October 27, 2009

CITY RELEASES PLANS FOR HOLIDAY CELEBRATION / P5

DAVIS: HALLOWEEN EXCUSE FOR DIRTY LAUNDRY / P6

CONCERT TO HELP AREA SINGER REACH NASHVILLE / P12

Tuesday October 27, 2009 FREE

Back row (left to right): Michelle Codarmaz-Booth, Rachel Weinrich and Deb Kauble Front row: Jason Baker and Wes Booth

Photo by Karl Alhrich

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GHOSTBUSTERS

By Arika Herron Current in Noblesville Jason Baker flies down the highway, green lights flashing. He’s not police. He’s not an EMT. This is an emergency of a different sort.

It’s the anomaly response team. Made up of Baker and five members of the Midwest Researchers and Investigators of Paranormal Activity, the anomaly response team responds to reports of anything “above normal.”

This can be anything from haunted buildings to séances to UFOs. Their dedication to the field of paranormal research and investigation has set them apart from others in their field.

Last April, MRIPA filmed an episode of the History Channel’s “UFO Hunters.” The episode will air Oct. 29.

While the majority of their work is investigating supposedly “haunted” locations, don’t call them ghost hunters.

In fact, the members of MRIPA are more likely, and more eager, to disprove ghostly presence than find Casper in your closet.

“We don’t accept anything,” Baker said.

“We’ll always look for every possibility. If one of us gets stumped we pass it to the next person.

So everything we find gets reviewed by multiple people before we ever come to a conclusion.”

MRIPA was founded by Baker in 1996 with his brother Darren. The two were started in the field by their grandfather at a young age, but Baker didn’t found MRIPA until his grandfather’s passing in 1996.

Since then, Baker has added to his group considerably. He now has 14 active members, including a response team comprised of the most die-hard researchers and investigators of all things outside the realm of normal.

Out of the hundreds of applications he said he received, Baker took on Amber Hoskins, Josh Maze, Rachel Weinrich, Deb Kauble, Wes Booth and Michelle Codarmaz-Booth. Baker said he chooses people he feels will fit well with the rest of the group.

“The group functions like a family,” Baker said. “We don’t have to question each other. We work well together; everyone has a good sense of humor. We trust each other.”

This is the core, the glue that holds MRIPA together. They were all there Sept. 13, 2008, the night of what Baker says is one of the most active places they’ve been, the Crump Theater in Columbus, Ind. That night the team captured audio of oldfashioned music, singing and talking in the abandoned building. They saw duct work that was moving like it was being hit, but no one else was present. But the biggest catch was a full-body apparition sitting in one of the theater chairs.

“It’s just a very active place,” Baker said.

2 | October 27, 2009

Experiencing paranormal activity? Locally based Midwest Researchers and Investigators of Paranormal Activity are on the case

Haunted Indianapolis

IS PARANORMAL ACTIVITY FOR REAL? Left: A reflective light appears without a source.

Light ring moves 10 feet per second in DVR footage.

Bottom left: MRIPA members Andrew Watkins, Jason Baker and Wes Booth take a more relaxed approach on making contact.

Photos taken and provided by MRIPA

MRIPA’s experiences in Hamilton County Paranormal activity • Personal residence, Fishers No paranormal activity • 126th Street and Allisonville Road intersection, Fishers • Noblesville residence MRIPA has had several other documented experiences that couldn’t be explained away by noisy pipes or shadows from passing cars.

In one Fischers, Ind., home, it was an EVP (electronic voice phenomena) of the voice of a little girl. At one point in the investigation, everyone left the house to head into the garage where the base-station had been set up. The family’s dog, Ginger, walked into the kitchen and that’s when the voice of a little girl could be heard saying, “Hi, Ginger.”

“That’s one of the clearest, best EVP’s I’ve heard in 30 years,” Kauble, the resident EVP specialist, said.

All of these instances are caught by MRIPA’s high-tech equipment, including digital video cameras, infrared cameras and digital voice recorders. Those are just a few of the supplies needed to be at the top of the paranormal investigation game, and MRIPA has accumulated a lot though the years.

An excess of paranormal groups have cropped up in the wake of shows like SyFy’s “Ghost Hunters.” Baker said the majority of these groups finds something “haunted” in every location, but won’t make it past six months.

“This isn’t for a scare,” Weinrich said. “We’re going in to find what’s causing what these

Local paranormal enthusiasts Lorri Sankowsy and Keri Young have documented years of paranormal investigations to create a comprehensive tour guide of Indianapolis’ most haunted sites.

“Ghost Hunter's Guide to Indianapolis,” was released in March 2008 by Pelican Publishing Company. The book is divided into 10 chapters, each detailing a certain facet of haunted Indianapolis.

Included are investigations from Central State, Hannah House, the House of Blue Lights and more.

Sankowsky and Young met as codirectors of an area paranormal group, The Indiana Ghost Trackers.

“We saw so many cool places, we just kept saying, ‘We should be writing this down.’”

Their catalogue of spooks is the culmination of more than five years of paranormal investigating.

While Sankowsky said her favorite place she’s visited so far was the Tuckaway House, the scariest place she’s been is the long closed down Central State.

“It was just unbelievable,” Sankowsky said. “You can’t even get the full access we had anymore.”

“Ghost Hunter's Guide to Indianapolis” is available online from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Pelican Publishing. people are experiencing and to see if we can find real life answers for what’s going on.

For other groups, “It’s all about the scare factor and not about finding out the real truth and accepting the fact that more than likely there’s nothing there.”

To learn more about MRIPA you can visit them on the web at mripa.net. If you think you have experienced paranormal activity and would like to speak with MRIPA about investigating your property, call them at their 24-hour helpline, 317-366-5983.

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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Zero tolerance Founded Sept. 15, 2009, at Noblesville, IN Vol. I, No. 7 Copyright 2009. Current Publishing, LLC All Rights Reserved.

1 South Range Line Road, Suite 220 Carmel, IN 46032

317.489.4444 Publisher – Brian Kelly brian@currentincarmel.com / 414.7879 General Manager – Steve Greenberg steve@currentincarmel.com / 847.5022 Managing Editor - Zach Dunkin zach@currentnoblesville.com / 908.2697 Associate Editor – Terry Anker terry@currentincarmel.com Art Director – Zachary Ross zross@ss-times.com / 787-3291 Associate Artist – Stefanie Lorenz stefanie@currentincarmel.com / 340.1836 Senior Reporter – Martha Allan

OUR VIEWS

It is our position that we have zero tolerance for zero tolerance policies. As our society seems to no longer trust its educators, law enforcement officials and others in authority, we have instituted ridiculously rigid edicts removing judgment (good and bad) from the equation. Sadly, common sense is routinely being thrown out the window. Our efforts to eliminate the caprice of the individual have resulted in intransigence.

Consider the case of Matthew Whalen, the Eagle Scout from Lansingburgh, N.Y., suspended for a month for having a two-inch pocket knife in an emergency kit locked in the trunk of his car on school property. The district stipulated that he did not use the knife (still locked in his trunk) to threaten anyone, but officials felt compelled to strictly enforce the zero tolerance policy applying to weapons at school.

Where is the lesson in this? What did the student learn? Can we live in a world without discretion? And even if we can, do we want to? Certainly we appreciate that the school has taken steps to make sure the students are safe, but justice is not always absolute equity. And artificially forcing all to be equal is not justice.

Perfectly seated

It is our opinion that our Noblesville is a perfect example of the traditional small Indiana town. Nestled snuggly in the bosom of the Midwest, our community exemplifies what a county seat should be. As if springing from an artist with a clean canvas, our painting begins with a picturesque courthouse in the center of the town square ringed by vibrant shops and restaurants enhancing quality of life. Historic plaques that laud what came before and demonstrate that we citizens value our past as our present.

While easy to take pride in Noblesville for its many strengths, it is important to remember that our city is part of the broader Hamilton County community fabric. And, Noblesville does benefit from our fellow towns and cities. Carmel, with its arts and commerce engine, strength in long-tenured mayoral leadership and a persistent focus on high quality infrastructure, can teach about commercial and residential balance. And Westfield’s leadership in the emergence of the Grand Junction as well as the real estate development of a successful private club and high-end residential life-style community shows innovation in both reuse and We remain strong as we build on our position of leadership and history while continuing to seek opportunity in the larger economy.

Advertising Sales Executive – Maggie Green maggie@currentnoblesville.com / 538.3790 Sales Executive – Dennis O’Malia dennis@currentincarmel.com / 370.0749 Sales executive – Mike Janssen mike@currentnoblesville.com / 490.7220

Business Office Bookkeeper - Deb Vlasich deb@currentincarmel.com / 489.4444 The views of the columnists in Current In Noblesville are their own and do not necessarily reflect the positions of this newspaper.

strange laws

CONSTITUTION CLOSEUP

Photo Illustration

Our nation has all sorts of arcane, nonsensical laws on the books. Each week, we’ll share one with you.

In Glendale, Ariz., it is illegal to drive a car in reverse.

Source: Weird Laws (iPhone application)

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

Every week, we will print an portion of the U.S. Constitution, followed by a portion of the Indiana Constitution. We encourage you to benchmark government policies against these bedrock documents. Today: the U.S. Constitution..

Section 2 Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The

actual Enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct.

The number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each state shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

October 27, 2009 | 3

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From the backshop

Hey, look! We just turned 3!

Opening this

Saturday!

GRAND OPENING and HALLOWEEN PARTY! Doors open at 10:00 AM Party starts at 1:00 PM More information available on our website.

www.theharvestfreshmarket.com Located in the Village of WestClay 12770 Horseferry, Carmel, IN Mon. thru Sat. – 7 am to 9 pm Sun. – 9 am to 6 pm Always Fresh. Locally Grown. Naturally Healthy.

4 | October 27, 2009

It’s really gratifying to be able to write a headline like that. We’ve just became 3-yearolds - in the business world, that is (but feel free to insert your own commentary here).

Trite but true: It seems like yesterday, when we officially became a startup, although we still classify our enterprise as that. Where once we had to concern ourselves with publishing one newspaper a week, Carmel, there are three (Westfield and Noblesville are in the fold) in addition to our monthly Carmel Business Leader. Work is a strenuous exercise some days, but inside the 701 square feet of our World Corporate Headquarters™, life is good. If it came easy, it wouldn’t be worth a dime.

We were reflecting the other day about reaching this milestone, mostly about how far we’ve come, the friends we have made amongst readers and advertisers and how enriched we are by those relationships. It wasn’t until set sat down to write this column, as we do weekly, that we really took stock of those who share this modest office with us or contribute from afield. We knew we were fortunate to have our employees, freelancers and contributors, but we don’t often enough salute them here for providing the fuel that

Brian Kelly & Steve Greenberg really drives this ship. Some would say it’s a motley crew, a gumbo of all sorts of personalities, hell bent on making the best damned community newspapers they can. We’ll take that!

In an age when newspaper companies are experiencing dramatic declines, we find ourselves knocking on wood. We always point to “the model” and “our systems” as reasons why, but, in truth, it’s the PEOPLE – inside and outside the company - who make this enterprise successful. And so it gives us great pleasure to say to all of them, and to you, our readers and advertising partners, Happy Birthday!

Our ‘family tree’ keeps on growing COMMENTARY

By Zach Dunkin If you have been following the progress of your Current in Noblesville, you may have noticed our growing list of local contributors.

There seems to be an overabundance of creative types in your neighborhood eager to express themselves in our burgeoning publication.

A couple weeks ago, we added Joe Shearer, a self-described “exhausted” father. Each week Joe will tell us how he handles parenting three children younger than 5 years of age, offering help for those experiencing some of the same issues, or, for empty-nesters, taking us back to those now-humorous times that didn’t seem so funny at the time.

The week before Joe’s column debuted, you hopefully noticed another new face and name, Holly Funk. Holly is an accredited horticulturist and advanced master gardener focusing on all things down and dirty – things that grow in the soil, that is. Like trees.

And that is a perfect segue to introducing our newest team member, Noblesville resident Darla Kinney Scoles. She’ll be climbing a different tree than Funk’s nasty walnut tree named Wally.

Darla’s interest is the family tree.

Genealogy is both intriguing and overwhelm-

ing to her, she told me. Since meeting her greataunt Pearl Kinne (the family name was later Anglicized to Kinney). Darla began to better understand the significance of those family members who preceded her. Seems Pearl was a talented writer, too.

“For the first time, I began to think about my ancestors who came to America,” said Scoles, schooled in journalism at the University of Central Florida. “I knew that the ‘inky’ blood that ran in my veins carried her Kinne DNA. I began to wonder who else in my past might be affecting my future.

“Over the years, I had collected bits and pieces of family history, but done little with it all. Now, I’m ready to dive in and get wet – or muddy.”

So, embark with us on Scoles’ genealogical adventure as she helps us better understand our world – past and present.

And, as far as adding more local talent to the roster, we ain’t done yet!

Zach Dunkin is the managing editor for Current in Noblesville.

You may e-mail him at zach@ currentnoblesville.com

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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DISPATCHES » The haunting hours – The City of Noblesville reminds residences that official trick-or-treat hours for Halloween are from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Oct. 31. The Noblesville Police Department will have extra patrols out to provide additional security. Motorists are asked to use extra caution while driving that night. » Looking for a few good members – Navy Club Hamilton County SHIP No. 29 is looking for new members. Any honorably discharged veteran, or any member of the Navy, Marines or Coast Guard currently on active duty are welcome to join.

Those signing before year’s end will be considered charter members. The group meets at Eddie’s Corner Café, 101 N. 10th, St. at 7 p.m. on the second Mondays of the month. For more information, call (317) 379-1101. » Spooky family fun – A free Family Halloween Party, co-sponsored by Noblesville Parks Recreation and the Hamilton County Council of Alcohol and Other Drugs is from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Oct. 30 at at Forest Park Inn. Families are invited to attend in costume. The event will include food, magic, Halloween games, an outdoor bonfire, an old-time scary movie and hayrides. For more information, contact the Parks Recreation office at (317) 770-5750. » Happy birthday, skate park! –The skate park in Forest Park is four years old, and the City of Noblesville is having an anniversary party Oct. 29 in honor of the people who helped me it a reality. The skate park will be illuminated from 7 p.m. to 10 p m., and there will be a DJ, food and beverages. The free event is sponsored by the Hamilton County Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Forest Park is located at 701 Cicero Road in Noblesville. » Local picked for ‘Heroes’ finals – Sgt. Karen Nolan, a Noblesville resident, was chosen as one of the five finalists from more than 1,000 entries in “America’s Heroes,” a salute to the nation’s military servicemen and women. The promotion culminates during the “43rd Annual CMA Awards” on Nov. 11. Legacy event salutes devotion Legacy Fund, an affiliate of the Central Indiana Community Fund, is having its inaugural Celebration of Philanthropy, Nov. 12 at the Ritz Charles, 12156 North Meridian Street, Carmel.Tickets are $75 per person. Business attire is suggested.

The reservation deadline is Nov. 5.

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

I can’t help being superstitious Commentary

By Danielle Wilson Are you superstitious? I am. Big time. I firmly believe the only way the University of Louisville men’s basketball team can win a game is if I wear my Cards T-shirt with my pair of Express jeans, and if I watch from the TV in my bedroom.

If they are losing, a move from the bed to the armchair will turn the tide. Or if I hear Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” on the radio, I know that a family member or friend is pregnant.

Actually that’s my mom’s superstition, but since it’s never proven false, I’ve adopted it.

So the other day I was driving Big White (just doesn’t have the same ring as Big Red, does it?) and a black cat literally crossed the road in front of me.

The day turned out to be kind of cruddy. Was it really because of the devil cat, or was it because I assumed my day would be unlucky and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy?

I don’t know, but the bottom line is I don’t take chances with superstitions. So I avoid walking under ladders, always knock on wood, and never pick up a coin that is tails up. I consider spilled salt and broken mirrors pure evil, but four-leaf clovers and horseshoes pots of gold at the rainbow’s end.

Why I am like this? After all, I’m fairly welleducated and can rationally acknowledge that a stupid kitty from hell sauntering across my path should have absolutely no repercussions on my day. Or that my moving one seat to the left at a Colts game shouldn’t make a bit of difference on whether or not Reggie Wayne scores a touchdown in the final seconds of a playoff game. I know in my heart these silly things don’t matter, and yet I can’t prevent myself from acting on them anyway.

Part of my superstitious nature I blame on genetics. I am a twin and so have supposedly inherited special sensory mechanisms to my sister, although it’s really only worked one time, and that was on her end. (Had we been identical, though, I’m certain our wonder-twin powers would have been extraordinary!)

Also, by all accounts, my maternal grandmother was “born under the veil” and therefore had “the sight.” (I can’t explain what that means without going into gross detail about childbirth and mysticism, so just take it at face value.) And my mom is extremely intuitive; always knew when I was pregnant, even before I or Rod Stewart did. So I’ve grown up with an appreciation for trusting my instincts and giving credit to “gut feelings.” And

the fact that my mother used to pace the upstairs hallway during the second half of any basketball game and said a Hail Mary before we embarked on family road trips did not help matters, either.

Maybe Catholicism had something to do with it, too. A prayer to St. Anthony when a wallet went missing or to St. Frances when a pet was sick: those are just superstitions, right? And everyone knows crucifixes and holy water repel vampires.

Even if they don’t, why would you risk it?

Who’s to say for certain that a horseshoe doesn’t bring good luck or that stepping on a crack doesn’t break some mother’s back? Not me.

Anyway, I bring this entire topic up because the most awesome-est holiday of the year, Halloween, is upon us. Here’s hoping your Saturday is filled with candy (good candy, not that cruddy imitation chocolate or peanut butter taffy) rather than bad luck. I’d grab a rabbit’s foot just to be sure. Peace out.

Danielle Wilson is a Carmel resident and contributing columnist.

You may e-mail her at danielle@ currentincarmel.com.

Christmas on the Square just around the corner

By Zach Dunkin Current in Noblesville Halloween is still four days away but it’s not too soon to start thinking about Christmas. The City of Noblesville, Noblesville Main Street, the Chamber of Commerce and Hamilton County have their announced dates for upcoming holiday activities.

The season “turns on” at 7 p.m. Nov. 27 with the annual Lighting Ceremony, sponsored by the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce. The event at the Hamilton County Judicial Center includes holiday music, a reading of “The Night Before Christmas” by Mayor John Ditslear and the lighting of the downtown lights.

The festivities continue at 2 p.m. Nov. 29 with the 30th annual Christmas parade. The theme is “The Gift of Giving.” Bobby Mills, who was

» You can help decorate

The Downtown Décor Group is looking for volunteers to help them decorate the Downtown Square for the holidays. Dates are Oct. 31, Nov. 1, 14 and 15. Call Mary Sue Rowland at (317) 773-8488 for information and times. You can also offer financial support to help defray the costs of the program by donating in the collection jars at Community Bank and Alexander’s, both on Logan Street, Jim Dandy and Ginger’s Café, both on Conner Street, and Schwartz Bait and Tackle on State Road 19, beginning Nov. 2. Noblesville Main Street at 942 Maple Ave., is also accepting donations.

» Santa’s House Schedule Photos provided by The City of Noblesville

Above: Santa will make his Noblesville debut in the annual Christmas Parade downtown. Above Right: Free hot chocolate is available on certain days at the tent near Santa’s House.

instrumental in forming the “Field of Dreams,” the baseball facility located behind Hazel Dell Elementary, is the parade’s grand marshal.

Santa Claus makes his debut of the in the parade. After his ride is complete, children can stop by his cozy house on the Courthouse Square or later in the month during house hours.

The year’s final First Friday event, sponsored

by Noblesville Main Street and the City of Noblesville, is Dec. 4 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Downtown shops and restaurants will feature special sales, and other special events will take place. Santa Claus will be in his house that night.

For information about the Lighting

Nov. 29, 3-5:30 p.m. – hc Dec. 4, 4:30-8:30 p.m. – hc Dec. 5, 1-5 p.m.

Dec. 6, 1-5 p.m.

Dec. 10, 5-8 p.m.

Dec. 12, 1-5 p.m. – hc Dec. 13, 1-5 p.m.

Dec. 17, 5-8 p.m.

Dec. 19, 1-5 p.m. – hc Dec. 20, 1-5 p.m.

Dec. 24, noon-3 p.m. hc – Noblesville Main Street is giving away free hot chocolate on these days at the tent next to Santa’s house.

Ceremony, contact the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce at (317) 773-0086. For information about the parade or Santa’s house, call (317) 776-6367. For information about the First Friday event, call Noblesville Main Street at (317) 776-0205.

October 27, 2009 | 5

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Facing up to Facebook not all that bad COMMENTARY

By Jan Hart Baker For my birthday my daughter threw me on Facebook. I went there kicking and screaming.

I was afraid. I thought there were strange and weird people who would want to be my friend.

Social networking was something I had always avoided. When I became single, people would suggest I do the match.com or eharmony networking. For some it has been a great avenue to marital bliss. I, however only saw “caution! do not enter” signs.

It has been a little more than a month since I found myself on Facebook, and I am having a blast . I have discovered some of my high school friends live within hollering distance of me, yet I have not heard from them in years.

I may not be able to reach out and touch, but I can search and find a connection. I can respond without becoming attached.

