Baked with Love

They would survive nuclear holocaust. At least, this is the urban legend that pervaded my childhood – a storehouse of Hostess Twinkies would keep us all alive long enough to find our way to the pocket of humanity left in some bucolic compound unaffected by our self-destruction. The yellow little cakes represented a permanent indication of our ultimate civility. Even if we couldn’t preserve our great buildings or the teetering amalgam of our races and beliefs, these snacks would long serve as a reminder of our great, if unsustainable, society.

The Tough Questions

“Daddy, what’s rape?” queried the little girl. This kind of interrogatory sends chills down a parent’s spine. Not only is one concerned about what might have precipitated the attention of the child but one is also maddened by the reality of a world where someone so tender is exposed to something so brutal. No doubt in a world of instant communication, few are spared the spillover effect from a constant and uncensored stream of information.

Naturally Interested

While we love our home and being there, it seems that days go by without ever sitting down to a meal. And though I lament this reality, there is so much good happing on the other side of our front door to which receptivity is warranted. So we gather our family and go into the world. Heartland Truly Moving Pictures gave us such an opportunity just this past week. Our family had been in Brown County for much of the weekend, enjoying the turning autumn colors and the company of good friends. But we dashed off to tux up and attend the annual awards gala as the guest of a dedicated board member. It would have been easy to have demurred. It would have been easy to pass on another event. But as so often happens, we are certainly glad that we did not. Heartland’s film festival has become an Indianapolis and now international must-do. The winning film “Cairo” illustrates the reality of sexism in the Muslim world. Check it and others out at www.trulymovingpictures.org.

Trust Me

Who do we trust? Do we trust our spouses? Our kids?Our parents?Ourselves? Or, do we trust strangers? Experts?Journalists?Government? This simple question has vexed human kind since we could first consider our own existence. Perhaps it harkens back to time in the cave when we most had to rely upon one another. If we chose a weak or irresponsible member to our clan, we’d likely not survive very long in the harsh reality of a saber-toothed world. So, we developed mechanisms to measure the veracity and reliability of the promised commitment of others. The most successful of us became acutely aware of deceit and chose to align with those more worthy of our confidence. The trust in us of others became crucial to our flourishing. Even now, centuries later, political candidates vie to convince us of their genuineness in a desire to advance their own agenda.

Terminal Patience

Indianapolis needs its own airline. Certainly, the new airport is beautiful. It makes the travel experience better in almost every way. But could we have spent the billion or so dollars needed to construct the new edifice to buy our own carrier replete with an abundance of direct flights? On a day when I didn’t need to leave the house before 4:30 AM to make an astonishingly early first leg of a flight to Boston, I might be more reasonable in my assessment of our local travel options. Certainly, those who are dedicated to such matters work hard to give us as much choice as possible and make Indy an attractive alternative to airlines both major and minor. Yet sitting in a filthy and over-used hub waiting for yet again another connection, one is justified in expressing frustration. With each point on the map, the chance of lost luggage, missed connection and weather delay increases. But, we can take stock that our mileage award miles rack-up faster when our flight home from DC stops off in Cleveland. 

There’s Something About Scary

Halloween is rapidly approaching and with it comes the corresponding host of traditions. Some of us will festoon the house – top to bottom with all matter of frightening (and fun) paraphernalia designed to usher in the coming winter. Others, no doubt, will resist the event all together decrying the ritual, at best, as a fiction invented by enterprising greeting card manufacturers (like so many modern American holidays) or, at worst, a throwback to paganism unworthy of national celebration. But many more will simply carve a pumpkin, help the kids dress as their favorite Disney princess or mutant ninja turtle, and pass out some candy picked up earlier that day at a convenience store on the way home from work.

Was Marley Right?

Delusions of altruism aside, most humans are fundamentally self-interested. That doesn’t mean that we are all some form of Dickensonian Scrooge awaiting a visit from the three apparitions to put us on the path to righteousness. Instead, the statement simply acknowledges that we mostly tend to do what makes us feel good. Some of us like to run companies. Some of us like to run governments. Some of us like to teach. Others of us like to create. Whatever the proclivity, our natures will find a way to lead us there. Clearly, one’s motivation is rarely neatly segregated – it would be most accurate to understand that there are a plethora of reasons instigating our actions all-the-while recognizing that overarching themes drive us to make important life choices.

