Democracy for New Mexico

Noted Author Alice Walker to Appear at Kiva Auditorium

From :
Alice Walker, bestselling author of The Color Purple and =yes&ks=q&qsselect=KQ&title=&author=&qstext=Alice+Walker">many other works of fiction and non-fiction, will be at the Kiva Auditorium at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Monday, October 1, 2007 at 7:00 PM to read and sign her new book! Why War is Never a Good Idea is a peace-advocating children's book that is also beautifully illustrated. She will also sign this and her other titles.

One ticket FREE with book purchase ($16.99+tax) or TWO tickets and ONE book for $25, all in advance. At the door, tickets are $20 for one book and ticket, $25 for one book and two tickets. Contact Bookworks for books and tickets: Bookworks; 4022 Rio Grande NW; Albuquerque, NM 87107; 505-344-8139 (phone), 505-344-9948 (fax); orders@bkwrks.com

An interview with Alice Walker about her new book. More info on Alice Walker, her books and her politics.

Get the Facts on Medicare Privatization

From Americans United for Change:
Please join Medicare experts and seniors advocates at an informative meeting to discuss ending the privatization of Medicare. Get the facts as a major battle looms in Washington, DC that could effect Medicare coverage:

Thursday September 20th, 1:00 to 2:00
Highland Senior Center, Room 7
131 Monroe NE
Free and Open to the Public
Click for flyer

For more information or to RSVP to reserve a seat call Josh Geise at 505-603-1067.

More ABQ 6th District City Council Candidate Forums

As published on District 6 City Council candidate Rey Garduno's campaign blog:

• Tuesday, September 18, 6:30 PM: Forum hosted by the Southeast Heights Neighborhood Association - Bandelier Elementary School, 3309 Pershing SE
• Wednesday, September 19, 7-9 PM: Forum hosted by Albuquerque Vecinos United - Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE (info 883-0411)
• Sunday, September 23, 2-4 PM: Forum by Sixth District Coalition of Neighborhood Associations and La Mesa Community Improvement Association - Highland Senior Center, 131 Monroe NE
• Thursday, September 27, 6-8 PM: We The People Forum hosted by The League of Women Voters and airing on Comcast public accesss cable channel 27 or government TV channel 16

The candidates running for Albuquerque City Council in District 6 are:

• Rey Garduno
• Blair Kaufman
• Kevin Wilson
• Joanie Griffin

Albuquerque's municipal election is set for October 2, 2007. Registered voters who live in all even-numbered City Council districts will elect a City Councilor. A councilor recall question will also be decided in District 9. All voters will consider a number of municipal bond issues and ballot propositions:

Summary of ballot propositions (doc) to be voted upon

Description of bond resolutions (doc) to be voted upon

Click to determine your .

Early in-person voting is now in progress and voters can cast their ballots Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at these locations:

• Albuquerque City Hall, One Civic Plaza, Downtown, map
• City Records Center, 604 Menaul NW, map
• Ladera Plaza, 5300 Sequoia NW, map
• APS Office Building, 6400 Uptown NE, map

Voting by mail-in ballot began on August 28th and continues. To request a main-in (absentee) ballot, call the Albuquerque City Clerk at 768-3030.

For more info on voting matters you can contact the City Clerk's office at 768-3030 or visit their election website. Also check out the nonpartisan Voters Guide produced by the League of Women Voters. To see our previous posts on topics related to the municipal election, visit our archive.

(Updated) Free Introductory Course on The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community

UPDATE 9/15/07: A reader submitted info on additional activities relalated to The Great Turning. I've added it to the end of this post. (Hat tip to M.M.)
******************
From the Conscious Aging Network of NM:
An introductory course will be presented by Mary Fogarty, President of the Conscious Aging Network of NM, and UNM instructor Dr. Gary Carlson on Dr. David Korten’s groundbreaking book The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community:

October 4th, 2007, 1:15 to 3:30 PM
UNM-Valencia Campus, Student Community Center,
280 La Entrada, Los Lunas, NM  87031
—FREE Beverages—
Click for a course description (doc)
Click for flyer (jpg)

For additional information call the UNM campus at 925-8970.

