Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Blood on the Playstation

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia proved himself to be an unyielding defender of the First Amendment during oral arguments last week in a case about violent video games. In Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association, the high court will determine whether a California law that bans the sale or rental of violent video games to minors is constitutional. David Hudson, adjunct professor of political science and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “Scalia repeatedly pressed California Deputy Attorney General Zackery Morazzini on how to define a ‘violence’ category to avoid banning other, less harmful kinds of violent depictions. Noting that violence is prevalent in fairy tales, Scalia said, ‘Some of the Grimm’s fairy tales are quite grim, to tell you the truth.’”

Contact Hudson at 615-727-1342.
dhudson@fac.org

By the light of the silvery kaboom

Are you among the millions of Americans who are fascinated with “the rockets’ red glare?” Children and grownups alike love fireworks displays and not just on the Fourth of July. Dr. Preston MacDougall, chemistry, says, “In any celebration worth its salt, there will be bombs bursting with every color of the rainbow and more, such as gold, which, the Irish say, is at the end of it. In most cases, the color in a pyrotechnic device does, in fact, come from a salt. For instance, barium-containing salts, similar to those you may have swallowed or taken in at the other end prior to a gastrointestinal X-ray are embedded along with an explosive mixture to give a bright green starburst.”

Contact MacDougall at 615-898-5265.
pmacdoug@mtsu.edu

Continental divide

It turns out the United States isn’t the only nation that balances national security and civil liberties on the basis of the extent to which separation of powers is respected. Dr. Amanda Di Paolo, political science, writes that, while the Canadian Supreme Court purportedly looks to that nation’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms to decide such cases, it only appears to be more rights-based. Di Paolo writes, “The Canadian Supreme Court, like its American counterpart, looks at the procedure of how the law goes about limiting rights over the substance of the legitimacy of the limit in the first place. I conclude that the two courts end up using similar legal reasoning, despite differing approaches, resulting in each state providing a delicate balance between security and liberty.”

Contact Di Paolo at 615-898-2708.
dipaolo@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

EXPLORE THE WAR--After two excursions to the South Pacific to expose students to some of the critical sites of World War II, an MTSU historian prepares to embark on a tour of some of the pivotal sites of the European Theater of Operations for his “Warfare and Public Memory in Western Europe” class (HIST 3070). Dr. Derek Frisby, associate professor of history, will escort students across the continent May 19-June 3, 2011, in tracing the war’s “Great Crusade.” The 16-day tour will include an examination of Normandy; Bastogne; Dachau; Operation Market Garden, a campaign fought in Germany and the Netherlands; and the “Eagle’s Nest,” Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler’s retreat in the mountains above Berchtesgarden. Students also will follow the route of the 101st Airborne Division’s “Band of Brothers.” Tours of Omaha and Utah beaches, Arnhem and the “Battle of the Bulge” site are on the itinerary, as well as the Bayeaux Tapestry, Paris, Verdun and Waterloo. For more information, contact Frisby at 615-904-8097 or dfrisby@mtsu.edu. Financial aid is available. Apply as soon as possible. Contact the Office of Education Abroad and Student Exchange (MT Abroad) at 615-898-5179 or mtabroad@mtsu.edu.

SALUTE--The MTSU Veterans Memorial Committee will plant a tree to honor all Vietnam-era veterans in a ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, near the memorial in front of the Tom H. Jackson Building on campus. In addition, a flag paying tribute to prisoners of war and personnel listed as missing in action will be added to the new flagpole. Rolling Thunder will conduct the POW/MIA flag installation ceremony. The memorial is bipartite black granite wall engraved with the names of members of the MTSU community who have perished in the service of the nation. For more information, contact Robyn Kilpatrick at 615-309-5675.

SIZE MATTERS--Doug Tatum, associate professor in the MTSU Department of Business Communication and Entrepreneurship, will shed light on the topic “Too Big to be Small, Too Small to be Big: Navigating No Man’s Land” in a panel discussion before the Young Presidents’ Organization at 3 p.m. tonight, Nov. 10, in Austin, Tex. Along with experienced CEOs, Tatum will provide insight on how to avoid hurdles during the time in a company’s development when its payroll grows from fewer than 20 employees to more than 100 workers. To talk to Tatum about entrepreneurship in today’s economy, contact him at 615-898-2785 or dtatum@mtsu.edu.

KEEPING IT COOL--Journalist, activist and political analyst Bakari Kitwana will lead a town hall meeting on the intersection of Islam, hip-hop and identity among a new generation of American youth with a panel discussion and viewing of the documentary film “The New Muslim Cool” at 7 p.m. tonight, Nov. 10, in Room 221 of MTSU’s Learning Resources Center. The 2009 film follows Puerto Rican rapper Hamza Perez as he steers away from his former life as a drug dealer and embraces Islam. Following the screening, Kitwana will moderate an interactive panel discussion about the film with Perez and Nura Maznavi, staff attorney with Muslim Advocates, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization. Kitwana is Senior Media Fellow at The Jamestown Project, a think tank based at Harvard University Law School. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Felicia Miyakawa at 615-904-8043 or miyakawa@mtsu.edu.

A RADICAL IDEA--A series of six Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) classes will be offered at no charge from 6-8 p.m. each Thursday through Dec. 2 at MTSU police headquarters, 1412 East Main St. in Murfreesboro. The class will be open to all female MTSU students, faculty and staff, as well as to the general public. A workbook/training manual will be provided to each student. Enrollment is limited. For more information or to enroll, contact MTSU RAD instructor Sgt. David Smith at 615-692-2424 or 615-494-7858.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS--It’s time again for “Operation Christmas Care,” the project that sends holiday cheer to wounded warriors. The service, which was started in 2006 by Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for the Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center, has sent more than 20,000 Christmas cards to hospitalized military personnel. “Unfortunately, our soldiers’ individual support systems often dwindle after the life-threatening danger has passed,” says Norton, “and yet their painful daily regiment toward recovery continues. E-mails are nice, and they’re appreciated, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from the walls of their hospital rooms until they leave.” Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.