Provocate.org

They set up projects in refugee camps in refugee camps in Syria to promote democracy in Iraq. They have established the most effective HIV/AIDS program in Africa, which also happens to be contributing to legal reform and ethnic healing in Kenya. They spend their vacations building orphanages in poor countries around the world. These are just a few ways ordinary Hoosiers are transforming the world. (more…)

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The “Indiana Commission on Local Government Reform” was charged by Governor Daniels to provide recommendations for a leaner local government structure. Led by former Governor Joe Kernan and Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard, the Commission released its report in December of 2007. Perhaps only Justice Shepard appreciates just how significant the report’s recommendations really are. (more…)

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China’s present problems with air pollution brings to light the serious environmental issues facing our world. How healthy is the environment of our state and country? Recycling and reducing are steps we can all take, but what else is required? (more…)

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As head of the Indianapolis Urban League, Joe Slash is at the center of the many initiatives to make families stronger and more secure. Hear how he thinks it’s going. (more…)

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Says the LA Times: ‘In “God Particles,” Lux’s 11th volume of poetry, readers are confronted by the brutality, banality and violence of the modern world. But they also encounter God particles scattered throughout — an instance of kindness, a reason for joy, an impulse to forgive.’ (more…)

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Since the publication of The Origin of Species, both promoters and detractors have argued that Darwin’s theory has profound implications for how we understand human beings as social and political animals. Explore how political thinkers, both liberal and conservative and secular and religious, have responded to Darwin’s thought. (more…)

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Learn how to make the home environment safer and healthier for individuals. This program teaches volunteers how to asses their neighbors’ homes and makes recommendations that are of low or no cost to the resident. (more…)

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Come join the residents of the Indianapolis Peace House on Wednesday, July 30 for a gathering of our neighbors. Stop in any time from 5 to 8 pm to enjoy free entertainment, live music, food, and the company of the Indianapolis community. The house is located at 1421 Central Avenue, Indianapolis IN 46202.

What: Open House @ Indianapolis Peace House
When: 5-8 pm, July 30th
Where: 1421 Central Ave.
Cost: Free
Info: peacehouse.info@gmail.com

The Peace House is a program of the Indianapolis Peace Institute, founded by the Plowshares Collaborative of Goshen, Manchester, and Earlham, Indiana’s historic peace colleges.

There are 13 college students living at the Peace House, from 9 different colleges and universities and pursuing studies in everything from Art Therapy and English to Criminal Justice and Theology. The goal is to learn peace through action.

Each of the students is a full-time intern for local organization promoting peace in Indianapolis. And there are some awesome internships: working at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Exodus Refugee Center, and Big Car Gallery, to name a few. One of them is even working here at Provocate.org writing these event blurbs.

The philosophy behind this open house is that community is a lot bigger than the 13 people in the house. It’s about friends, neighbors, co-workers, people you meet at Kroger, and people you don’t know at all. It’s about the people who inspire you and teach you. And it’s about people outside your demographic—people who challenge your ideas.

That’s why the Peace House has invited the whole city of Indianapolis to their open house. They declare:

“You are our friends, neighbors, co-workers, random acquaintances, and even a few friends we haven’t met yet. You’re people we admire, people who believe in peace, and people who challenge us. In short, you are our community. When we get to know you, we create a space for peace.”

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John Clark is of the belief that arts organizations, small businesses, and community groups will be the engines that redefine relations between Indianapolis and the world. As you eat your plate at an Ethiopian restaurant, see if he has any grounds for his opinion. (more…)

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Hold it, we thought the Federal Emergency Management Agency was supposed to fix disasters, not make them worse! (more…)

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