Dr. Korten beleives that more than ever before in history, our families and communities experience the fallout from inequities within our institutions, the state, and governing bodies resulting in fragmentation, a decline in social cohesion and an increase in social exclusion. Individually, we exist in connection with a larger composition, a grander collective, a universal body of parts in which we, as individuals, contribute to the productivity and harmony of the whole. We can make conscious collective decisions and work together to bring forth a new era of Earth Community grounded in the life-affirming cultural values shared by most all the world’s people and eloquently articulated in the Earth Charter.

Dr. Korten is an internationally renowned author, speaker and thinker who is scheduled to visit Albuquerque sometime in November. He's also the author of When Corporations Rule the World, an international bestseller that helped expose the attack on democracy and economic justice being advanced through free trade agreements and the institutions that negotiate and enforce them. Partial bio:

• received his degree at Stanford
• taught at Harvard
• served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War
• lived 21 years outside the U.S. in Southeast Asia, traveled to Pakistan, India,Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, & the Philippines as regional manager for (USAID), and founded the People-Centered Development Forum

Extensive information about Dr. Korten's books, presentations, articles and work can be found at his website, including a complete bio. Also read this article from the Fall edition of Yes! magazine to learn more about Dr. Korten's views about what's happening in the world and where we need to go from here to reinvent and reinvigorate our culture, economics and lives to achieve sustainabilty and harmony.
****************
UPDATE 9/15/07: Additional activities related to The Great Turning:

Gary Carlson and Mary Fogarty are teaching more classes based on the book. From the events calendar of The Conscious Aging Network of New Mexico:

October 3-November 7, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, Creating Earth Community, UNM Continuing Education, 6-week class on David Korten's book, The Great Turning, by Gary Carlson. Contact UNM at 277-0077 for registration. New class!

October 18-December 13, 1:30-3:30 PM, Creating Communities, UNM Valencia Campus, 1-credit, 8-week class based on David Korten's book, The Great Turning, by Gary Carlson and Mary Fogarty.  Contact UNM Valencia campus for registration: 925-8580.
**********
From the New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light calendar (at the bottom):

Saturday, November 10, 7 PM: Free public address by Dr. David C. Korten at the UNM Sub Ballroom A. Click for flyer (PDF).
**********
Dr. Korten was on Democracy Now this past Friday: David Korten, author of "When Corporations Rule the World". He is the co-founder of Positive Futures Network, and publisher of the magazine YES! A Journal of Positive Futures. His most recent book is titled The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. To watch, listen to or read the transcript of the show, click here.

ABQ Fundraiser with Gov. Bill Richardson Set for Sept. 21

From the DPBC E-News: There will be a fundraiser with Governor Richardson in support of his campaign for President on September 21st at 5:00 PM at the home of Joe and Kathy Duffy, 6364 Isleta Blvd SW, Albuquerque. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased in advance by calling the campaign office at 828-2455 or at the door the day of the event.

Reserve Now: We The People ABQ City Council Debates

WE THE PEOPLE- Live audience

COME SEE the Candidates Answer Your Questions!

ABQ City Council Candidate Forum Districts 2 & 4 

Channel 27

September 13th, 6 p.m.

The League of Women Voters, Albuquerque / Bernalillo County will moderate City Council Districts 2 and 4 Forum at 6 pm. Live audience will participate with their questions. Doors close at 5:45 pm. Reservations must be made by September 10th; there is limited seating. Meet 'n Greet following the Forum.

Please call the League office, staffed by volunteers, between 9:30 and noon: 884-8441 or 265-4336.

Community Cable Channel 27 - SW Corner of Civic Plaza

Please use the ramp in the center of the Building

Albuquerque, NM

Kindly forward this message to your friends.

TAPE the program if you cannot be present.

WE THE PEOPLE is an innovative call-in television show looking for TRUTH and TRANSPARENCY in local, state and federal governments. 

District 6 Forum - Live - Channel 27 on September 27th

!

THANKS FOR WATCHING

Mickey Bock, Host  Judith Binder, Producer 

Editor's Note: The municipal election in Albuquerque is set for October 2, 2007. City Councilors will be elected in even numbered districts, and there are a number of bond issues and ballot initiatives to be decided, as well as a recall election of Councilor Don Harris for District 9.

