HENDERSON: Indianapolis getting squeezed by suburbs
Indianapolis’ successful suburbs are rapidly surrounding the city. More important, tax and cultural shifts
are starting to drain Marion County.
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HOLIFIELD: Build consensus before building facilities
Only a handful
of public building projects have earned permission from voters, leading local officials to delay or consider abandoning much-needed
projects.
WIEGAND: Who’s monitoring home construction?
About 18 months ago, I watched as the entire exterior of an expensive condo on the Central Canal—originally
built in 1996—was rebuilt. Among the issues: There was no building paper (Tyvek) under the siding, treated lumber wasn’t
used on the exposed porches, and neither was there any drainage.
GARNER: Find a mentor to make you better
Most people muddle through, often learning the hard way. But those who are successful will point to
mentors who helped them find their way.
DOUGLAS: Regulate the raters, but not too much
In Washington, the Senate Banking Committee is considering far-reaching legislation regulating the financial services
industry in the wake of the recent and ongoing crisis. This legislation will dramatically change the relationship between
the federal government and some of our financial institutions.
MORTON: Colts’ decision was all business
The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to pull the plug on a potential undefeated season was made for one reason: “What
must we do to win Super Bowl XLIV in Miami on Feb. 7?”
RYAN: Recession could prompt tax reform
A new study by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that states have narrowed
a collective budget gap by $145.9 billion in the fiscal year that began July 1, only to be faced with another $28.2 billion
gap for the remainder of the fiscal year. And fiscal 2011 and 2012 are equally bleak.
SLAUGHTER: Imagine a world without deadlines
The
reason we have deadlines is that they act as inflection points in the hierarchy of work. Each phase of work has a deadline:
an opportunity for failure and rejection.
PAYNE: How we can improve our ‘talent dividend’
We Hoosiers are starting to treat education with a sense of urgency and as something
worth achieving. This response to our city’s, state’s and country’s education crisis is reassuring, because the
stakes couldn’t be higher.
GUY: Ethical collapses offer many lessons
“The Seven Signs of Ethical Collapse,” by Marianne M. Jennings, caused me to wonder whether investors
could have avoided various corporate disasters in Indiana.
WIEGAND: School competition good for community
It’s vitally important to have innovative, competitive and successful
school options available to attract and retain middle-class families in the neighborhoods.
RHODES: Volunteering offers huge payback
On any given day in Indianapolis, hundreds of people will volunteer their time tutoring children, stocking food pantry
shelves, raising funds and providing leadership for not-for-profit organizations that are making a difference in our community.
FELDMANN: Put customer interest before revenue
Understanding the customer and his or her motivation is priceless, but it’s
old-school and just half of the solution. The other half, making it easy
for the customer to engage, is what sets growing organizations apart from stagnant ones.
SHABAZZ: Thank you for choosing to smoke, or not
Anti-smoking advocates like to push the image of servers forced to work in a smoke-filled bar because they have no choice. Sorry my friends, in real life the facts tend to lead otherwise.
GROSSMAN: Just what are ‘green jobs,’ anyway?
Indiana officials appear to be working hard to get our share of the 5 million “green jobs” President
Obama says he’ll create. Sounds like a good idea, except for one problem: No one can really say just what
a green job is.
HENDERSON: Airport terminal, one long year later
As an all-too-frequent flier, I’ve had a chance to get the full-love experience of the new airport terminal numerous
times in its first year. The summary is that it’s both tolerable, and I have no choice.
JOSEPH: Will new rules end blog pay for play?
This month, the Federal Trade Commission announced new rules
aimed at increasing transparency in social media advertising. Starting Dec. 1, bloggers and other users of social media tools,
such as Twitter and Facebook, must disclose if they have received any type of payment in exchange for promotion, advertising
or endorsement.
WIEGAND: Does Indianapolis suffer from ‘economic apartheid’?
I see Mayor Greg Ballard’s plan to demolish abandoned homes as a sign of failure, an acknowledgment
that our leaders—those whom we elected, business leaders, policy people, and leaders of not-for-profits—have failed
us, much in the same way leaders dramatically failed the auto companies, investment banks and mortgage companies.
HUDNUT: In appreciation of Mel Simon
I happened to be in Indianapolis the week before Mel Simon passed away on Sept. 16, and talked with his secretary about visiting him briefly, because I knew he was very ill. But he was too ill to see me.
FAENZI: Can Kindle and books co-exist?
While on a long flight recently, I noticed that the woman sitting next to me was using a “Kindle,” the e-book
device that allows one to download books and click through pages. I mourn the fading away of the tangible,
the sensual—books, newspapers, letters.