July 13, 2009
Like it or not, the Indy Racing League is becoming an international series, with American drivers like
Patrick, Andretti and Rahal and internationally known drivers such as Castroneves, Kanaan, Mutoh and
Meira.
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July 13, 2009
Lou HarryThis year’s Indianapolis International Film Festival gets rolling later this usual, with a bump to summer precipitated
in part by the moving on of its founder to the Nashville Film Festival and in part by the move of most of the fest (minus
parties) to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. We’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing most of the
features in competition.
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July 6, 2009
Jim CotaHard drives fail—almost all of them, at one point or another. Back-ups are a little clunky to set up
and keep up with, so most people I know ignore it. I finally decided I couldn’t avoid it any longer.
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July 6, 2009
IBJ StaffThe legislative session that concluded June 30 with passage of a two-year budget left a bad taste in our mouths. For starters,
legislators lacked the courage to tackle local government reformeven though cash-strapped units of government
desperately need the millions of dollars in savings they would generate. In short, they put political cronyism ahead of the
interests of the state.
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July 6, 2009
Chris KatterjohnWhen prominent Egyptologist Zahi Hawass shared stories at a recent event about his personal meeting with President Obama,
my pride was momentarily dashed by the behavior of the people sitting at the next table.
When Hawass noted how impressed he was with our new president, these people became incredulous. They started snickering like
schoolchildren.
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July 6, 2009
Morton MarcusIf we are lucky, by the time you read these words the Indiana General Assembly will have passed a new budget. Democrats use
tarot cards and Republicans chicken innards to determine how much to spend. There are alternatives.
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July 6, 2009
John GuyWhile transparency is a stated goal of many corporations, deliberations regarding distribution of shareholder property
to executives are not subject to light of day or to review. Instead, decision-making is camouflaged by
thousands of words that appear substantial but disclose little.
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July 6, 2009
I own and manage a small business. WellPoint is our health insurance carrier. I have an employee, makes good money. He is
in excellent health but he is diabetic. WellPoint won't insure him!
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July 6, 2009
[In his June 22 column, Bruce Hetrick asked,] "Is global citizenship 'intellectual nonsense and stunningly dangerous?'"
This question, reflective of Newt Gingrich's recent statement declaring himself not "a citizen of
the world" elicited personal incredulousness.
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July 6, 2009
Ed FeigenbaumAs both House Speaker Pat Bauer, D-South Bend, and House Republican Leader Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, see it, this is definitely
a "Republican-flavored" budget. Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels laid the framework, and legislators from both sides
of the aisle largely abided by his bottom lines of spending, state agency cuts and surplus.
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July 6, 2009
Mike HicksIt would be artless this week to write an article on economics and business in Indiana without remarking upon the passing
of John Fisher. Much has been written about his legacy over this past week, so I will make do with an anecdote and a lesson
I have learned from him.
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July 6, 2009
Lou HarryI entered "Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharoahs" (at the Children's Museum of
Indianapolis through Oct. 25) with a limited knowledge of Egyptian historyand by limited, I mean
loose threads picked up from a handful of Mummy movies, the Bible, and a few too many productions of "Joseph and the
Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat."
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July 6, 2009
Lou HarrySearch the Web for Naisa and you may come up with the North American International Auto Show or the Native American and Indigenous
Studies Association. Neither has anything to do with the new Naisa Pan-Asian Cafe (1025 Virginia Ave., 602-3708), where the
name comes from simply reversing the letters in the word Asian.
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June 29, 2009
Andrea Muirragui DavisOne of just three Maker’s Mark restaurants in the country—the others are in Louisville, Ky., and Kansas City,
Mo.—the upscale eatery would have been a good fit in downtown Indianapolis or in one of the suburban dining-and-shopping
meccas.
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June 29, 2009
Frank BasileThere's nothing like following the wildly influential thinker Charles Darwin's own footsteps, which I
had the pleasure of doing by visiting the beautiful, mysterious, isolated and enchanted Galapagos Islands.
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June 29, 2009
Ken SkarbeckTarget-date mutual funds, a popular investment vehicle in 401(k) plans and college savings plans, have recently come under
scrutiny by Congress and regulators. Investors are in an uproar over the recent poor performance of funds nearing their target
date.
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June 29, 2009
Mike HicksUnemployment often is a necessary and natural part of a healthy economy. But job losses that come when workers or even entire
industries become redundant are especially painful.
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June 29, 2009
CJ McClanahanHere's why some leaders are able to get so much more out of their teams than others.
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June 29, 2009
Morton MarcusTo use a gardening metaphor, have the courage to prune back in a tough economy, and plant new seeds before the weather improves.
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June 29, 2009
John GuyThe folks who control executive compensation are often executives themselves. Boards must realize that their self-dealing,
self-benefiting ways are grossly out of line with the true value of one's contribution to a business and society.
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June 29, 2009
Michael KellerFledgling attorneys face a legal industry in defensive mode, resulting in drooping employment figures.
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June 29, 2009
Arend AbelFed up with excessive fees, some clients have started demanding alternatives to the tried-and-true methods, such as "value-based
legal services."
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June 27, 2009
Lou HarryThis week, catching "Octopus" at the Phoenix and opening night on the Prairie.
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June 22, 2009
Lou HarryWhen you play Skee-ball and aim for the
100-point hole, you miss most of the time. However, if you aim for the 30, you have a much better chance
of scoring. You might not get a high score, but you'll win enough
tickets to want to play again. How does that translate into my dining
experience at the new Dave & Buster's?
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June 22, 2009
The city has unveiled a dramatic plan for new housing and retail development to revitalize the old Market Square Arena site.
Despite some shortcomings, the project deserves a chance to give the stagnant area a boost.
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liek the rest of America
These quaint,obsessed musings by the stalkers are certainly entertaining, but I'm trying to figure out what, if anything, all the yelping below has to do with Zak Brown.
It's evident that Moffett was pushing the right buttons and corporate America is now trying to squash him. He just wanted to withdraw the free pilot services provided to the company by the pilots to try and put some pressure on a company that has not been interested in negotiating a contract in over 5 years. The company does not provide a contract because not having one has saved them a bundle of money. Shame on any Republic pilots not standing behind their union leader just because things are getting tough, can you not see such strategic moves by the company as putting the last union president in a corporate position and into THEIR pocket. Do you really believe the last union president is so appalled at the attempts by Moffett, do you not remember his oppositions to the company? We stood behind him. It has been proven over and over again for thousands of years without fail, a man cannot serve two masters. Anyone that believes people vote contrary to their paycheck and livelihood deserve to be taken advantage of, the recent statements by the former union president are laughable as he denounces the current union president from his new corporate position. Have you ever seen a drafted sports player score points for his previous team, it cannot be done, he is not on the pilots side anymore, he gets his money a different way now than you and I do, and he should not be allowed to remain on the seniority list. A drafted player brings strength, credibility, tactical knowledge, and a strategic advantage to his NEW team, he would not be drafted or paid were it otherwise. We are all forced to choose only one side to play for and support, not doing so has many references in life such as insider trading and shaving points, all illegal for good reason. This basic fact is why corporate moguls, scientist, and engineers all sign non-discloser agreements and non-compete clauses, as protection in case they are lured into switching sides as our former union president has done. No NFL coach ever drafted a player so that both teams could benefit and better understand each other, they are recruited to win the game against that former team, period. Likewise the company does not recruit the former union president by accident or mutual understanding, its strategy. Don't confuse playing the game with good sportsman-like conduct in support of common business and prosperity goals, with the requirement to only play for one side. Good men we all love and favor fall subject to this manipulation, often without their knowledge, and it is not a betrayal of their friendship to oppose them when they switch sides. If we did not love and trust them, they would not have been chosen and lured to the other side in the first place. The deception by the drafted player is not made at a conscious level, it's just human nature and it's all about money and power which corrupts our ability to be objective and loyal to two masters. This is why our court system created the defense attorney, and why our military created counter intelligence. Its strategy and its propaganda, and it works, and that's why the "powers to be" manipulate the chess pieces by sometimes changing their colors. Some players know they are being manipulated when their color is changed, but it brings them more money and power so they do not care. The rest have good intentions but do not even realize they are being manipulated. This tactic is also known by another name, Divide and Conquer. In battle sending an imperfect message with an imperfect team is obviously not ideal, but it's still being sent by YOUR team, your union leader, a leader that has common goals and common rewards with you, they are the best, because we have elected them to do a job for us. If you are not backing Moffett but believing the spin by those that have recently switched sides, you are taking food out of your own mouth. Showing unity and backing an imperfect situation still results in taking just as much ground, it's about unity and bargaining power. It's not necessary to wait around for that perfect attack because it will never come, the company will spin and attempt to destroy anyone that gets in their way. Ultimately it's not about any specific attack anyway, ASAP or whatever it makes no difference, it is and always has been only about power. If this company cared about safety it would not build pairings with 8 hour overnights, come on, are you that naive? Besides, do you really think Hoffa cares, no, he got a call from corporate America and was squeezed into denouncing Moffett. If he didn't they would spin the safety card against him and the Teamsters National with implication for truckers, future contracts, insurance rates etc...saying something like the Teamsters use safety as a bargaining chip, blah blah blah... Do you really think any pilot is going to do something unsafe for the contract, absolutely not, the only ones threatening safety here is the company with reduced rest, fatigue, and poverty. Do you not find it odd that Hoffa and the Teamsters are opposing a Teamster president publicly? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and work with one of their own? Why did they not sit down and help him strategize, correct any mistakes, and charge ahead? Would the Teamsters National not normally support and leverage a contract for all those pilots that have been paying Teamster dues, isn't that why we have all been paying Teamster dues in the first place? I sure haven't been paying dues so that the Teamsters National could come along and write this kind of an article undercutting our union leader and our unity. Whose side is the Teamsters National really on, it's obviously not the Republic pilots side.
No matter what Moffatt does the company is going to spin it like he is the terrorist and brainwash people like you into believing it, wake up, back your players that are trying to change things for you and your livelihood. Where has Hoffa been for the last 6 years, except collecting our dues. Seriously, do you really think an FO going for upgrade, signed off by a checkairman ready for the upgrade, who then fails, is not even capable of returning as a First Officer.
whoa!