Res Publica

For more details and events, see Community Listings.

Thursday20

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT LUNCHEON sheds some light on financial literacy; hosted by I Live Here, I Give Here. Noon. Four Seasons Hotel, 98 San Jacinto, 478-4500. $10. www.ilivehereigivehere.org.

PICKFAIR COMMUNITY MEETING Learn about planned improvements for the Pickfair Recreation Center and park. 6:30-8pm. Spicewood Elementary School, 11601 Olson. www.cityofaustin.org/parks/park_news.cfm?nwsid=2925, pickfairproject@ci.austin.tx.us.

ST. JOHN/CORONADO HILLS WORKSHOP Help develop land-use recommendations for Northeast Austin's Cameron Road corridor at this neighborhood planning session. 6:30pm. Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center, 7500 Blessing, 974-7865. www.cityofaustin.org/planning/neighborhood/sj_ch.htm.

TEXAS GREEN NETWORK Help draft a letter to the city's chief sustainability officer, Lucia Athens, which she'll address at TGN's March meeting. 5:30-8:30pm. Trifecta on 3rd, 360 Nueces. rsvpaustin@texasgreennetwork.org.

Saturday22

DESPERATE HOUSE CATS This monthly event pairs foster cats with would-be forever homes. Sat.-Sun., Jan. 22-23, 11:30am-7pm. Town Lake Animal Center, 1156 Cesar Chavez, 972-6071. sarah.hammond@ci.austin.tx.us.

TEXAS NORML ACTIVIST TRAINING CAMP The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws hosts this seminar on online activism, talking to your legislator, and knowing your rights. 1:30pm. Brave New Books, 1904-B Guadalupe (downstairs), 585-3846. Free. www.texasnorml.org.

Sunday23

ETHICAL SOCIETY OF AUSTIN Doug Zachary of Veterans for Peace talks about the arrests at the Dec. 16, 2010, anti-war protest at the White House. 9:30am. 5555 N. Lamar Ste. L-137. Free. www.esoa.org.

MEET A COMMUNITY GROUP SPEAKER SERIES Learn about the Austin Harm Reduction Coali­tion, a volunteer nonprofit that helps provide resources to stem the spread of AIDS. 6:30pm. MonkeyWrench Books, 110 E. North Loop. Free. www.insidebooksproject.org.

RAG BLOG BENEFIT CONCERT Patricia Vonne and Gina Chavez supply good tunes for a good cause: to keep progressive Internet newsmagazine The Rag Blog going. 6:30-10pm. Jovita's, 1619 S. First, 447-7825. $10. www.theragblog.blogspot.com.

PUBLIC AFFAIRS FORUM Author H.W. Brands discusses what it takes to be a great president. 11:30am. First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4700 Grover, 452-6168. Free. www.austinuu.org.

Monday24

CHRIS RILEY CAMPAIGN KICK-OFF The council member starts his re-election bid. 5:30-7:30pm. Threadgill's World HQ, 301 W. Riverside Dr. Free.

GERRYMANDERING As Texas faces a new redistricting effort, this documentary revisits the last one. 7pm. Alamo Ritz, 320 E. Sixth.

RECYCLING FIELD TRIP See where your recycling ends up on this tour led by Keep Austin Beautiful. 3pm. Allied Waste, 10420 Metric, 391-0622. Free. www.keepaustinbeautiful.org.

IMPROVING PRODUCTIVITY IN PUBLIC EDU­CA­TION National experts discuss how to get more bang for the educational buck. Mon.-Tues., Jan. 24-25, 1-5pm. Omni Austin Hotel, 700 San Jacinto. www.ipsi.utexas.edu/events/IPE_forum/IPE_forum.html.

Thursday27

ATTICUS CIRCLE AWARDS LUNCHEON honors country music's Chely Wright, the Texas A&M GLBT Aggies, and others who did nice things for the LGBT community over the past year. 11:30am-1pm. Renaissance Hotel, 9721 Arboretum Blvd., 450-5188. $150 ($50 for young professionals). www.atticuscircle.org.

KEEP AUSTIN BEAUTIFUL VOLUNTEER LEADER TRAINING Learn to host your own neighborhood cleanups, garden workdays, or educational activities at this three-hour workshop; sign up online. 6:15pm. Keep Austin Beautiful, 55 N. I-35, 391-0619. Free. www.keepaustinbeautiful.org/volunteer.

2011-12 ECONOMIC FORECAST Prepare for the months ahead at this annual event hosted by Angelou Economics; Sen. Kirk Watson emcees. 7-9:45am. Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez. $165.

Ongoing

CAP METRO'S ADOPT-A-STOP allows you or your organization to adopt one of the stops along Cap Metro's bus lines. In exchange for keeping it tidy, Cap Metro will let you spruce it up to reflect the personality of your neighborhood; Keep Austin Beautiful will even provide landscaping tools. 369-7720. juan.wah@capmetro.org.