Facebook is like having a friend GPS. I know where they are, what they are doing and who they are doing it with. If I want to join in the conversations I do so. Most of the time I just sit on the sideline.

When I throw out a thought I am amazed who catches it and what they throw back. There is wisdom and some cheap therapy posted on Facebook. Some of the quietest people I know have an amazing voice when writing their thoughts.

Being the eyes and ears of Noblesville for this publication, I am out and about asking questions wherever I go. This week I asked friends, acquaintances and strangers why they like Facebook.

Most say it is quick, easy and noncommittal.

If someone requests to be your friend, and you don’t want them to be, you can simply ignore them. It’s kind of like kindergarten.

I look forward to checking in on the thoughts of the day. It’s kinda like having permission to read someone’s diary. And about those weird and strange people? I guess I am one of them.

Jan Hart Baker is a lifelong resident of Noblesville, a former decorator and today is the car and truck lady at Don Hinds Ford.

Photo courtesy of Noblesville resident Sid Davis, owner of the Noblesville Golf and Batting Center.

Take the trash out – of Halloween, that is COMMENTARY

By Hannah Davis No matter how commercial, no matter how mischievous, Halloween is a darn fun holiday.

Sure, it’s gotten a little trashy, and it’s certainly strayed from its roots, but I like it anyway.

Mostly for the costumes, of course. I’m such a girl.

Last year, dressed as Sylvia Plath, I trotted around town with my best friend Courtney Love. A few years before that, I served cider at a weenie roast as a medieval maid. I was a superb piece of candy corn when I was three. An even better Dalmatian when I was four.

I haven’t quite decided what to be this year, but I can assure you that I’ll be sporting some kind of costume this weekend.

I can also assure you that said costume will be entirely decent.

This eliminates the possibility of me being a raunchy nurse or French maid. Unfortunate, I know.

I firmly believe that there’s no harm in taking advantage of the opportunity to dress up. It’s

good, clean fun. Unless it gets dirty, that is.

Lately, Halloween has become an entirely inappropriate excuse for older kids to flaunt what their mama gave ’em.

I’m no prude, but Halloween revolves around jack-o-lanterns and trick-ortreating, not promiscuous costumes. They’re an unjustified extra. Teenagers, those under 18 especially, have no business venturing into the realm of indecency, even if it is for just one night. There is a time and a place, and Halloween isn’t vaguely involved.

Go to www.costumeideazone.com for scads of suggestions that are more tasteful, more resourceful, and more fun than the revealing, polyester costumes offered elsewhere.

OBITUARIES Lisa K. Rigsby Leveridge, 48, Noblesville, died Oct. 20. She was born Nov. 19, 1960 in Noblesville, Indiana to Lawrence and Ruth (Worthman) Leveridge. Lisa graduated from Noblesville High School in 1979. She was a homemaker and mother who loved to read the Bible, spend time with her kids and grandkids, swim, dive and listen to classic

rock. Lisa is survived by her two sons, Brian and Mike Rigsby, and one daughter, Brook Gang, of Westfield; two sisters, Bobbi Cruzan and Tina Leveridge; three brothers, Dennis DeMoss, Lee Leveridge and Buddy McCormick; grandchildren, Tyler and Donavan McClintick and Luke Smith; and her adopted mom, Mary Leveridge of Strawtown.

She is preceded in death by her parents.

6 | October 27, 2009

Smock & Caca’s City Mills, circa early 1900s, used Sunbeam brand flour to bake its bread, claiming the flour had “no superior and few equals” and offering a guarantee of a free 24-pound sack “if not as we say.” The building stood where the new Hamilton County Government and Judicial Center is, west of the courthouse.

Hannah Davis is a senior at Noblesville High School and the opinions editor for The Mill Stream.

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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Chaplains are ‘conduit to healing process’ for ‘fatality’ families

By Martha Allan Current in Noblesville The next time you hear about a fatal accident in Hamilton County, you might spare a kind thought for Tom Burton and his fellow chaplains in the sheriff’s department.

“We tell parents their child is not coming home. That’s one of the toughest jobs there is,” said Burton, who has been delivering difficult news to local families for 19 years.

“It’s seems like we’re always dealing with death, dying and destruction, hurt, pain and sorrow on so many different fronts,” said Hamilton County Sheriff Doug Carter. “They (the chaplains) are the conduit to that healing process” for affected families.

Burton organized the chaplaincy program in 1993 as a volunteer. Today, he works full time as the senior chaplain. Part of his pay comes from a sheriff’s department subsidy, but most is from donations from the community.

“There are many times he’ll go without a paycheck,” said Carter.

Burton oversees 11 volunteer chaplains who provide support and counseling to sheriff’s department officers, the community and inmates.

He is also responsible for training the 180 volunteers at the Hamilton County Jail.

Working with inmates at the jail is a signifi-

» You can help

To learn more or help visit www.hamiltoncountychaplains.com To volunteer: contact tom.burton@hamiltoncounty.gov To donate: write to Chaplaincy Fund, 18100 Cumberland Road, Noblesville, IN 46060

cant part of the chaplain’s mission, Burton said.

Chaplains and volunteers conduct Bible study and provide alcohol and drug counseling and personal counseling.

Chaplains also inform an inmate of a serious illness or death in the family, and work with the court system to try to get an inmate released to attend a funeral or witness the birth of a child.

Carter agrees that the chaplains and jail volunteers have a good influence on the 340-380 inmates who are behind bars at any given time.

The vast majority will be living and working in the community within a year, he points out, and it’s worth the effort to help them turn their lives around.

In addition to his work with the sheriff’s department, Burton also serves as pastor at Christ Community Church on North Tenth Street in Noblesville. He has a master’s in divinity studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.

Mary’s place at the table COMMENTARY

By Bob Walters Opinions vary in assessing which is the greatest doctrinal schism between Catholics and Evangelicals, but one thing for sure is that the ecclesial status of the Blessed Virgin Mary quickly enters and enlivens any such discussion.

If Catholics are at all guilty of overstating Mary’s piety, Evangelicals are certainly guilty of neglecting the Blessed Mother’s lessons of grace, humility and discipleship.

Faithful Christians understand Mary to be the virgin mother of Jesus; the Theotokos – the God-bearer, or “the one who gave birth to the One who is God.” Catholic doctrine – formed by scripture and Church tradition – presents Mary as a perpetual virgin, of Immaculate Conception (without sin from birth), having experienced bodily assumption (risen in body and soul to heaven upon her death), and assigns her a high place as an intercessor in the communion of the Church and saints.

Biblically born Evangelical teaching goes no further than stating Mary was a virgin when Christ was conceived and born (Matthew 1:1825), finds no evidence or requirement of Mary escaping the stain of original human sin, says her ascending like Christ is inconsistent with Christ’s uniqueness, and points to Christ as our only divine intercessor.

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So goes a fascinating discussion in the November 2009 “First Things,” a scholarly Catholic-oriented monthly journal of faith and culture founded by priest Richard John Neuhaus, who died early this year.

One of Fr. Neuhaus’s many lifetime accomplishments was building a consortium of religious minds called “Evangelicals and Catholics Together,” providing thoughtful, periodic illumination on weighty theological topics. Leading the evangelical side of the equation are Chuck Colson, J.I. Packer and a dozen others. Neuhaus pulled input from a dozen Catholic scholars (all are listed at the article’s conclusion).

The group’s carefully researched and tightly edited position papers are presented in accessible language and are available in a variety of places online. Google “Evangelicals and Catholics Together Mary,” or visit www.firstthings.com.

Valuable richness in Christ is lost if we ignore the lessons of Mary, who obeyed God, raised Jesus, and displayed unrelenting faith.

She is blessed (Luke 1:48), and a blessing for all.

Bob Walters (www.believerbob. blogspot.com, rlwcom@aol.com) saw an amazing music video – Amazing Grace by Il Divo in Pula, Croatia. Google it. Wonderful.

October 27, 2009 | 7

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DISPATCHES » Clear-skin diet – Are highly processed food bad for our skin? To find out, Australian researchers pitted a Western diet high in processed foods and refined grains against a diet of lean meat, seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole grains.

After 12 weeks, boys on a more natural diet reduced skin breakouts by 50 percent.

-Remedy » Easing arthritis – If you suffer from arthritis and would like to ease day-today pain and even decrease your reliance on painkillers and anti-inflammatory medications, try these suggestions: • Consider appropriate supplements. Glucosamine and chondroitin may not reduce pain, but they seem effective in slowing degradation of cartilage.

• Move more and more often. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes per day of walking, biking, swimming or other low-impact activities.

• Manage your weight. Even 10 pounds of excess weight can add additional stress.

• Make sleep a priority.

-www.healthyupdates.com

A no-run, no-gym cardio workout

By John Bellmore A good cardiovascular workout involves elevating your heart rate to anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of your maximum. Any activity that keeps your heart rate up will suffice, and you don’t necessarily need to run or go to the gym to do it.

Pick one exercise for each body “zone” – lower, middle and upper – and perform them with little or no rest in between exercises. After they’re done, rest anywhere from 30-60 seconds and repeat the cycle. Keep going for 30 to 45 minutes, and your cardio session is done.

• Lunges for the lower body – Stand with your legs together. Your hands and arms may be placed on your hips or positioned at your sides. Step one leg forward while staying balanced on the opposite foot. Bend both knees as the one leg extends forward and the other stays in place. Follow the direction of the extended leg bringing it to a fully kneeling position. Your forward lunge-like movement is one of almost kneeling on the back leg but this leg’s knee should not touch the ground. Push off, with the extended leg, back to a standing position. Repeat with the opposite leg. Try to do 15 to 20 reps each leg.

• Forward crunches for the middle – Lie on your back with your feet on the ground or in the air. Keep the knees bent, whatever the position, to remove stress on the lower back. Crunch slowly. Avoid pulling the neck toward the chest when crunching. Try for 25 reps.

• Push-ups for upper body – Make sure your hands are positioned wider than your shoulders, letting your elbows flare outward on the descent. Don’t go to failure when doing pushups in this workout.

The point is to keep your heart rate up. Do just enough to give your muscles a nice pump.

These exercises are not comprehensive. I am simply providing a framework to help you get started. The key is to keep your heart rate elevated.

You may contact me for more options for this workout.

John Bellmore is a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Health and Fitness. You can email him at jwbellmore@ hotmail.com.

Want to look more youthful?

Try dermal fillers

By Dr. Jodie Harper and Dr. Angela Corea Dermal fillers have become the treatment of choice for people who want a more youthful appearance but don’t want to undergo cosmetic surgery. Since dermal fillers are a cost-effective way to reduce wrinkles, enhance the skin and plump the lips, they are an attractive option for anyone on a budget.