Tired of Yearning

In 1882 wealthy poet Emma Lazarus, along with a number of other artists and writers, was asked to donate an original poem to support the proposed construction of a monument in New York City. Originally she demurred, claiming that she couldn’t really emote for a statue. Moreover, she was already fully charitably engaged working for against the deplorable conditions of those fleeing anti-Semitism across Europe. Eventually, she agreed and penned “The New Colossus” hoping it might bring attention to the difficulties faced by the newly arriving refugees into America. Not only was her work well regarded by those attending the benefit, officials ultimately declared it worthy of posting in bronze at the base of the new work, The Statue of Liberty.

Taxing Consideration

For as long as there have been politicians when an election looms, candidates name-call, prevaricate and foment envy, jealously and outright hatred. In an America where only half of us pay taxes, the conflict over money is like Clark Griswold’s Thanksgiving Day argument with his perpetually unemployed brother-in-law – “give me money, you have too much.”Westill determine one’s worth by paycheck – but now when one’s earnings exceed average they are judged as BAD. Isn’t this the same as criticizing Michael Jordan for scoring more points than the rest of the league?

Like most things, it is a matter of perspective. If one benefits from government handouts, those programs make sense. If one pays for them, value becomes the top priority. We rarely mind when someone else is being taxed; so it would seem that the trick is to only tax those who don’t vote for our side? Rich or poor, no one likes to pay. Long ago, Adam Smith pointed to the truth that we care more about smashing our own fingers than the deaths of a million in China.

Reading List

Thanks to new technologies and electronic medium, we are all more connected now than perhaps at any point in the course of human history. Yet, many of us report and isolated, even lonely, in the middle of this jumble of humanity and clanging smart phones. Even with my own business and civic involvements, LinkedIn, while helpful, simply isn’t enough. We seek ways to experience real commonality – the kind that at once binds us to each other and elevates our mutual understanding. While we spend hours together every day, week or month, our busy lives and constant distractions often prevent authenticity or even facilitate superficiality

Smelling Roses

“You should stop and smell the roses,” they admonish. Stop working, building and accumulating and enjoy fruits from that labor and the gifts of God. While I get the point, finding the balance continues to flummox me. Doesn’t it often seem like we trying to drink from a fire hydrant – the water is either absent or raging. Taking a tiny sip requires distance and perspective. Drink too close to the source and it’s going to hurt. We constantly struggle with the choices we’re forced to make between family, work, charity, spirituality and even ourselves. Perhaps this affliction of the modern age is of minor consequence. When one is starving or fearful of wild animals, priorities become very clear-cut. But in a world that fully meets basic needs, we have choice. And that freedominvites moral hazard.

Awakening Hope

Eric Howard is a rare breed of man. He is the kind of a guy, singular of mission and focus, who manages to produce results in areas were many would fail to find faith. Through the local not-for-profit he leads, Outreach (www.outreachindiana.org) which carries the tagline hope for homeless youth , he and his crew have managed, in a landscape more challenged by difficult economic realities and pervasive collapse of the family unit, to deliver more than hope.

As one might expect, there are horrific consequences for teenagers who find themselves by circumstance or design to be on the street and without home or family. The things that many of these kids do to survive – literally to stay alive – are not fit to print in a family newspaper. Yet Outreach takes a pragmatic approach to the lot. In a self-published book, Awakening: Stories of Hope, the organization tells the tales of young people who, in spite of all odds strive to pull themselves from despair. Unlike the split second sound bites and apocryphal accounts of MTV, this all-too-real world is filled with failure as much as it is triumph.

Dog Day Afternoon

Humans have domesticated and kept animalssince earliest times. Then, even as now, we shared our food and domestic arrangements with these furry friends. And they, like us, flourished because of the construct. Today, cats, dogs and just about every other sort of manageable beast from boa to potbelly can be found domiciled with Homo sapien. To be sure, we benefit from the relationship. In fact, many people-serving institutions from retirement homes, centers for the disabled and even prisons include pet “therapy” in their work.

