Provocate.org

The litigators of the Indiana chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union are some of the busiest in the country. Is it because they are thebest, or because Indiana’s legislators give them so many opportunities to rescue the Bill of Rights? Find out from lead ACLU-IN litigator Ken Falk … and ask him if he thinks his upcoming trips to the Supreme Court of the US will go better than some of his recent cases. (more…)

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View a documentary on the water rights preservation vs. privatization controversy. Saturday, July 12th at
View Larger Map“>Lockerbie Central UMC at the corner of New York & East, downtown. Come at 7:00 for the Water Fair, or at 8:00 for the premier. Learn about this critical global issue and (optionally) make a contribution toward making drinking water available to all.

here are some sites relevant to the issue at hand.

waterbank.com

a good general wikipedia article on water privatization

the Sierra Club’s perspective on water privatization

public citizen’s take

There’s plenty more out there to get you started. Begin with the FLOW film!

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Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong? Join others asking this question at the monthly statehouse witness to end capital punishment. Every third Thursday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Capitol Avenue at Market Street, Indianapolis. Come for all or any part of the hour; bring a sign or use one that’s provided. Future dates: August 21, September 18, and October 16.

For more information, contact the Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment, 1031 E Washington St. Indianapolis, IN 46202.

(317) 466-7128.

info@iicacp.org

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Should capital punishment be abolished?

Who knew?

Death penalty court cases cost over 33% more than the cost of imprisoning a defendant for life. Join the Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment for their monthly meeting at the ACLU offices to hear even better reasons to make executions things of the past.

The monthly meeting of the Indiana Information Center on the Abolition of Capital Punishment will take place on Sat. July 12 at 1 pm at ACLU of Indiana offices, 1031 E. Washington. For more information or directions, visit iicacp.org or contact Chris Hitz-Bradley at 797-3210 or exparrot@sbcglobal.net

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“The Story of Stuff,” a 20-minute video that covers environmental, psychological and social impacts of our consumption oriented society, will be shown on Wed. July 9 at 6 pm in Room 116 at Wheeler Art Center, 1035 Sanders, sponsored by Marion County Green Party, Campaign for Sustainable Economics, The Black and Latino Institute, and Simple Living Group of Indianapolis. Discussion afterwards will be lead by Greg Buck. For more info, contact Greg Buck at ecothink@yahoo.com or 917-1638.

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The final installment of the four-week series on aging at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

How does one go about acquiring the skill of sharing inner wisdom?

“From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older” on Monday, July 14, 7-8:30 pm, in Room E213 at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 100 W. 86th St., of course!

This is the last in a series of four free workshops. Focus ranges from “claiming your elder voice” to “service to future generations.” A great way to invest in your inner guru.

For more info, contact Paul Severance (317) 788-7795 or pseverance1@comcast.net.

To register, call (317) 846-3404, ext. 367, or email morand@stlukesumc.com.

If you missed last week’s workshop, be sure to check this one out.

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According to Amnesty International, 137 countries have abolished the death penalty. During 2007, 24 countries, 88% in China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States alone, executed 1,252 people compared to 1,591 in 2006. Nearly 3,350 people were sentenced to death in 51 countries. More than 20,000 prisoners are on death row across the world.

It’s too bad I don’t know how to resize this map, because it’s a pretty interesting one. To see the whole thing, go here. Or read a recent NPR article titled High Court Rules on Guns, Death Penalty to learn more about current developments.

If it sounds like a good idea for the US to abolish the death penalty, it might be time to head on over to the Nora library. If it sounds like a bad idea, it’s definitely time to book it over. Join the Indy Artists’ Peace Project for thought-provoking conversation about retributive justice in the United States.

The Indy Artists’ Peace Project is a community of Indianapolis artists who are dedicated to promoting peace and justice through the arts. The roundtable discussion will feature Chris Hitz-Bradley of the Indiana information Center for the Abolition of Capital Punishment (IACACP), attorney Richard Kammen (who worked with the Timothy McVeigh case, among others), and others to be announced soon.

Monday, July 7th, 7:00-8:30 p.m. at the Nora Branch Library. Free. For more information, email

indyartists@aol.com

or call (317) 255-0673.

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What do al-Husseini, Hitler, and John Rothmann have in common? They are all going to be featured at Barnes & Noble, of course!*

But the similarities pretty much stop there. Hitler and al-Husseini were perpetrators of crimes against humanity, while Rothmann is the humble co-author of Icon of Evil: Hitler’s Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam.

The book, which Rothmann co-wrote with David G. Dalin, was released June 24th. It’s got the goods: near-unlimited linguistic resources, access to primary documents, and all the dirt on the honorary Aryan’s support of Hitler and his Final Solution. It’s a page-turner (according to the author’s in-laws) and it’s got verve (according to their publisher).

Publishers Weekly (the 7th review down) and the Middle East Times have given it stamps of approval.

Rothmann will be at the Clearwater Crossing Barnes & Noble in Indianapolis on July 9th at 7:00 p.m. to talk about his work and perhaps sell a few copies. The event promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking one, and plus there will be food.

Barnes & Noble @ Clearwater Crossing

3748 E 82nd St.

Indianapolis, IN 46240

*Thematically only! No in-person appearances by al-Husseini or Hitler

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A year and a half in the making, so many numbers that will thrill autistic savants, sweeping predictions about the future of the Indiana economy, recommendations about new ways of thinking about trust and civil society … this will be big summer blockbuster for policy wonks. Check back here for sneak previews.

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Premise # 1: Central Indiana is receiving a grwoing number of refugees, which is a good thing but presents all of us with major challenges. Premise #2: At the same time, Hoosiers are working around the world with refugees and displaced persons. The conclusion from these two premises: We have a unique opportunity to help solve problems of poverty and social conflict globally and locally.

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