Monthly Archives: March 2008

GREEN NOTES week of March 30, 2008

March 30, 2008Green Notesgreenone

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS DEBATES . . . Monday, March 31, 2008, Lincoln-Lancaster County LWV invites the public to hear candidates in the May 13th primary election debate at the main floor Bevins Family Life Center, St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M Street in Lincoln. Debates run from 11:30am to 6:30pm. Debate times are as follows: 11:30am to 1:00pm, LD 21, non-partisan; 1:15 to 2:15pm, LD 25, non-partisan; 2:30 to 3:30pm, LD 27, non-partisan; 4:00 to 5:00pm, NU Board of Regents District 1, non-partisan; 5:30 to 6:30pm, US Senate Republicans. US Senate Democrats canceled. Steve Larrick, Green Party candidate for US Senate, is unopposed.

JOIN GREENS AND FRIENDS AT CESAR CHAVEZ DAY CELEBRATION . . Monday, March 31, 2008, 6:00pm, at the Nebraska Union Ballroom, 14 & R Street, Lincoln. The UN-L Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services, Nebraskans for Peace-UNL and Amnesty International-UNL are sponsoring this event featuring Bolivian professor Waskas Ari Andean musical performance by Kusi Taki, and the Standing Eagle Native American Drum Group. Refreshments will be provided.

FRIENDS OF WILDERNESS PARK NATIVE PLANT SALE CATALOG IS READY . . . A distribution coordinating meeting is Tuesday, April 1, 2008, 7:00 pm, Meadowlark Coffee House, 1624 South Street, Lincoln, next to Open Harvest.

VOTE NAKED FUNDRAISER FOR STEVE LARRICK, NGP US SENATE CANDIDATE . . . If you’re 19 years of age or older, join Greens and Friends at a Larrick for Senate benefit Wednesday, April 2, 2008, 9:30pm, at The Q, 226 South 9th Street, Lincoln. Vote Naked is a project promoted by a handful of student organizations wanting to make absentee ballot voting easy and fun. Contact Jake: jake dot hoyelswick at gmail dot com.

OMAHA MALCOLM X FESTIVAL . . . Wednesday April 2 and Thursday April 3, “The Ballot Box or the Bullet: Politics and Malcolm X” will be presented at UN-O, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha. Leading Malcolm X scholars, students and artists will present various programs. Keynote address, 1:00pm, April 3 by national political strategist Donna Brazile. For further information phone 402.555.2412.

GREENS VIGIL FOR PEACE . . . Weekly Peace Vigils continue every Wednesday, 5:00 to 6:00pm at the Federal Building, 15th & O Streets, Lincoln. PEACE signs are provided, or bring your own. Contact Mark: 402.499.6672 or mark at weddleton dot com.

PEACEMAKING WORKSHOP XXI . . . Thursday, April 3 through Saturday, April 5, 2008, First United Methodist Church, 50th and St. Paul Streets, Lincoln will host An Ecumenical Event featuring Dr. Rodney Petersen, Executive Director of the Boston Theological Institute. Friday, April 5, 7:00pm keynote speech is titled: “Four Terms that Stand Together: Forgiveness, Reconciliation, Restorative Justice, and Community/The Church.” Workshops will be Saturday, April 5, 8:30 to 11:00am at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, 12th and “M” Streets. Complete information at www.fmclincoln.org/PeacemakingWorkshop.htm or phone First United Methodist Church, 466.1906.

WATER CONSERVATION WORKSHOP . . . Saturday, April 5, 2008, 10:30am to 1:30pm, the Lincoln Green Building Group will present a workshop featuring an overview of water issues by The Groundwater Foundation and discussions by representatives of the Mayor’s Water Conservation Task Force, the Public Works Department, and Nebraska Statewide Arboretum at Bess Walt Branch Library, 6701 South 14th Street, Lincoln. Call 402.483.5135 or e-mail jc10508 at alltel dot net for details. Pre-registration is requested. Lunch is included in the $15 fee.

SAVE THE NIGHT OF APRIL 10, 2008 FOR LARRICK BENEFIT WITH TOM NEILSON . . . Thursday, April 10, 2008, 9:30pm, join Steve Larrick, Greens and Supporters at The Zoo, 136 North 14th Street, Lincoln, to hear folksinger/songwriter Tom Neilson perform award-winning original songs of humor, compassion and political affairs, and help raise campaign funds for the Larrick for US Senate campaign.

GRANTS FOR CLEANUP WORK AVAILABLE NOW . . . Apply for grants from $25 to $250 to do local litter cleanup by contacting the Keep Lincoln and Lancaster Beautiful Program at 402.441.8035 or hheafer at lincoln dot ne dot gov. Grants are available until November 1, 2008.

NEBRASKA GREEN PARTY CANDIDATES . . . Green Party candidates filing with the Secretary of State for 2008 elections in Partisan elections are Steven R. Larrick, U.S. Senate; and for Douglas County Board, District 1: Scott Hoffman; District 3: Tom Foster, and Derek Glaser; District 5: Susan Koneck. Laverne N. Thraen, Jr. has filed for the Non-Partisan OPPD Board of Directors Metro District.

Green Notes, week of March 23, 2008

March 23, 2008Green Notesgreenone

JOIN GREENS AND NEBRASKA ABOLITIONISTS: PACK THE VISITOR’S GALLERY FOR HISTORIC LEGISLATIVE DEBATE ON LB 1063, REPEAL OF THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Tuesday, March 25, 2008, debate begins at 10:00am. Meet at the Lincoln statue (west) entrance of the capitol building, 9:30am. Arrive earlier and stop by your senator’s office to leave the message “Now is the time to end the death penalty in Nebraska. Please vote for LB 1063.” Send an e-mail at http://ga6.org/campaign/death_penalty.

CD 1 GREEN PARTY CHAPTER MEETING . . . Join Greens Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 7:00pm at Jones Coffee, 727 South 11th Street, Lincoln. Meet US Senate candidate Steve Larrick. Learn about 2008 Green Party campaigns. Get involved with Earth Day plans for Sunday, April 20, 2008, noon-4:00pm at Antelope Park. Pick up an new issue of GREEN PAGES, the GPUS newspaper. Participate in grassroots political activism with local Greens and friends. Meetings are the last Tuesday of every month.

MAKING LEMONADE WITH TOXIC LEMONS: A New Revolution in Health Sciences . . . Monday, March 24, 2008, 6:00pm at the Durham Research Center Auditorium, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Dr. John Peterson Myers, toxicology expert and co-author of Our Stolen Future, will speak on scientific discoveries about endocrine disruption caused by common contaminants that can interfere with human development. More information at 402.554.2196 or pmcmeekin@mail.unomaha.edu.

ANTELOPE VALLEY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR PUBLIC MEETING . . . Monday, March 24, 2008, 7:00pm, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Room 155, 1144 M Street, Lincoln. This is the last scheduled meeting for citizen input before City Council action based administration recommendations.

METHANE DIGESTER INFORMATIONAL MEETING . . . Tuesday, March 25, 2008, 6:30pm, Platte Center Auditorium, 315 4th Street, Platte Center, NE. Learn how the methane digestion process can remove odor from livestock manure, convert the manure into a more valuable crop fertilizer, and produce valuable alternative energy through the generation of electricity. $5 Registration – Payable at the door. For more information, contact PrairieLand RC&D at 402.454.2026.

JOINT FRIENDS OF WILDERNESS PARK & BLUESTEM SIERRA MEETING . . . Thursday, March 28, 2008, 7:00pm, at the Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, Roger Doerr will speak on “Green Opportunities for Investing.” Doerr is a Financial Planning Associate involved with the Lincoln Green by Design Economics Committee and the Omaha Green Business Council.

2nd ANNUAL PEACE AND JUSTICE BANQUET: “The Status and Future of Diversity, Equity, & Affirmative Action in Nebraska” . . . Saturday, March 29, 2008, 7:00pm, Regency Suites, Nebraska Union, 14 & R Street, Lincoln. Speakers for this benefit dinner and silent art auction for Students United for Nebraska and Nebraskans United sponsored by Nebraskans for Peace-UNL include Jose Soto (Vice President for Affirmative Action/Equity/Diversity, Southeast Community College), Anna Shavers (UNL Professor of Law), Patrick Jones (UNL Assistant Professor of History and Ethnic Studies), Lela Shanks (Civil rights activist), and Leroy Stokes (President of the Lincoln chapter of the NAACP). E-mail nebraskansforpeace.unl@gmail.com or call 402.659.1420 for tickets and information. Catering by The Parthenon.

NEIGHBORHOODS INVITED TO HEAR BUDGET NEWS . . . The Lincoln Neighborhood Alliance has invited all local neighborhood groups to a special meeting Saturday, March 29, 10:00am, at the F Street Recreation Center, 1225 F Street, to hear former City Councilman Curt Donaldson describe the financial trouble the city is in. This January, for the first time in many years, the mayor’s office did not issue budget projections. Donaldson will explain why.

IN SEARCH OF A SEASON: A SPRING TREASURE HUNT . . . Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:00 am to noon.
Starting times for teams every 30 minutes from 9:00-11:30am. Teams of two to ten participants outfitted with a treasure map and clues will search for treasure chests hidden along the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon trail. Teams must pre-register for a scheduled starting time by Friday, March 28. For directions and reservation information visit the Spring Creek Prairie Audubon website: http://www.springcreekprairie.org/.

8th ANNUAL CENTRAL PLAINS SEVERE WEATHER SYMPOSIUM AND FAMILY WEATHERFEST . . . Saturday, March 29, 2008, 9:00am to 5:00pm, at the newly renovated Hardin Hall, home of the School of Natural Resources, UN-L, 3310 Holdrege Street, Lincoln. Free. Open to the public. Website information at http://www.cpsws.unl.edu/.

GREEN NOTES week of March 16, 2008

March 16, 2008Green Notesgreenone

GREEN CONVENTION TO BE JUNE 7, 2008 . . . The Nebraska Green Party will hold its biannual state convention on Saturday, June 7. Party officers will be elected for the next two years, and delegates will be chosen for the national onvention in Chicago July 10-13, 2008. Site and hours have yet to be finalized.

PUBLIC MEETING WITH MAYOR BEUTLER . . . regarding issues in the core neighborhoods of Lincoln, Tuesday, March 18, 2008, 6:30pm, First-Plymouth Church, 20th & D Streets. (Enter west doors on 20th Street.) Bring concerns and ideas for improving the stability and quality of life for tenants, property owners, and others who visit, work, or worship in the Near South area. For more information contact Scott Baird, scottbaird at aya.yale dot edu, or Cathy Beecham, cathy_beecham at yahoo dot com, 438-0615.

REGISTERED GREEN PARTY MEMBERS . . . are encouraged to become Voter Registrars and assist with voter registration. The Lancaster County Election Commission needs Registered Voters from two parties at each voter registration site. Greens have been key to fulfilling that requirement. Contact Maura Kelly Tolzin at 402.441.6550 to schedule brief training at the Election Commission office, 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln. E-mail: mktolzin@lancaster.ne.gov.

SPECIAL IRAQ VIGIL – FIVE YEARS TOO MANY – BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW . . . Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 5:00-6:00pm, at the Federal Building, 16th and O Streets, Lincoln, take action in solidarity with national events coordinated by United for Peace and Justice. On the 5th anniversary of the US invasion, join Greens and the Nebraska Coalition for Peace in calling for an end to the Iraq occupation.

NEBRASKA’S WATER RESOURCES . . . will be discussed Thursday, March 20, 2008, noon, at the 20th floor of the US Bank Building, 13th & M Streets in Lincoln. The League of Women Voters Lunch and Learn event speaker will be Ann Bleed, director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources. Reservations are requested by Monday, March 17. Phone 402.475.1411, or e-mail lwv-ne at inebraska dot com.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE . . . Alex Gibney’s Oscar winning film Taxi To The Dark Side documents the Bush Administration’s reckless disregard for human rights and the rule of law. The documentary is showing through Thursday, March 20, 2008 at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street in Lincoln. For film schedule, phone 402/472-5353. MOVIE TALK WITH JOHN BRODSTON is Sunday, March 16 at 2:45pm, following the 12:45pm screening. A Brodston bio is at www.TheRoss.org.

GREEN NOTES week of March 9, 2008

March 9, 2008Green Notesgreenone

PUBLIC MEETING AT LINCOLN HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 2229 J Street, Lincoln . . . Wednesday, March 12, 2008, 3:15pm, administrators, construction people and landscape architects will “present information” about the cutting down of more than 20 mature healthy trees, some of which were planted in memory of past LHS staff. The destruction was stopped by a student walk-out action reported at http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/02/28/news/local/doc47c6f876424d0645518267.txt. To comment online and view photos, go to http://lhs.lps.org/advocate/.

SUPREME COURT HISTORY REVIEWED . . . James Hewitt, attorney and adjunct professor of history at Nebraska Wesleyan University, will give a lecture based on his book, “Slipping Backward: A History of the Nebraska Supreme Court,” 3:30pm, Wednesday, March 12, at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. Free and open to the public.

AUDUBON ROWE SANCTUARY Chapter Workshop “Taking Action for Birds in a Changing Climate,” Friday, March 14, in conjunction with the 2008 Audubon Rivers and Wildlife Celebration in Kearney. For details contact Kevin at 402.797.2301 or kpoague at audubon dot org.

TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE . . . Friday, March 14 through Thursday, March 20, 2008, Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street in Lincoln. Alex Gibney’s Oscar winning film Taxi to the Dark Side http://www.taxitothedarkside.com/ documents the Bush Administration’s reckless disregard for human rights and the rule of law. For film schedule, phone 402/472-5353. MOVIE TALK WITH JOHN BRODSTON, Sunday, March 16, 2:45pm, following the 12:45pm screening.

RIVERS AND WILDLIFE CELEBRATION . . . Friday, March 14, through Sunday, March 16, the 38th annual conference to celebrate the annual migration of 500,000 sandhill cranes and millions of waterfowl through central Nebraska will be held at the Holiday Inn Convention Center, Kearney, Nebraska. Sunday, March 16, Jane Goodall, primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and English UN Messenger of Peace, will lead a breakfast panel discussion. Registration Brochure available at http://www.audubon.org/states/ne/RWC.htm.

EARTH STEWARDSHIP & COMMUNITY FORUM . . . Gardening With Kids & Buying Fresh Foods from Local Farms, Saturday, March 15, 10:00am to noon, 1st Unitarian Church, 3114 Harney, Omaha. Optional donation: one food item for the Omaha Food Bank.

GREEN NOTES week of March 2, 2008

March 2, 2008Green Notesgreenone

LAST DAY TO FILE AS CANDIDATE . . . Monday, March 3, is the last day non-incumbents may file as candidates in 2008 elections. Details such as which offices are up for election, and who has already filed, may be found at County Election Commission websites.

BUSINESS WITH CITY DISPUTE . . . A City Council public hearing will be held Monday, March 3, around 3:00pm at the County City Building, 555 South 10th Street, to address a charter revision that would ban contracts between elected officials and the city. Greens may want to express opinions on this issue.

JOIN LINCOLN GREENS FOR COFFEE . . . The Lincoln chapter of the Nebraska Green Party will meet Tuesday, March 4, 2008, 7:00pm at Jones Coffee, 727 S. 11th Street. Meet U.S. Senate candidate Steve Larrick and discuss plans for Earth Day on April 20, 2008.

SAM MILLSAP SPEAKS AT UN-L COLLEGE OF LAW . . . Tuesday, March 4th, 2008, 3:00pm, former Texas prosecutor Sam Millsap will speak about his firsthand experiences with capital prosecution. He successfully prosecuted Ruben Cantu, a juvenile when convicted. Cantu was executed by lethal injection in 1992. In 2005, investigative reporting revealed that Cantu was most likely innocent of the crime. Millsap has assumed personal responsibility for Cantu¹s execution and is now a passionate abolitionist. This event is free and open to the public. The UNL College of Law is on the East Campus Loop, McCollum Hall.

IMMIGRATION SEMINAR AT UN-O . . . A public immigration seminar featuring a panel of speakers will be Tuesday, March 4, 5:00 to 7:00pm at the W.H. Thompson Alumni Center, University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO). Immigration experts and advocates will discuss issues including current status of the immigration system; impact of immigration on local economies; state level legislation; public understandings of human migration and the role of globalization; and the politics of immigration reform and border enforcement. The goal is to discuss immigration policies within the context of the 2008 elections. This a free event for the public. More information: http://ppc.nebraska.edu/.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL WEEK AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY IN OMAHA . . . Sunday March 2, through Saturday March 8, 2008. On Friday, March 7th, www.MikeFarrell.org, well known for his role in the TV series M*A*S*H, will speak in solidarity with Nebraska abolitionists at Westside Community Center, 3534 S 108th Street, 7:00pm. Joining him will be Miriam Kelle, sharing the story of how she became one of Nebraska’s leading voices for abolition after the murder of her brother.

Schedule of Amnesty International Omaha abolition activities:

Sunday, March 2nd: WHAT DOES OUR FAITH TELL US? 7:00pm – First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street. (East of Crossroads mall), Omaha

Monday, March 3rd: HOW CAN I MAKE A DIFFERENCE? 7:00pm – Benson Grind, 6107 Maple Street, Omaha

Tuesday, March 4th: WHERE DO OMAHA SENATORS STAND ON THE DEATH PENALTY? 7:00pm Council Room, University of Nebraska Omaha, Milo Bail Student Center, 3rd Floor

Wednesday, March 5th: WHAT ABOUT VICTIM’S FAMILIES? 7:00pm – www.McFosters.org Natural Kind Cafe, 302 South 38th Street, Omaha

Thursday, March 6th: COULD THEY BE INNOCENT? Film screening of www.TheExonerated.com 7:00pm – Film Streams, 1340 Webster Street, Omaha

Saturday, March 8th: HOW DO WE GET THE WORD OUT? Rock out to your favorite Omaha artists, featuring Domestica, the LEPERS, The Stay Awake & Perry H. Matthews. Doors open at 8:00pm. Must be 21 and over. $5 cover to benefit local abolition groups. O’leavers Pub, 1322 S Saddle Creek Road, Omaha.
More details: www.amnestyusa.org/Death_Penalty/Nebraska_Events/page.do?id=1121027&n1=3&n2=28.