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Coming attraction: Imax theater in Noblesville: Technology lets theaters show Hollywood blockbusters

Once upon a time not so long ago, Imax films were nearly synonymous with museums. In Indianapolis and elsewhere, the largeformat movie screens-some as big as the side of an eight-story building-featured 40-minute films that took viewers to exotic places like outer space or the top of Mount Everest, and were usually attached to educational and cultural institutions. But technology that debuted in 2002 is bringing Imax screens to suburbia-including to Noblesville in 2008. Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Goodrich Quality Theaters…

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NOTIONS: Let’s clear the air at state schools

Long ago, I did some work for Special Olympics. In the process, I learned a semantic preference of the organization: One never says “mentally retarded people.” One says “people with mental retardation.” The rationale: These athletes are people first, not a condition. Long ago, I also did AIDS education and prevention work. In the process, I learned a semantic preference of health organizations and their clients: One never says “AIDS victims.” One says “people with AIDS.” The rationale: Those with…

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Papa program: boon or boondoggle? EYE ON THE PIE Morton Marcus:

The sleet was furious, but there stood Fred Fetid, my neighbor, at my front door. “May I come in?” he said. “Certainly,” I responded. He took off his soaked coat. I turned on the faux fireplace in my living room, got him some bourbon and asked, “What’s up?” “I’m confused,” Fred said. “Just last week, Sen. Evan Bayh announced that nearly $1 million will come to the Indiana Youth Institute to encourage responsible fatherhood. It’s part of a $50 million…

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Taking apart PCs, rebuilding lives: Workforce Inc. recycling program helps ex-prisoners prepare for employment

Timothy Smith spent 22 years behind bars for committing a violent crime he’d rather not talk about. The Indianapolis native released from prison just two months ago cannot stop praising the transitional program meant to help him and other former inmates find jobs and rebuild their lives. “This place has been a godsend for me,” Smith said. “Coming out of prison, you don’t have much of a job history. It gives you something to look forward to.” Smith, who entered…

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Techies push for education initiatives: Daniels administration trying to heed call to build a better-equipped work force with ‘Accelerating Growth’ plan

The numbers are daunting. According to Gov. Mitch Daniels’ economic development plan “Accelerating Growth,” Indiana ranks 35th out of 50 states for the proportion of its population with at least an associate’s degree. Worse, it ranks 47th for bachelor’s degrees. A full million Hoosiers “lack the basic skills necessary for 21st century employment,” according to the plan. That’s about a sixth of the state’s population. High-tech leaders are increasingly focused on reversing the trend. They know the availability of a…

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Techpoint’s new leader sees room to grow: Indiana making progress, but could do better, he says

Techpoint, a locally based technology trade group that represents the interests of about 330 members statewide, is undergoing a transition in leadership. Jim Jay, 37, has been named interim CEO following the resignation of Cameron Carter, who has led the organization since 2003. Directors should begin a formal search for a permanent replacement the first of the year. Whether Jay lands the top job remains to be seen. But in the meantime, the Butler University graduate with an entrepreneurial spirit…

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Our technology woes begin in grade school

Those of us who work for universities soon become acquainted with the concept of tenure, which is a status typically conferred upon those of faculty rank who have demonstrated to their colleagues the ability to teach and conduct research to a high standard. Those who achieve tenured status are more free to speak their minds about controversial issues, since it is much more difficult for their superiors to terminate or dismiss them without just cause. The words penned in this…

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EYE ON THE PIE: How much do property rights matter?

Rep. Roberta Righteous won reelection to the Indiana House again this year without opposition. We met for coffee and cinnamon rolls at a quiet spot near the Statehouse. “What’s going to be this year’s hot topic in the Legislature?” I asked. “Not prayer,” she said. “Not abortion, not education, not even jobs. The issue will be protecting property rights.” “Are property rights being threatened?” I asked, licking the frosting from my fingers. “No more than usual,” she responded with a…

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Martin University to lose its founder, but not his philosophy

In an 80-grit patch of the city fluent in poverty and despair, the Rev. Father Boniface Hardin lectures a visitor on how businesspeople need to learn the language and culture of countries where they operate. If not out of deference, then do it for practical reasons, he says, painting a picture of foreign business partners who “bow their heads and say, ‘This guy is one big sucker and we can rip him off,’ in their language.” What at first sounds…

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High school dropouts go under microscope: IPS seeks answers from leaders on costly problem

