Who Gets What?

Although Line Worker Chris Anderson has a regular line job in Indiana, he also goes from state to state, pole to pole, working to recover massive systems after catastrophic events.  

Dr. Kurt Gossweiller, both dentist and medical doctor, describes business and personal elements of a dental practice.  

Rick Witsken,* long-term tennis player, coach, and entrepreneur, now a national professional pickleball champion, talks about the sport, its future, and the many business and recreational opportunities it affords.   *Rick is brother of Todd Witsken, deceased, the best professional tennis player to emerge from Indianapolis.  

With initial help from actor/poet Michael Flanders (1950s) ("The umpire, upon whom, the sun never sets."), we hear from a man who spends 70 days a year calling tennis matches, including, until recently, the U.S. Open. In addition, Jim VanSlambrook plays six musical instruments.  His band is Slammer Jazz.

Sones de Mexico, Chicago's most popular Mexican band, was founded by our guest, Juan Dies, who learned his profession at Earlham College and Indiana University, as well as in Kenya and Malaga. Juan is an ethnomusicologist who performs and teaches the amazing variety of music emanating from Mexico.    

Artistic director Greg Sorvig returns to tell us about this year's festival.

Kevin Weaver, who has submitted films to The Heartland International Film Festival, describes his Bloomington-based production company which creates documentaries as well as business and nonprofit oriented films.   He and Morton discuss the value of films centered on individuals compared to potential films that could or should highlight institutions. As a result of personal challenges, Kevin imagi...

Archivist Stephen Lane shares the significance of his sixth floor special collection that emphasizes the history of Indianapolis. Along the way, we discover that Stephen was a Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay at the end of the last decade, while John was a PCV in neighboring Bolivia 1966-1968.  Then, a flood opened of references to Indiana-international connections.

DO   INDIANA  OFFROAD ("D.IN.O) is the management company behind almost a score of off road races each year, each attracting as many as 200 competitors.   Brian Holzheusen is the leader of D.IN.O.  His company plans, obtains permits, registers competitors, and keeps timing records.  

Will Higgins, columnist, tennis star, and historian, talks about Indiana's "squeamish" approach to history, a deceased pimp, walking tours, and journalism in general, in this wide-ranging conversation. Unfortunately, he did not have time to talk about his other project, The Society of Presidential Urine Collectors.  

Diversion lanes, sub contractors, planning,, pavements and lane marks all are part of this conversation with Scott Manning, Deputy Chief of Staff, Indiana Department of Transportation. You can connect too:  try www. INDOT4U.com .  (24-7, answering any questions, but not how to get along with your passengers.)

Becky and Cory Fisher produce films, including corporate messages, documentaries, and even complete sound and videos for the annual Haunted House of The Indianapolis Children's Museum. In this conversation, they describe filming, the wide availability of professional production talent in Indianapolis, and their joy of this work.  

Long-time, now-retired, strategic planner and economic development expert Thayr Richey talks about planning. John suggests strategic plans are ineffective.  Morton says some are effective.  Thayr says "it depends," but many bite off more than they can chew.  

Morton and John converse with Tia Link, star of the Heartland International Film Festival short, "Rosie's Rescue." Tia was a practicing lawyer before attending acting school in New York City.  Here she considers the casting process, differences between film and stage, and a new project just starting in development.  Like many emerging actors, she has another job, which will be to teach law at the...

Terry Marsh wrote and directed "Rosie's Rescue," an official selection of the Heartland International Shorts Film Festival.  It is a poignant story of crisis and redemption. Among many subjects is a comparison between television production and filmmaking.

Clayton Taylor served decades as Vice President of Production at WFYI Public Media where more than 50 local productions garnered national distribution. He was a reporter, news editor, television news producer, creator of new investigative reporting shows, and he coordinated creation of a wide variety of public television documentaries.  

Recent census estimates state that Indiana is growing more slowly than the nation, and that Marion County, Indiana, is growing substantially faster than the rest of the state.  Therefore, what does it mean that the central part of the state is thriving, while other parts are failing?

The Rules:   Expand by fifty percent; begin on the third day; stage out; the sacrifices; arrive and depart with no plan in between.

With years of experience studying theories of economic growth, wealth distribution, and urban life, Elias Crim talks comprehensively about his adopted home, South Bend, Indiana.  He considers localism, distributism, and other concepts which are prominent in his writing for Solidarity Hall, which he founded in 2013.

Since the late 19th century, Arabs from dozens of countries and various religious backgrounds have emigrated to Indiana, starting on Willard Street, now the location of Lucas Oil Stadium. Our guest, Edward Curtis, is a publicly-engaged scholar of Muslim American, African American, and Arab American history and life, serving as a teacher and scholar at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapo...

Both Morton Marcus and our guest, Dean Whittaker, are classic communicators, theorists and teachers about economic development. Dean is president of Whittaker Associates Inc., a data analytic company advising governments and business groups on development opportunities, such as quantum computing.    

Zachary Fawbush leads The Crooked Creek Food Pantry in Indianapolis, following on educational and social services experiences at St. Joseph College and in Ketchikan, Alaska. Zach speaks effectively about volunteerism, food insecurity, the infrastructure of food distribution, as well as his personal goal to become a father.   Listeners also will appreciate a previous podcast, June 17, 2020, with Jo...

Dave Riggs, Director of Corporate, Community, and Alumni Engagement of The   Indianapolis Children's Choir, shares about his decades working for scouts, a cancer group, and the choir.   Most compelling are his comments about the joy of this work, raising funds comfortably, and campaigning to restrict smoking in public.  

Historian James Madison speaks about the pain of writing, the absence of teaching economic history, and more, as he reveals thoughts about Wendell Wilkie, Evan Bayh, Donald Trump, Eli Lilly, and how history affects modern attitudes.  

In another wide-ranging discussion, we converse with Kevin Brinegar, president of The Indiana Chamber of Commerce.  With eight years staffing The Indiana Senate Finance Committee, more than two decades with The Chamber, and side experiences as a school board member, Kevin has lots to say, about taxes, amicus briefs in important legal proceedings, whether school boards should be appointed, and more...