Time for a Little Wine Education

“So, it’s like a Tupperware party?”

That was my father’s summation of how I’d described the wine tasting event I’d set up last month as a Father’s Day surprise.

Not exactly, Dad.

I was trying to explain the new Tasting Life program from Monarch Beverage. Maybe I’ll do a better job of it here: Tasting Life is a wine tasting and education experience with a wine expert from Monarch Beverage, Indiana’s largest distributor of beer and wine.

Anyone interested in having a Tasting Life party purchases a six-pack of wine at liquor stores throughout Central Indiana and then schedules a free one-hour wine tasting education experience with a wine expert from Monarch Beverage.

(Disclaimer: The folks at Monarch were generous in supplying the Indiana varietal wine pack for my party. You have to purchase your own wine; the Tasting Life web site has a store locator application to make it easy to find. And our wine expert, Ashley Johnson, let me know that Kroger stores just partnered to begin selling the packs.)

This is where the party varies from a plastic dishware, food product or purse party: there are no sales at any point. It’s strictly a wine tasting and education event.

There are four different wine packs to choose from: an Indiana varietal pack with three red and three white Hoosier wines; a domestic varietal with three reds and three whites; a red varietal; and an international varietal pack. I wanted to also highlight some of the Indiana wineries, and as my family is soon to relocate back home again in Indiana, I chose the Indiana varietal pack.

Our expert showed up a few minutes early to pop open each bottle while explaining how the program works and a little bit about herself, before we launched into the five S’s of wine tasting: sight, swirl, smell, sip and spit (okay, we didn’t do that last one – any wine that was sipped was consumed).

I learned a lot about wine and Hoosier wineries in that hour. Did you know that by the end of the year there will be about 80 wineries here in Indiana? I had no idea there were that many.

I also learned that the Traminette grape is the state grape of Indiana. Didn’t even know we had a state grape.

Here’s one more tidbit: the United States of America recently became the No. 1 wine-consuming nation in the world. Take that, France and Italy!

In the Indiana varietal pack, there are five wineries represented: Rettig Hill in Batesville, Best Winery in Harrison County, Chateau Thomas Winery in Plainfield and other locations, Turtle Run Winery in Corydon and Butler Winery in Bloomington.

My favorite was the Turtle Run Red My Mind. Sweet and fruity without being too sugary – it went with my steak shish kabobs and fancy cheese selection. And we finished that bottle off before any of the rest of them. But, honestly, there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. For a novice wine drinker, I now have some lingo to use and a better understanding of my tastes, along with more knowledge about the Hoosier wine business.

And, my family had a totally unique Father’s Day, complete with wine and fancy cheese.

For more information on the program or to schedule a party, visit www.tastinglife.com.

812 Area Code Changes on the Way

It doesn't seem that long ago that communications in our state was defined by the following trio of three-set numbers: 219, 317 and 812. I was an 812 guy as a younngster, having grown up in St. Leon (near the Ohio border and Cincinnati), and later switched to 317 during college and early working years.

But it's been a full 17 years since the first expansion of Indiana's three area codes. Geographic splits took place in 1996 (765 was added in the former 317 territory) and 2001 (219 in the north saw a three-way divide with 574 and 260 coming into play). Now it's Southern Indiana's turn. The 812 area code was originally forecasted to run out of numbers in 2004, but conservation efforts put off the inevitable until the current projection of 2015.

For those "812ers," it's time to weigh in. Geographic splits have been replaced by "overlays" in many instances. Overlays allow everyone to keep current phone numbers but requires 10-digit dialing for local calls. The geographic split keeps the seven-digit local dialing but would require many to switch to numbers with a new area code.

The first of 10 public hearings throughout the region takes place Monday in Terre Haute. Other locations are Bloomington, Jeffersonville, Evansville, Vincennes, Bedford, Springs Valley, St. Meinrad, North Vernon and St. Leon. Comments can also be submitted by various other methods.

The Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor has all the details on the meeting and much more. Check out the informative web page.

Hey Indiana, Get on the Bike!

Indiana is home to seven of the 214 U.S. bicycle-friendly communities, according to the League of American Bicyclists. There are only three communities in the platinum grouping. In Indiana, Bloomington is a silver designee, with the following in the large bronze category: Carmel, Columbus, Fort Wayne, Goshen, Indianapolis and South Bend. Governing reports:

The United States is now home to 214 bicycle-friendly communities in 47 states, according to a new list released Monday by the League of American Bicyclists.

Municipalities are evaluated based on their efforts to promote bicycling, investments in bicycling infrastructure and bicycling education programs, the league said in a news release. They must apply to be considered for the list. Localities are also divided into four categories: platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

Boulder, Colo., Davis, Calif., and Portland, Ore., remained the only three communities to earn the platinum distinction on the 2012 list. All three ranked in the top 10 for their percentage of commuters who bike to work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey, as Governing previously reported.

The league also singled out Durango, Colo., and Missoula, Mont., which were moved up from a silver to a gold designation.

