I am sure many of you were paying attention to and perhaps even praying for 41 years old Julius Jones, who was on death row, expected to be executed yesterday, but just a few hours before that Kevin Stitt, the governor of Oklahoma commuted his death sentence, reducing the sentence to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Jones has received the death sentence for the 1999 shooting death of Paul Howell in OK but Jones has maintained his innocence.

First, a reminder. Tonight we are celebrating Native American Heritage Month with a talk by Ron Kanutski. Ron is of Ojibway and Cree roots and is from the Bear Clan. Ron Kanutski is a cultural teacher, group facilitator, comedian, and musician who is a long-term resident of Thunder Bay ON. I know Ron from my time being involved with Midwest SOARRING Foundation (Save Our Ancestors Resources and Remains Indiginous Network Group). I participated in a talking circle that Ron facilitated. He is funny, enlightening, and brilliant. I highly recommend you attend! Link further on in the enews.

So this week I've picked a word from a rather obscure (but fun!) language: Euskara, or Basque. This language is spoken in Basque Country, a region that covers adjacent parts of Spain and France. (Fun fact, it's also what's called a language isolate; it is, to the current knowledge of linguists, unrelated to any other living language. It is the only remaining language isolate in Europe, despite periods of attempted eradication by European governments, and is thought to have developed before the arrival of Indo-European languages in Europe - i.e. the Romans and friends bringing Latin, etc., with them)