New Book: "In the Courts of the Conqueror: The Ten Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided"

In his groundbreaking and provocative new book (set to be released in June 2010) "In the Courts of the Conqueror: The Ten Worst Indian Law Cases Ever Decided," noted Native American attorney and activist Walter R. Echo-Hawk reveals the dark underbelly of the American legal system and shows how it has rendered legal the destruction of Native Americans and their culture.

Rich in historical detail, and showing how the echoes of court decisions over the years continue to resonate and shape Indian Country, "In the Courts of the Conqueror" provides a vital understanding of our current society. More than mere history, the book challenges readers to reexamine our country through a different lens and, in so doing, issues a clarion call for change.

According to Echo-Hawk, the reader “will close this book with a thirst for justice and an eagerness to confront the many challenges that lie ahead as we stride toward a more just society in the postcolonial world.” Like other great eye-opening books on Native American culture and history, such as "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" and "Custer Died for Your Sins," "In the Courts of the Conqueror" is provocative and fresh writing at its best.

Walter Echo-Hawk is a lawyer, tribal judge, scholar and activist whose legal experience includes cases involving Native American religious freedom, prisoner rights, water rights, treaty rights, and reburial/repatriation rights.

Weekly Roundup

Wishing everyone a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! If you're looking for a few good reads, check out the links below: 

• Sandra Steingraber: The Hope Inside Canada's Garbage Cans 
• Nathan Rothstein: Creating Diverse Networks to Foster Social Innovation in the New New Orleans
• Indecent Exposure: An Interview with Stacy Malkan
• Sandra Steingraber: Canadian Bylaws; American Lawn Flags
• Captain Paul Watson announced Gulf Rescue Campaign
• Neil deGrasse Tyson: Sagan's Influence (Video)

Goin' on a Walkabout with Tyson

Neil deGrasse Tyson shows us Manhattan-henge, the Grand Central Station ceiling, and why adults should remain curious. "Kids are born curious ... but it gets beaten out of you by the time your an adults," says Tyson. So if you're curious about Tyson, learn more here. 

Sneak Peek of Whale Wars Season 3

Season three of Whale Wars debuts on Animal Planet on Friday, June 4 at 9PM ET/PT. And here at Jodi Solomon Speakers Bureau, we're gearing up for a season that promises some serious drama. So check out the trailer above and the links below to get psyched for Captain Paul Watson and his Sea Shepherd pirates!

• Check out promo pics here. 
• Meet the Whale Wars pirates, and take a tour of the Steve Irwin,  here. 
• Read an interview with Captain Paul Watson here. 
• Interested in bringing Captain Paul Watson to your organization? Click here. 

We're thrilled to welcome Claudia Dreifus and Andrew Hacker to our speaking roster!

A degree from a top-tier American university costs approximately a quarter-million dollars. Veteran reporters and academics Claudia Dreifus and Andrew Hacker ask: What do students and families receive for this enormous investment?

Their new book "Higher Education?" explores why (and how) a college degree became the second most expensive purchase people make in their lifetime. And considering many prestigious universities are hinting of even more tuition hikes, "Higher Education?" is certain to trigger a national conversation.

So join the conversation by bringing Claudia Dreifus and Andrew Hacker to your organization. Learn more here.

Not familiar with Dreifus and Hacker? Learn more about this literary duo here. 

Weekly Roundup / Video Friday

• Ecologist and author Sandra Steingraber explores the material that links her to coffee, library books, postage stamps, hardware displays, bank tellers, and a bus line. Read it here. 

• Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon asked UNCA's 4500 graduates “What if you are not an aberration?" Check it out here. 

• And in our Friday Video, Enrique Morones visits Bill O'Reilly's "No Spin Zone" for a discussion on racial tension in Morgan Hill, California. Watch it below: 

 

Exploring Enlightened Sexism

Describing the new type of sexism (aka: Enlightened Sexism) as a wolf in sheep's clothing, author Susan Douglas says the media "acknowledges and even celebrates that women have achieved full equality, insisting in fact that they have. Because women have reached full equality, it is ok and even funny to resurrect sexist images of women."

This, in turn, has contributed to a resurgence in sexist images and stereotypes of women. Think: The Bachelor, Cosmopolitan, or The Hills.

In a recent Daily Femme interview, Susan Douglas discusses these issues, as well as Lady Gaga, Gloria Steinem, the rise in male studies courses, and even Glee.

Read the full article here. 

Captain Paul Watson talks to Treehugger

Photo: Eric Cheng / Sea Shepherd.

Captain Paul Watson raises some thought-provoking questions during an interview with Treehugger. Here are a few highlights, but read the full (and fantastic) interview here. 

• "A ranger in Zimbabwe shot a poacher who was about to kill a black rhinoceros. Human rights groups said, 'how dare you take a human life to protect an animal.' I don't really understand the contradiction. If a man ran out of Barclays bank with a bag of money, and I shot him in the head, you'd call me a hero. How can you tell me protecting the heritage of the nation of Zimbabwe is worth less than a bag of paper? Again, it's how you look at it."

• "I think it's a far more noble endeavor to risk your life to protect and endangered species or a threatened habitat than some oil well in Iraq. It all comes down to what our priorities and values are."

• "We get criticized because people say we're inexperience and non-professional, but three people have died in the Japanese whaling operations and they're so-called professionals. We haven't had any serious injuries and certainly haven't lost anybody. Why do I have non-professionals? Because you can't pay people to do the things that my volunteers do. That kind of passion can't be bought."

Addressing the BP Oil Spill

Environmental activist and author Bob Reiss is currently on assignment in the Arctic, where he is reporting on the future of offshore drilling in Alaska.

In light of the recent BP oil spill, Reiss is the perfect speaker to address the hot-button issues of off-shore drilling: the hazards and rewards, what's at stake, who stands to gain from this practice, and more.

Learn more about bringing Bob Reiss to your organization here. 

Environmental Cancer Risks

President Barack Obama recently released  a report on chemicals and cancer, putting this quote by Sandra Steingraber in bold type: 

 “I believe it is time for a new human experiment. The old experiment is that we have sprayed pesticides which are inherent poisons . . . throughout our shared environment. They’re in our amniotic fluid . . .They’re in our mothers’ milk. What is the burden of cancer that we can attribute to these poisons in our agricultural system? We won’t really know the answer until we do the other experiment, which is to take the poisons out of our food chain, embrace a different kind of agriculture, and see what happens.”

Following the report's release, new agencies have been covering the report and its suggestions. Listen to Sandra Steingraber discuss the President's bold move forward on NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook here.  

[Photo is a page from the 2008-2009 annual report of the President's Cancer Panel]

Video: Edith Widder's Bioluminescence

Edith Widder's video of bioluminescent animals was NPR's Science Friday Video Pick of the Week!

Listen to the story here. Learn more about Widder's dynamic work here. 

In Feminist News...

• Susan Douglas tells us to stop blaming Betty Friedan. She is not responsible for our unhappiness. Read it here. 

• Jessica Valenti says the world should toss out the term "virginity." Read it here. 

• Susan Douglas also discusses the media on NPR. Listen here. (Or read a review of her hit book "Enlightened Sexism" here. 

• Stacy Malkan talks with The New York Times about her fight against the beauty industry. Read it here. 

• Also check out what the rest of our Feminist speakers are doing here. 

Annie in Elle

It may not be a Video Friday, but we've got something better. 

Annie Leonard of The Story of Stuff is featured in Elle Magazine this month and the lengthy article is enlightening, entertaining, and inspiring.  Here's a taste:

But stuff makes us happy, we argue, and don’t we have to support the economy?

Not so fast, Leonard tells a group of business leaders in San Diego on a cold and rainy morning in late January. They’re an atypical audience for her, but she dearly would like to reach beyond the eco-inclined. “If you look at the Happy Planet Index”—an annual study by the New Economics Foundation that measures happiness per unit of resources consumed—“the U.S. is 114th out of 143 countries. We have less leisure time than Europeans but more stuff; Europeans, who are both healthier and happier, have more leisure and less stuff.” Study after study shows—surprise!—it’s not the flat-screen TV that makes us happy, it’s the quality of our social relationships and rallying around a shared goal.

“Many people would reject what you say because it doesn’t sound American,” a man in a suit comments dryly.

“I’m pro-America!” Leonard yelps. “I know we can do better!” Incorrigibly, she adds, “We don’t need to be number one in body burden and infant mortality.”


Read the full article here.  To learn how you can bring Annie Leonard to your organization, click here. 

Nuclear Energy Prompts Race Debate

According to BlackVoiceNews.com, Obama's nuclear energy proposal has sparked debate among some African American environmentalists, including Robert Bullard.

Bullard, known as the Father of Environmental Justice, is questioning why nuclear reactors are being built in the Georgia town of Shell Bluff, a town with a high percentage of African Americans. 

“There are certain groups of people who are deciding where hazardous waste producers are placed and people of color are usually not involved in the discussions,” Bullard said.

Read the full article here or watch Robert Bullard speaking at Clark Atlanta University here. Learn more about the dynamic, and timely, work of Robert Bullard here. 

Upcoming Events: Carolina De Robertis in the Bay Area

Carolina De Robertis is the author of the critically acclaimed, best-selling novel “The Invisible Mountain,” which tells the story of three generations of a family in Uruguay, focusing on the women’s stories and grappling with complex themes including government repression, clandestine revolutionary movements, human rights violations, transgressive sexualities, family violence, emigration, exile, and the incredible resilience of the human spirit. 

De Robertis will be visiting Berkeley California next week and invites all the Bay Area folks to a reading at Pegasus Bookstore at 2349 Shattuck Avenue at 7:30. Learn more about the event here.

Learn more about how you can bring De Robertis to your organization here. 

Video: Captain Paul Watson at TED

Captain Paul Watson, head of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, recently spoke at TedxSF about his life on the high seas, harassing and sometimes sinking, whaling ships. As a modern day "green" pirate, he told the story of a life-changing encounter with a sperm whale  and how its eye communicated a message to him about the insanity of human exploitation of the oceans. Learn more about Captain Paul Watson here. 






Not familiar with TEDxSF? TED is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to educate and inspire; bring together innovators and explorers; encourage the responsible use of resources and talents and foster an environment of sharing and embracing passions.