International Women's Day Celebration

The 15th annual International Women's Day Celebration at Indiana University-Purdue University in Indianapolis takes place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday (12 March) in the Lilly Auditorium of the University Library, 755 West Michigan Street, Indianapolis.

A part of the Reiberg Reading Series, featured performers include poets Rachel Sahaidachny and Saundrajo Holiday, fiction from Sarah Layden, and visual art by Anila Agha.

A multicultural, multilingual open mic follows at 8:15 p.m. Women’s organizations and activist groups will be on hand to talk about the work in our community.

Reiberg events are free and open to the public.

Soccer Revenue in Doubt?

According to IBJ.com, "The Indy Eleven soccer team would generate just $2 million to $4 million a year in ticket sales, a fraction of the $51 million that owner Ersal Ozdemir has estimated a new downtown stadium would generate including non-soccer events, according to an independent analysis by the Legislative Services Agency."

Is anyone surprised?

UPDATE:

More here and here.

Most Dangerous US Cities

Yeah, once again Indianapolis is in the news -- and not in a good way. In article on Huffington Post, Indy is tagged as the sixth most dangerous city in the United States.

We come in after Detroit, Baltimore, Memphis, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, but in front of Oklahoma City, Washington DC, Houston and Dallas.

This Indianapolis Observer wonders how the Mayor's office is taking the news! (No wonder Butler University wants to separate itself from its own hometown.)

Religion and the State

Indiana State Representative Eric Turner (R-32) proposed amending Indiana’s civil rights law to allow religious institutions doing business with the state to hire and fire employees for religious reasons.

As if people need yet another reason to avoid moving to or doing business in "Honest to Goodness" Indiana.

As Sheila Kennedy writes:

"Look, if despising GLBT people, or Jews or Muslims or whoever, is really, really important to your religious organization, go for it! Hire people based upon religious criteria, provide services only to people who agree with you, preach your dogma to whoever will listen. No problem.

"Just don’t demand tax dollars to subsidize those activities.

"No one is interfering with your freedom to discriminate. We’re simply declining to finance it."

One of Those Head-Slap Moments

Just when the City of Indianapolis is complaining that it can't afford more police, and Mayor Greg Ballard is trying to explain why snow removal, pot-hole repair and trash collection are in such dire straits -- the city decides to spend $1.5 million on behalf of Butler University to help the private institution in "distinguishing the college from the surrounding neighborhood".

Yes, folks, Butler wants a visual barrier between its ivy covered self and Butler Tarkington, and we taxpayers get to pay half of the cost.

Check out "Butler embarking on $3M, year-long streetscape project" on IBJ.com.

This Indianapolis Observer is appalled at the city's spending priorities, once again.

It's Not Only Target

The massive security breaches regarding credit cards also include White Lodging Services Corporation (operating 168 hotels in 21 states).

Yep. Proving once again that every good story has an Indiana connection, The New York Times is reporting that the Merrillville-based corporation says "the breach might have resulted in the fraudulent use of hundreds of credit and debit cards used for payment (of food and beverage services) at Marriott hotels between March 2013 and the end of the year."

Among their properties: two in downtown Indianapolis (the J.W. Marriott Hotel and the Marriott Hotel).

If you've dined at a Marriott operated by White Lodging in the last year, folks, this Indianapolis Observer suggests that you review your credit card bills.

Clueless Hoosiers. Sigh!

Amending the Indiana constitution is merely an attempt by the GOP "to keep GLBT folks in second-class citizenship status" (as Sheila Kennedy puts it). She writes: "...the most high-profile battle of this session–HJR 3–has given the rest of the country the impression that Hoosiers are 19th Century yahoos determined to buck the headwinds of change."

and

Here's how the Daily Kos looks at it: "Things are falling apart for Indiana's chief bigot, state House Speaker Brian Bosma. He's the guy who's trying to ram an extreme anti-marriage equality constitutional amendment through the state legislature.

"When his fellow Republicans in the judiciary committee rebelled against the amendment, Bosma yanked it from that committee and put it in a friendlier one. He figured it would sail through there, and it pretty much did. But then he hit the wall of opposition from fellow Republicans in the full House.

"With a 52-43 vote, the House removed the worst part of the amendment, a provision that would have banned civil unions and could have ended protections for straight, unmarried couples in civil unions.

"That's triggering a delay, meaning that even if both chambers of the General Assembly pass the revised amendment, it likely won't go before voters until 2016."

This Indianapolis Observer hopes that maybe, just maybe, the Hoosier State will have joined the 21st Century by then.