Indianapolis Public Schools late this month plans to convene a community panel to help the state’s largest school system implement a dropout prevention plan next spring. The first public meeting of the 50-person panel is set for Nov. 27 and comes as a new report suggests Indiana dropouts cost taxpayers $62 million a year. The panel is made up of a wide range of people, from parents to community leaders. Each of the estimated 21,000 dropouts statewide costs the state…

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NOTIONS: A memo to winning pols from the middling masses

One of my sons will vote for the first time this week. His twin got so busy with schoolwork and extracurriculars that he missed the registration deadline. With only a fraction of eligible American voters casting ballots on the Tuesday after the first Monday this November, “majority rules” once again will be a misnomer. In fact, with only the most partisan and deep-pocketed among us ruling the day and candidates pandering primarily to such activists’ priorities, “fringe rules” would more…

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EYE ON THE PIE: We all could use a dose of civility

Whenever life seems too gloomy to endure, there is relief to be found in the antics of the Bloomington City Council. That body of jokesters recently voted to permit households within the city limits to keep up to five chickens. These chickens will help supply fresh eggs, thereby reducing the community’s dependency on unnatural food sources. (No, dear reader, I did not make this up.) We will not claim the City Council of Bloomington is sexist because it permits egg-laying…

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New ballet school takes over space left by failed dance group

Victoria Lyras began classes for her newly created Indianapolis School of Ballet Aug. 21 in 10,500-square-foot quarters on Capitol Avenue that previously housed Ballet Internationale's Clara R. Noyes Academy, which closed in November because of financial problems. ISB has 20 students so far.

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Estate planning lawyers can become specialists: New exam lets Indiana attorneys become certified

Attorney Jeff Hawkins has focused his law practice on estate planning and administration law for 14 years. He considers himself experienced but is not yet ready to declare himself a “specialist” or “certified” estate-planning attorney. That happens in November, and the designation depends on results of an exam. The Indiana State Bar Association has recently adopted a plan to make estate planning and administration a specialty status of law in Indiana, joining four other focuses that have donned the stature…

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VOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Taxes, school, health costs challenge affluent families

Affluent families face many threats to their wealth. But three forces eroding the legacies in almost all of them are taxes, education costs and post-retirement health care. Fortunately, with proper planning, there are steps you can take to help ensure your wealth carries you through retirement comfortably with ample left over for your heirs. Make taxes manageable Taxes may be unavoidable but they can be managed in a way that makes them less destructive to your wealth. Specifically, the alternative…

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TAWN PARENT Commentary: Our dead deserve better than this

Forget coming late to the daylightsaving time party. Even higher on the list of things we Hoosiers should be embarrassed about is our coroner system. Of course, embarrassment isn’t the half of it. More troubling is that we elect and counties pay coroners who need no qualifications whatsoever, other than being adults and living in the county where they’re elected. (Their day jobs range from truck driver to boat pilot.) Worst of all is the hindrance these underqualified officials can…

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NOTIONS: Dear philanthropist: Make me a daydream believer

Last month, I picked up my boys in Fort Wayne, drove north on Interstate 69, hooked a left at Interstate 94, and got off at the Portage, Mich., exit. There, we whiled away the weekend at a family reunion. The grownups ate too much, caught up on gossip and puttered around the lake in the speedboat. The teenagers, whom we rarely saw, did X-Box battle in the basement. On Sunday, after the kids had surfaced for lunch and the grandparents…

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Student sponsorship deal raises money, criticism

The Indianapolis office of Zurich-based UBS Financial Services Inc. is experimenting with “adopting” the freshman class at Herron High School as the UBS Scholars of 2010. Its foundation made a $100,000 gift to the startup charter school, and local employees made a commitment to tutor, mentor and otherwise support its first 92 students.

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State’s new arts leader plans to take more public role: Indiana Arts Commission’s strategy calls for Executive Director Lewis Ricci to be a vocal advocate for funding

In the fall of 2005, the Indiana Arts Commission started a rigorous study to draft its next five-year strategy. After public hearings around the state, the full 15-member arts commission voted this summer to adopt the new plan. And now commissioners have someone to implement it. The chosen man, Lewis Ricci, is itching to take over the spot and turn the commission into a bully pulpit for the importance of the arts-and the need for public funding. “Advocacy is one…

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TOM HARTON Commentary: Crime takes indirect swipe at the arts

In Indianapolis, when the crime rate goes up or kids’ test scores go down, it’s not uncommon for people to point the finger at publicly funded sports facilities. “Our priorities are screwed up,” observers opine. “We spend too much money on these playgrounds for the rich, and not enough on cops, courts and public education.” The sports establishment here has been batting away this criticism for years. It goes with the territory in a city where sports is an important…

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