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.  

Who Gets What?

The Business of Pickleball

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.

The View of a Tennis Umpire (and musician)

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.    

Indiana's Connection to Sones de Mexico

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

The Heartland International Film 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 imagines presenting songs and stories about invitro fertilization.  

A Blue Line Makes Films in Bloomington

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.

A Special Indianapolis Archive

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.  

Off Road Racing

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.  

Pimps, Tours, and Indiana History, with Will Higgins

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.)

Highway Construction in Indiana

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.  

Film Production in Indianapolis

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.  

Strategic Plans: Useful or Wasteful

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 McKinney school of law in Indianapolis.

The Emerging Actress from Indianapolis

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.

The Independent Filmmaker

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.  

Forty Years of Broadcast Production

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?

Will Marion County Control the World

Distribution of goodies in our society is determined by families, firms, and governments. Attempts to change how rewards and punishments, benefits and costs, are spread through the population cause conflict. The hosts are an economist, Morton Marcus, and a financial advisor, John Guy. Expect whimsy.

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Who Gets What?

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