World No Tobacco Day

The World Health Organization has declared May 31st "World No Tobacco Day". They encourage all tobacco users to give it up, if only for a day. Their focus this year is on pictorial warnings on cigarette packages, so instead of the usual warning from the Surgeon General, now you get to see what cancer-ridden gums look like.

Slate has a neat slide show depicting smokers around the world for the occasion. Depending on where you fall on the tobacco spectrum, it will either make today an easy, smoke-free day, or make you want to forget that you ever saw those other gum pictures.

Courts, High and Low

While more highly-trained and speedy media outlets have been reporting on President Obama's historic nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, we would like to share some additional information about our judicial system.

Our Courts is a site founded by retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. It's designed to help teachers and students learn more about courts, civics, and government. It has games and news for the kids, curriculum-builders and other teaching tools for the adults. There is also a Talk to the Justice section where you can post questions for Justice O'Connor and read what other kids' responses are.

While school is winding down, and more homework is the last thing kids, parents, and teachers are in the mood for, Our Courts will be a useful site as that occasional, yet treasured, summer past-time rolls around: the Senate Confirmation Hearings. Something not yet on Our Courts (and many news channels)? A handy guide to correctly pronouncing Judge Sotomayor's name.

Madewell Brown Program

A reading and discussion by Rick Collignon
Thursday, June 11 at 7pm
Main Library Community Room
145 Washington Ave.

Madewell Brown: A Novel is set in a fictional New Mexico village. It's the fourth installment in Collignon’s beloved Guadalupe series. The novel is as magical as its predecessors, as emotionally honest, as surprising, and it firmly establishes Rick Collignon as a master American storyteller.

Rick Collignon’s three prior novels are: The Journal of Antonio Montoya, Perdido, and A Santo in the Image of Cristóbal García. Originally from the Chicago area, Mr. Collignon has lived in northern New Mexico for over 30 years.

This program is free and open to the public.

Gabba Gabba Goo Goo?

I found out that the library owns a music CD called Rockabye baby! Lullaby renditions of the Ramones. Being a Ramones fan for a quarter of a century, I had to check it out. After all, who hasn't spent every spare second of the last 2-3 decades wondering why the Ramones never broke into children's entertainment? If Alice Cooper could be on the Muppet Show, why didn't the Ramones appear on Captain Kangaroo, The Magic Garden, or better yet, sing "Blitzkrieg Bop" with Mister Rogers?

Rockabye Baby! is a CD series, including lullaby versions of Bjork, Green Day, and Smashing Pumpkins. Friends without children are bemused by this, but several parents are acquainted with and recommend them. A toddler's dad informed me that the U2 edition was good for about 5 listens, which would make these the perfect items for library check-out. Just as the family is getting tired of the novelty, it's time to return it to the library for a new one!

The Ramones lullabies are a good selection of their most well-known songs. I didn't have an infant or toddler on hand to test it with, so I popped the CD in on a Thursday afternoon while I was updating the Summer Reading information. The songs are instrumentals, so you don't need to fret about explaining a lobotomy to a preschooler. Considering the original material, it's remarkably tame and soothing and saturated with glockenspiel . It didn't put me to sleep, but it didn't put me in the 'Ramones Zone' either. I kept finding excuses to leap from my desk and head to different areas of the building. I Wanna be Sedated indeed!

I was tempted to try out Lullaby Renditions of Nine Inch Nails but... I'll wait for another brave soul to get to it first. This series is recommended to parents who want to listen to "their" music without dragging out the DSM-IV to explain the lyrics. If you'd like to introduce your children to all-ages music while they're awake, may I suggest Lead Belly sings for children.

Extra special thanks to aa @main for alerting me to the existence of the Ramones in Lullaby format!

Summer PreSchool Story Time

Tuesdays, at the La Farge Library
June 9 - July 28
2 to 5-year-olds: 10:30 am to 11:15 am

Wednesdays, at the Southside Library
June 10 - July 29
2 to 5-year-olds: 10:30 am to 11:15 am

Fridays, at the Main Library
June 12 - July 31
2 to 5-year-olds, 10:30 am to 11:15 am

It's free!
Children will enjoy stories, songs, finger games, puppets, and crafts. Open enrollment.

For more information, call:
La Farge Children's: 955-4863
Southside Children's: 955-2828
or Main Children's: 955-6783

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Photo by TT @SS.

River Festival and Fishing Derby

Saturday, June 6

The Santa Fe River Festival and Fishing Derby are planned for Saturday, June 6 at West De Vargas Park (along the river between Guadalupe and Sandoval Streets). The Derby is aimed at children 12 and under, and will be held from 6 a.m. to 12 noon. The River Festival is for children of all ages, and is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Handicapped accessible fishing will be available at the State Land Office Bridge.

Both events are free! Join us for hands-on river and water demonstrations, crafts, fly casting and water games. Live music will be provided by Sol Fire, Samba Fe and Hot Club of Santa Fe. Also, don’t miss the youth stage with music, dance and spoken word performances. Bring a picnic lunch or purchase food from local vendors.

This free community event is sponsored by the City of Santa Fe and the Santa Fe Watershed Association. Come Celebrate the River!

For more information, call 820-1696 or visit the Santa Fe Watershed Association.

Summer Reading Bicycle Drawings

The Santa Fe Public Library is giving away six children’s bicycles this year as incentives for the Summer Reading Program.

The drawings for the bikes have been expanded to include all children from birth to 12-years-old. Summer Reading Program participants will get one entry for every reading log they turn in, starting with log number 4. This means that if a child completes all 7 weekly reading logs, he or she will be entered 4 times into the drawing.

Each branch will give away one girl’s bike and one boy’s bike, along with helmets and bike locks. Winners will have the opportunity to exchange the bike and/or helmet for a different size if necessary. Drawings will be held at the end-of-the-summer party at each branch. Entrants need not be present to win.

Please check our website for more information about the Summer Reading Program: Be Creative at Your Library. You can also stop in to any Children's Room, or call:

Main: 955-6783
La Farge: 955-4863
Southside: 955-2828

The Summer Reading Program is sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Photographs are examples, and may not be the specific bicycles awarded.

IMPACT en Español

¿De que manera el acceso a computadoras e Internet de la biblioteca pública puede ayudarle?

¡Participe en una encuesta nacional y ayude a mejorar los servicios de las bibliotecas en todo el país!

Esta biblioteca está participando en un estudio nacional para determinar de que manera las personas utilizan los servicios de acceso a computadoras e Internet en las bibliotecas personas y la manera en la que estos servicios pueden mejorarse. Cuanto más información se obtenga, major sera la evidencia! Por favor tome unos minutos ahora mismo para ayudar a mejorar los servicios de computacion de las bibliotecas públicas en los Estados Unidos.

La encuesta es:
Fácil—haga clic en el vínculo de la encuesta en la página web de su biblioteca;
Rápido— sólo se tarda unos 10-15 minutos para completar;
Anónimo— no información personal identificable es recolectada.

¿Preguntas? Pregunte en el mostrador de información de su biblioteca, o visite el sitio Web del proyecto.

IMPACT our Internet

Starting on Friday, May 22, the Santa Fe Public Library has a link on our website to a nationwide survey about “how people use the free computers and Internet connections in public libraries”. This is the first survey of its kind, and we're looking forward to providing you with better services as a result. If you use our computers and/or wireless occasionally, regularly, or hardly ever, we would really like your feedback!

The survey is not required for you to use our internet computers, is completely anonymous, and takes about 10-15 minutes. You can choose to take the survey in either English or Spanish. The survey link will be up until Monday, June 8.

The survey link looks like this:


The U.S. IMPACT web survey is being conducted by the University of Washington Information School with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For more information, visit the IMPACT studies web site, email library@santafenm.gov, or call 955-6832.

The Grand Finale

The City of Santa Fe joined cities all across the country last week to celebrate Bike to Work Week. The unofficial grand finale was the Santa Fe Century, a 100 mile bike ride that started and ended at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and made a loop through Madrid, Stanley, Galisteo, and Eldorado. The May 17 event also offered 25, 50, and 75 mile options. All together, over 2600 people registered.

One of our Teen Advisory Board members, a first time event rider, completed the whole hundred miles! It was inspiring to see him tackle those last 20 miles, when he’d already been out there seven hours and he only had to say the word to get an easy ride home. Also inspirational were the 11 year-old who did the whole course on smaller-than-average wheels and the two amputees who did the long ride, one with only one arm and another with only one leg!

For the hard core cyclist there’s an even longer Santa Fe event coming up: The Santa Fe Trail Bicycle Trek, which covers 1100 miles over 22 days, starting in September. Riders can choose to do 4 days or more. If speed is more your thing, you may want to head up to Durango, Colorado this weekend where they’re having the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic. The Iron Horse includes no less that three touring events, five racing options, a music concert and a swap meet! Maybe we’ll see you there!

by LW @SS

Book Brigade

When the old Main Library on Washington closed, a volunteer book brigade moved books across the street to the “new” Main Library at 145 Washington Avenue. I did not live in Santa Fe then, but on Tuesday, May 26th I have been invited to join a book brigade to help move the Collected Works Bookstore to its new location on 202 Galisteo Street, on the corner of Galisteo and Water.

For the event, fifty carefully selected books from Collected Works Bookstore’s old location will be hand-delivered to its new one. The books will represent some of the city’s favorite fifty novels, children’s books, and works of non-fiction. The event will run from 10:45 to 11:30 AM.

Kudos to Dorothy and her daughter Mary for their full commitment to the community. This fun event is meant not only to draw attention to Collected Works move to bigger and better quarters, but serves as evidence of its faith in Santa Fe’s economy.

It will also be a public gesture to remind citizens of the important role of books in our community. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, Santa Fe contains the largest per-capita concentration of writers of any city in the United States. Santa Fe's Creative Industries generate $1.1 billion annually, support 17.5 percent of total employment, and contribute $36 million in city and county taxes.

So stop by and support the Book Brigade. And while you are waiting to be able to purchase new books at Collected Works’ new location, stop by any of the City’s three libraries and check us out.

by PCH @Main

New Mexico History Museum

At long last, the New Mexico History Museum will be having its Grand Opening this weekend. Over three days, there will be something for everyone, with most of the events free to the public.

On Saturday, May 23, from 6:30-9pm, there will be a Gala Opening Preview for a $200 admission. This event is sold out, but you can go on a waiting list.

The Grand Public Opening will be on Sunday, May 24, from 9am-6pm. The members-only preview is from 9am - noon, and after 12:00 pm is free admission for all.

New Mexico History Museum Family Day is scheduled for Monday, May 25, from 10am-5pm. Admission is also free on this day.

The New Mexico History Museum is located on 113 Lincoln Avenue, half-a-block north of the Plaza, part of the Museum Campus that includes the Palace of the Governors. Their contact phone number is (505) 476-5200.

For a full schedule of events and information about the exhibits, be sure to check the New Mexico History Museum website.

Photo courtesy of the Museum of New Mexico Media Center.

Memorial Day Library Closures

All branches of the Santa Fe Public Library will be closed on Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day.

All libraries will be open regular hours, 10 am - 6 pm, on Saturday, May 23.

Main Library will be open regular hours, 1-5 pm, on Sunday, May 24.

Be Creative This Summer!

The Santa Fe Public Library 2009 Summer Reading Program is gearing up! This year's theme is "Be Creative at Your Library".

