Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Cash crops

The second Ag Career Day for MTSU agribusiness and agriscience students and alumni will be held from 9:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, March 17, in the Stark Agricultural Building on campus. Farm Credit Services, Kroger Manufacturing, the Tennessee Farmers Cooperative and U.S. Department of Agriculture are among the corporate vendors participating. Prospective employers will be recruiting from all three majors and concentrations (agricultural business, plant and soil science and animal science) as well as for internships and grad school opportunities. Professional attire is encouraged and students and alumni should bring updated copies of their resumes. Ag Career Day is sponsored by the Student Agriculture Council, the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience staff and faculty and the MTSU Career Development Center.

Contact Nicole Green at 615-494-8797
kngreen@mtsu.edu
or contact Dr. Warren Gill at 615-898-2523.
wgill@mtsu.edu

Jobless and joyless

The fourth quarter was not kind to the Middle Tennessee economy, according to Midstate Economic Indicators, a publication of MTSU’s Business and Economic Research Center (BERC). Dr. David Penn, director of the BERC, writes, “The unemployment rate, steady at 10.2 percent for the Midstate and 9.3 percent for the Nashville MSA (metropolitan statistical area), has shown little change for the third consecutive quarter. This news is not as positive as it seems because the lower unemployment rate reflects the reality that thousands of Tennesseans have stopped searching for work, as evidenced by the substantial decline in the labor force. To illustrate, total employment in the Midstate declined 64,000 over the year, but unemployment rose just 34,000; the difference, 30,000 workers, represent those who have dropped out of the labor force.”

Contact Penn at 615-898-2610.
dpenn@mtsu.edu

Don’t be rude to the nude dude!

When zoning laws force adult businesses to relocate away from schools, playgrounds and churches, by law, the businesses must have places to go. But what if there aren’t any other suitable locations in town? On March 10, the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that an adult business can challenge the sufficiency of the alternative sites not only when the zoning law is passed, but when it files its legal challenge, even if that occurs years later. David Hudson, adjunct political science professor and First Amendment Center scholar, says, “Even though this decision is, on balance, a positive development, this area of the law is still tough for adult businesses. That’s because the law does not require the alternative sites to be profitable or commercially viable. … If government officials would not pass increasingly restrictive zoning and licensing laws, then adult businesses wouldn’t have to file so many First Amendment challenges.”

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

TR EXTRA

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.”

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. today, 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.