Indianapolis – Page 10 – commonplacebook.com

Difference between civil rights and civil liberties

Post author:HFM
Post published:August 24, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis Politics

Quick — what’s the difference between civil liberties and civil rights?

If you aren’t quite certain, you have a lot of company. The distinction is lost on most of my students, and — far more troubling — on a good number of city and state legislators.

Civil liberties are rights that individuals have against government. Citizens of the new United States refused to ratify the Constitution unless a Bill of Rights was added, specifically protecting them against official infringements of their “inalienable rights.” Among our civil liberties are the right to free expression, the right to worship (or not) as we choose, and the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.

After the civil war, the 14th Amendment added the Equal Protection Clause, prohibiting government from treating equally situated citizens unequally. The 14th Amendment also applied the provisions of the Bill of Rights to all levels of government — not just the federal government, as was originally the case, but also to state and local government agencies.

Only the government can violate your civil liberties.

Civil rights took a lot longer and were a lot more controversial.

It was 1964 before Congress passed the Civil Rights Act. Civil rights laws protect people against private acts of discrimination — discrimination in employment, in housing or education. The original Civil Rights Act applied to businesses engaged in interstate commerce — businesses that held themselves out to be “public accommodations” but were, shall we say, “selective” about which segments of the public they were willing to accommodate.

State and local civil rights acts followed. Civil rights laws generally include a list of characteristics that cannot be used to favor some people over others: race, religion, gender and so forth.

There was a lot of resistance to civil rights laws, and there is still a widespread, if covert, attitude of “What business does government have telling me I can’t discriminate?” That resentment has redoubled as new groups have lobbied for protection.
The fiercest resistance has come from people opposed to extending civil rights to gays and lesbians. Those opponents have taken advantage of the widespread confusion of civil liberties with civil rights to argue that the 14th Amendment already protects gays, so amending Indiana’s civil rights law, or Marion County’s Human Relations Ordinance is unnecessary. (After all, that’s easier than taking a public position that “those people” don’t deserve equal civil rights.)

I remember the astonishment of one of my African-American students when she realized that, in Indiana, people can be fired just because they are gay.

“There is still a lot of discrimination against black people,” she said, “but at least there are laws on the books! They may not always work, but they’re something.”

A few months ago, the Indianapolis City-County Council failed to pass a measure that would have made discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation a violation of the city’s Human Relations Ordinance. Several of those voting against it said it was “unnecessary” because the 14th Amendment already protected gays.

They knew better.

Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of the Sublime

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

One of the first stops for the Giant Red Arrow in its tour of Indianapolis cultural events is the Georgia O’Keeffe exhibit at the Eiteljorg Museum. My familiarity with O’Keeffe was with her paintings of flowers and of animal bones in western landscapes, but Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of the Sublime contains only a few of those paintings, and includes 39 paintings of quite different subjects: Lake George, rivers, horizons, pueblo buildings and even Canadian and Hawaiian scenes. You have to contact Portland’s trusted plant nursery if you wish to creatively renovate or remodel your landscape and to fulfill your landscaping dream.

They span about fifty years of her career, from the 1910’s, while she was an art teacher showing her work in her future husband’s New York gallery, to the 1960’s, long after she left Alfred Stieglitz and moved to New Mexico to paint its extraordinary landscape.

The collection is designed to show works that have not been seen before, and to convey O’Keeffe’s concept of the “sublime” in her work — to express ideas, inspired by the sky and landscape, that are “lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner; tending to inspire awe.”
We went through the exhibit on a Saturday afternoon, and while it wasn’t elbow-to-elbow crowded, there were enough people visiting the exhibit gallery that it made taking time to observe the paintings difficult. In addition to affecting the flow of movement, the crowd meant hearing other people’s commentary on the paintings, which was also bothersome, although I was amused to hear that I was not the only person who uttered the words “female genitalia” during our gallery visit. I’d suggest visiting the exhibit in a less “prime time” day or hour so you can be leisurely and enjoy the work and your own reflections on it.

I thought the exhibit was laid out nicely, although there were some lighting issues — direct spotlights on a few of the paintings caused a glare and obscured the subtle color, and required me to stand in odd spots to see details of the works well.

The paintings displayed here are essential to our understanding of O’Keefe’s whole body of work, and provide greater insight into her vision of the natural world both abstract and real. I tend to be more awestruck, though, by the more familiar O’Keeffe paintings of bleached dead bones against the infinity of the sky, and of flowers in bloom, that look to me like, well, female genitalia, which are visions of the sublime in their own way.