Children from birth to age 12 can register at their local library starting on Monday, June 8, and turn in weekly reading logs for prizes.

Six to twelve-year-olds can enter a drawing for bikes at their library. There are also fun events and crafts all summer long.

Summer Reading is sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

Capital City Comics:

Works by ArtWorks Students

Opening Reception:
Monday, May 25
4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Community Gallery
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
201 W. Marcy St.

The Santa Fe Arts Commission and ArtWorks will host an opening reception for Capital City Comics: Works by ArtWorks Students. The young artists will be there to discuss their Captain Fabulous, Squirrel Man, Super Scholar, Hot Diggity Dog, Dr. Cyber Maniac drawings with teachers, parents and the public. A presentation by city dignitaries and a screening of a video about ArtWorks will begin at 5 p.m. This reception is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. The exhibition will be on display through May 27.

Capital City Comics: Works by ArtWorks Students includes drawings and comic books by over 100 elementary school students from across the Santa Fe Public School district. The work was inspired by a tour of the Comic Art Indigène exhibit at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture last fall. ArtWorks Teaching Artists worked with the students in their classrooms to prepare them to tour the exhibit, led students through the exhibit, and then helped the students create their own super heroes and comic books.

ArtWorks, a program of the City of Santa Fe Arts Commission, makes the arts personally meaningful to children and elementary school teachers through an integrated program of art-making, viewing live performances and exhibits, and achieving understanding through inquiry and reflection.

Just one last read...

Every so often, we need to comb through our shelves and remove books that are in bad shape. You know the ones: split bindings, torn or shaky pages, wavy water-damaged covers. The Library tries to replace books in morbid condition, but some-to-many are out-of-print. Unfortunately, some of these rough-and-tumble books are gems within the tattered exterior. For example, I discovered a paperback, Strangeness: a collection of curious tales, and decided to give it one last look. The short stories within are unified by the theme that true beauty has an element of strangeness, and that the truly strange is beautiful.

What's extraordinary about this collection, tucked among the science fiction with a faded garish cover, is that it groups such unlikely bookmates as Italo Calvino and Virginia Woolf, Graham Greene and Philip José Farmer, Brian Aldiss and Shirley Jackson. While we probably have many of these stories interspersed throughout the library, Strangeness is a unique, thoughtful collection, a gateway book for science fiction readers to try out "regular" fiction, and vice versa.

So like a favorite shirt with frayed cuffs, or a jacket with a button missing, I'll see if we can hold on to this one for just a little longer. Perhaps wait until the binding is a complete mess or the pages disintegrate into dust. I'll also be embarking on another tome slated for the chopping block, The Arbor House treasury of great science fiction short novels. We'll see if that one is worth holding onto as well.

Picture the American West

A current exhibit at the MoMA in New York City focuses on how photography may distort the reality of the West and contribute to its erroneous mythology. If you can't make it out east by June 8th, Slate has compiled a photo essay of some of the photographs, with insightful commentary about the West's ongoing relationship with the shutter.

Photograph:
Timothy O'Sullivan
Canyon de Chelle, Walls of the Grand Canyon, 1873

About 1200 Feet in Height

albumen print, 20.3 x 27.6 cm (8 x 10 7/8 in.)
Courtesy of Helios: American Photography

City Summer Youth Program

2009 Enrollment Information
Saturday, May 16, 2009

The City of Santa Fe’s Community Services Department will conduct registration of the 2009 Summer Youth Program – Gates will open at 8:00 a.m. at the three (3) locations listed below:

Genoveva Chavez Community Center – 3221 Rodeo Road
Southside Library – 6599 Jaguar Drive
ASD Property Control Facility – 2651 Siringo Road

Ongoing registration will be conducted at the Monica Roybal Youth Center beginning at 8:30 a.m. on May 18th for persons who cannot attend the May 16th registration. You can sign-up at any of the three above locations on May 16th. Space is available on a first come/first serve basis. An original birth certificate must be presented for children ages 6, 7 and 12.