We Are the Champions

So the nationally distributed periodical, Money magazine, chose to name one of our one central Indiana communities as the Best Place to Live in America. At first blush, it seems like an amazing honor – it seems pretty impressive with the second look too. Sure, we can discount the nature of how these places are selected for the award. And, we can claim that any town could win it. But given the many thousands of municipalities that might qualify for the distinction, only one took home the goods.

Borrowed Time

To be sure, many of us have been duly blessed. We are blessed with a capacity for focus, hard work and the health, intellect and physical stamina to persevere when what we’d really like to do is to super-size the French fries and watch another six hours of television. The debate is really nothing new. Since Ogg proved himself a better gatherer routinely bringing home more food to the cave, someone has cried foul. It isn’t fair! Ogg is not held back by my disabilities. Ogg has advantages over me. Ogg likes to work long hours in the heat of the sun. Besides those Ogg critics out there are not blessed with the capacity to get the job done. It is not their fault. They are victims to an Ogg-biased system that rewards folks gifted with a natural desire to work. How can it be fair to let those who like to work, can tolerate competition and enjoy risk have an advantage over those of us to whom such advantages were not bestowed by God, some abstract social system or generational government?

The Clean Plate Club

There are many ways to measure success. But chief among them is to know that we are tops on a list where it is good to be tops and near the bottom, where the opposite standard applies. This past week, we Hoosiers moved in the opposite direction on both measures. We ballooned on lists that measure our obesity per capita compared to fellow states. And, we tumbled on lists that quantify personal activity in contrast to citizens in other locales. It seems clear that the two are related, but some would rather not consider the connection. In my own fight against age and a slowing metabolism, it pains me to admit that it is the dressing on my salad that expands my waistline and not the salad itself. But the dressing is so very tasty; it can’t be hiding fat and calories behind its silky goodness. And, water is a great thirst quencher, but there is something about that curvy bottle and red label that makes one need an afternoon soda – or two – or three.

Let Me Count the Ways

How do I love Thee, let me count the ways. When Elizabeth Barrett Browning penned the now famous line, one could imagine that she was yet another romantic poet in a time of many romantic poets. But this particular phrase has held sway in the some 17 decades or so since it first found its way from creator to audience. Why? Certainly it resonates as we consider the ways in which we share our love with another. But doesn’t it also get at our innate desire to create lists?

Dependent-Minded

Some weeks ago, I was following an email thread surreptitiously. Admittedly, I can, at times, be a little bit of a thought voyeur. While I enjoy exchanging messages with a number of different folks about topics as varied as the fate and reminiscences of our alma mater to the modern state of the free market, I sometimes simply watch the interactions as they fill my inbox, deciding not to enter the fray. Much like sitting silent at the dinner table as the rest of the family relates stories of their passing day I enjoy the discourse uninterrupted by my own participation. At any rate, the communication that garnered my attention pertained to access to higher education.

Buggy Whips

It is amazing, really, how static we become as we age. Most of the folks from my generation still refer to “taping” something from television although the use of videotape has long been replaced by some digital recording device. Yet, why would we bother to learn the new vernacular? It is almost hard to imagine the number of words that are likely doomed to fade in the coming years. Will we still have car keys in two decades? Will pennies still jingle in our pockets? Will television even exist in any identifiable way let alone the words used to describe trying to capture it for later review?

Crass Truth

Experience teaches that winning football coaches are amongst the most unbeatable of political adversaries. If they choose to run for office, they put together a plan, organize a qualified, trained and loyal team and execute without mercy. Likewise, there is an adage in politics that such a formidable personage is “unbeatable unless they are found in the company of a dead girl or a live boy.” While unmitigated in its crassness, the saw sheds an interesting perspective on the appalling turn of events in Penn State University’s storied gridiron program and its much-honored head coach, Joe Paterno, and his staff.