Filler is placed under the skin to instantly restore your skin’s volume and smooth facial wrinkles and folds, like smile lines, “parentheses” or nasolabial folds (the creases that run from the bottom of your nose to the corners of your mouth). Results are immediate and natural looking and can last up to nine months to a year.

Hyaluronic acid and calcium hydroxylapatite are the most popular types of filler. Calcium hydroxylapatite is a natural component of bone and is synthetically produced for products like Radiesse. This FDA-approved option is safe and has the longest lasting results of all the fillers on the market.

Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance found in all mammals that helps deliver nutrients and hydrate the skin and acts as a cushioning agent. The acid has also been used for more than 20 years to treat arthritic joints,

8 | October 27, 2009

as well as for eye surgeries and wound repair.

Hyaluronic acid can absorb up to 1,000 times its own weight in water, thereby adding new volume under the surface of sagging skin. Older faces take on more youthful aspects, because the acid binds with collagen, the material that supports human facial skin. Researchers also found that hyaluronic acid stretches skin cells known as fibroblasts in a way that causes the skin to create new collagen. The new collagen helps decrease the appearance of facial creases and wrinkles. Hyaluronic acid also seems to stop the breakdown of existing collagen, working with your body to give it a more youthful appearance.

Filler should always be administered by a trained medical professional. Side effects are mild to moderate and can include temporary injection-site reactions such as redness, tenderness, swelling, bruising, itching and discoloration.

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Dr. Jodie R. Harper is boardcertified in internal medicine, geriatrics and wound care. Dr. Angela Corea is board certified in internal medicine. They are the medical directors at ClarityMD. They can be reached at info@claritymd.com or 317-571-8900.

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Clean out that cabinet Your prescription medication may not be in the best place. Consider the following: • Storage matters. The moisture in your bathroom can cause a drug’s ingredients to lose potency. You’re better off choosing a cool, dry room and then designating a locked drawer or cabinet.

• Leftovers can be trouble. Don’t save drugs you no longer use or need or products that have outlasted their expiration dates.

• Donations are welcome. The nonprofit organization Aid for AIDS accepts certain unexpired prescription drugs as well as over-the-counter fare. To contribute, visit aidforaids.org.

• There’s a right way to toss. Ask if your pharmacy will accept unused meds for appropriate disposal to avoid their winding

Mood moves Although medical care is essential for immediate and long-range well-being for sufferers of mood disorders such as depression, exercise is often helpful to many people who suffer from depression. Research has shown that people who exercise regularly recover from depression faster, have less stress and have fewer physical and mental-health problems than those who do not.

-Remedy

MUSIC CLASSES

up in the water supply. If the pharmacy won’t accept them, discard them in a sturdy, sealed container.

-Quick & Simple

Prevent complications Hot flash help There may now be a good, safe alternative to the either risky or minimally beneficial remedies for hot flashes. In a Canadian study, researchers found that women who took 1,000 mg of EPA (an omega-3 supplement) for eight weeks reduced the number of hot flashes they had by more than half. The fish oil also eased depressive symptoms related to menopause.

-Good Housekeeping

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David R. Sullivan, DPM

October 27, 2009 | 9

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DISPATCHES » H1N1 Chamber luncheon topic – Dr. Gary Ikerd, an expert on the H1N1 issue, will be the featured speaker at the Oct. 28 Noblesville Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Harbour Trees, 333 Regents Lane. The luncheon will start at 11:30 a.m. Register online at www.noblesvillechamber. com or contact the chamber office at (317) 773-0086. Cost is $15 for members and $25 for non-members. » Enterprise dinner features BSU president – The annual Enterprise Awards Dinner, presented by the Noblesville Chamber and City of Noblesville, is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at Purgatory Golf Club. Dr. Jo Ann Gora, president of Ball State University, is the keynote speaker. All proceeds are donated to the Noblesville Schools Education Foundation. Cost for the event is $50 per person, $400 for corporate tables. Registration is required by Nov. 9 online at www.noblesvillechamber.com or at (317) 773-0086. » Dividend stocks that beat the market • Suburban Propane (SPH) • Oneok Partners (OKS) • Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP) • DuPont (DD) • Rayonier (RYN) • Natural Resource Partners (NRP) • Penn Virgina Resource Partners (PVR) • Potlach (PCH) • U.S. Bancorp (USB) - money.msn.com

10 | October 27, 2009

Having trouble remembering?

COMMENTARY

By David Cain What was your first car? Do you remember the very first car you ever owned? What color was the interior, the exterior? Can you recall five other details? Excluding the car you drive now, the very last car you owned, recall the same details. Now, conduct the same exercise for the fifth car – or something in the middle. It’s not as easy.

We are naturally wired to remember the beginning and ends. Our brain is at nearly 100 percent attention at the start and the end. The middle is where we drift off, where our attention falls off sharply. It’s the reason you can remember the first car you owned and the last. It’s the reason you can recall details from your first and last job, but the ones in between are generally more difficult to recall.

And that’s the reason you should work to create beginnings and ends in your marketing, your presentations, and your interactions with everyone. It makes it more interesting and keeps people’s attention. You want people to pay attention, right?

Imagine you are presenting to a group of people about your company. At the beginning you have just a few seconds to provide the group with a reason to continue listening. No matter how good or bad your presentation goes, people will start to tune you back in when they think you are ending.

Football games, basketball games and other sports create multiple beginnings and ends. Take football: You’ve got each quarter, halftime, a series of four downs, and the ability of either team to start and stop the game at their choice with a timeout. They’ve got the game fixed to keep your attention. Everyone is interested in the start and the finish – I can remember a lot of laps 1-5 and laps 195-200 of the Indianapolis 500, but not too much of laps 6-194. When I think of those laps, my mind drifts to fried chicken and beer.

The attention curve is actually a “U” shape, with full attention aligned with the beginning and ending. The middle dips low, and people’s thoughts drift to things they have to do and what they’re having for dinner. When you are explaining what you do, how you do it – your message – make sure you are brief and create as many beginnings and endings as possible.

Your audience will appreciate it, and you’ll find that more people remember what you said.

David Cain works at MediaSauce, a digital media and online marketing company in Carmel. David welcomes your questions or comments at David.Cain@MediaSauce. com.

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WHAT’S IT WORTH

lambert’s lowrey organ center

MY OPINION

Lambert’s is a leading Central Indiana provider of recreational music-making classes and instruments for active adults. Specializing in Lowrey’s Magic E-Z play classes that provide colorcoded notes matched to color-coded keys, Lambert’s offers students, including those without a music background, the opportunity to play their first song in 30 minutes or less. The technique is especially popular with retirees and senior citizens, say co-owners Judy and Phil Lambert. “In addition to teaching how to play quickly, we also provide a social aspect,” says Phil Lambert. “We’ve created a music-making lifestyle that gets our class members out into the community doing volunteer work like playing for others in local hospitals and nursing homes.” The Lamberts also have a successful store in Anderson.

“Noblesville is a fast-growing cultural center where music and the arts are thriving. It’s a natural fit for us,” says Judy Lambert.

$

Photo by Zach Dunkin

Co-owners Judy and Phil Lambert say the E-Z play classes help provide need for retirees and senior citizens looking for a new hobby.

Noblesville Square Shopping Center, 573 Westfield Blvd.

Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Phone: (765) 641-1200. | Owners: Phil and Judy Lambert.

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950K

Type: Contemporary Age: Built in 1992 Location: Walnut Creek neighborhood, Carmel Square footage: 7,683 Rooms: Five bedrooms, five full and two half baths, great room, dining room, kitchen, nook, den, laundry room, three-car garage Strengths: The home is priced under value for the neighborhood, has a great location, sits on 1.29 acres with a tennis court, and has a newly updated kitchen.

Weaknesses: The home has more of a contemporary style, while most of the homes in the neighborhood are more traditional. Some painting and some carpeting is needed, and the bathrooms need updating.

Keith Albrecht is a Carmel resident and realtor with RE/ MAX Real Estate Groups.

Contact him at 317-819-3388 or Keith@KeithsHomes.com.

October 27, 2009 | 11

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DISPATCHES » Scary movie - An online search for the scariest movies of all time will yield a wide variety of results, and horror movie enthusiasts are likely to disagree with at least one or two choices on every list. Still, the list by Associated Content seems to appease most: 10. “The Happening” 9. “Saw” 8. “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” 7. “In the Mouth of Madness” 6. “The Silence of the Lambs” 5. “The Exorcist” 4. “Jaws” 3. “Omen” 2. “It” 1. “Halloween” If none of these interest you or you aren’t able to get your hands on one on Halloween, here are a few more titles to consider: “Psycho,” “ Cloverfield,” “The Blob,” “Alien,” “The Shining,” “Carrie,” “The Sixth Sense,” “The Thing,” “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” “The Fly,” “Dracula,” “Alien(s),” “Jurassic Park,” “Friday the 13th,” “Interview with a Vampire,” “Scream,” and “Signs”.

-www.associatedcontent.com

Linda Lee’s Cicero concert for fun and funds While singing is her dream, it’s not

By Martha Allan paying the bills yet. She works for a hosCurrent in Noblesville pital billing center in Indianapolis, and Linda Lee is a young woman with a rehearses and performs when she can. twang in her voice and a pocket full of In April, she and the band recorded a dreams. If that sounds like a line from a 10-song CD, “Win Win Situation” at country music song, well, it just might be.

Christian music singer Sandi Patty’s studio She and her band, Linda Lee & the in Anderson, Ind. Noble Creek Band, are staging a free outShe spent a year at Ball State University, door concert Oct. 31 in Cicero. The music but it wasn’t for her, according to her – country, rock, and rhythm and blues grandmother, also named Linda Essig. “She -- will be free, but everything else is for sale: said ‘my body is in Muncie but my heart CDs, t-shirts, pictures and food. is in Tennessee,’ ” recalled Essig, who, with A meet-and-greet and photo session folher husband, Leon, raised Lee near Walnut lows the show. Refreshments will be availGrove. able from 1-5 p.m.

“We actually live in Omega, but hardly The success of the event has a personal Photo provided by Linda Essig. anyone’s ever heard of Omega,” Lee exurgency for Lee. Country singer Linda Lee, aka Linda Essig plains. “We call it Dogtown. We’re just “We’re trying to get sponsors and people graduated in 2005 from Hamilton Heights High School, where she played volleyball and little country people,” she said with a laugh. to come out and have fun; it’s just to help basketball.

Just a country girl trying to sing her way me get to Nashville (Tenn.), and record,” to Nashville. said Lee, who hopes to be rocking in the cradle of the country music industry in January.

Some may remember her as Linda Essig from her days at » Linda Lee & the Noble Creek Band Hamilton Heights High School (Class of 2005), where she When: 2-4 p.m., Oct. 31. played on the volleyball and softball teams.