The program is available to children ages 6 to 12, and will operate from Monday, June 15 through Thursday, August 6, 2009 (7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.) FEE: $80.00 per child. Breakfast and lunch will also be provided to the children at no additional charge.

The City’s Summer Youth Program will be providing this program at eight sites:

• Chaparral Elementary School
  
• De Vargas Middle School
  
• Kearny Elementary School
  
• Monica Roybal Youth Center
  
• Nava Elementary School
  
• Ortiz Middle School
  
• Wood Gormley Elementary School

For further information, please call 955-6750 or visit the City’s Summer Youth Program link.

Community Days 2009

May 16, 2009
Santa Fe Plaza
Booths from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Bandstand Live Entertainment until 10:00 pm

Bring out the family and see what our non-profit groups have to offer and to visit with our local firefighters and police officers. There will be information for the kids on how to stay safe sponsored by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's Take 25 Campaign.

Parking for this event is free to the public at all City of Santa Fe owned parking lots and at all parking meters. Parking Enforcement Officers will be working to ensure that handicap, fire and loading zones are used according to the law.

Enjoy the entertainment from local musicians and dancers:

10:00: Opening Remarks from Mayor Coss
10:00: Blue Heaven Jazz Band
11:30: Balle Español
12:30: Sociedad Colonial
2:00: Soulz of the Sun
3:30: Sorela
5:00: Nightshift
6:30: Sol Fire
8:00: Lumbre Del Sol

Sponsored by the City of Santa Fe’s Community Services Department.

CDs that finally make sense!

What is all the fuss going on with the CDs at the Public Library? Where do they disappear to, and resurface from, with a new shiny case and new shiny label? And how come they’re moving around and in different places?

Here’s the haps. At long last, Santa Fe Public Library has made the jump to reclassify our music CDs. This means we have stopped using confusing Dewey Decimal numbers and have gone, bookstore-style, to genres such as Rock, Classical, Jazz, etc. And while we’re changing the locations, we’re also changing the broken and damaged cases.

If you’ve been with us for a long time, you know this is not quite unfamiliar territory, since the CDs were classed by genre before they were classed by Dewey. However, staff has decided that Dewey was a bit of a failed experiment, and we’ve gone back to our original ways of doing things. The early report from the branches is that this is so much more user-friendly, appealing to both staff and patrons alike, and the items are checking out like mad, whereas before they sat sadly in their Dewey prisons and malingered. So mosey yourself on over to the music section and enjoy the new browsing experience! We are almost finished with our system-wide reclass but have a little more to go, so please be patient if Miles Davis is hanging out in two different places right now, 789.5 and Jazz. The catalog will reflect both spots, so if you’re really stumped, please check the catalog or ask a librarian!

A final word: sometimes it really is true that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! But it’s also true that sometimes, much like leaving New Mexico for Louisiana, you have to make that change to find out that where you started out is so much better after all – like Dorothy learned at the end of The Wizard of Oz.

by AA @ Main

Los Bebés y los Libros

La Biblioteca Pública de Santa Fe Presenta
Los Bebés y los Libros

Un programa de seis clases, de media hora cada uno
para los peques de 6 meses, hasta los dos años
de edad y para sus cuidadores también
Nunca es demasiado temprano para enseñarle
a su bebé el camino a la lectura.

Únase a nuestro grupo de juego y lectura para niños pequeñitos. Su pequeñín disfrutará de libros, canciones y juegos desde la comodidad de su regazo. En el grupo, contamos tradiciones y platicamos libros. Esto le da al niño una experiencia muy importante para cuando empieza a leer. Aprenda cómo, las experiencias de todos los días, pueden encaminar a su hijo hacia el éxito en el aprendizaje.

EL PROGRAMA ESTÁ EN INGLÉS.

