Amazon Caves

Amazon.com will begin collecting Indiana's 7-percent sales tax from customers in 2014 under an agreement with the state announced Monday, reports IBJ.com.

Know Your Rights on Wage Claims

Learn about your rights as an employee, such as collecting unpaid wages and unemployment benefits, and your rights when you are injured on the job at "Know Your Rights on Wage Claims".

The session, open to the public at no charge, takes place from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. 11 January at Hawthorne Community Center, 2440 West Ohio Street, Indianapolis.

This session will be presented by students of the Health and Human Rights Clinic of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, and is sponsored by the Immigrant Welcome Center as part of the Sarah I. and Albert G. Reuben Educational Series.

To register for this workshop, send an email to the center or call 317: 808-2326.

The Reuben Educational Series is a legacy of Sara I. Reuben, a first-generation immigrant from Belarus, and Albert G. Reuben, a second-generation immigrant. Mr. and Mrs. Reuben personally experienced the hardships of emigrating to the United States and serve as an example of how immigrants truly enrich and give back to the community.

About Those Bike Lanes

Connie Szabo Schmucker, Bicycle Garage Indy Advocacy Director, and Kevin Whited, INDYCOG's Executive Director, conducted a thorough analysis of the areas of concern and researched possible solutions.

You can read it all here: Indianapolis Bike Lane Analysis.

Right to Free Speech Restored in Indy

"Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) rescinded rules limiting how many people can be inside the statehouse at any one time on Wednesday, a victory for Democrats and labor leaders who protested the restrictions as an attempt to quash the size of protests."

Read it here: "Mitch Daniels Rescinds Indiana Statehouse Restrictions".

Countdown to the Super Bowl

"Indianapolis police plans to clear its streets of homeless people for the Super Bowl, angering advocates who want to see money for the million-dollar event help those without a place to live."

Read the rest here: "Police To Move Homeless For Super Bowl".

The Case of Jim Jones

Remember Jim Jones (left) and the People's Temple? You may recall its horrific ending in Guyana, but did you know it all started in Indianapolis?

Learn all about it at 7 p.m. 19 January at Christian Theological Seminary, 4000 West 42nd Street, Indianapolis.

A tip of the hat to Provocate for news on this event:

The People’s Temple, in its early days in Indianapolis, was a cutting-edge model of racial reconciliation and effective urban ministry.

Jim Jones was an exciting, charismatic leader who drew the attention of many of the city’s leaders to his work with the poor and disenfranchised. Yet we know the terrible end that came about in 1978 in Guyana.

What drew people to the People’s Temple in the early days? Why was it so important to so many?

What lessons are in this spiritual journey for all of us? How do we affirm creative and charismatic leadership yet recognize and deal with the pitfalls so that this kind of spiritual journey into evil can be avoided?

Prof. Scott Seay will lead a conversation that examines the legacy of Jim Jones – especially his work in Indianapolis – and the lessons that legacy has to teach us about spiritual leadership.

And, yes, the event is open to the public free of charge.

Happy New Year