew L. Todd Hall. This event, sponsored by the Middle Tennessee Anthropology Society, is free and open to the public. Carter will deliver an informal talk on the grassroots formation of diverse religious movements in Orleans Parish and their influence in post-disaster urban redevelopment and reform. Case studies of religious communities include a Catholic “peace prayer” group; an Episcopal social justice ministry for victims of violence; an inner city Baptist church leading anti-violence and grief recovery ministries; and practitioners of Haitian Vodou conducting “crime ceremonies” for community healing. Contact the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at 615-898-2508.

GOING TO SEE THE CANDIDATES ORATE--MTSU, in cooperation with the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, will play host to a gubernatorial forum at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 29, in Murphy Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Free tickets will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis, starting with MTSU students, followed by faculty, staff and the general public. MTSU students with valid IDs may pick up tickets now. All other university personnel and the general public may pick up tickets beginning Monday, April 5. Tickets should be picked up in advance at the MTSU Ticket Office, located at Gate 1A at Floyd Stadium on Faulkinberry Drive. For all ticket and general information, call the MTSU Ticket Office at 1-888-YES-MTSU (1-888-937-6878).

A STITCH IN TIME IS QUITE SUBLIME.--Stand back from the framed work on the wall and you’re looking at a tiger, an elephant or a goddess. Move closer and you’re looking at thousands and thousands of intricately woven stitches, grouped distinctively, yet blending into each other through meticulous selection of colors. This is the magic of cross stitching. Jaye Kiblinger’s exhibition, “Cross Stitch as an Art Form,” is on display through Monday, April 5, in the rotunda of Murfreesboro City Hall, 111 W. Vine St. The exhibition of nearly 50 items and the reception are free and open to the public. Kiblinger, an executive aide in the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship at MTSU, says, “Most of my creations now take well over a year to complete, which is just fine with me. … Cross stitch is now part of my DNA—who I am.” For more information, go to http://www.murfreesborotn.gov/ and click on “Art in the Rotunda” under “Events.”

BOUND BY BOOKS--What better place to display new and innovative books than the James E. Walker Library? The MTSU facility is providing a showcase for student-created books sure to spark conversation and ignite the imagination now through tomorrow, April 1, in the Special Collections area on the fourth floor. This is the second annual juried show featuring the work of MTSU’s Book Arts students. The Department of Art’s Book Arts Program offers classes in which students learn bookbinding techniques using both traditional and nontraditional forms and materials. Student works on display in Special Collections reflect individual creativity in expressing tributes to family or personal or humorous stories. Materials used include graphite, ribbon, rice paper, string, linen, cardstock, acetate, canvas, India ink, lithographs and leaves. The Special Collections area is open 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For more information, call 615-904-8501. For photos of the student art, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.