Where: Corner of Byron and Jackson streets, Cicero “I started off singing lodges, fairs and festivals when I was 15,” Web site: www.lindaleeandthencb. said Lee, now 22. com This summer, she and the band were the featured performers at Cicero’s Fourth of July celebration, “Lights over Morse Lake.”

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At Play

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HALLOWEEN

HALLOWEEN ‘Phantom of the Opera’

Haunted trails

The Indiana Ballet Company will raise some spirits Oct. 31, as it bids farewell to its three-year Phantom phenomenon. The original creation of Alyona Yakovleva, “Phantom of the Opera” launched this artistic director’s particular talent for rendering ballet into a dramatic art. For more information, call 317-216-9539 or e-mail Elizabeth@indianaballetcompany.com.

Back again this year for all your haunted pleasures, the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department’s Haunted Tails will be howling in the night Oct. 27-29 from 7-10 p.m. at Cool Creek Park, 2000 East 151st St in Westfield. There is also a scare-free option for those visitors that have little ghosts and goblins. Admission to the trail is $5 per person. For more information, contact the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department at 317-770-4400 or www.coolcreekhauntedtrails.com.

THEATRE

The Indiana Wind Symphony will celebrate Halloween with a concert Oct. 30 at7:30 p.m. at the Zionsville Performing Arts Center. The IWS will perform “The Raven,” commemorating the 200th birthday of Edgar Allan Poe, “Blue Shades” by Frank Ticheli, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas, “October” by Eric Whitacre, and “The Octopus” and the “Mermaid” by Karl King, featuring the mighty IWS tuba section.

For more information, call 317-844-4341.

Featuring nearly 60 classic songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Actors Theatre of Indiana is staging a musical tribute to “Ol’ Blue Eyes” that runs for two weeks this November in the Carmel Community Playhouse at Clay Terrace (14299 Clay Terrace Blvd.). Performances run Nov. 4-15. Nightly performances Wednesday through Saturday begin at 8 p.m. Sunday shows start 6 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased for $32 by calling 317-669-7983 or by visiting www.actorstheatreofindiana.org.

‘Barefoot in the Park’

The Carmel Repertory Theatre presents Neil Simon’s “Barefoot in the Park” Oct. 30 and 31 (Fridays and Saturdays) at 8 p.m., and Nov. 1 (Sunday matinees) at 2:30 p.m. The showings will be held at the Carmel Performing Arts Center at 575 W. Carmel Dr. For more information, visit www.carmelrepertorytheatre.com or call 317-767-3973.

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Mudsocks Grill

The following musical acts will be play live at Mudsock’s Grill, 14741 Hazel Dell Crossing, Noblesville. For more information, call 317-580-0630.

Oct. 28 – Steve Weakley Group Oct. 30 – Gregg Bacon Oct. 31 – Jeff Day

Mo’s Irish Pub

‘My Way’ tribute

‘The Raven’

LIVE MUSIC

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The following musical acts will be play live at Mo’s Irish Pub, 13193 Levinson Lane in the Hamilton Town Center, Noblesville. For more information, call 317-770-9020.

Oct. 29 – Power of 21 Oct. 30 – Lemon Wheel Oct. 31 – Side Project Nov. 5 – Cari Ray Nov. 7 – 40% Steve Nov. 12 – Jester King Nov. 13 – THUMP!

Barley Island

The following musical acts will be play live at Barley Island, 639 Conner St., Noblesville. For more information, call 317-770-5280.

Oct. 31 – Halloween Party with The Finns. Prizes for best couple, most original and funniest costume.

(Please send live music listings to zach@ currentnoblesville.com)

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October 27, 2009 | 13

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RECIPE

Jeff cole

pumpkin patch party cakes

Director of Operations for Bella Pizzeria Where do you like to eat?

Mo’s Irish Pub What do you like to eat there? Calamari and wings.

What do you like about Mo’s Irish Pub? I like the atmosphere, the food and the people who work there.

Mo’s Irish Pub 13193 Levinson Lane, Suite 100, in Hamilton Town Center Noblesville (317) 770-9020 Hours 11 a.m.-1 a.m. Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. -3 a.m. Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-noon Sunday

RESTaurant

five guys burgers and fries

Let those peppers take a flavorful steam bath

By Katja Baird and Molly Herner Here is a wonderful, yet simple recipe given to us by Giuseppina DiRosa, a well-respected local Italian chef and baker. This recipe has also been requested by local foodies abound.

The roasted and stuffed bell pepper is a timeless classic originating in Naples, Italy.

The key when baking the peppers is to put them in a deep roasting pan and add a small amount of white wine and olive oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan, creating a flavorful steam bath for the peppers to bake in and

keeping them from drying out.

Enjoy these as an appetizer with a nice Pinot Grigio or as your main course accompanied by rice or pasta.

Molly Herner is the baker/ pastry chef at Matteo’s Restaurante Italiano. You may email her at odette05@aol. com. Katja Baird was born and grew up in Bologna, Italy and is also employed at Matteo’s She can be reached at katjabaird@yahoo.com.

STUFFED ROASTED RED PEPPERS 13971 Town Center Blvd., at Hamilton Town Center | Noblesville Phone: (317) 770-3636.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.

One of three Indianapolis locations and one of more than 450 locations nationwide, Five Guys, is famous for its juicy, yet crisp burgers and fries, although some claim the restaurant’s hot dogs are just as good. Serving up two sizes of burgers, Five Guys claims there are 250,000 different ways to order a burger, thanks to15 condiments, plus add-ons like cheese and bacon. Five Guys uses fresh, ground beef , and their entire menu is trans-fat free. Their famous fries – either Five Guys style or Cajun – are made in cholesterol-free peanut oil – skins and all. You can get your hot dog kosher style, with cheese, with bacon or with both cheese and bacon, plus condiments. A veggie sandwich or grilled cheese are also options.

14 | October 27, 2009

Ingredients • 4 red bell peppers • 2 cups ricotta cheese • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese grated • 1/2 cup bread crumbs • Pine nuts • Raisins • 1/2 pound ground meat (beef, sausage, chicken or turkey will work) • White wine • Olive oil • Basil or rosemary • Balsamic vinegar Directions: 1. Carve out the stem in each pepper and remove the seeds from the stem. Keep the stems to use as a small lid for the pepper when stuffed.

2. Mix together by hand 2 cups ricotta cheese, ½ cup of grated parmesan

cheese, about a ½ pound of ground meat (beef, sausage or chicken). ½ cup of bread crumbs, a sprinkling of pine nuts and a small handful of raisins. Add one egg as a binding agent. You can add any kind of spice you like, rosemary or basil would be nice.

3. Stuff each pepper using a small spoon with enough mixture to just come to the top.

4. Place the stem (your lid) atop the pepper.

5. Put all peppers in a deep roasting pan and add a small amount of white wine and olive oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.

6. Bake 40 minutes at 350 degrees.

7. Serve with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil drizzled over the top.

Ingredients: • Nonstick cooking spray • 2 1/4 cups allpurpose flour • 1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder • 3/4 tsp. salt • 1/2 tsp. baking soda • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar • 3/4 cup granulated sugar • 3 large eggs • 1 (15-oz.) can pumpkin • 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract • 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese at room temperature • 1/2 tsp. orange extract • 1 cup powdered sugar • 2 tbsp. milk • 6 (4-inch) cinnamon sticks Directions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray two sixcavity mini-fluted tube pans with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Combine flour, pumpkin-pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda in medium bowl. Beat butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl for three to four minutes or until creamy.

Add eggs; beat well. Add pumpkin and vanilla extract; beat well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Spoon evenly into prepared cavities (about 1/2 cup batter in each).

Gently tap pan on counter to release air bubbles.

3. Bake for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in cakes comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; invert onto wire racks to cool completely. With serrated knife, carefully cut bottoms off all cakes so surface is level/flat. (Cooks tip: save the bottoms for enjoyment later!)

4. Beat cream cheese and orange extract in large mixer bowl until smooth.

Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread 1 tablespoon mixture over cut side of 6 cakes to within 1/4-inch of edge (be sure to spread mixture over hole in center). Place the 6 cakes without icing on top of cakes with icing.

5. Add 2 tbsp. milk to remaining cream cheese mixture; beat until smooth. The consistency should be thin enough to drizzle; add more milk as needed. Drizzle over cakes (use any leftover icing for the cake bottoms above).

Before serving, push one cinnamon stick in center of each “pumpkin” (stick should rest on cream cheese mixture in center of cakes).

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PICK OF THE WEEK

etta’s lunchbox cafe

Day of the Dead celebration altar exhibition

Where: 10 miles east of Hocking Hills State Park on Ohio 56 in New Plymouth, Ohio.

How long, how far: 4 ¼ hours, 246 miles (about 1 ½ hours southeast of Columbus, Ohio).

Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Phone: (740) 380-0736.

What: This distinctive little eatery hidden in Southeast Ohio’s Appalachian foothills is known for owner LaDora Quesely’s collection of more than 800 lunchboxes spanning decades of pop-culture. Older visitors are mostly likely to see one they toted to school when many of them were made of metal.

The café was noted among the editor’s picks in the Rand McNally 2006 “Best of the Road” atlas and Ohio Magazine also voted the quirky eating establishment as the No. 1 Reason to Do Lunch in Ohio in 2004.

The café, named for LaDora’s grandmother, offers soups, salads and sandwiches with nothing over $10. You may also design your own pizza. For dinner, don’t miss the open face sandwiches with mashed potatoes and Photo by Zach Dunkin gravy, pasta and more. Homemade desserts, More than 800 metal and plastic lunch boxes line the walls and hang from the ceiling at Etta’s Lunchbox Cafe. especially the pies, are a must. Whatever you order, you may have it packed to take along on your hike in nearby Hocking Hills State Park. As the sign hanging in the café says, “We’re not your mother, but we’ll pack your lunch for you.”

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

Where: Indianapolis Art Center 820 E. 67th St. Indianapolis, IN 46220 When: Nov. 1 12-5:00 p.m.

Cost: Free Details: Come and experience traditional and contemporary altars created by local artists, families, and community groups during the Art Center’s Day of the Dead celebration! These beautiful and expressive works of art will be on display in the Churchman-Fehsenfeld Gallery and Basile Exhibition Hall.

Info: 317-255-2464 or www.indplsartcenter. org

October 27, 2009 | 15

Views | Community | In Spirit | Anti-Aging | Dough | Diversions | Toys | Panache | Inside & Out | Pets | Education | Laughs | Classifieds Capt. Critic’s DVD pick

Whatever Works PG-13, 92 minutes

Photo taken by Jessica Miglio and courtesty of Sony Pictures Classics

Evan Rachel Wood as Melody and Larry David as Boris star in Woody Allen’s “Whatever Works.”

Here’s my take on “Whatever Works”: Woody Allen got too old to play Woody Allen, so he hired Larry David to do it for him.

The 73-year-old auteur is getting a mite long in the tooth to do his neurotic New York misanthrope shtick, so other actors have had to take over. Larry David, cocreator of “Seinfeld” and star of his own show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” makes for a decent stand-in.

Actually, David is a double stand-in: Allen wrote the screenplay in the 1970s for the late, great Zero Mostel, who unfortunately left this mortal coil before the movie could be made.

David plays Boris Yellnikoff, a brilliant but unlikeable guy who gave up physics to teach chess to children. Boris is in perpetual holler mode, shouting at his students, people who annoy him -- which is just about everybody

-- and at the world in general.

A 21-year-old Southern belle runaway (Evan Rachel Wood) shows up on his doorstep begging for food, and soon she’s living with him, and eventually marries him.

She’s dumb as a doorstop, but her presence keeps Boris’ jangled nerves relatively calm.

It’s mostly rehashed Woody Allen jokes, occasionally funny and occasionally annoying. “Whatever Works” mostly doesn’t.

Movie: C

Read more of Chris Lloyd’s review of current films and DVD’s at www.captaincritic. blogspot.com or www.TheFilmYap.com.

Every witch has her own cat but how many cats double as their own witch? Bling Bling, a blue point Siamese who lives in Noblesville, is all dressed up for Halloween fun.

Photo by Bling Bling’s owner, Laura Eilers.

Noblesville, we want to hear from you!

This is YOUR newspaper, so please send your story ideas, news tips, news releases, letters and photographs to our managing editor, Zach Dunkin, at zach@currentnoblesville.com

YOUR SOURCE FOR: Movie and DVD reviews Commentaries Interviews Podcasts

Plus, free movie screenings and DVD giveaways!

16 | October 27, 2009

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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DISPATCHES » Media streamer upgrade - WD TV, Western Digital’s first media streamer, received a lot of great reviews, but there were a few things that kept it from totally knocking it out of the park. Buoyed by the positive feedback, Western Digital remedied those problems with the new WD TV Live. The Live is a total HD affair with 1080p playback for beautiful images and some crystal clear digital audio. The live also supports most of the popular media formats so there’s no time wasted waiting for the file to transcode.

-www.popgadget.net » Charge without syncing While it’s convenient that the iPhone and the entire iPod line (minus the old-school firewire versions) can recharge over USB, I’m sure at one time or another we’ve all been in the situation where you connected your device to someone else’s computer to charge it, only to have it try to sync with their copy of iTunes. But the Sync Blocker cable solves that problem with a simple switch that can be set to charging and HotSync, or just charging. It’s just $12.99 fromFever.com and supports all of the iPhones and iPod Touches, as well as the more recent versions of the iPod Classic and Nano.

-www.ohgizmo.com

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

Windows 7; what’s the big deal?

By Gary Hubbard Windows 7, the long-awaited replacement for the much maligned Windows Vista, was released Oct. 22. The reasons for considering an upgrade are numerous, but the reality is that at some point most users will have no choice.

No matter how much users like Windows XP, there will come a time when Microsoft won’t support it. With this in mind, the Windows 7 question isn’t really a question of will you upgrade, but when you will upgrade.

By all accounts, Windows 7 is a significant improvement over Windows Vista, primarily because Microsoft got to strip out the bad and add lots of good to what is essentially Windows Vista 2 (but they knew better than to call it that!)

Regardless of how they got here, Microsoft listened to the complaints of Vista users and continued improving the built-in security, and the combination has created a pretty solid operating system.

Here are some of the major improvements: It actually requires less hardware than Windows Vista. Systems light on power that struggled to run Windows Vista will likely run better with Windows 7.

A kinder, gentler and more flexible UAC (User Account Control). In Windows Vista, the UAC feature was so overbearing (remember the humorous “accept or deny” Apple commercials?) that many users simply turned it off, which disabled one of the features that made Vista much more secure than Windows XP. With Windows 7, you can decide where and how this useful and powerful tool is implemented (a great way to control what the kids can and can not add to the system).

With the sneaky malicious software plaguing the Internet at the moment, this updated version of the UAC is just what most

consumers and small businesses need to fight the malware battle.

Faster boot times. The goal from the engineering side was to target a 15-second startup time, which may or may not be possible for everyone (your start time will have more to do with what you install). But by all measures, the tech community agrees that 7 boots faster than Vista.

Easier home-networking setup. Anyone that went through the nightmare of trying to integrate a Vista system into an existing Windows XP network will appreciate this improvement.

Better support for multi-monitor configuration. If you haven’t experienced the joy of dual monitors installed on your home or office computer, you are really missing a huge improvement in productivity. Windows Vista was pretty picky about what it would support, whereas Windows 7 has wider support for different video cards coexisting in the same computer for a dual display configuration.

A whole host of other improvements, such as auto-sizing side-by-side windows, consolidated and clearer security messages, taskbar previews that are actually viewable, and control over those irritating balloon notifications, make Windows 7 worth considering.

At the end of the day, if what you are using is working fine, don’t be in a huge hurry to fix what isn’t broken. However, if you are struggling with security, stability or performance, Windows 7 may be just what the doctor ordered!

Gary Hubbard is the owner of Data Doctors Computer Services - www.datadoctors.com. Have a technology question? Send it to CurrentInCarmel@datadoctors.com

October 27, 2009 | 17

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This is where it all begins

DISPATCHES » Thoughtful hosting – When you have overnight guests, making certain they are well cared for is a must. Hang out in or even sleep in the guest room before your guest’s arrival; it will give you a good idea what you may need to do to make the stay more comfortable. Install a motion-activated nightlight in dark hallways, and stock the bathroom your guest will use with clean towels, washcloths, extra toilet paper and tissues. And if you’d like your guest to avoid opening you catch-all closet in the room, provide hangers and a hook outside the closet.

-Good Housekeeping » Legging it – Leggings are in, and they are available in a tremendous variety of fabrics, adornments, and price points. From basic cotton cheapies available at Walmart for less than ten bucks to metallic leather leggings from Gareth Pugh for over $1,100 a pair, they’re a must-have for fall. They don’t flatter every figure, but the combination with long shirts can hide certain figure flaws.

-www.style.com » Vintage concert T-shirts – Wondering when those old concert t-shirts are appropriate? Or when you’re too old for them? It’s not about age; it’s about occasion. At 40 you can still wear them to sleep in, or to wash the car or the dog in, or to plow in with oxen.

-www.gq.com

COMMENTARY

By Vicky Earley Ah, High Point. I simply love the excitement of going to “Mart.” For an entire week, the sidewalks of this sleepy North Carolina town are alive with the air of Mardi Gras. It is a celebration of the newest and the best in the furnishing industry, and it is breathtaking to be a part of it.

Cindy Thomas, Judy Bates and I arrived Oct. 17 with a level of excitement usually reserved for 6-year-olds at the front gate of Disney’s Magic Kingdom. It took investigating only a couple of showrooms to realize the cleaner, more cosmopolitan evolution of home furnishing style is real, strong and here to stay. The introductions this year feature straighter lines without being typecast as cold contemporary. Woods are still warm and rich, but the fussiness has been pared off.

Not all is sleek and svelte as we sit on the threshold of 2010. The nostalgic feel of a London flat, complete with leathers, trunks and vintage volumes, suggests the richness of a time and place long past. This smokey urban look is destined to appeal to those under 30 who are decorating for the first time, as well as to those who have decorated and redecorated many times over.

The muslin and burlap “French flea market” look is still a player, but with twist. Oversized words and images in grey tones and sepia are printed on these otherwise plain pieces. The Parisinspired dusty velvets still wear a flourish of opulent fringe and trims.

Bedding has shed its heavy coat to reveal a soft but glittery

Climbing the family tree COMMENTARY

By Darla Kinney Scoles Recently I caught a minute of an old episode of “Hogan’s Heroes,” just as the bumbling Sergeant Schultz was emitting his famous “I know nothing, noooothing!” in his comical German accent. That’s an appropriate way to begin this column dedicated to all things “family history.”

I really do know nothing when it comes to this endeavor, so don’t expect expert advice.

What you can expect, however, is to learn a thing or two about geneology as you join me in the journey via my family tree.

It seems that if a word ends in ‘ology’ ending, people think one must be a schooled professional to take on the work involved.

Such is not the case with genealogy. We all are qualified to do this, so let’s started.

My first step was to start small and simple -- with my father’s name -- to search back his line and see who and what was waiting to be uncovered.

I do know that I inherited Floyd Clark Kinney’s not-so-feminine nose and tendency to develop kidney stones. What I did not get was his good economic sense and love of golf.

And, where did my craving for nature come from?

Writing that first name in my pedigree chart

18 | October 27, 2009

was exhilarating.

Hopefully, the stories that will accompany the pedigree names will fill in some of the blanks there as well.

Writing that first name in my pedigree chart was exhilarating.

Darla Kinney Scoles is a free-lance journalist living in Noblesville.

Her most recent work involves the creation of “Stories,” an individualized writing service helping people get their personal histories down on paper. Contact her at .

glamour. Champagne and platinum hand painted in tonal colors and meticulously bedazzled with jewels were absolute jaw droppers. In the midst of this tactile oasis, we were wowed by the introduction of a washable silk coverlet.

Color has gone kaleidoscope. Brilliant blues, orange, graphite, kiwi, lapis and magenta awoke a visual awareness that has been turned down by the muted tones of the past five years. Black and white seemed to lose some of its importance, while the color explosions pushed their way forward. Richer fabrics and traditional furnishings were well dressed in colors such as lichen, tobacco, charcoal and cranberry.

Whether we are ready or not, shiny silver has made its presence known. It is going to demand a place in modern, transitional and traditional decorating in the next year in lighting and accessories.

With an abundance of pieces that are a blend of both silver and gold, the transition will be painless.

We leave High Point soon with suitcases packed with catalogs from new merchants, receipts for merchandise purchase and a handful of business cards. Our heads and cameras are packed with new ideas. I declare the 2009 Mart a roaring success!

Vicky Earley is the principal designer for Artichoke Designs in downtown Carmel. If you have an interior design question, please contact artichokedesigns@aol. com.

Scary movies not as scary as the real world COMMENTARY

By Joe Shearer A few weeks ago, I commented in jest to my cousin’s Facebook invitation to see “Halloween II,” that Riley and I would be there.

This caused something of a stir in my family, then sighs of relief when I announced that my 4-year-old son was not going to see a slasher flick.

I’ve long argued scary movies for kids. I know many people would gasp at such an idea.