Learn more by checking out the online version of the League of Women Voters Guide for the 2007 Albuquerque Municipal Election or picking up a hard copy of the guide at various locations around the city.

You can also check out our previous posts on the municipal election at our archive on the topic.

Al Gore at Santa Ana Star Center

Al Gore and his presentation on "An Inconvenient Truth" will be coming to Rio Rancho's Santa Ana Star Center on October 3, 2007 at 7:30 PM. Click for info and tix. By the way, Gore is writing a sequel to his book An Inconvenient Truth entitled The Path to Survival, scheduled for publication on Earth Day next April. According to the publisher, Rodale Books, Gore will spell out a blueprint for the changes that individuals and governments need to make to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Make Your Voice Heard: Panel Discussion on Ethics Reform Set for 9.15.07

From Common Cause New Mexico:
During the 2007 legislative session, Common Cause was instrumental in the passage of a judicial public financing bill and a bill limiting gifts to public officials. Despite these important victories, much work remains in the area of ethics reform: we need contributions limits, an ethics commission, more disclosure for lobbying activities and voluntary public financing for more offices. 

As a means of getting up to speed on the key ethics issues in New Mexico, I encourage you to attend an important panel discussion on Saturday, September 15 at 2:00 PM at Room 2401 at the UNM Law School.  The panel will feature three members of Governor Richardson's Ethics Task Force, as well as state legislators. Here are the details for the panel discussion:

• When:  Saturday, September 15, 2007, 2:00-4:30 PM
• Where:  UNM Law School, Room 2401 (click here for a map or driving directions)
• Invited Speakers:
  • State Senator Dede Feldman
  • State Senator Michael Sanchez
  • State Representative Mimi Stewart
  • Chief Deputy Attorney General Stuart Bluestone
  • Matt Brix, Policy Director, Center for Civic Policy
• Moderator:  Patricio Larragoite

For information, call Mary Sue Gutierrez at 899-4642 or Zora Hesse at 265-3031. Public comments and questions are encouraged. Please do not pass up this opportunity to have your voice heard! 

Thank you, I hope you can make this important panel discussion on September 15!

Sincerely,
Jack Taylor, State Chair, Common Cause New Mexico

Editor's Note: This forum is organized by Progressive Women Issues Matter. See our previous post.

Friday: Campaign Kick Off for Don Wiviott for Senate

Please Join Us for the Campaign Kick Off Event
for
Don Wiviott
Democratic Candidate
for
United States Senate
New MexicoFriday, September 7th
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Ventana Fine Art
400 Canyon Road, Santa Fe
RSVP@donfornewmexico.com
505.820.2008Patron $250     Curator $100     Artist $50

“New Mexicans, no matter what your political views are, we agree that we need a change in Washington. It’s time for a fresh start.  Let’s get our troops out of Iraq, balance the federal budget, and increase our nation’s energy independence through a focus on renewable energy and sustainable building.”

Meet Don Wiviott
Don Wiviott, 51, is a community leader and small businessman who builds environmentally-friendly live/work spaces here in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  With a vision of creating diverse, sustainable and green communities where people can both live and work, Don’s award-winning THE LOFTS ™ and the Lofts at Marquez Place are home to over 150 businesses and residents, including numerous artists and technology companies.

Don serves on the Governor’s “Our Communities, Our Future” Task Force and is Chairman of the Mayor’s Economic Development Review Committee in Santa Fe. He is an active member of the Santa Fe Area Chamber of Commerce, Build Green New Mexico and the Santa Fe Alliance.  Don and his wife, Kelley Owen Wiviott, a prominent realtor, support more than 25 state and local charities, including 1000 Friends of New Mexico, Art Smart, Santa Fe Aids Walk, LENSIC, Warehouse 21, Santa Fe Design Week, Theatre Grottesco and other education, disability, youth, arts and environmental organizations.

Don worked as a union laborer while earning his B.A. from Dartmouth College and holds an M.B.A. from Harvard. Don and Kelley share their lives with two adult children: Jonathan and Hillary, as well as their dog Scooter.