Real Real

Donald Trump moved the phrase “You’re fired!” from the personnel office to reality television. But in The Donald’s world folks go from the board room, to an elevator, to a waiting cab to be whisked away not to be seen again until some reality reunion gives them another moment of airtime. In real real life when people get the boot, there is no afterglow of residual fame to soften the blow, no career waiting at home to be resumed and no parting gifts. People suffer. After the walk of shame back to their desk, they gather their belongings – with or without the helpful oversight of a member of corporate security. Next they leave their access cards, sign some paperwork and head to their car for the last time. No one celebrates their retirement. No one takes them for a farewell lunch at their favorite haunt. The newly unemployed drive from the lot and head home to share the news with waiting family.

I Never Heard

Perhaps John Banner said it best in his famous character, Sargent Schultz, from the popular 1960’s television program Hogan’s Heros, “I know nothing.” As the beleaguered guard overseeing a crew of rebellious American and British prisoners of war in a German camp during World War II, Banner has come to exemplify the often undervalued approach that discretion indeed is the better part of valor. While the comedy would put Schultz in ridiculous circumstances that sometimes were aimed directly at making fun of Germans (especially soldiers) in these years of recovery when most WWII veterans were at home watching TV with their families, he always managed to show the humanity in electing to keeps one’s mouth shut.

Negative Space

Decorators refer to it as negative space – the absence of something, often clutter, which in its void makes apparent the more sublime elements of the arrangement. The point is that the deficiency of distraction allows one to focus on the essential elements of our environs with greatest clarity.

Such is the case with the emerging understanding of my eldest. Now participating in a program through his school that arranges and chaperones an annual exchange program with its sister school in Japan, he finds himself 16 years-old and now residing with a host family half way around the globe. Yet thanks to the wonders of internet communication and ubiquitous WiFi, we are able to solicit a daily update on his travails. Food is first on his list of daily observations – for anyone who has experience with teenage boys this comes as no surprise.

Change and Hope

Perhaps, it is simple human nature. We dislike and disparage those who disagree with our take on a particular issue and tend to admire and regard those who seem to take our side in an argument. So, it has been particularly entertaining to watch as pundits and just-plain-old opinionated folk have reacted to the surprising outcome of the recent Supreme Court deliberation on the constitutionality of some provisions of the largely yet-to-be-implemented heath care reform act widely known as Obamacare. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the liberal Justices in supporting Obamacare, holding that it is a tax allowed under the Constitution.

Cooler Heat

Election years tend to make water-cooler talk more interesting. We become experts on national finance, welfare and program; then fight to the death armed only with the info we garnered from the news during the morning drive. It is good that folks take a position. It is even better when we become knowledgeable and then take a position. Understanding and even empathizing with both sides of an issue makes our conversations more informed and less belligerent.

The List

What was the best year of Saturday Night Live? Over its three decades long run, this late-night comedy television show has become a cultural touchstone with each ensuing group claiming our own cast and memorable catchphrases and skits at the heart of their a shared self-definition. Like the question of whether the Tonight Show belongs to Carson or Leno, these public figures have come to frame our shared community.

Ultimately these common memories are devices used to enhance communication with our peers. Recently, I made reference to a Dana Carvey moment on SNL. Carvey's character, upon his death, found himself the gate to heaven with the angel of God. Like a fine hotel’s busboy, the angel outlined each of the amenities one could expect as a new resident of heaven. “The buffet is open 24 hours and the pool, just down the path, is always warm and filled with beautiful girls. Moreover, in heaven we have omnipotence – the answer to all of our human life’s unanswered questions.”

St. Elmo’s Fire

Never a big drinker, my Dad liked to celebrate with copious amounts of dry-aged beef if not necessarily malted hops. So it only made sense that, when facing what would ultimately prove to be terminal esophageal cancer in his early 50’s, he asked to mark the last days before aggressive surgery with a perfect steak. While the request was simple, it was a tough order to fill. Certainly, this was a guy that had seen his share of prime beef. Like most farm-bred kids of his generation, he knew the best way to age and cut meat. Luckily, Indianapolis is a steakhouse town. And in the best-steak-of-your-lives category, we are blessed with one of the top dogs.