La Biblioteca de La Farge
Los Miercoles 10:30 am - 11:00 am
Mayo 13 - Junio 17
Julio 8 - Agosto 12
1730 Llano Street
505-955-4867

La Biblioteca de Southside
Los Jueves 1:00 pm a 1:30 pm
Mayo 14 - Junio 18
Julio 9 - Agosto 13
6599 Jaguar Drive
505-955-2828

Para inscripiones o para mayor information, comuniquese al 955-4863 o 955-2828.

Este programa es gratis. Patrocinado por la fundación Brindle.

Books & Babies: Spring & Summer

The Books and Babies program has scheduled its Spring & Summer Sessions.
This is for babies 6-24 months old and their caregivers.

Wednesdays at La Farge Library
Spring: May 13 - June 17
Summer: July 8 - August 12
10:30 to 11:00 am
1730 Llano Street

Thursdays at the Southside Library
Spring: May 14 - June 18
Summer: July 9 - August 13
1 to 1:30 p.m.
6599 Jaguar Drive

Your child will enjoy books, songs, and finger games from the comfort of your lap.

This is a free program sponsored by a grant from the Brindle Foundation.

To register and for more information call
Southside Children's: 955-2828
La Farge Children's: 955-4863

Earth, Air, Water, Fire

Thanks to the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico State, and other agencies, there are many useful resources out there concerning the city's and state's "four elements". For more information, be sure to check our New Mexico & Southwest links.

Earth: The GIS Mapping System
If you've never used GIS before, the city has redesigned their system to make searching easy for beginners. It's still sophisticated enough for expert researchers, too. A tutorial is included on the home page, and you can call 955-6490 or email GIS@santafenm.gov if you have further questions.

Air: Santa Fe is relatively high on the air quality index, but our pollen count is currently medium to medium-high. Although if you suffer from allergies, it probably feels high every day. The New Mexico Environment Department has an Air Quality Bureau with additional information.

Water: Annual Water Update Report
This 23-page PDF document is a succinct snapshot of water use in Santa Fe. The annual update compiles and summarizes information about the City’s water including supply, production, deliveries, conservation, potable and wastewater resources, and customer use. The report is current through 2008 with previous years added for comparison.

Fire: None of us are looking forward to fire season, planned or not, but there are a couple of resources to help you prepare. New Mexico Fire Information has up-to-date fire restrictions and other useful information, such as prevention tips for home and wilderness. The Large Fire Location Map is updated daily with the locations and statuses of planned and unplanned fires.

Jamming and Blocking

Since I became the library's blogger about a year ago, this forum has had little-to-no mention of sports. You see, I was somewhat . . . uncoordinated as a youngster, and that has morphed into apathy and ignorance of the sporting world in adulthood. I never know who's in the Super Bowl, World Series, or Final Four. My occasional contribution to sports conversations is my awesome recipe for guacamole.

So imagine my surprise when I attended a roller derby tournament at the College of Santa Fe last year. I wasn't "interested". I wasn't "engrossed". I was fanatical, with favorite players, a nuanced understanding of the rules and strategy, and a very hoarse voice. I was elated, not just from the visceral joy of my team winning, but from the knowledge that I had finally(!) found my sport.

Roller derby is appealing because the rules are very easy to understand; most leagues are all-female; women of all abilities and physical types can participate; it's simultaneously full of brutality and camaraderie; and the uniforms are unlike those in any other sport: funky, punk, DIY and completely wild.

With team names like the Disco Brawlers and Muñecas Muertas, and players named "R 2 Beat U" or "Punchkin Pie", the bouts are fun for the spectators and a tad dangerous for the players. As a result, The Duke City Derby, the Albuquerque league that umbrellas Santa Fe's team, had been having issues finding an appropriate venue. Fortunately, they've found a season home at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, and are jamming regularly until September 19th.

If you come to one of the bouts, come by and say hi. I'll be the one screaming my lungs out when Kamikaze Kim makes another treacherous pass look effortless.

Photo of roller derby bout courtesy of Duke City Derby.

Odd Day

Today is 5/7/09, otherwise known as Odd Day! This is an uncommon day, with only six each century.

According to the website Odd Day - Be Awed by the Odd, here are ways to celebrate:

"It's a great day to do your odds 'n ends, give a friend a high-five, root for the odds-on-favorite, read the Wizard of Odds, watch the Odd Couple, say aaaahd in the doctor's office, look for sea odders, find that missing odd sock, and beat the odds."

There's also a contest on the site, with a grand prize of $579.00!

So if today has already been too mundane for you, celebrate Odd Day!

Wellness for All

Between the wacky weather, pollen, flus, and, let's face it, a little too much stress, taking time for your health can sometimes feel like the proverbial straw. Fortunately, all libraries have a great collection of books on health that you can check out or research quickly. We have books and media on subjects such as general health, diet, exercise, and nutrition, mental health, holistic medicine, and relaxation. We have also gone through many health websites, and selected useful and reliable sources for you on our Internet Starting Points.

Now that the sun and warm temperatures are finally here, both people and pets are anxious to be out-of-doors. We also have lots of resources on pet health, and this veterinary website can help you with all your pet's needs.

For the absolute most up-to-date information, don't forget to check our databases for consumer health, medical journals, and pet health information. Confused or overwhelmed by all the information out there? Be sure to check with a reference librarian to help you sift through and select the information that's right for you.

10th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day

Sunday, May 17
9:00 am - 4:00 pm
For City and County Residents
Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station (BuRRT)
2600 Buckman Rd.: adjacent to the old city landfill on 1686 Paseo de Vista

Do you have old cans of household chemicals or cleaning products sitting unused and forgotten around the house, in the garage or storage shed? Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency, City of Santa Fe, Santa Fe County and Keep Santa Fe Beautiful will be sponsoring the 10th Annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on May 17 at the Buckman Road Recycling and Transfer Station (BuRRT). The majority of these household hazardous wastes will be recycled.

Household hazardous waste generally falls into six categories:

• Cleaning Products: kitchen cleaners, bathroom cleaners, drain cleaners, toilet cleaners, oven cleaners, furniture polishes, solvents, and aerosols.
  
• Auto Products: motor oil, gasoline, brake fluids, anti-freeze, transmission fluids, solvent cleaners, car batteries, starting fluids, and repair products.
  
• Home Improvement Products: oil-based paints, latex paints, stains, varnishes, paint thinners, chemical strippers, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors, rechargeable batteries, insect repellents, lighter fluids, kerosene, and pool chemicals.
  
• Hobby Products: glue, paints, contact cement, and photographic chemicals.
  Personal Care and Pharmaceuticals: nail polishes and removers, hair color, and non controlled prescription drugs.
  
• Lawn and Garden Care: weed killers, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides and other lawn products.

Used motor oil may also be taken to local businesses in the city and county year-around. Call the City or County for a list of those locations. You can tell if the household product is hazardous if it has words like CAUTION, WARNING, POISON, or FLAMMABLE on the label. Contrary to popular belief, dried latex paint is not a hazardous waste material.

The following materials will not be accepted at the HHW event: televisions, e-Waste, business or commercial waste, industrial waste, medical waste, explosives or ammunition, pressurized gas cylinders, propane and helium tanks, asbestos or radioactive materials.

For more information, call:

Keep Santa Fe Beautiful at 955-2215
Santa Fe Solid Waste Management Agency at 820-0208 or 424-1850
City of Santa Fe Solid Waste at 955-2200
Santa Fe County Solid Waste at 992-3025

Santa Fe Mariachi

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission has chosen “Santa Fe Mariachi” a pastel by Lori Aguirre Snable, as the Winner of the 2009 City of Santa Fe Poster Competition. The 89 entries submitted for this year’s contest were judged on overall artistic quality and ability to represent Santa Fe as a creative city, and promote and market the City of Santa Fe as a tourist destination. This year’s poster will be given out during Santa Fe’s 400th anniversary year.