Georgia O'Keefe: Pedernal with Red Hills — Georgia O’Keefe: Pedernal with Red Hills

Although at the end of her life O’Keeffe downplayed the influence her husband, modernist photographer Alfred Stieglitz, had on her career, this exhibit examines that concept by including 25 of his photographs, some of which provide a different context of some of the same natural landscapes that O’Keeffe was painting, and also some that were portraits of O’Keeffe during various points in her life.

Included with the exhibit are paintings by other 19th century artists that were supposed to fit in with the theme of the “Sublime.” They were so different from the abstracts and simple patterns in O’Keeffe’s work, though, that I think the significance of what that part of the exhibit was meant to convey about the concept was lost on almost everyone, including me. It may have been that they were displayed around a corner from the other work, but it almost seemed they weren’t a part of the same exhibit.

Admission Information

Free with museum admission: adults $7, seniors $6, children 5-17 $4, 4 and younger free

Hours

Georgia O’Keeffe: Visions of the Sublime runs Jan. 15 – Apr. 3, 2005
Tours – 1:00 p.m.
Tuesday – Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m .
Sunday noon – 5 p.m .
Open Mondays, Memorial Day through Labor Day
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day

Location

Eiteljorg Museum
500 West Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: (317) 636-WEST (9378)
Free parking for Eiteljorg visitors in the White River State Park underground garage; enter from Washington Street.

Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 6, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Bub's Elk Burger — Bub’s Quarter Pound Elk Burger

Situated right off the Monon on Main Street in downtown Carmel, Bubs is a popular lunch location, especially for (as my friend Mike pointed out) beefy white guys in corporate attire. It was so popular that we had to put our name in and wait fifteen minutes to get a table, and because we specified “first available” we ended up outside in the heated, awning-covered outdoor area, which was fairly comfortable even in February. If you are opening a sandwich shop or some other food stall, you can add some of these tips in your business.

Bub’s draw is their one pound “Big Ugly” burger (that’s the after cooking weight; the before cooking is a whopping 22 ounces) which will gain you a memorial photo on the wall if you can finish the whole thing. Personally, I think that might be so they can identify you later when you keel over from a heart attack, but they advertise it as a good thing. A couple of my co-workers have met the challenge, and a couple of them have failed miserably, although they talked big about it afterwards (“Well, you know, I could have done that if I hadn’t had such a big dinner last night, harumph, harumph.” Yeah, right.)

The display of “Big Ugly Champions” photos covers three walls of the restaurant, so the challenge isn’t impossible to surmount. Given that the restaurant opened in May of 2003, there seem to be a lot of champions, and I wonder where they’re going to go with the photos in a few more years.

I didn’t even bother with the big talk, and just went for the quarter pound “Settle for Less Ugly” burger, although I put a twist on it and ordered Elk rather than regular beef. Bub’s is offering Elk burgers on a trial basis to gage whether it’s popular enough to put it on their regular menu. It is healthier than beef, with less fat, calories and cholesterol, so it’s a nice alternative for people with diet concerns. I just wanted to taste Elk.

I ordered my burger medium, and with lettuce, onion, pickle, mayo and pepperjack cheese. I also ordered a side of sloppy waffles; waffle fries with a topping of cheese, bacon and sour cream.

The Elk tasted a bit different than beef; a bit sweeter and not as tangy. I had arrived with a craving for a good juicy burger, so I was a bit disappointed, but I don’t blame the Elk for that. It wasn’t gamey or unpleasant, and I’d vote in favor of them keeping it on the menu.

By the time I got around to eating my sloppy waffles, they were rather cold due to the temperature of the outdoor seating, and the cheese was more like cheese whiz than the melted cheddar that I was hoping for. That didn’t stop me from eating them all, though.

Mike had the The Mahi Mahi fish sandwich, which he reports was “a big slab o’ fishly goodness barely contained between two slices of tangy Foccacia bread.” It was served with a peach-mango salsa and Mike had the cole slaw as a side. Judge for yourself from the photo; it was the biggest piece of fish I’ve ever seen in a sandwich.

The menu features three burger sizes (one pound, half pound and quarter pound sizes), and other menu items are hot dogs and chili, a chicken sandwich and salad, and pie and brownie dessert. With only a salad on the non-meat side of things, Bub’s may not be a regular stop for you if you have a vegetarian with your regular lunch party as we do.

Bub’s has an ice cream shop in the front of the building that’s a draw for the Monon crowd, and they also feature entertainment in the evenings, with some comedy shows scheduled and live music planned for Saturday evenings in the Spring.