Service Stripes

If someone is considering offering public service, it is certainly fair to consider why it is that one would want to serve. And, in fact, those are the kinds of topics the would-be civic leaders most want to discuss. Generally, they have some frustration (or occasionally even anger) regarding this topic or another. “Teachers are under appreciated!” says one. “Schools are bloated with tax dollars!” says another. And, others still are simply responding to a desire to give back referring to a family member or mentor that inspired them to commit. “Mom worked tirelessly for the PTA and now that I have kids, it seems like the right thing to do.” All the answers are right from the perspective of the giver; and, we should be eager to support the instinct to service.

But to me, there is a more important question. Does one have the temperament to sustain peer criticism (or even to be a part of the minority caucus)? In my experience, the critique is most harsh closest to home. Indeed, familiarity breeds contempt. Neighborhood association officers have folks showing up on their doorsteps demanding intervention in the on-going feud over the trashcan placement. Next in line, School Board members feel the heat of tight budgets and are ascribed all sort of aspersions often based in frustration not fact. Next in line are local government officials. We see these fine people at softball games and the town parade and are willing to “remind” them of our street care need and tax burden. Finally, in order are State and National representatives – they have staff to shield but must come back from DC at least to run for reelection.

Accountability may not be as important as ideology; but if one wants to serve, isn’t it a big part of the equation.

This column was published on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 in the Current in Carmel, Current in Westfield, Current in Fishers , and Current in Noblesville - http: //youarecurrent.com/

In Short Supply

The Greeks have decided to stay in the Eurozone and have agreed to continuing negotiations with their creditors to remain fiscally afloat. In elections last week, voters on the historic and blue-watered nation elected, albeit by a narrow margin, political figures who have asserted, albeit in the most tentative of ways, that they are committed to keeping Greece on the path to greater financial responsibility and reducing spending. Good news. The world’s economy has become so intertwined that the failure of one errant nation affects all the rest. Whether these newest office-holders are more successful at keeping spending in line with revenue remains to be seen. But for now, Europe, along with the US markets, is resting a little easier.

Ghosts in the Music

Since even the early tuning concerts of central Indiana’s own version of famed 15th Century Venetian architect Andrea Palladio’s Palladium, many have been struck by its formidable countenance and looming presence. But it was during a recent symphonic performance, that I took a new look at the reflective nature of the suspended acoustic glass ceiling. As each and every stroke of the bow was drawn across an instrument below it was reflected in broken pieces across the panels soaring above us many stories.

It reminds us that music is the sole of the hall. Like the muse called to the artist, the reflections in the panes take on an ethereal, almost surreal, quality. Much has been written about cost and design, leadership and scandal, and venue and role. But now, is it really about the edifice or is it art?

Travel Plans

It always seems easier to be the one gone traveling than to be the one home worrying about an errant wondering family member.  Even as we are tucked-in safe and sound within the confine of our abodes, the place seems somewhat incomplete when a bed, usually filled by a child, spouse or partner, goes unoccupied. While our loved ones are traveling or otherwise out of our line-of-sight, we imagine all sort of calamity that might befall them.  Yet when we are the ones boarding endless airplanes and crossing miles of uncharted territory, we seem more occupied with thoughts of logistics and connecting flights that of separation from the household.  Is it true that absence makes the heart grow fonder?  

Whatever the reason, it feels good to have the family all together and secure under one roof.  Maybe it is a vestige of our cave dwelling ancestry.  Perhaps it is just the way that God made us.  Given the anxiety created when the family, sans me, is out for an overnight visit to relatives, I wonder how I will manage the coming months that will include unfettered driving licenses, far-flung travel and eventual college. 

Takers

Shakespeare may have been wrong.  Perhaps the question is not “to be or not to be.”  It seems more common that we ask “to take or to give – who does which.”  History is littered with the bodies of those caught in the inevitable ebb and flow of power and money.  Capitalism wanes even as communism rises.  Freedom flees as socialism sets up shop.  And most assuredly, the inverse is equally true.  While my own intellectual journey seems to be leading to a greater faith in the individual and free markets, others find that a well-managed collective state would better serve this planet’s ever-expanding population.  Like many, I will enter the fray with pen and toil to share whatever meager insight I’ve garnered from years of reading, working, thinking and living.  And, I most earnestly encourage others to do the same.  

Misplaced Loyalty.

Why does it seem that most elected officials don’t retire naturally? They run until they are forced resentfully from office. Some voters accuse the politicians of an egomaniacal power-grab while others believe these mature statesmen have the most to offer and must continue to serve. Whatever the perspective, most of us count ourselves as loyal. We love our friends, our team mascot and our national flag. In fact, studies show that once we settle on a beer brand we almost never change it. Even dogs are lauded for their faithfulness. Could politicians continue to campaign out of some sense of misplaced loyalty to those in their employ?

Fairness Doctrine

What kids say directly to their parents is often far less interesting that what they say to friends when the children don’t know that Mom & Dad are listening. It is how one finds out what is really going on inside of these developing human brains. Their thoughts are often unguarded and raw. They are not tempered by social pressure or maturity. They are not bound by a sense of the long-term value of patience and prudence.

In the cavalcade of “buddies” that come to spend time with our boys at home, I have been privy to loads of off-handed remarks, pithy comments and just-plain-simple laugh-out-loud remarks from the youngsters. But there are common themes – feats of physical prowess, retelling of all manner of gross indiscretion and assertions of

Shift into Neutral

The Indiana Humanities statewide organization’s mantra is Think. Read. Talk. It sets out to provide Hoosiers with opportunities to do just that – and in my view, it succeeds hands down. Recently, in collaboration with the Kurt Vonnegut Memorial Library in Indianapolis’ downtown, Indiana Humanities brought celebrated and award-winning journalist Jim Lehrer to speak to an assembled crowd on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Not only did the sponsoring entities provide a pleasant and encouraging setting for participants to commune with other inquiring minds, Lehrer delivered an open and, at times, poignant dialogue about his years in the public eye and the changing morays of the American media-consuming public.

A Failure to Compromise

When our boys started the inevitable drive to procure a cellular telephone of their own, we laid out for them the acceptable path that might lead to the successful satisfaction of their desires. They had to achieve a certain chronological age; they had to maintain a certain GPA; they had to be involved in some community serving organization; and, they had to achieve a definite maturity (with we parents as the sole arbiters). Both of our kids have attempted to negotiate these realities – regularly employing a tactic of claiming a desire for compromise. If, the logic goes, we expect them to be a specific number to be eligible for a phone and they are now a lower digit, the “correct” age falls somewhere in between. Failure to compromise would be “unfair!”

It’s Greek to Me

In traveling with a group speaking in various cities in the Middle East and Eastern Europe on the Austrian School of Economics, we found ourselves in Greece at the very time that its government is up-for-grabs and its economy is on the verge of collapse. The 350 or more folks that packed an auditorium in Thessaloniki (the second largest city after Athens) were notably concerned about the future of the country and its participation in the European Union. That night at a late dinner, I found myself sitting next to an affable Greek man whose spouse had served on the local organizing committee for the day’s events. After discovering that his sister had attended IU, our conversation ultimately turned to economics.

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Haste Makes Waste

Haste makes waste. Measure twice and cut once. Both expressions, common enough to be cliché, remind us of the perils of under-thinking and over-acting. But, where is the balance? In the modern age of instant communication and irretractability of comment, many of us have been the victim of our own hasty “Reply to ALL.” Some off-handed remark intended only for one, is distributed to the entire office. The passing irritation becomes a point of contention. The snide quip exchanged between friends becomes a careless and unnecessary misunderstanding lacking both the context of the relationship the sender had with the intended recipient and their shared perspective.

