Monday, March 15, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

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. A reception to celebrate her craft is slated for 4:30-6:00 p.m. Thursday, March 18, in the rotunda. 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.”

A Coen job

The Coen Brothers’ latest movie, “A Serious Man,” won two statuettes at the Independent Spirit Awards, but struck out at the Academy Awards, where it was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. It’s about Larry Gopnik, a physics professor who is tempted to accept a bribe and give a student a failing grade. Dr. Rami Shapiro, adjunct professor of religious studies and an ordained rabbi, says it’s based on the Biblical story of Job. Shapiro says, “The deeper question asked by both Job and Larry is this—what is the nature of God? Neither book nor movie gives us a definitive answer. That isn’t their concern. Their concern is to strip away any ideas you may have about God and see what happens next. … “A Serious Man” opens with a quote attributed to the 11th century rabbi Rashi—‘Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you.’ With this, it sets us up for the answer. Accepting with simplicity means accepting reality without hiding behind theories of reality.”

Read Shapiro’s blog at http://rabbirami.blogspot.com.
rabbirami@gmail.com

Around the house

Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville realized increased sales of single-family homes in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Tennessee Housing Market, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center. Sales rose 20 percent in Nashville, 9.8 percent in Memphis and 16.9 percent in Knoxville. The BERC’s analysis states, “Maintaining improvement in the housing market will require housing price stability and employment growth. Housing prices are experiencing considerable downward pressure in Tennessee. According to Federal Housing Finance Agency data, housing prices are 2.2 percent lower over the year for Tennessee, 2.1 percent lower for Nashville, down 2.2 percent for Memphis and nine-tenths of a percent lower for Knoxville.”

Contact the BERC at 615-898-2610.

TR EXTRA

WAIT UNTIL WINNIE THE POOH HEARS ABOUT THIS!--The MTSU Farm Labs and Dairy Science Club are sponsoring an eight-week beginning course in beekeeping starting Friday, March 19. Classes will meet Friday evenings from 6-8 p.m. in Room 106 of the MTSU Horticulture Center. Two early meetings will be required to install bees during daylight hours. You’ll learn the essentials to understand and practice successful beekeeping and honey marketing from instructors Ed Holcomb and Joe Dement. Class size is limited to 25, so early registration is advised. The registration fee is $350, which covers books and materials to construct your own hive, the bees to start your colony and all equipment to practice beekeeping safely. To register, provide your name, address, phone number, e-mail and registration fee (cash or check) to MTSU Dairy Science Club, Attn: Tim Redd, MTSU Box 5, Murfreesboro, Tenn., 37132. Contact Redd at 615-898-2431 or tredd@mtsu.edu.

THE KURDISH CONDITION--Norman “Rick” Denny, Cmdr., U.S.N. (Ret.), will speak on the topic “Iraqi Kurds: Awaiting the Third American Stab in the Back” at 4 p.m. tomorrow, March 16, in Room 123 of the Cason-Kennedy Nursing Building at MTSU. This forum, sponsored by the MTSU Department of Political Science, is free and open to the public. Denny is a retired naval intelligence officer with more than 30 years of experience in the Middle East. He retired from his position as a civilian analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency effective Jan. 2, 2010. For much of the last few years, Denny has worked as a Northern Iraq analyst serving in Baghdad and Kirkuk. Denny holds master’s degrees in public administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville and in military arts and science from the Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Contact the Department of Political Science at 615-898-2708. For a color jpeg of Denny, contact Gina Logue in the Office of News and Public Affairs at 615-898-5081 or gklogue@mtsu.edu.

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 Thursday, 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.

HOME IS WHERE THE VOLUNTEERS ARE.--MTSU students are building a second Habitat for Humanity home for a Rutherford County resident. Building dates will include Wednesdays, Fridays and some Saturdays. There will be two shifts per day—in the morning from 8:30 a.m. to noon and in the afternoon from noon until 4 p.m. The home dedication is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, March 25. The Office of Leadership and Service is rounding up volunteers from student organizations for this humanitarian effort. The future resident’s family also will be helping to build their home, and Central Middle School and Jason’s Deli are pitching in. Media welcomed. Good photo opportunities throughout the construction process. For more information, contact Jackie Victory at 615-898-5812 or mtleader@mtsu.edu.