Thru Dec. 21. Instant Runoff Voting: Volunteer to Collect Signatures. Collect signatures for Initiative 318 which instructs the Washington legislature to write a bill establishing instant runoff voting (IRV) during the 2005 legislative session. IRV allows voters to select their candidates in order of preference. A candidate that receives over 50% of the votes wins. If no candidate achieves a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Voters whose first choice lost then have their votes given to their second-choice candidate. This continues until someone receives a majority. With IRV, no ones vote will be wasted and it eliminates the spoiler factor. 200,000 signatures are due by Dec 21st. Info: http://www.changeforwashington.org or http://www.irvwa.org

Thru Dec. 12. Seattle Human Rights Film Festival presented by Amnesty International. 911 Media Arts Center's new location, 402 9th Avenue N. Info: http://www.amnestyusa.org/filmfest or 206-324-6941, or filmfest@aiusa.org.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 8

6:45 PM. September 11: Connecting the Dots. Topics include: Letting Osama bin Laden Get Away, The Role of the Pakistani ISI, Hijacker Training at Military Schools, and Anthrax Attacks. Using mainstream news sources, government documents, and photographic evidence, the final night of this series documents many details that call into question the official story of September 11 and the 9/11 Commission Report. Univ. Baptist Church, 4554 12th Ave. NE. Info: http://www.septembereleventh.org/Seattle, or 206-523-1161, or Info@911visibilityproject.org.

7 PM. Evening of Seattle Political Discussion with John Fox, Cindy Domingo, Joyce Moty, Joe Martin, Carolee Colter, Jan Brucker, and Curt Firestone. Among the topics will be "Who can we get to run against Greg Nickels next year?" and "Who can we support in next years' City Council and other local elections?" Is it possible to put together a coalition of folks to work for and support a viable set of candidates to challenge the Nickels Pro-Big Business Machine and for City Council? Univ. Baptist Church in the Church Sanctuary, 4554 12th Ave. NE at NE 47th. Info: 206-632-0668 or jvf4119@zipcon.net

7 PM. Is Occupation Liberation? Why US Troops Must Leave Iraq Now. With the recent invasion of Fallujah, Bush says the city has been "liberated." So what does "liberation" look like? 100,000 Iraqi civilians have been killed by the occupation. 1,211 US soldiers have died. Should the US leave Iraq? Will Iraq "descend into chaos" if the US pulls out? Will the politicians end the war on their own or will millions in the street have to force them? Join us for a lively discussion on what is going on in Iraq, how we can end the occupation and live in a world where we have money for education and health care, not war. SCCC Student Activity Ctr., 1718 Broadway. Info: 206-931-2922 or seattleiso@yahoo.com.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9

6:30-8:30 PM. Human Rights Day Panel Discussion on Working toward Social Justice with Drs. Peggy McIntosh, Cherry Banks, and James Banks. Peggy McIntosh, Ph.D., is an internationally known educator and speaker. She is the author of the essay, "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack," a discussion of racism through the lens of privilege. Bertha Landes Room, Seattle City Hall, 5th Ave. between James and Cherry. Info: 206-684-4540 or http://www.seattle.gov/civilrights/events.htm.

6:30 PM. A Forum and Concert in Solidarity with Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution. Featuring the music of Yva Las Vegass and presentations by Cindy Domingo, Jan Strout, and Heather Day. Extraordinary changes are taking place in Venezuelan Society. Come learn about the accomplishments of Hugo Chavez's government and Venezuela's social movements & help build solidarity to counter efforts to undermine this new example of effective alternatives! UW Ethnic Cultural Theater, 3920 Brooklyn Ave. NE. Info: 206-547-7735.

7 PM. Cuban Feature Film "Clandestinos" based on a True Story. Made in Cuba in 1987 by Fernando Perez (103 min.), presented by ANSWER and The National Committee to free the Cuban 5. This is a fundraiser for the National Committee. Freehold Studios, 1525 10th Ave. E Info: 206-568-1661.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 10

Thru Dec. 12. Annual Amnesty International Human Rights Day Write-A-Thon. Between December 10th and 12th, activists around the world will be writing letters on behalf of prisoners of conscience, torture victims, and other Amnesty cases. They will also be sending holiday postcards to prisoners of conscience, to encourage them and keep their spirits up. Host a letter-writing event in your home or a public place. Sign up now at http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp