INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY . . . Monday, October 12th, 2009, 5:00pm, there will be a peaceful demonstration for the purposes of educating the public about atrocities committed by Christopher Columbus, the subsequent genocide of Native Americans, and the reasons why we should abolish Columbus Day. Also called Resistance Day, or Native People’s Day, participants will meet at the Lincoln Federal Building, 15th and 0 Street, to honor indigenous peoples and their struggles. After the rally there will be a march to the State Capitol with signs and banners. Everyone is welcome to join the demonstration. Click here to learn about the history of Native American Day.

GREENPEACE FUNDRAISER . . . “The Age of Stupid” will be shown Tuesday, October 13, 2009, 7:00pm, at The Joyo Theatre, 6102 Havelock Avenue, Lincoln. Doors open at 6:30.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION SERIES . . . Tuesday, October 13, 2009, “Black-White Dialogues” will continue a series of six Conversations meant to increase mutual understanding and respect between Black and White members of the OMAHA community. The Dialogues are at First Central Congregational Church, 421 South 36th Street. Dr. Bonnie Perry of OPS & Rachel Wise of Building Bright Futures will focus on Education and Race from 7:00 to 9:00pm.

INSURANCE REFORM RALLY . . . There is one more opportunity to impress Senator Nelson with a collective presence for reform of the health insurance industry in this country. A ‘Whose side are you on?’ Rally will take place outside Nelson’s Lincoln office, 440 North 8th Street, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, at 10:00am. This will be a press conference event. A Green Party presence supporting Single Payer Medicare for All will be important at this moveon rally for a “public option.”

FOCUS ON PAYDAY LENDERS . . . “What’s the Matter with Payday Lending?” will be the focus of discussion at a Peace and Justice Series panel, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 6:15pm at First-Plymouth Congregational Church, 2000 D Street, Lincoln, in the Courtyard Lounge. Un-L professor Vern Barrett will moderate panelists Deb Eagan, Peace and Justice Chair, and Dale Springer, president of People’s Choice Credit Union.

CONFLICT TRANSFORMATION SEMINAR . . . Must conflicts between people and nations inevitably lead to broken relationships, strife, and violence? Daniel Buttry, Global Consultant for Peace and Justice with the American Baptist Churches, will speak about conflict transformation at a free seminar, “Mainstreams and Margins, Two Roles in Conflict,” on Wednesday, October 14, 7:00pm, at First Mennonite Church, 7300 Holdrege Street, Lincoln. For more information, click here.

GREEN TEAM ROUNDTABLE . . . WasteCap Nebraska’s OMAHA Regional Green Team Roundtable will be Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 11:30am to 1:00pm at WasteCap’s Omaha Field Office, 5002 South 24th Street, Lower Level Conference Room of the Old South Omaha City Hall Building. The gathering will begin with open networking, followed by a presentations on Carbon Foot-printing and a new Doorstep Recycling Service for apartments and small businesses in the Omaha area.For more information, or to register, contact Rozz Beckman at 402.436.2383, or e-mail rbeckman [at] wastecapne [dot] org.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, 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 PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the Un-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.

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 event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is Escape to Canada. 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.

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Thursday, October 15, 2009, the League of Women Voters will host this months’ Lunch and Learn focused on health care for all Lincoln residents. Lori Seibel, CEO of Community Health Endowment, will discuss how city and county officials work with private providers to address local health care. Open to the public, the luncheon begins at noon on the 20th floor of US Bank, 13th & M Streets. E-mail the League office, lwv-ne [at] inebraska [dot] com, or phone 475.1411 to make reservations.

REASON FALL FORUM . . . R.E.A.S.O.N. (Rationalists, Empiricists, And Skeptics Of Nebraska) is an organization of pro-science activists dedicated to defending rational discourse and promoting critical reasoning in the public sphere. “Evolutionary Medicine: What Darwinian Thinking Has to Offer” will explain how evolution expands understanding of health and disease. Creighton Biology Professor James Platz will keynote the Forum on Thursday, October 15, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Durham Research Center auditorium, University of Nebraska Medical Center, in the tower southeast of Farnam and Saddle Creek, OMAHA. For more contact Jim Bechtel, 556.8312, or Laurey Steinke, 598.0229.

HONORING ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP . . . The WasteCap Nebraska Annual Member Meeting and Awards Luncheon will be Thursday, October 15, 2009, 11:30am to 1:00pm, at The Country Club of Lincoln, 3200 South 24th Street. The keynote speaker is Bill Witherspoon, founder and CEO of The Skyfactory.  Click here for registration information.

“PRAIRIE WIND” ON NET . . . “Prairie Wind: Nebraska’s Energy Harvest” explores legislative, technical and cost issues, how local communities could benefit from harnessing wind power, how farmers and ranchers could use wind energy, and how landowners could save money with a wind structure taking less than an acre out of production. The documentary airs Thursday, October 15, 2009, 7:00pm on NET1 and NET-HD, and at 8:00pm on NET2. It repeats throughout the month. Click here for more information on the NET production.

HEEEEER’S JOHNNY . . . Former Tonight Show producer Jeff Sotzing, president of Carson Entertainment Group, will join three former writers of the long running tv show for a lecture with video clips and behind-the-scenes stories on Friday, October 16, 2009, 3:30pm, at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln.

GREEN AND SUSTAINABLE BUILDING . . . A 6-hour seminar providing an overview of straw-bale design and construction will be Saturday, October 17, 2009, 9:00am to 4:00pm, at Southeast Community College Entrepreneurship Center, 285 South 68th Street Place, Lincoln, Room 111. The Course Number is CNST-4001-ENFA. For more information phone Joyce, 402.483.5135, or e-mail jc10508 [at] windstream [dot] net.

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Join the local food revolution by shopping farmer’s markets and eating fresh foods grown in or very near your own community. Eating locally grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher. Click here for Nebraska Buy Fresh. Buy Local. information. Lincoln’s current Markets are as follows:

Old Cheney Farmers Market, 55th Street and Old Cheney Road, 10:00am to 2:00pm, Sundays through November 1.
Havelock Farmers Market, north parking lot behind businesses between 62nd and 63rd streets and Havelock Avenue, 3:00 to 6:30pm, Wednesdays through October 28.
Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd., parking lot of Piedmont Shopping Center, 8:00am to noon, Saturdays through September/October. Click here for a map of local Community CROPS gardens.

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