More than 7 percent of Missoula’s commuters bike to work, according to the league’s report, well above the national average of 1 percent. The city has recently installed protected bike lanes, added bike path signage and created more bike parking. Durango has constructed more than 300 miles of mountain biking trails and continues to invest in city biking lanes, the league noted in its release.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans who use bicycles as their primary mode of transportation has doubled in the last decade, up to 730,000.
 

Hamilton’s Take on Our Nation’s Future

Lee Hamilton asked and answered a most important question to an audience of nearly 500 people at Wednesday night’s 2012 Indiana Chamber Legislative Dinner.

The presentation from the 80-year old former Indiana congressman and longtime statesman was titled “Can This Nation Long Endure?” It was the same question Abraham Lincoln posed 149 years ago in his famed Gettysburg Address. (Hamilton noted that the prayer opening that event was longer than Lincoln’s three-minute talk, a speech that Hamilton once had recited to him word-for-word in Beijing by the president of China).

Today’s response, according to Hamilton: “The answer lies with you and me. There are plenty of good reasons to get frustrated and angry. My guess, my hope, is that Americans will accept the burden and challenge and make the adjustments necessary to ensure that American long endures.”

Hamilton outlined the negatives. They include the polls (83% worried about our nation’s future and only 19% who believe the U.S. will continue to be the most powerful country in the world), the headlines from respected publications ("The End of Western Dominance"; "Is America Done?") and the scholars who question whether American is “coming apart,” among other concerns.

The path to the future, however, lies in our past.

“Our challenges are formidable but not unmanageable … our problems are discouraging, not crippling,” explains Hamilton, noting the durability of our Constitution for more than 200 years. “Our public institutions may be under some stress, but they have stood the test of time. We have a multitude of talented people dedicated to the public good.

“In return for our freedom is responsibility; in return for liberty is obligation. What’s more important than what we think about our nation’s future is what we do about it. We need leaders who give us straight talk about the true nature of our problems and solutions on how to deal with them.

“We don’t need a new system of government,” Hamilton concludes. “We need a renewed willingness to make what we have work.”

Hamilton, who represented Indiana in Washington from 1965 to 1999, is currently director of The Center on Congress at Indiana University, a non-partisan educational institution seeking to improve the public’s understanding of Congress. 

IU Sets Conference Theme: ‘Incite Innovation’

"Incite Innovation" is the theme for the 66th Annual IU Kelley Business Conference. The event promises to "examine the key issues American firms soon will face and how that future will impact society and the way it does business, requiring creative thinking and innovation strategies for American business leaders to successfully engage and adapt to the future."

The conference takes place Friday, March 2 at the Indiana Convention Center. Speakers include John Kao, chairman of the Institute for Large Scale Innovation and chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Innovation; and Ray Kurzweil, acclaimed futurist and author of The Age of Intelligent Machines.

Full details are available online.

Breaking Down the Milken Rankings

Indiana, in recent times, is used to receiving better rankings. But then here are a few possible explanations for the results from the 2011 Milken Institute Best-Performing Cities Index:

  • Maybe the sum (the state as a whole) is better than the individual parts (the cities and metropolitan areas evaluated based on jobs, salary and economic growth)
  • Maybe the factors in play here, with a strong emphasis on technology, don’t match up with our strengths. There are many different ways, by many different groups, of evaluating economic performance
  • Maybe the No. 49 for Bloomington on the small metro list and No. 74 of Evansville (large metros) are not that bad

The State Science and Technology Institute offers why it believes some areas fared well, including the ability to:

  • Attract high-tech firms — Fort Collins, CO jumped 47 positions to the third best large metro in 2011 due in part to its ability to attract a significant number of high-tech firms
  • Build effective industry clusters — Charleston, S.C. continued a steady climb among large metros to 11th this year from 30th in 2009 on the shoulders of its aerospace and data-processing services clusters
  • Capitalize on diversified tech-based economies — Salt Lake City jumped from 49th in 2010 to the sixth best large metro in 2011 due to a diverse mix of high-tech industries including pharmaceuticals, medical devices, transportation equipment, computer design and data-processing services
  • Cultivate strong manufacturing cores — Logan, UT jumped from 19 to the number one small city fueled by its manufacturing sectors
  • Experience export-driven growth — Los Angeles rose four spots to sixth among the 10 largest metros driven by the resurgence of international trade, especially in the  allied product-manufacturing sector

San Antonio, one of four Texas entries in the top 10, headed the large metro list. Check out the rankings and the Milken commentary here.

Will IU Tackle the Longstanding Mascot Question?

More of a light-hearted story here about a state school, but as an IU grad, I’d like to weigh in on the IU mascot debate featured in today’s Indy Star. Personally, I think we definitely need a mascot, and I’ve long been jealous of the Boilers’ "Purdue Pete" (the old/new one, not the stuffed pillow they had for about 20 minutes a couple of months ago), which I think is one of the top mascots in the country. Since my time at IU, I’ve advocated (among friends) the development of "Harry the Hoosier Hog." Just a giant State Fair-quality pig to run mosey on out with the football team during games, and then maybe a student in a hog costume during the hoops season. What’s not to like about hogs? They’re sometimes cute, often aggressive, and always delicious.

That said, I do think the bison idea in the article has merit. The animal is on the state seal, and while we no longer have them here, bison remain a part of our history. The Star reports:

In the late 1960s, IU had a bison as its mascot. In 1979, IU had someone named "Hoosier Pride," a hick-looking person with a large head and a crimson cowboy hat. Apparently, though, that one didn’t pass the politically correct test and was quickly abandoned.

Since then, however, nothing.

"I think you should have a contest, get the university students involved and let them draw up something," Gearries said. "Let’s have a name contest, let’s have a drawing contest, and when we finally get it down to two or three finalists, we can let the students vote on it."

Valerie Gill, IU’s director of licensing and trademarks, said nothing is currently in the works.

Glass said any decision on a mascot would need to be made at the university level.

"Ultimately that’s a university decision, and my belief is that if it bubbles up, it will be more of a grass-roots effort from the students and fans," Glass said.

Most of the mascots in the Big Ten date to the 1950s, though their role has significantly expanded from an extension of the cheerleading squad over the decades.

Minnesota assistant athletic director Scott Ellison said its mascot, Goldy, made 572 appearances last year, roughly 300 of them outside athletic and other school events, including birthday parties and weddings. Goldy can make as many seven appearances in a day and is a revenue source for the school.

"(A mascot) is an ambassador for the university," Ellison said. "It’s one of our brands. It’s very visible and very much the face of not only the athletics department, but also the university."

State Newspapers to Townships: Why are You Still Here?

Fifteen Indiana newspapers are asking that question and providing the evidence that the time for reform is now. For more, visit www.mysmartgov.org :

Bloomington Herald-Times: How is your township doing: interactive databases allows you to see how your trustees are doing in filing their state-required paperwork, how much money they’re spending to provide poor relief assistance and how often they are hiring people with the same last name

Former Indiana Supreme Court Justice Ted Boehm says: “Figures on poor relief and fire protection demonstrate that we are operating a system that no one starting with a clean sheet of paper would design.”

The Indianapolis Star: “During a span of two years, the (township) government bankroll grew by $87 million, and 91,983 fewer needy Hoosiers received aid.”

These newspapers are part of the township reform campaign: Anderson Herald Bulletin, Batesville Herald Tribune, Bedford Times-Mail, Bloomington Herald-Times, Evansville Courier & Press, Greensburg Daily News, The Indianapolis Star, Kokomo Tribune, Lafayette Journal & Courier, Martinsville Reporter-Times, Muncie Star Press, Northwest Indiana Times Post-Tribune of Northwest Indiana Richmond Palladium-Item, Rushville Republican

IU Researchers: Twitter Can Help Predict Markets

This is just wild. According to Indiana University researchers, Twitter may be the greatest economic indicator yet: 

Researchers at IU Bloomington’s School of Informatics and Computing found the correlation between the value of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and public sentiment after analyzing more than 9.8 million tweets from 2.7 million users during 10 months in 2008.

Using two mood-tracking tools to analyze the text content of the large-scale collection of Twitter feeds, Associate Professor Johan Bollen and Ph.D. candidate Huina Mao were able to measure variations in public mood and then compare them to closing stock market values.

One tool, OpinionFinder, analyzed the tweets to provide a positive or negative daily time series of public mood. The second tool, Google-Profile of Mood States (GPOMS), measured the mood of tweets in six dimensions: calm, alert, sure, vital, kind, and happy. Together, the two tools provided the researchers with seven public mood time series that could then be set against a similar daily time series of Dow Jones closing values.

The researchers then correlated the two sets of values — Dow Jones and public mood — and used a self-organizing network model to test a hypothesis that predicting stock market closing values could be improved by including public mood measurements.

"We were not interested in proposing an optimal Dow Jones prediction model, but rather to assess the effects of including public mood information on the accuracy of the baseline prediction model," Bollen said. "What we found was an accuracy of 87.6 percent in predicting the daily up and down changes in the closing values of the Dow Jones Industrial Average."

Don’t Sell Yourself Short; Be Proactive About Financial Planning

Whether they’re “in the money” or “in the red,” everyone can benefit from financial planning. An upcoming event taking place just before Thanksgiving (unbelievably, it’s right around the corner) couldn’t come at a better time. That’s when many people start thinking about holiday shopping (unless you’re like me and have joyfully purchased several gifts by then. I know, I know. Insert collective eye roll). At the same time, they’re thinking of something decidedly less merry: the impact spending will have on their wallets.

On November 13, Indianapolis Financial Planning Day will feature educational workshops covering topics such as debt management, tax planning, paying for college and retirement planning. In addition, there will be one-on-one meetings with financial professionals.

Did I mention you can attend for free?

The program will be held at the University of Indianapolis from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. View registration information.     

The event is just one financial planning initiative taking place throughout the state. The Bank on Indiana program, for instance, recently featured in a BizVoice® Web exclusive, helps individuals build relationships with financial institutions by connecting them with affordable financial products and education. Among participating communities are Evansville, Bloomington, Columbus, Greenfield and Indianapolis.

Learn more at www.BankOnIndiana.com.