Horror films make kids violent, and are just another sign that society is rolling downhill in a barrel bound for hell, right?

Posh, I say.

Film is a reflection of societal values. That’s why the “good guys” always win, and the wicked lose.

What better reflects the values parents should impart to their children? Typical victims are the bad kids who drink, smoke, do drugs, and have premarital sex. The good one defeats the monster and lives on. Scared straight, indeed.

Scary movies are modern-day fairy tales, no more grisly or ghastly than “Hansel and Gretel,”

where a woman who eats children is pushed into an oven by kids, or “Red Riding Hood,” where a wolf eats Red’s grandmother, and is hacked to death by a woodsman.

My own mom and stepdad used to terrorize me with yarns about goblins who would take me away if I wasn’t good.

The goal of these stories? To make kids behave.

Does this mean my kids are watching splatter flicks instead of “Yo Gabba Gabba”? Of course not. Riley, my oldest, isn’t quite ready for that yet. But when the time comes, I absolutely will allow them.

Why? Because the real world, with its predators in sheep’s clothing, are scarier than Jason or Michael Myers. They should, as Michael Jackson once said, fear us more than any ghoul could ever dare try.

Joe Shearer is a freelance writer from Noblesville and the exhausted father of three kids under five years of age. He also writes for www. thefilmyap.com and blogs at www. indyparentsource.com.

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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Now is the time for home improvement COMMENTARY

By Randy Sorrell “Call Richie,” my lovely wife of 26 years says, “He’s got everything.”

Needless to say, I was a little humiliated. This guy is a home improvement stud. He has all the tools and associated skills to accomplish whatever DIY project imaginable. A week seldom ends without Richie ripping out something and firing up the power tools. Me, I’m blessed with two left thumbs, compliments of Pete, my dad.

What about you? Do you have all the tools and talents to frame out a whatchamacallit, thread a gizmo and shoot plumb?

No? Don’t worry, because we do. We, meaning remodeling professionals across Hamilton County like Case Handyman and my SURROUNDINGS team of talented carpenters who dig their profession and love to make fun of my two left thumbs. A recent porch they built is destined for a magazine, and the last basement project was a carpenter’s dream. These guys rock, without the butt cracks.

Back to Richie. His most recent ambition involved refinishing a front door and installing new trim. Sounds simple doesn’t it? But he did it right. Took the door down and set it on a pair of supports. Attacked it with sandpaper widgets I didn’t know existed. Stripped all the rotted wood from the frame, and blah, blah, blah. A few weeks later, and WOW, a front entry that inspires!

Actually, talented studs have a “tipping point” sort of impact on neighborhoods. Think about yours. A neighbor installs a new door with fluted trim, and suddenly a few other doors pop up.

Then there is a surge of new mailboxes, then landscapes, and the momentum builds.

So, if you need a room addition, lower level finished or upgraded, or some other cool remodeling or handyman project, our industry would love to hear from you. We didn’t receive any federal stimulus money, and winter revenue tends to run as cold and the city council’s approval ratings. Crashing material costs have caused this to be one of the most competitive times in a decade to remodel.

Be a STUD…call a pro!

Randy Sorrell is president of SURROUNDINGS by NatureWorks+, a Carmel home improvement firm. He may be reached at 317-679-2565, randy@choosesurroundings. com or www.choosesurroundings.com.

Dogs and gardens don’t mix COMMENTARY

By Holly Funk Before I even knew what a hosta was, I knew a dog digging them up for dinner…infuriating my Mom, of course.

In seconds, hours of painstaking beautification was destroyed in a storm of salt and pepper colored fluff. Then a soil sprinkled schnauzer returned wagging with garden gluttony, impossible to scold.

So we just gave up the backyard garden – except for a couple of junipers and a boxwood shrub my Dad insisted was a holly.

Seems I forgot about dogs and plants by the time I had my own garden. With a blank slate, I set about establishing my roots. While the garden was new, I walked Rex on a leash, steering him far from the plants.

The more comfortable I became (read: lazy), I let Rex outside on his own, not giving it a thought until the weeding chores turned into poop patrol. Did he not know that the mulched areas were off limits?

So I took to obsessively monitoring him.

“REX! Out of the sedum!”

Until I grew weary.

Enter Martha Stewart. She made the niftiest bamboo border one morning on her show. I could make my own border fencing and keep the dog out!

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

Many hours (and blisters) later, I had the beds bordered with 2 foot tall fencing. It was cute AND it would keep Rex out. Feeling a bit full of myself, I let him out to see how it worked.

Two leaps and one squat flushed all my hard work down the doggy drain. Why on earth did I think he wouldn’t hop over it? Dogs and the garden just do not mix.

I haven’t run across any dog loving gardener that doesn’t have the same dilemma. And at the same time, we wouldn’t think of not having dogs. Or the garden.

Go figure.

Holly Funk is an Indiana accredited horticulturist and advanced master gardener residing in Noblesville.

Email your gardening woes (or wisdom) to twogreengeeks@ yahoo.com.

patios | decks landscapes | pergolas | porches sunrooms | handyman services

We do remodeling, too!

317.575.0482

421 S. Rangeline Road

www.choosesurroundings.com randy@choosesurroundings.com October 27, 2009 | 19

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PETS OF THE WEEK Lady is a 5-year-old female tan and white American Staffordshire terrier mix. Lady is a social girl and enjoys being the center of attention. She arrived at the shelter at the end of July, when her previous owner could no longer keep her. She is house trained and friendly with children and other dogs. She had surgery awhile back on her back left leg, and in the winter it can get a little sore, but with a little doggie massage, the pain goes away.

Hi, my name is Gizmo. I am 2+ years old, and I was surrendered to the shelter in May because my owner had too many animals.

I was not alone; I had my litter of kittens along for the move. Thank goodness I was whisked away to a foster home, where I could care for the babies away from the noise of the catteries. I am frankly hoping my mothering days are over. I am a DSH, gray with white and a cute little black spot on my nose.

For more information on these and other animals at the Humane Society, call 317-773-4974 or go to www.hamiltonhumane.com.

Thinking of breeding your dog?

COMMENTARY

By Dr. Mary Marcotte I just did my third emergency spay in a three-week period. The first little dog had a breech puppy that had already died by the time I was able to perform a C-section. Her second puppy took 25 minutes of CPR to resuscitate, and the mom was close to death from such severe blood loss.

The second dog I saw had a puppy stuck in the birthing canal. She had two dead puppies in her uterus, and the severity of contractions caused her uterus to tear. She was lucky to have survived, but required a week of intensive care. She suffered multi-organ failure and severe hemorrhaging.

The third dog I saw successfully delivered two puppies, but suffered from a uterine infection that could have taken her life.

The total cost for these poor little dogs was well over $3,000. The operations produced a total of three puppies, which can be “sold” for $450 each. This leaves the owner with more than $1,000 in unrecoverable expenses, not including the cost of care for the puppies. The result of this breeding venture is three sweet little dogs that came close to death and suffered immensely, and a financial debt to the owners.

I strongly urge anyone considering breed-

ing their dog to rethink their decision. Not only are you putting your own dog at risk, but you are taking away potential homes for the thousands of animals at shelters by bringing more dogs into the world. Take a walk through animal control sometime, and you will see dogs of all breeds and sizes waiting for someone to adopt them. The staggering number of healthy animals euthanized should be enough to deter anyone from breeding more animals.

Some people want their children to experience the “miracle of life,” and to this I would say: Foster a pregnant dog or cat. Every year, I am overwhelmed with e-mails from various shelters desperately seeking someone to foster pregnant animals. The reality is these poor creatures do not have a chance in a shelter environment and need the love and care only a home can bring.

There are many available options for lowcost spays and neuters. It is worth the investment in your pet’s health to have it taken care of immediately. For more information, visit www.spayneuterservices.org. You can make a difference in the life of your own pet, as well as the lives thousands of homeless ones.

Dr. Mary Marcotte is a Carmel veterinarian. You may reach her at info@currentincarmel.com.

DISPATCHES » Howl-O-Ween – The Hamilton County Humane Shelter is partnering with Monroe Bank (corner of SR 37 and Greenfield Ave in Noblesville) for a howling good time this Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. A pet costume contest, pet photography, free microchipping (first 150 pets; limit two per household), pet available for adoption, and several prize drawings will be some of the features of the event. » Adopt and adult dog – October is Adopt-a-Dog month, and that also reminds me why, when people with a lot on their plates ask me about getting a puppy, I encourage them to consider a grown dog instead. Chosen carefully, an adult dog will be well past puppy foolishness and may have had some basic obedience training. Unlike puppies, who need constant monitoring, an adult dog should be able to be left alone while a family is at work or school after a much shorter period of training and re-adjustment.

-www.veterinarypartner.com

20 | October 27, 2009

$5000

Off*

Residential & Commercial

Must present coupon. *$150 Service Call Minimum.

Can’t be used with any other coupon.

Coupon expires 11/10/09 cc

NADCA Certified • IICRC Certified

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

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DISPATCHES » Public school discussions begin – Ten public forums hosted by Noblesville Schools are scheduled for November to give the community an opportunity to gain information, ask questions and offer comments. All forums begin at 7 pm.

They will be: Nov. 3 - North Elementary Nov. 4 - Noblesville Intermediate Nov. 5 - Noblesville High School Nov. 10 - White River Elementary Nov. 11 - Hazel Dell Elementary Nov. 16 - Stony Creek Elementary Nov. 17 - Noblesville Middle School Nov. 18 - Hinkle Creek Elementary Nov. 19 - Forest Hill Elementary Nov. 30 - Noble Crossing Elementary The school system’s goal is to present a plan to the community in the next few months and ask voters to approve the plan in a referendum in 2010. » Hinkle students observe drug-free living – Hinkle Creek Elementary School are celebrating Red Ribbon Week this week with a drug-free focus with the following special days: Oct. 27 – Turn Your Back on Drugs!

Students will wear a shirt backwards, and drug free stickers will be handed out to each student.

Oct. 28 – We Are Teaming Up Against Drugs! Students wear a “team” shirt, and will sign letters to Noblesville High School students encouraging drug-free living.