PARTICIPATE: More NM Healthcare Community Forums Scheduled

Community forums to discuss healthcare reform in New Mexico were held in many parts of New Mexico this summer. Scheduled events continue from now through October. This is your chance to hear first hand about the results of Mathematica's study on reform options and to speak up about what you'd like healthcare reform legislation to look like when it's taken up in the NM Legislature.

From the NM Human Needs Coordinating Council:
Community Forums: Achieving Healthcare for All, September-October 2007 - Statewide Cosponsors: Health Care for All Campaign, New Mexico Voices for Children, League of Women Voters NM, AARP, New Mexico Conference of Churches, New Mexico Coalition to End Homelessness, Health Action New Mexico, NM Public Health Association, NM Human Needs Coordinating Council, Con Alma Health Foundation, National , Association of Social Workers-NM, CWA.

Upcoming forums:

Eddy County
Date: Monday, September 10, 5:30-7:30 PM

• Location: NMSU-Carlsbad, Room 101, 1500 University Drive, Carlsbad
• Sponsors: Eddy County Community Health Council and NMSU
• Local Contact: Candace Autry, cautry@CO.EDDY.NM.US, 505-887-9511

Grant, Catron, Luna and Hildago County/ Silver City
Date: Tuesday, September 11, 6-8:00 PM

• Location: Bayard Community Center, 290 Hurley Avenue, Bayard (about 10 miles from SC)
• Lead Sponsor: SW Council of Governments
• Local Contact: Gloria Terrazas, SW New Mexico Council of Governments, 505.388.1509, gterrazas@gilanet.com

Santa Fe County
Date: Tuesday, September 18, 10 AM-12 PM, 5:30-7:30 PM

• Locations/address:
  • (10 AM-12 PM) Forum Building at College of Santa Fe Campus, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive, SF
  • (5:30-7:30 PM) Santa Fe County Courthouse/BCC Chambers, 2nd floor, 102 Grant Street, SF
• Cosponsors: Santa Fe County HHS Department, League of Women Voters, Results-Santa Fe CWA Local 7076
• Local Contact: Steve Shepard, Santa Fe County, 505.992.9840 sshepher@co.santa-fe.nm.us

Chaves County/Roswell
Date: Thursday, September 20, 2-4:00 PM

• Location: ENMU- Roswell, Occupational Technology Center Building, Room 124, Roswell
• Local Contact: Barbara Thompson 505.623.6173Thom-mom@zianet.com

Los Alamos County
Date: Thursday, September 20, 7-9:00 PM

• Location: Fuller Lodge, 2132 Central Ave, Los Alamos
• Sponsors: League of Women Voters-Los Alamos, Los Alamos Community Health Care Roundtable
• Local Contact: Chris Chandler, 505.662.5900, cchandler@cybermesa.com

Torrance County--Moriarty
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 12-2:00 PM

• Location: Teen Center/ Moriarty
• Sponsors: The Partnership for a Healthy Torrance County (Torrance Health Council)
• Local Contact: Billie Clark, Program Manager, Torrance County Project Office 505.832.0332, pmanager@lobo.net

Valencia County:
Date: Wednesday, October 3rd, 5:30-8:00 PM

• Location: UNM-Valencia campus
• Sponsor: Valencia Community Partnership
• Local Contacts: Peggy Gutjahr 385-0160/peggyrae@datasages.com and Sandra Chavez 865-3999, schavez@ydinm.org

McKinley County
Date: Thursday, October 4, 6:30-8:30 PM (time pending)

• Location: UNM-Gallup/ Calvin Hall Auditorium, 200 College Drive, Gallup
• Sponsor: McKinley County Health Alliance
• Local Contact: Ophelia Reeder, 505-863-5107, McKinley County Health Alliance, Ophelia_reeder@pmsnet.org ­

­Otero County/ Alamogordo
Date: Wednesday, October 24, 2 PM and 6 PM

• Location: 907 New York Ave., Alamogordo
• Sponsor: CAPPED, Inc.
• Local Contact: Tresa VanWinkle, RN, Executive Director CAPPED, Inc., tresa@capped.org
  PH: (505) 434-HOPE (4673), FAX: (505) 434-1177

For more information on the health care reform issue and scheduled events visit Health Action New Mexico.