Naked City

Two gubernatorial candidates will be debating in Austin Friday night, but their names aren't Perry and Sanchez. Green Party nominee Rahul Mahajan and Libertarian Jeff Daiell will duel on Oct. 11, 7pm, on the UT campus at Welch Hall, Room 2.246 (24th and Speedway). Call 389-0215 for more info. After that, the Greens invite you to "let your freak flag fly" at a "Fun-raiser" for Mahajan, a house party at 2311 Riverside Farms Rd. (east of Riverside, past Pleasant Valley). Entertainment includes music by Dave's Not Here, fire-spinning performances, "freak games," and more. Having met Mahajan -- a nice guy, but not exactly Joe "King" Carrasco -- "Naked City" wonders if this will be something like Janet Reno's Dance Party. 9pm-2am. E-mail [email protected] for more info.

Historians from Austin Community College, Texas A&M, and UT-Austin will hold a timely symposium, "U.S. Diplomacy: the Quest for Peace in Troubled Times" on Sat., Oct. 12, 9am-1pm, at ACC's Northridge Campus, 11928 Stonehollow. Free.

Oct. 12 is the "Great City Sign-Off," a volunteer effort to rid Austin of illegal signs in the public rights of way. The event will kick off at Palm Park (on I-35 near the Convention Center) at 8am; to register, visit www.keepaustinbeautiful.org or call 974-2533. The city is also recruiting volunteer "sign rangers" to get rid of "bandit signs" -- for garage sales, weight-loss products, work-at-home schemes, and, of course, Tony Sanchez -- on an ongoing basis. If that interests you, call 459-4309.

The United East Austin Coalition is holding its annual Dia de la Raza celebration Oct. 12 at Red's Scoot Inn, 1308 E. Fourth (near Plaza Saltillo). The group will also honor its 2002 Raza Award winners, including Clemencia Zapata, the A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center, Arnold Oil Co., and El Buen Pastor Child Development Center. Free.

The first of four public hearings on a proposed pipeline safety ordinance will be held at 6:30pm Monday, Oct. 14, at LBJ High, 7309 Lazy Creek Dr. The ordinance would require additional fire-safety measures for new buildings built within 200 feet of a pipeline, and prohibit new daycare centers, elementary schools, and medical and elder care facilities within that range. The regs would not affect existing structures. After the hearings, the ordinance goes to city boards and commissions, beginning with the Environmental Board on Nov. 13. The final version should go to City Council in December.

Father Roy Bourgeois and attorney Jennifer Harbury, two of the leading activists trying to close the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation (formerly known as the School of the Americas), will appear at a benefit to accomplish that goal at Miguel's La Bodega, 415 Colorado, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 7-9pm. The institute is a U.S.-run training school for Latin American military officers in Fort Benning, Ga. -- many of its graduates have been linked to human rights abuses. The event also features live music from Sara Hickman and a screening of the documentary Guns and Greed. Suggested donation is $10. Bourgeois will also speak at UT's Bass Lecture Hall Oct. 16, 7-9pm. Call 474-2399 for more info.

It's a big week for Envision Central Texas, as it gets citizens involved to craft a long-term regional growth-management plan. Planning workshops will be held at Bastrop High and Georgetown High Monday, Oct. 14; at Dripping Springs High and at the Travis Co. Expo Center Tuesday, Oct. 15; and at Lockhart Junior High and at the Toney Burger Activity Center Thursday, Oct. 17. All workshops are 6-10pm. RSVP to 916-6037 or www.envisioncentraltexas.org.