Oct. 29 – A drawing for prizes for students who signed and turned in pledge cards promising to stay drug free. » Hazel Dell group helps keep the peace – CHAMPS (Children Achieving A More Peaceful School) at Hazel Dell Elementary School is a group of 4th grade students, selected by their classmates, and trained to help other students at school resolve certain minor, non-physical disputes. There are 10 CHAMPS at Hazel Dell who work in pairs during their lunch recess times, as scheduled by the counselor. Students in conflict can be referred to a CHAMPS session by the principal, counselor, teachers, or themselves. The problem-solving process is voluntary; no one is forced to attend a session. CHAMPS are mediators, not judges or disciplinarians. They help students through a 4-step process where ideas are brainstormed and solutions agreed upon. Students serving as a CHAMPS mediator are: Morgan Akin, Will Boland, Caroline Borshoff, Sydney Bowen, Natalie Huber, Hadley Moritz, Brady Nicholson, Cordelia Pierce, Jacob Thieman and Emma Williams.

www.currentnoblesville.com (coming soon)

Noble Crossing student’s love for art and animals pays off

By Sharon Trisler Current in Noblesville When Noblesville’s Grace Williamson thinks of her favorite place she thinks about lions, elephants, and zebras, maybe even monkeys and tigers.

As a Noble Crossing Elementary School second-grader last spring, Grace used her artistic talents to create a colorful picture of her favorite place -- the zoo. Her drawing was selected as the third-place winner in a cover contest sponsored

by U.S. Kids for “Jack and Jill” magazine.

This year’s contest asked children to use their artistic skills to answer the question: What’s your favorite place? The drawings of the top three winners are featured in the September/ October edition of “Jack and Jill.”

Grace, 9, used markers to draw a picture of zoo animals including an elephant, a lion and a zebra. Although she can’t pick a favorite animal at the zoo, her favorite animals at home are her cat, Libby, and dog, Lucas.

Grace received “The Art of Drawing for Kids,” a series of DVD lessons based on the renown Gluck method of fine art instruction, and a gift basket full of art supplies. Noble Crossing received a $500 check and a framed copy of Grace’s artwork.

Noble Crossing art teacher Sherry Wielgos plans to use the money to purchase frames to display student art in the school’s hallways.

Sharon Trisler is public relations director for Noblesville Schools.

Photo provided by Noblesville Schools

Grace Williamson shows her prizes to her principal, Pat Haney, and art teacher, Sherry Wielgos.

Experiencing a little déjà vu

By Brandie Bohney As I wrote the column I originally submitted for this week, I kept thinking that there was something terribly familiar about it. Later, as I thumbed through the most current issue of Current, I found that I had written a column on the same topic only two weeks earlier. Oops.

With that in mind, today I thought I would discuss a few words for which most people have a gut feeling in terms of usage; I want to make sure your gut points you in the right direction.

First up, further and farther. I think most people know that there is, in fact, a difference in when to use which word, but I suspect few people could articulate it. The rule is fairly easy to remember, though: Use farther when you’re speaking of physical distance – far away. Get it? Far and farther.

Use further in basically every other instance (many of which will be rather cerebral, conceptual uses). For example, He will go further in his career if he moves farther away from home. Also, further can be used as a verb; farther cannot.

This next one is one of my favorites. It’s all about knowing whether you’re coming or going: The difference between take and bring. The difference is entirely dependent on whether the person doing the taking or bringing

is coming or going. If the person is coming, use bring. If the person is going, use take. If, for example, I send my daughter to school with a note, I say, “Take this note to school with you.” On the other hand, if I’m expecting a note from her teacher, I say, “Bring the note from your teacher home.”

Finally, there’s a cheerful pair of easily confused past participles: hung and hanged. This pair is a little trickier, because there is a bit of debate about the use of hanged. Both factions of the debate agree hanged should only be used when discussing a method of human death. One faction, however, feels hanged should only be used in cases of execution and not for cases of accidental or self-imposed hangings. I’m part of that faction. It’s nothing morbid, though; I just think hanged sounds awful, and the fewer instances in which it can be applied, the better.

Brandie Bohney is a grammar enthusiast and former English teacher. If you have a grammar-related question, please email her at bbthegrammarguru@gmail.com.

October 27, 2009 | 21

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Thanks for the memories ... I think COMMENTARY

By Dick Wolfsie I went to the library the other day to replace the card I lost, which happened when I lost my keychain, which happened when I left my coat somewhere. After I got my new card, I left it on the counter and went home without it. The Marion County Library sent me an e-mail and said that was the quickest anyone has ever lost a library card in the library’s 150-year history.

Whenever baby boomers or senior citizens forget something, they think they are losing their memories because they are getting older.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

That’s why most people do not brag about their memories. It puts them under too much pressure. You seldom hear someone say, “I never forget a name or a face.” Instead, people often brag about their shortcomings in this area. “I am so terrible with names. I hope you’ll forgive me Ted … I mean Sheila.”

I started thinking about this the other day as I looked through some old videotapes.

Here I was, for example, interviewing Chubby Checker, creator of the dance craze, the Twist. If you had asked me a month ago if I had ever met Chubby Checker, I’d have said no. But there I was. True, it was 25 years ago, but I’m still very depressed about this. I mean, what good is a memorable experience if you can’t remember it?

You can quote me on that.

Here’s something else that scares me: I can’t remember a great deal of my childhood. I keep trying to get a mental image of myself sitting at the kitchen table with my brother and sister, something I probably did 10,000 times, but I can’t remember where I sat. I also have no recollection of where I did my homework. I don’t remember how I actually got to school each day.

I few years back, this started to bother me, so I called my mother.

“Mom, it’s Dick. I have a question for you.”

“Who is this?”

I guess it runs in the family.

Memory is also very selective. Several years ago, I was stopped by a woman in a parking garage who recognized me. “Hey—Dick Wolfsie! Bet you don’t remember me.”

“Sure, you’re Jenny Todman from Muncie.

You were on my show six years ago with your husband Tom. You have quadruplets named Toni, Todd, Ty and Taylor.”

She was very impressed with me. I was very impressed with me. Then I went into the parking lot and I couldn’t remember where I parked my car. After two hours, I called my wife.

“Mary Ellen, you’re not going to believe this.”

“Don’t tell me. You can’t find the car again.

How can you be so forgetful?”

“Okay, smarty pants. You name the Todman quadruplets.”

Of course, my wife remembers almost everything. Almost. Unlike me, she has a clear image

of large land masses that we have visited, like Europe. She remembers the month and day of her birthday… if not the year. My wife can tell you the name of every actress and actor in every old movie. But she can’t tell you how much money she got out of the ATM machine.

And finally, my wife remembers when I forget to open the door for her, but she forgets when I remember. I saved this sentence for last, because I think you’ll need to read it a few times. What I’m trying to say is that she remembers when I forget, but when I forget, then this is something that she usually … in other words, it’s easy for her to remember something that’s… what I mean is … oh, forget it.

Dick Wolfsie is an author, columnist, and speaker. Contact him at wolfsie@aol.com.

Hoosier Hodge Podge

Indiana Wordsmith Challenge

Build the words

Answers to HOOSIER HODGEPODGE: Players: ADDAI, CLARK, MANNING, MATHIS, SANDERS, WAYNE; Terms: AFT, AHOY, BUOY, KEEL, PORT; Nations: EGYPT, GHANA, KENYA, MALI; Astronauts: ARMSTRONG, CERNAN, WOLF; Dogs: LASSIE, RIN TIN TIN; Mayor: DITSLEAR Answers to BUILD THE WORDS: CROOKED STICK, JONAS BROTHERS, PURDUE PETE, PHOTOGRAPHY, DOROTHY Answers to INDIANA WORDSMITH CHALLENGE: AIRIER, FAIRER, FOXIER, PREFIX, REPAIR, AFIRE, AFORE, AIRER, FIRER, FIXER, FRIAR, OPERA, PARER, PIXIE, PRIOR, REFIX, RIFER, RIPER, ROPER, APER, APEX, AXER, EXPO, FAIR, FARE, FEAR, FIRE, FORE, PAIR, PARE, PEAR, PIER, PORE, RARE, REAP, REAR, REP, RIFE, RIPE, ROAR, ROPE

22 | October 27, 2009

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Views | Community | In Spirit | Anti-Aging | Dough | Diversions | Toys | Panache | Inside & Out | Pets | Education | Laughs | Classifieds

Seriously, Christmas catalogs already?

All things considered, then, I guess I should just resign myself to the fact that the holiday madness now has a mid-October starting date, and there’s not a lot I can do about it.

COMMENTARY

By Mike Redmond Halloween is not quite here, so naturally the mailman is coming to my door loaded with Christmas catalogs.

I’m surprised. They’re kind of late this year.

Every autumn I complain about this.

Then again, as has frequently been pointed out to me, you can set your calendar by my complaints: October, Christmas catalogs.

November, crazed weathermen creating snow panics; December, Christmas decorations that play electronic music; January, the return of crazed weathermen creating snow panics, and so on.

To which I say: How do things get so screwy with such regularity?

Anyway, back to October and the catalogs.

What’s the hurry? Good gravy, Christmas is two months away. Two. Apply that span to any other time of the year. Do we start getting Flag Day catalogs in April? Are we counting the days between July and Labor Day? Do the stores put up Easter decorations while we’re still in the dead of winter?

Actually, on that last one, yes. They do.

Nothing like pastel colored M&Ms to make a blizzard more tolerable.

I’m told the reason the Christmas catalog bombardment begins so early is that retailers are scared of a “soft” holiday, soft being the word for what the rest of us would call hard times. The sooner they start, the thinking goes, the more they’ll sell. Thus the answer to a soft holiday is a hard sell, lest the economy go soft and we fall upon hard times.

I didn’t have that semester of economics with Mr. Rodeghiero for nothing.

Well, this year I can buy the soft-holiday hard-sell thing. The economy still has Boogeyman status for most of us, and there’s lots of talk about how this year might not be quite the bountiful holiday season we’ve known in the past and it’ll probably just involve new socks and underwear from Yoder’s Department Store this time. Thanks for the buzzkill, Mom. Nice spirit you’re showing there.

So this year, I get it. But that doesn’t explain the 19 years leading up to this one, when the catalogs arrived and the stores became Christmas Wonderlands while the Darth Vader costumes were still on the shelves.

Think about the kids for a minute. Can you imagine how confusing that must be?

You wind up with Vader Claus: “I’m your father, Luke. Ho ho ho.”

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Now, I do see some good news this year: Thanksgiving seems to be fighting back. As Halloween morphed from a 100 percent Kid Holiday to a Boomer Bacchanalia, Thanksgiving looked like it was turning into nothing more than the big meal halfway between Trick Or Treat and Deck The Halls.

In the last few years, though, large numbers of food fans have led the charge to restore Thanksgiving to its rightful place as one of, if not THE best, American holidays, and not just for the eats. For that, I am thankful indeed.

All things considered, then, I guess I should just resign myself to the fact that the holiday madness now has a mid-October starting date, and there’s not a lot I can do about it. The stores and catalogs are going to do what they want, when they want, and complaining won’t change a thing.

Except the calendar. I’ll just have to find something new to gripe about this time of year. I think I’ll go see what the weathermen are up to.

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October 27, 2009 | 23

24 | October 27, 2009

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