Everything And Nothing

USM site offers economic data

The University of Southern Mississippi's College of Business offers comprehensive economic data for Mississippi and the United States from 1969-2005 through a new interactive Web site.

The site provides economic and demographic data for all 82 Mississippi counties, as well as the U.S. While the current data available runs to 2005, updating to 2006 is expected soon.

Award-winning Poets Plan Sessions at USM

The University of Southern Mississippi's Center for Writers will host two award-winning poets in December, Stuart Dischell and Lucie Brock-Broido, as part of its Visiting Writers Series.

Dischell, winner of the National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship in Literature and the Pushcart Prize, will visit the university Dec. 7-8 to conduct a graduate poetry workshop and meet privately with students.

Dischell will conclude his stay with a public reading at 7 p.m. on Dec. 8 in the Liberal Arts Building's Gonzalez Auditorium.

The Center for Writers Visitors Series will continue Dec. 15-16 with a reading by Brock-Broido.

Brock-Broido has published three volumes of poetry and has been honored with the Massachusetts Book Award in Poetry, the American Poetry Review Jerome J. Shestack Prize for Poetry, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Poetry, a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Poetry and other prestigious awards.

She will read at 7 p.m. on Dec. 15 in the International Studies Auditorium at USM.

USM professor takes part in documentary of Lucas series

Like many people, Andrew Wiest grew up admiring the work of legendary filmmaker George Lucas. Now, thanks to Wiest's historical expertise, he's a part of it.

Wiest, a professor of history at the University of Southern Mississippi, traveled to California last month to tape portions of a documentary that will accompany a DVD collection of Lucas' television series The Young Indy Chronicles.

Southern Miss to play at least five TV games

Southern Mississippi's football team will appear on television at least five times this season, according to the TV schedule released May 17 by Conference USA.

ESPN will televise at least one Southern Miss game, ESPN2 will broadcast at least two and CSTV will televise one game. Additionally, the Golden Eagles' game Sept. 10 at Alabama will be picked up by either ESPN or ESPN2.

The Oct. 21 game between Southern Miss and UAB will kick off at 7 p.m. CDT and will be televised by ESPN.

ESPN2 will broadcast the season opener Sept. 4 against Tulane and the Nov. 8 weeknight game against C-USA newcomer Marshall.

CSTV will televise the Oct. 8 game between the Golden Eagles and new C-USA member Tulsa.

ESPN also will broadcast the Conference USA championship game Dec. 3, and has deals to show the league's five affiliated bowl games. (via Sun Herald)

Thames the talk of College Board

The state College Board is holding a special meeting today to talk about University of Southern Mississippi President Shelby Thames, who is not expected to attend.

Storytelling event set for Hattiesburg

Scholastic Library Publishing, a division of Scholastic, Inc., will host a special storytelling event tomorrow to kick off the University of Southern Mississippi's 38th annual Faye B. Kaigler Children's Book Festival, set for April 6 through April 8 at the Hattiesburg Lake Terrace Convention Center.

The storytelling session will feature children's author and storyteller Coleen Salley. Salley will read to 250 kindergarten through third grade students from Lillie Burney Elementary School. Scholastic will donate books to all of the children who attend the event.

For more information, call Leora Madden, Scholastic account executive and USM alumna, at (601) 842-5581.

USM to host All-State Orchestra this week

The Mississippi All-State Orchestra, made up of students statewide, will congregate at The University of Southern Mississippi April 1-3 for rehearsals and workshops and will culminate their efforts with a final public performance at 11:30 a.m. April 3 in Bennett Auditorium. The concert is free and open to the public.

The Mississippi All-State Orchestra 2004 is a program sponsored by the Mississippi Orchestra Teachers Association. Students auditioned regionally in Tupelo or in Gulfport.

"To be selected to perform in the All-State Orchestra is the highest honor that a Mississippi orchestral student can achieve," said Dr. Jay Dean, musical director of the Symphony Orchestra at Southern Miss. Claudio Tarris, a native of Argentina, will conduct this year's All-State Orchestra.

For more information on the program, contact Gladys Torres at (601) 408-0755.

One Voice, One Orchestra, One Night Only

Celebrating its 84th season, the Southern Miss Symphony Orchestra and conductor Jay Dean will perform with famed tenor Placido Domingo April 2 at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi.

Domingo has sung in every major opera house in the world and has made more than 100 recordings (and 97 are full-length operas). He has earned 11 Grammys.

Sponsored by the Beau Rivage, the concert will consist of operatic highlights as well as popular Spanish songs and other Domingo favorites. Tickets are available for the 8 p.m. show through the USM Ticket Office at (800) 844-8425, (601) 266-5418 or www.usm.edu/tickets.