Lori Aguirre Snable is a recipient of over 100 awards and a signature member of The Pastel Society of New Mexico, The Pastel Society of Colorado, and The Pastel Society of The West Coast. She has exhibited both publicly and privately over the past fifteen years and has been the featured artist in ten solo shows. Originally a California native of Hispanic ancestry, she is a Santa Fe resident who has become deeply connected with Northern New Mexico.

The poster competition is an annual event of the Arts Commission. All entries in the 2009 competition, including Lori Snable’s, are currently on display in City Hall, 200 Lincoln Avenue, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The show will be on display through May 29, 2009.

Bike to Work Week

May 11 - 15

Free Bicycle Clinics
Free SFTrails Ride if you incorporate
a bicycle in your commute

Bike to Work Day
May 15 at the Railyard
7 am - 10 am

Join us for safety information, bike maps, free food, games, and giveaways. Free t-shirt to first 350 participants.

For more information about the events, contests, and sponsors, go to the City of Santa Fe's website, call 505-955-6046, or become a fan of the Facebook profile.

Get the Facts on Swine Flu

Swine flu is a type of virus. It's named for a virus that pigs can get. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. Symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.

There are antiviral medicines you can take to prevent or treat swine flu. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , you can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza by:

• Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. You can also use alcohol-based hand cleaners.
• Avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

Links to more information:

• Centers for Disease Control’s page on Swine Flu contains information on the number of current cases, the facts on transmission, and how you can protect yourself. Check the site often as information may change.
• Medline Plus, a project of the National Institutes for Health, has a swine flu page as well. This is a highly recommended resource as it pools information from reputable and reliable health websites into one convenient place.
• PandemicFlu.gov, a one-stop site created by the federal government, is an excellent place to find out how New Mexico is prepared to deal with pandemic flu.
• The New Mexico Department of Health offers a page of swine flu resources with up-to-date information on statewide cases. You can also call the swine flu hotline at 1-866-850-5893

A Look Back in History
Many people are understandably thinking back to the Spanish Influenza outbreak of 1918. Vigilantes patrolled the streets of Albuquerque making people wear their masks as they saw neighboring communities, such as Tome, devastated by the outbreak. The lack of doctors and health education contributed to the pandemic as it raged throughout New Mexico and the world. These links will give you a better understanding of then and now.

• Office of the State Historian: 1918 – The Influenza Epidemic in New Mexico
  
• Timeline of the 1918 Pandemic at PBS.org
  
• And finally, the National Archives has an informative and absorbing page full of documents and pictures covering the 1918 Influenza.

Many thanks to the Los Lunas Public Library, Thomas Branigan Library, and New Mexico State Library for compiling this information.

Celebrate May Day

May Day is barely celebrated in the United States, but it does have as rich and checkered a history as just about any other eldritch holiday. While many of the countries that celebrate May Day use it as their Labor Day, it has roots going beyond unionists, communists and anarchists to pagans, Celts, and Romans.

If you'd like to do a little celebration for May Day without erecting a telephone pole in your yard or marching your cattle through the fire, you can make easy May baskets and hang them on your neighbors' doorknobs. Don't get caught though, or you might get kissed! You can also make wishing wells or cow puppets for further entertainment.

For more about the ancient customs associated with May Day, a good place to start is Sir James Frazer's classic, The Golden Bough. If you're intimidated by the size or style—it's taking me years to get through—Bartleby.com has a hyperlinked index to help you zip right to the pertinent sections. If you're interested in the political origins of May Day as Labor Day, check out a book on the Haymarket Square Riot.

Maypole graphic courtesy of Warriner Partnership Schools.