Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

In “The Gospel of Relaxation,” philosopher William James wrote, “The American over-tension and jerkiness and breathlessness and intensity and agony of expression are primarily social, and only secondarily physiological, phenomena. They are bad habits, nothing more or less, bred of custom and example, born of the imitation of bad models and the cultivation of false personal ideas.” Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, observes, “I don’t know if this is still a pervasive problem in America, as apparently it was a century ago. I do notice plenty of tense, constricted, contorted faces on my ambles across campus and in town and behind the wheel. I preach my own gospel of relaxation by urging folks to take a hike or a bike ride.”

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

Diggin’ up bones

Dr. Kathy Reichs, producer of the Fox television series “Bones” based on her work and related novels, will visit MTSU as the featured speaker of the Legends in Forensic Science Lectureship at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 14, in Murphy Center. The lecture, titled “From Crime Lab to Crime Fiction,” is free and open to the public. Reichs, known as “Dr. Bones,” has career experience ranging from teaching FBI agents how to detect and recover human remains to separating and identifying commingled body parts. Her novels include Deja Dead, Monday Mourning and 260 Bones. Reichs will sign books following her lecture, and copies of her titles will be available for sale in Phillips Bookstore, located in Keathley University Center, prior to her talk.

For more information, contact the Forensic Institute for Research and Education at 615-494-7713.

Speak softly and carry a big resume.

Dr. Douglas Brinkley will deliver the 19th annual Windham Lecture at MTSU at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 8, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Brinkley, a professor of history at Rice University and a fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, will discuss “The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America.” During the lecture, which is free and open to the public, Brinkley will lead a discussion based on his epic biography of Roosevelt, drawing on never-before-published materials to examine TR’s life and achievements. Brinkley is the author of numerous award-winning books, including The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast (2006) and The Reagan Diaries (2007).

Contact the College of Liberal Arts at 615-494-7628.

TR EXTRA

MTSU MOVIEMAKERS--The initial public viewing of “The New, True Charlie Wu,” the fourth independent film from Dr. Bob Pondillo, electronic media communication, and a crew of MTSU students and alumni will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 17, at Premier 6 Theater, 810 N.W. Broad St. in Murfreesboro. In addition, there will be multiple special nighttime showings from 7-10 p.m. that evening on the first floor of the John Bragg Mass Communication Building. The short movie follows the title character, a young accountant who is disenchanted with his job, on a trip into his subconscious mind, where his overbearing boss and a gospel choir compete for his soul and his future. “Charlie Wu” already has received the Remi Award out of more than 2,400 entries at the 43rd annual Worldfest, the oldest independent film festival in the country, in Houston, as well as “Best Comedy Short” awards from the Smogdance International Film Festival in Pomona, Calif., and the Fifteen Minutes of Fame Film Festival in Palm Bay, Fla. Contact Pondillo at 615-904-8465 or pondillo@mtsu.edu.

INTERESTING ISLAM--The Muslim Students Association (MSA) at MTSU continues its annual Islam Awareness Week today, April 6, with a panel discussion featuring new Muslims titled “Islam and the West,” from 5-7 p.m. in Room 318 of the Keathley University Center. The discussion will be moderated by Yasir Arafat, board member of the Islamic Center of Nashville. All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Saleh Sbenaty, MSA faculty advisor, at 615-898-2966 or ssbenaty@mtsu.edu or Mujitaba Alamiri, MSA President, at mtsu.msa@gmail.com.

TO YOUR HEALTH--Dr. Scott Corlew, chief medical officer of Interplast, will have an open presentation on global health issues from 12:40 to 1:30 p.m. on World Health Day, tomorrow, April 7, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of MTSU’s Business and Aerospace Building. Interplast volunteers visit developing countries to provide free reconstructive surgery for adults and children with cleft palates, disabling burns and hand injuries. The presentation will be of special interest to students majoring in nursing, health and human performance, communication disorders, global studies and pre-health professions. This event is sponsored by the Adams Chair of Excellence in Health Care Services/Center for Health and Human Services and is free and open to the public. Contact Cindy Rhea at 615-904-8342 or crhea@mtsu.edu.

THE MEAT OF THE MATTER--MTSU Raiders Against Animal Cruelty will host a screening of the documentary “Meat the Truth” at 7 p.m. today, April 6, in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building as part of the MTSU Earth Month program. The student organization describes the film as exploring “the environmental impacts of animal agriculture.” According to the American Dietetic Association, meat protein production requires 26 times more water than vegetable protein. A discussion session will follow the film. This event is free and open to the public. To find out more, send an e-mail to mtsu-roar@googlegroups.com.

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 through April 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.

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 mailto:kburriss@mtsu.edu./

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 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).