FROM SAFE HAVEN TO SAFE HARBOR . . . The Nebraska Family Support Network will hold a Safe Harbor Rally on the north steps of the Capitol Building in Lincoln at 1:00pm, Monday, November 17, 2008. What the Safe Haven Law has uncovered is that many Nebraska families are in crisis. The challenges these families face will not go away with the repeal of Safe Haven legislation. Your voice counts. Make a statement in support of families with special needs children by attending this rally. Local and national media will be present.

“END OF BUSH PARTY” . . . Monday, November 17, 2008, there will be a party at Zen’s Lounge, 122 North 11th Street, Lincoln, 7:00pm, to celebrate the end of the Bush era, and new possibilities for change in this country. More than 600 such parties are being hosted nationwide through November 23. This is a Credo Action event. Find out more here.

HIV AIDS IN CENTRAL NEBRASKA . . . How to reach out to HIV AIDS survivors in Central Nebraska will be discussed at a one-hour meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 1:30pm, in the Parlor at Trinity United Methodist Church, 5th & Elm Streets, Grand Island. For more information, e-mail Maureen Vetter, mvetter [at] charter [dot] net.

“AMERICA AND THE WORLD, 1962 TO 2008: CONTRASTS AND CONTRADICTIONS” . . . Nebraska native Theodore ‘Ted’ Sorensen, former special counsel and adviser to President John F. Kennedy and writer on the presidency and foreign affairs, will present the EN Thompson Lecture on World Issues, Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 7:00pm, at The Lied Center for Performing Arts, 12th & R Streets, Lincoln. Free tickets are required. They can be reserved here. The lecture will be live on the web at http://www.unl.edu/ucomm/unltoday/, on Lincoln cable channel 21 or channel 5, NETSAT 104, UNL Campus Channel 8, and KRNU RADIO, 90.3FM. A pre-talk with Dr. Michael Wagner, assistant professor of Political Science at Un-L, will begin at 6:30pm in the Steinhart Room at The Lied.

TRANSPARENCY CONFERENCE . . . Nebraska’s first conference devoted to government transparency will be Tuesday, November 18, 2008, 9:00am to 4:30pm at the UN-L Student Union, 1400 R Street, in Lincoln. The luncheon Keynote Address, “Freedom and its Enemies,” will be presented by ABC tv’s 20/20 co-anchor, John Stossel. Click here (.pdf) for a conference brochure and registration form.

“FROM FIRE TO ICE: A GEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON ONE BILLION YEARS OF LANDSCAPE EVOLUTION IN EASTERN NEBRASKA” . . . RM Joeckel, assistant professor, School of Natural Resources and Department of Geoscience at UN-L will present the Paul A. Olson Seminar on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 3:30pm, at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. A 30-minute reception starting at 3:00pm will be followed by the 90-minute lecture. Free and open to the public.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Green Drinks, an informal self-organizing network of Green Movement supporters, will meet in Omaha on Wednesday, November 19, 2008, 5:30pm to close, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room near the restaurant seating area, across from the coffee bar. All are welcome. Click here for more information.

THANKSGIVING FOOD DISTRIBUTION VOLUNTEERS NEEDED . . . The Center for People in Need will provide approximately 4,000 low-income families in the Lincoln/Lancaster area with food items and grocery vouchers to buy additional Thanksgiving food through their annual Giving program. Volunteers to help with distribution are needed for Thursday, November 20, 2008, 1:45 to 5:00pm, and 4:45 to 7:30 or 8:00pm; Friday, November 21, 8:45am to noon, and 11:45am to 3:00pm;and Saturday, November 22, 8:45am to noon, and 11:45am to 3:00pm. For more information, or to volunteer, e-mail Susan Hale, shale [at] centerforpeopleinneed [dot] org.

RECYCLE CFLs NOW THROUGH NOVEMBER 30 . . . WasteCap Nebraska is coordinating a pilot recycling program for individuals and businesses. Drop off burned-out compact fluorescent lamps at Ace Hardward stores in Lincoln, now through November 30, 2008. A 60 cent recycling fee per bulb will be offset by a 60 cent coupon toward the purchase of a new CFL. Learn the benefits of CFLs and how to safely dispose of broken bulbs here, or phone 1.888.E-Waste-9.

HELP CREATE A NEW STATE ENERGY PLAN . . . The Nebraska Energy Office is seeking comments on a 2009 State Energy Plan. Online submissions are being accepted until 5:00pm, November 21, 2008. E-mail comments to energy [at] nebraska [dot] gov or phone Jerry Loos, 402.471.3356, for more information.

We are not the alternative; we are the imperative.