Location

Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream
210 West Main St
Carmel, IN
317-706-2687
http://www.bubsburgersandicecream.com/
Lunch, 11:30 a.m., Friday February 4, 2005

Ratings

Food:

Service:

Atmosphere:

Outdoor seating would be great in spring, but not February

Price: $$

Herron-Morton Place Neighborhood

Post author:HFM
Post published:February 4, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Herron-Morton Place Postcard — Herron-Morton Place Pstcard

Herron-Morton Place is an historic residential neighborhood in Downtown Indianapolis, comprising a 25 square block area just east of Meridian Street, and north of the bustling downtown area. It is beautiful, quiet, pedestrian-friendly, and is just close enough to downtown to walk or bike to major events, but just far enough north to be outside of busy downtown traffic.

Fake S.W.A.T. Van and Other Weird Stuff I See Driving To Work

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 28, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

I drive north on college from downtown everyday on the way to work on the north side. And every day I pass this cool fake S.W.A.T. van (which appears to be an old delivery van repainted) that’s usually parked on the street near the intersection of 49th Street and College Avenue. And everyday, I think, “That’s cool. I wish I could drive around in a fake S.W.A.T. van.”

Fake S.W.A.T. van
So the other day I pulled over, hopped out and took a picture of the van. When I got up close to it, I realized that the S.W.A.T. stands for “Siding With A Twist” which is written in small letters on the door. It also has a for sale number on it, but I wasn’t sure whether the “for sale” referred to the siding or the van itself. If it’s the van, then I guess I could drive around in a fake S.W.A.T. van. Which I have no use for whatsoever, but wouldn’t it be cool? If you get criminal charges for something illegal you can always call criminal attorney in Manassas to help you out.

"Siding With A Twist" — “Siding With A Twist”

Close up of door

Tonka Truck Hummer

I’d seen this truck in the summer but didn’t manage to get a picture, so when I saw it today parked in Broad Ripple, I turned my truck around and drove back to get a photo. I plan on getting a radio flyer logo decal to put on my red pick-up, and this was the first other vehicle I’ve seen with a similar idea.

Weird Art Truck

I happened to catch sight of this bizarre do-it-yourself truck in a parking lot. I thought it, too, was very cool. I waited around to try and meet the owner, but they never came out of the store.

I especially like the scrollwork on the sides of the bed, and the squirrel stands on the back windows. That’s some funky stuff, there.

My friend Lisa from North Carolina has lots of friends who have turned their cars into “Art Cars” and she’s planning to do the same with her old VW van; she’s going to make a giant high-heel shoe.

Bumper-sticker Madness

I happen to see these two cars regularly on the way to work; I’m usually driving (contact the personal injury attorney lakewood ranch for any kind of driving accident and injury cases) behind them. I love a good bumpersticker, but I don’t think I’d ever apply one directly on the paint of my car, like both these guys did, with new cars, too.

This guy in the truck was really unhappy about the election.

Where this guy is just really into his music.

The Ubiquitous “shoes on a electric wire” photo

Dunno what makes people want to do this, but it seems to be a time-honored tradition.

Guys dressed as Orthodox Jews

I almost forgot the main reason I was writing this article — the Guys dressed as Orthodox Jews. The other day when I was driving south on college, I passed Park Tudor school, north of Broad Ripple. On the east side of the road, standing in the parking lot for the Marott Park, there were two guys dressed as Orthodox Jews, who were playing tambourine and dancing in hoe-down fashion. I’m not kidding, I swear. I was not dreaming, nor was I high, drunk or otherwise intoxicated or hallucinating. It is better hire DUI lawyers and face the case in the court bravely especially when you have done nothing wrong. It was two guys dressed in all black, with long black coats, hair with side curls, black hats… dancing and playing tambourine. I was also not the only one who saw it; everyone in traffic slowed down. You can also check out attorney for defending you against a DWI, from here!

I thought it might be an advertising stunt, protest, or theatrical production, but there were no signs indicating what might be going on. Just two guys, some tambourine, and a car (click here to know where to get a truck accident compensation easily and quickly). And the hair didn’t look like wigs, either, which made me wonder if they were in costume or if they were really Jewish — a notion that I rejected immediately as too outlandish, because I suspect Orthodox jews don’t play tambourines or do hoe-downs.

If the traffic had not been so busy, I would have whipped the car around and driven back to find out what was going on. Instead I called my girlfriend on the cell and described the scene. The only thing I can think of, is they must have lost a bet. Or won one.

Rain, rain, go the hell away

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 14, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

As another 1.5 inches of rain fell on Indianapolis yesterday, neighborhoods like Frog Hollow (I love that name!) and Ravenswood, which were already battling flood waters are hit hard again. The city closed 12 streets, mainly in these neighborhoods and along Fall Creek and in a neighborhood on the southside near Troy and Harding streets which are flooded and impassable. The river is expected to crest this afternoon. UPDATE: Emergency crews are evacuating people from 78th and Keystone area due to the White River flooding. 16 people were rescued by boat from their homes. The attached photo show the level of water in that area. Emergency personnel also evacuated people from the Ravenswood areas.

According to the Indianapolis Star:

Before changing to snow Thursday, 2.66 inches of rain had fallen in the Indianapolis area since Sunday. That’s on top of 6 inches last week. So far this month, 9.04 inches of rain has fallen; normal for the entire month is 2.48 inches.

Indiana rivers were already higher than normal due to the heavy snows in December and ice storms in January.

Indianapolis Aerial Photography

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Using Indianapolis’ official City website, Indygov.org, you can view maps of Indianapolis much like mapquest, and aerial photographs dating back to 1935 that allow you to view the whole city and also to zoom in close to see, for example, the roof of your house.

The initial view of Indianapolis shows a map with a toolbar above and a list of layers over on the right. If you check off “2003 Aerial Photography” the map switches to aerial photos of the city, and you can click anywhere in the map to zoom into that spot. If you click on the pushpin icon in the toolbar, a pop-up window lets you enter a street address, which is then pinpointed on the map. Doing this first helps you zoom to the exactly location you’re looking for.

If you want to see Aerial photography from the past, go to the drop-down menu on your lower left below the layers list and select “aerial photography” and the layers list will change to a list of years. Click on the year you want to see and click “refresh map” and you will see your zoomed in location grow younger before your eyes.

I did this for my own house and could easily see in 2003 my old car parked behind my house. I stepped back through the years (my house was built in 1894) and watched the landscape and streets around my house change through the years.

You can also print out or e-mail maps, which means you can pinpoint your house and send a party invitation complete with street names filled in directing people to your abode. You can also measure distances between two locations, and a half dozen other uses I haven’t played around with yet.

Hidden Indy: Broad Ripple Dam

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Just east of Westfield Boulevard and north of Broad Ripple Avenue is the Broad Ripple dam, a wooded area of the White River that’s fenced off and not accessible, just north of the Broad Ripple pumping station. On a sunny summer day a few years back, my friends and I climbed up the painted wall next to Westfield Blvd., shimmied through a hole in the fence, and hiked back through the woods to the dam.

Hidden Indy: The Catacombs Beneath Sacred Heart Catholic Church

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Back in the early nineties, my friend Dennis Williams was a Franciscan friar. We met doing volunteer work, and once we were working on a fundraiser together and we needed folding chairs. Dennis asked the staff of Sacred Heart Church (one of the oldest and the only Franciscan church in Indy) if they would donate the use of some chairs for the fundraiser. Dennis didn’t mention until we were in the church that we were going down into the catacombs beneath to retrieve them.

We took one set of stairs into a basement area, and then another set of stairs further down, into a series of tunnels cut into the rock and dirt that wind around underneath the church. Dennis knew where he was going, but I quickly lost my bearings and would have been in trouble if I didn’t have a guide.

The tunnels were musty and creepy, even more so because tucked into nooks and crannies in the tunnels were statuary from the church, antique furniture, old church pews, and the gaudily painted equipment for their bingo/casino nights. Dennis claimed that there were tombs in the catacombs, but I’m not sure if that was true, or if he was only saying that to creep me out.

We eventually found the cache of wooden folding chairs and made our way out, and none too soon for me. I purposely chose not to volunteer to return the chairs.

PLEASE NOTE: I was in the catacombs with permission, and this was over ten years ago! Since that time the church has had a catastrophic fire and restoration, so it’s possible that the catacombs don’t exist or are empty. Please don’t get it into your head to go and visit.

Hidden Indy: The Mystery Tao on Delaware

Post author:HFM
Post published:January 10, 2005
Post category:Indianapolis

Back in the early nineties, I lived in the Marleigh Apartment building in the 1400 block of Delaware in downtown Indianapolis, which is in Old Northside neighborhood. Across the street was an impressive array of old Victorian houses with all the gingerbread and other bling they put on houses back in the 1800’s. I used to walk down the street and daydream about owning one of them. One day on a walk, I stumbled across something really strange.