Facebook Birthdays

Every conference and planning session at our places of work, worship and otherwise include some discussion and consideration of how to make use of (and avoid being used by) the various social media mechanisms handily available on our computers and cell phones. Facebook, Twitter and blogging have all become established in our collective lexicon even as new concepts like Pinterest are emerging. Yet, in spite of our noted technologic sophistication and emerging bourgeois attachment for the electronic lifestyle, we remain, at our cores, interested in the simple connection with our fellow travelers.

Working on It

No one likes to feel undervalued. No one wants to believe that they are not competitive with their peers. Yet even as unemployment lines grow, job creators around this fine nation report refusal of work offers because folks simply take the posture that they’d rather stay home than work for “so little.” When crushing debt makes it impossible for a person or a family to make ends meet, a job that would otherwise have fed the family is no longer a solution. College students, once taking entry level roles, now are wrestling with giant student loan debt and credit card payments racked-up with spring break revelry. And we adults, once coasting on the accumulation of our toil, have no time for retraining or sharpening when a career transition occurs – loss of home equity and, in many cases, old fashioned over-spending have positioned us ill-prepared when things do not progress according to plan.

Women in Office

Presidential hopeful Herman Cain’s purported dalliances have been well publicized and lines of political contention have been drawn. It is the nature of the process of vetting our would-be leaders. But is there any other benefit that we can extract from this painful and often gory method? The obvious message to many (if it is not abundantly apparent, I strongly encourage another look) is to conduct one’s personal life with some degree of restraint. Playing duck-duck-goose around the office with someone else’s spouse is not going to remain a secret – ever. And, no matter how strict the confidentiality agreement, someone, given the right incentive, will talk. But is there more here? Does this case speak to the subtle work-place politics that continue to keep women under the glass ceiling and out of the White House?

Uncommon Request

Why is it so often those who give the most require the least, even as those who rarely offer anything are abundant with needs? At a buddy’s birthday party, I caught up with a longtime friend that I’d not seen for ages. He’s the kind of human that falls into the selfless camp. He served us all in the first Gulf War and has continued upon his return always working to make the world a better place. So, I was a little surprised when he asked me if I could take a meeting with him the coming week because of a favor he need to solicit of me. Asked if all was well, he naturally demurred positing that life had never been better.

Beating a Point

Recently I found myself at the table when a particularly vociferous disagreement erupted between two thinking and engaged folks, each with their own particularly impassioned views on life and the body politic. As personal insults were exchanged, it reminded me of the only physical beating ever to take place on the floor of the US Senate. In May of 1856, a member of that august body, Charles Sumner, had laid out a blistering attack on supporters of the US system of chattel slavery including remarks directed in personal offence at Senator Andrew Butler. Some supported Sumner’s then-considered uninformed and radical point of view while others did not. Regardless to the value of the discourse, Mr. Butler’s nephew, a member of the House of Representatives, believed that a line had been crossed and took it upon himself to enter the Senate chamber and promptly beat Mr. Sumner.

Stop Enoying Us

Most of us know that something nefarious can lurk in the unsolicited email from a purported lost relative in central Africa who needs a cash wire so that “they can get transportation home.” These messages and the dozens of others like glutting our email inboxes are outright scams. Unlike the trusty mailbox at the end of the lane, the one on our desk (inside of our locked and secure personal domiciles) is far more dangerous. Certainly, folk have used USPS to cheat and steal since the early days of post. But the Internet has accelerated crime right along with its many blessings. How do we tell the difference between a legitimate offer and one that is cleverly concealing a computer virus ready to steal our personal information and hijack our friends list?

Let’s Get Physical

In a world controlled by the boundaries of physics, why do we still push the axiom dictating that we cannot be in two places at once? We book and stretch to make the commute from one city to another, optimistically clinging to the belief that we can shuttle amongst the final meeting of the day, attending an away track meet for kid number one and still patiently reviewing homework with the second offspring. While we humans are blessed with a depth of ability, capacity and fortitude seldom fully taxed; can we manage to attend to our obligations when they are simultaneously dislocated?

Citizens United vs. the Federal Election Commission

It is our position that the recent Supreme Court decision regarding campaign finance law reaffirms a fundamental liberty guaranteed by our Constitution – freedom of speech. The high Court determined that “Congress shall make no law abridging free speech” stating that, “Speech is an essential mechanism of democracy-it is the means to hold officials accountable to the people.” The decision also determined that “the right of free speech did not discern between individual or corporate identity”, or the “financial ability to engage in public discussion”.

The Age Paradox

I guess they call it over-the-hill because once we pass the summit; life accelerates at a startling rate. We have more to do and less time to do it. Kids. Careers. Parents. Houses. Assets. Building Assets. At mid-life, it is all in play. No doubt, the heaviest lifting happens when we are young – trying to figure out what we like – and perhaps equally important, what we can do that might actually add value to the world around us. But by the top of the mountain, we have learned skills and generally figured out how to survive. Then, the ride really begins.

Yet the journey from that point on is rife with paradox. Many of us have accumulated more friends, family and stuff than we could ever

Summer Break Down

Recently much has been said about tuition and schedule alternatives to the traditional four-year college degree. Many institutions, including Ball State and Purdue, have recently announced initiatives to make it easier (and in some cases cheaper) for kids to pursue a diploma without spending as many years on campus. Advocates for the plans point to savings, sometimes significant, to young people and their families if the matriculation comes earlier and full-time employment starts quicker. While the math holds up, many claim that intangibles like the maturity and perspective gained during the fourth (or more) year on campus can’t be offset by a year of saved expenses and earning capacity. Still others defend the existing system citing the expectations of teachers, students and parents to have summer, fall, winter and spring breaks.

You Can’t Fit This…

Timing, as William Shakespeare is to have penned, is everything. It seems to enjoy more universal truth than many of the aphorisms on which we hang our daily lives. And like most simple veracities, it asserts itself in both the most humble and grand ways. Over the years, my closet has burgeoned with vestment that, with my limited sartorial saliency, seem to, if you will forgive the pun, suit me. Therefore, the acquisition of new attire has slowed a great deal from my younger days. If, to paraphrase an infamous American, if the suit fits, you must acquit. If we can get it buttoned, shouldn’t we wear it? Even as the answer to this question is roiling in one’s mind, know that I am routinely acknowledged for keeping some things a “little” too long. In fact, missing and lost artifacts of my dressing past often become laundry fatalities –

Book by Its Cover

Whenever possible and practical, it makes sense to support local shops and restaurants. While there are certainly any number of out-of-state or internationally owned businesses that do good things here in our town, the biggest and most vociferous advocates for our communities are ordinarily those that are home-grown. Pfizer may sell a ton of its pharmaceuticals in central Indiana, but it was Eli Lilly & Company that threw its support behind our Super Bowl effort. Pfizer is likely helping get the big game to be slated in New York where its HQ is based. But, I also like the fact that local businesses are often smaller and closer to the intent of the original founders. They are more able to adapt to local influence and standards. And, they are much more likely to deliver a unique and distinctly regional attitude.

WorldWide Misspeak

In a world of instant messaging and the land of ubiquitous social media, an off-handed remark can be broadcast to thousands – perhaps millions of people.  Urged by the goal of expanding those who know and understand the importance of routine philanthropy in their lives, our community foundation, The LegacyFund, has started a program to make full use of the array of these modern communication tools including Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and LinkedIn.  Mostly Legacy Fund posts photos of local events and heroes along with the occasional notice of some piece designed to inspire giving. Yet when reposting a story from the Wall Street Journal which innocuously enough supported corporate philanthropy, a far-away reader jumped into the fray with a stinging assessment of the purported generosity of the business leaders who give.  Now, it seems that one can, at the push of an all-too-easy button on the handy cell phone, post each fragment of thought.

Network Solutions

Sometimes it seems like Greta Garbo may have had it right when she said, “I want to be alone.” But that feeling seldom lasts long and we miss the company of friends and family. Even Garbo adjusted her most famous utterance to “I never said, I want to be alone. I only said, I want to be left alone. There is all the difference.” She had a point. As much as we need each other, don’t we also crave a little space? If the paradox of social interaction is the ultimate fixture of the human condition then “networking” is its calling card.

Encarta defines it in two ways: