CESAR CHAVEZ CELEBRATION . . . Presentation of the documentary “We The People: An American Dream and Nightmare,” will be part of the Cesar Chavez Celebration at UN-L on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6:00pm at the Student Union Heritage Room, 15th & R Streets, Lincoln. The film will be followed by a panel discussion. Free and open to the public.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON DEATH PENALTY LEGISLATION . . . Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 7:30pm, there will be a panel with State Senator Brenda Council, J. Kirk Brown, Nebraska Solicitor General, and NADP board member Josh Cramer discussing LB 36 and LB 306, the state’s proposed death penalty legislation. Sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, political science honor society, the panel will be at the Nebraska Student Union Auditorium, 15th & R Streets, Lincoln. Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty vigil every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, in Lincoln. For more information, phone the NADP office at 402.477.7787.

COMMUNITY-BASED ENERGY DEVELOPMENT . . . “The Devil is in the Details” lecture series, sponsored in part by the Nebraska League of Conservation Voters, will examine energy topics in depth to provide citizens and lawmakers with accurate, timely information from experts in the energy industry. Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 7:00pm, “How Nebraska Builds Wind” will be presented by Dan Juhl, Chairman and CEO of Juhl Wind Inc., at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus, Hardin Hall Auditorium 107. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Eva Sohl at 402.438.9341, or esohl [at] nlcv [dot] ogr.

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.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS VIGIL . . . The monthly CNPW Vigil for Peace is Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:00pm, at State Street and Webb Road in GRAND ISLAND. Join Greens and Peace Workers for a few minutes, or for the hour from 5:00 to 6:00pm.

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:30pm to close, Omaha Green Drinks, an informal, self-organizing environmental interest network will meet at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by the restaurant seating area, across from the coffee bar. Everyone interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks now meet in 437 cities worldwide. For questions or further information, phone Jean Waters at 402.554.6259, or e-mail jwaters [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

“ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: PATH TO CITIZENSHIP?” . . . Wednesday, March 25, 2009, the EN Thompson Forum on World Issues will present The Charles and Linda Wilson Dialogue on Domestic Issues at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 North 12th Street, Lincoln, 7:00pm. In the second annual Wilson Dialogue, Dr. Michael Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law at the University of Houston, and Dr. Vernon Briggs, Professor Emeritus in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, will discuss the issue of a path to citizenship as a means of immigration reform. For free ticket information, click here. Available live on the web, Lincoln cable channel 21 or channel 5, NETSAT 104, UNL campus channel 8 and UNL KRNU radio 90.3 FM.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in OMAHA.  The film this week is Lackawanna Blues. The event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS SYMPOSIUM . . . Thursday, March 26, 2009, regional and nationally known speakers will cover topics such as economic viability and sustainability, development site and water decisions, energy conservation in designs and methods, and building standards/applications within the built environment. At the Gearing Civic Center, GERING, Nebraska, the Symposium is for anyone interested in learning more about sustainability. The registration fee provides a flash drive with all presentations making this a paperless conference. REGISTRATION CLOSES Monday, March 23rd, 2009. For more information and to register by phone, call Jennifer Rogers, Panhandle RC&D, 308.632.1311, or to register online, click here.

BICYCLING AS COMMUTING . . . The OMAHA Sierra Club will meet Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:00pm at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets. (Enter north doors.) The program, “Bicycling as Commuting,” will feature leaders with Activate Omaha and Bikeable Communities discussing bicycling as a means of commuting that will cut your carbon footprint, provide more physical exercise, reduce traffic congestion, and help reduce our collective dependence on foreign oil. The speakers are avid cyclists working to make Omaha a “bicycle friendly community.” For more information about the free meeting, open to the public, contact Mary Green, 402.556.1830, or mary [dot] green [at] nebraska [dot] sierraclub [dot]org.

DARWIN CONFERENCE TALK . . . Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:00pm, University of Minnesota professor Randy Moore will present “The Creationist Down the Hall: The Extent and Impact of Teaching Evolution and Creationism in Public Schools” at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. Moore is the author of Evolution in the Courtroom: A Reference Guide.

EARTH HOUR . . . Saturday, March 28, 2009, 8:30 to 9:30pm, millions of people will turn out their lights for one hour to make a statement of concern about our planet and climate change. Earth Hour is a global event sponsored by World Wildlife Fund. More than 250 cities in 74 countries have agreed to take part this year, including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville in the US; Moscow, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Mexico City. Anyone can participate. Click here to watch a 3:13 minute YouTube video about the history of this worldwide unity event.

PREPARING LINCOLN BEYOND WAR RALLY . . . “Beyond War: A New Economy is Possible,” the sixth annual protest of occupation in Iraq, will begin at 12:30pm, Saturday, April 4, 2009, on the west side of the state capitol building. There will be an organized march to the UN-L Student Union, where Steve Larrick will speak about Martin Luther King Jr’s Beyond Vietnam speech of April 4, 1967. Also the date of Dr. King’s assassination, the rally will focus on taking a stand against the societal problems King emphasized: militarism, racism, social and economic injustice. HELP MAKE SIGNS FOR THE EVENT Saturday, March 28th, 3:00pm, at the studio of Ben Jones, above Duffys Tavern, 1412 O Street, Lincoln.

CRANE CARNIVAL . . . The Fourth Annual Family Crane Carnival at Rowe Sanctuary, will be Saturday, March 28 and Sunday March 29, 2009, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Learn about sandhill cranes with your family. Highlighted activities include Crane Jep-Birdie; Bird Bingo; Crane Dancing Lessons; walk and talk with Candi Crane; lunch at the Crane Cafe; Face Painting; a Crane Photo Wall; and more. The event is free to the public. For more information call (308) 468-5282.

CRANEFEST . . . The Annual Minden, Nebraska Cranefest will continue through Sunday, March 29, 2009. Art displays are featured at several Minden businesses, there are trivia and treasure hunt contests, and crane dances. A “Feathered Friends Finale” will be 4:00 to 7:00pm on March 29th at Burchell’s White Hill Farmhouse Inn.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente