Soy de Burque

South Valley Dia de los Muertos Parade

2010-11-08T13:03:00.001-08:00

Attended the Marigold Parade this weekend - if you missed it this year - highly recommended for 2011. Great music and art.

Check out the event website for more details on the parade and Dia de los Muertos. The project is made possible by New Mexico Arts, a division of the Dept. of Cultural Affairs,and the National Endowment for the Arts - Sponsored by La Raza Unida and Cambio.

Burque RV

2010-10-10T16:40:00.001-07:00

I saw this van up in Santa Fe this weekend - nice work.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2010-04-01T11:51:00.000-07:00

Something to dance to.

Viva Burque.

SdeB Revolution - 3 year anniversary sale!

2010-04-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Today, April 1, marks the three-year anniversary of the Soy de Burque Revolution. To celebrate, the original Soy de Burque T-shirts, both men's and women's, will be on sale for a limited time only. Visit us here.

Thank you for your support over the past three years. Viva Burque!

SdeB

Thanks for the run Lobos!!!

2010-03-20T18:25:00.000-07:00

See you next season.

Viva Burque.

Everyone's a Lobo - Even if you don't have the mtn. network

2009-12-15T17:42:00.001-08:00

In light of the Lobos starting off their season undefeated - I'm reminded why I don't like television. Since August 27, 2008 - UNM Lobo games have been broadcast on channel 616 on DIRECTV CHOICE or with a subscription to DIRECTV's Sportspack.

I'm a fan...grew up watching the Lobos on channel 13...listening to games on 770 KKOB...wishing I could go to Coop Camp - Michael Cooper was my first favorite NBA player as a kid. Anyone from Burque knows what Lobo basketball means to the city. We fans can be fickle. Harsh. Stubborn. Mean. But we love our Lobos.

The business decisions of cable and satellite television are beyond me. I'm sure there is some analysis out there that says UNM and the television company's make money on the deal - which in turn leads to better facilities - better recruitment - something about outreach to fans across the country - blah, blah, blah...but right now, I don't care. I can't turn on my television and watch my Lobos.

Lobo's are 19th in the country. Awesome job and congratulations guys. I'll see you at the local bar.

New shirt design -

Soy de Burque featured in Alibi Gift Guide

2009-12-03T21:33:00.000-08:00

Orale...check it out.

soydeburque.com
pequenosburquenos.com

Long live Burque.

Q-bags - hee hee

2009-07-15T13:34:00.001-07:00

Before I chime in on this, I must say I'm all for reusable bags. It's a good idea. Why not? But again, this Q thing upsets me. Pro-environment does not have to be synonymous with pro-Q. I refuse to accept it even though I'm forced to pay for it, see it on billboards, airport signs, street signs, city run television shows, radio ads, trash bins, etc.

On the other hand, if a business has a sticker saying "Soy de Burque", or "Support Local Business, Support Burque" I'm in. Anything but "the Q" or anything else city officials try and brand me.

The website says these bags are free. Nothing is free - we as taxpayers are paying for this campaign propaganda. Funny someone decided to get rid of term limits and announce his run for re-election this past weekend. Little did I know I'd be paying for his campaign. Maybe he could continue the green cliche to include "the Q - so green we got rid of term limits so we can now recycle our politicians". I can see the new billboard now...

Soy de Burque supports an environmentally fiscal city government. Not q-bags.

There are some bags on the website for sale - they're not free, though I wish they could be. Seems I can't find the magic tree that grows free durable recycled plastic bags for the general population. The bags on the site are made from canvas..

The article:

Reuse in the Q

Let's put a stop to wasteful plastic bag use!
plastic bags

The City of Albuquerque and local retailers want to partner with you to reduce a major source of pollution - plastic shopping bags.

According to The Wall Street Journal, people in the United States use 100 billion plastic shopping bags a year. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags. Unfortunately, only 12% of these plastic bags are recycled.

The rest end up filling landfills, littering streets, and -- even worse -- harming our wildlife, who often mistake them for food.

Click to vote for your favorite reusable bag design.
Skip the Plastic - Choose Reusable

There is a simple solution to this problem:

* If you're buying just one or two items, skip the bag altogether.
* If you're buying more, use a reusable bag!

The City of Albuquerque plans to provide free reusable bags to those who make the commitment to reduce their plastic bag usage.

But we need your help to make it happen - please pledge to do your part, and voice your opinion by casting your vote for your favorite reusable bag design. We'll tally the votes, produce your favorite, and distribute it to Albuquerque citizens.
Business Owners

If you’re a business owner, sign up to support this effort. We'll send you signs that will remind your customers to bring their reusable bags, and announce your involvement in the Reuse in the Q program. Your customers will know you're committed to protecting the environment and reducing our petroleum use, just like they are.

¡soy de burque!

2009-07-04T10:17:00.001-07:00

Announcing New Apparel Line - Pequeños Burqueños - Check them out...

2009-06-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Soy de Burque is very excited to announce a new line of apparel for the little Burqueños around town.

It's never to early to teach them to say, "¡soy de burque!"

Orale...check them out.

Long live Burque. Down with the Q.

Be a Fan...New Facebook Page

2009-06-24T22:16:00.000-07:00

Soy de Burque

Viva Burque.

The revolution is reborn on Facebook. It never went away – it’s stronger than ever. Friends from around the world voice their support. The issue now occasionally gets discussed at city council meetings. The news channels have picked up on the current administrations wasteful spending on branding our city. Street lights being the main focus. But there is the underlying question, “why is there a Q on it…and why do we need this now?” I’m still wondering why, with something as major as branding our city, KOAT and KRQE haven’t said anything. I’d think that’d be big news….”Albuquerque – you’ll now be referred to as the Q”. It’s not the elephant in the room but rather the big Q.

Maybe they have said something – there’s only so much news I can watch. If anyone has seen it please let me know.

Q branding. You know there is a strategy. What is it? How much does it cost? As a citizen I want to know.

So here’s the bottom line – with the new facebook page – people need to become our fan to get the message out. There are a lot of new things on the drawing board today so stay tuned…

orale...viva burque.

Two Years Strong... Anniversary Sale.

2009-03-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

The revolution was born April 1st, 2007.

Thank you for your continued support.

Long live Burque.

All shirts on sale for the month of April - www.soydeburque.com

The cost of the Q...

2009-03-25T20:41:00.000-07:00

KOAT ran a story last night I found interesting entitled, "Are New Street Signs Wasteful Spending." It reminded me of a past post - "Your Q Dollars." - February 7th, 2008

I still remember the original claim by city officials -

It costs $1,400 to put The Q decals on the sides of new alternative fuel city vehicles. The logo is only being put on brand-new vehicles. "The only thing we're doing is switching the logo as new cars come on," she (Deborah James, mayor spokesperson) says, and no money was spent to switch out the logo of older vehicles.

They say traffic safety. I say Q propaganda and wasteful spending.

Apparently, the Q "cures global warming" (note the enormous billboard by the Big-I) and enjoys being spotlit all night for everyone to see. I wonder if the signs are run on solar energy. I would think.

Now under the guise of other city projects, I wonder if we'll ever know how much they're spending on branding us.

Moo.

Not a Fair Weather Burqueño

2009-03-24T21:22:00.000-07:00

Orale...que frio ¿no?

Glad I can start wearing shorts.

According to the photographer, this was taken near Tahoe.
Great pic. ¡Viva Burqueño ex-pats!

Albuquerque Journal - "Here's a Q-Tip for you: ¡Viva Burque!"

2009-01-08T06:55:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Here's a Q Tip for You: Â¡Viva Burque!

By Leslie Linthicum
Journal Staff Writer
The city of Albuquerque's official nickname — The Q — has been a thorn in the side of a growing revolution of city dwellers since it was rolled out a little more than a year and a half ago.
The revolution has been led by the anonymous subject of today's column. The Q drives him mad. Not because he's got any particular beef with the 17th letter of the alphabet, but because of what it represents: "We as citizens were never asked what we wanted to call ourselves," he says. "It was brought upon us. I think it's strange, this whole idea of branding a city."
Since Mayor Martin Chávez's desire to come up with a city brand resulted in the official Q logo, billboards have advertised Albuquerque as The Q; the mayor's radio show is called "The Q Hour;" local shopping cards are Q Cards; the annual Downtown music fest was named the "QJam;" and the new bicycle borrowing program is being named Q Bike.
The mayor is a happy early adopter of the Q. "I just like the heck out of it," he said when the logo was rolled out.
Outside of official channels, The Q isn't exactly spreading like the flu. Ever heard anyone say, "I'm spending the weekend in The Q"? Or, "I just moved to The Q and I'm lovin' it"?
Ever heard anyone outside official channels use The Q in any context, ever?
Spending about 30 seconds on Google reveals what we all suspected: The Q did not spring from the loins of originality.
The Q is an arena in Cleveland (still time to get Monster Jam tickets!); a gay dance bar in Lincoln, Neb.; a hard rock radio station in El Paso (and a host of radio stations elsewhere); the subway train that goes to Coney Island in Brooklyn; and the nickname of Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester, Mass.
(It is also the odd devotion of a librarian at Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas, who has a trippy Web page devoted to "facts and fancies concerning the seventeenth letter of the alphabet.")
So back to our anonymous hero, who fought back and launched the Burque movement. With a Web site and T-shirts and bumper stickers for sale — and a You Tube video showing how to make your own Soy de Burque shirt — he has reclaimed some control over what he wants his native city to be called.
He opts for Burque because that is how he grew up shortening Albuquerque. While his shirts have shown up in shops and on chests around town, he has remained unnamed through it all, opting for Burque to get all of the attention.
"I'm just a guy on the street. I'm just another regular old citizen," he says. "It's not about me and I don't want it to be about me."
The Burque movement has spurred quite a little nickname war — one that Burque is winning on the streets.
Or was winning.
Then came the dark day late last year when the city's new blue curb side recycling bins were delivered. It's hard to do battle with a city-funded blue army.
"I was driving down the street and everybody had their canisters out and I just saw Qs everywhere," he says. "I thought, 'What can I do? It's this thing that's just being pushed on us.' "
What happened next will help explain why Mr. Burque likes to remain anonymous.
"I stared at it for a little while. Then I got some vinyl and cut out some stencils and went out and put my own little mark on it."
And the official Q became BurQue. Seditious or delicious, depending on your point of view.
The Duke of Burque is excited about the possibilities for all those Q's as Albuquerqueans receive their recycling bins. He points out that those without stenciling skills can use a "Soy de Burque" sticker to amend their Q.
"I think people can go crazy with it," he said. And then added judiciously, "I'm sure it's city property, so I'm not encouraging anybody to do anything with them."
He's also not pushing Burque — that would be as bad as what the city is doing.
"You can call it Albuquerque. You can call it ABQ or Duke City. You can call it The Q. You can call it Burque," he says. "It's about where do we live? Who are we? Shouldn't we have a voice in this?"
If you've never had any trouble spitting out "Albuquerque," all four pesky syllables and two Q's, feel free to continue. If you want to be the first in the city to actually say you're "from The Q," well, good luck. If you're thinking of joining the Burque Brigade, please, some words of advice. Practice rolling your r's. And, remember, Burque does not rhyme with turkey.
You can reach Leslie at 823-3914 or llinthicum@abqjournal.com. Read all of her columns at www.abqjournal.com/upfront. Copyright Albuquerque Journal.

For more information regarding Soy de Burque, visit www.soydeburque.com

The New Recycling Program - Bin Modifications

2008-11-25T12:35:00.000-08:00

It's a good start to the neighborhood recycling program here in Burque, but I couldn't have my property tattooed with that f n "Q". They keep forcing it on me and I had to make the modification. Spray paint or vinyl work great. There are also some bumper stickers on the website that would cover that thing up. (click here for bumper stickers.)

Q-card - Another Bad Idea

2008-11-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

I continue to wonder why?...

The City partners with Walgreen's for a $5 discount when you purchase the $25 card. Once again, city doing it's job to support another box store. I understand the money you pay will allow you entrance to sites around town, but do I really need a plastic non-green friendly "q-card" to cover my entrance fees?

Marty rolling-out another idea...

Chavez said, " (the card) gets them (we Burqueños) in the door at Walgreens because they're a great payer of gross receipts for the city of Albuquerque".

Sure they are...they're on every other street corner.

Besides, I'm still pissed Walgreen's took over "La Hacienda" on Juan Tabo and Montgomery. Funny thing is there was another Walgreen's across the street, but they felt it necessary to knock down one of the best local drive through burrito places to put up another Walgreen's in it's place. For a couple days before the "grand opening", there were two Walgreen's juxtaposed to each other. Is it just me, or does it seem Walgreen's are taking over?

Here's an idea...go to the museums, parks, zoo, gardens, etc. and pay cash or use the other plastic you already have in your wallet.

New Public Service Announcement for momentAM radio

2008-10-27T18:58:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to PAC505 for offering air time on AM 1350. For full version...with bits and pieces from chopping block...check out soydeburque.com.

Viva Burque. Go vote.

Last day to register to vote!!!

2008-10-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Click on above link to see if you are registered to vote.

How to Make Your Own Soy de Burque T-shirt

2008-07-30T16:04:00.001-07:00

Soy de Burque voted Best of Burque by the Weekly Alibi.

2008-04-06T21:48:00.000-07:00

Click to visit Weekly Alibi's Best of Burque edition.

This is an incredible honor.
Thank you again for your continued support.

Viva Burque.

One year ago, we started to take the power back.

2008-03-31T22:40:00.000-07:00

Still hoping "the Q" is an April Fools joke.

Greenwashing Burque

2008-02-16T11:07:00.001-08:00

Dealing with the effects of poorly planned urban sprawl and natural resource depletion won't be as easy as cleaning up the mess of a poorly planned marketing gimmick.

Read the frontpage story from the Albuquerque Journal...

Click image to read more.

Featured in New Mexico Business Outlook

2008-02-08T13:21:00.000-08:00

Albuquerque Journal, N.M., Everybody's Business column: All riled up over that Q

(Albuquerque Journal (NM) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Aug. 23--Leave it to Mayor Marty to get Albuquerque all riled up over a letter.

No, not a document from someone to someone. Just a single member of the alphabet. The Q.

Since March, when ad agency Rick Johnson & Co. announced with the Albuquerque Convention & Visitors Bureau the Q as the proposed "omnibrand" for the city, the O with a tail has taken a yanking from some of the city's most vocal residents -- bloggers and Alibi readers.

In articles and blog posts, the Q brand has been called "generic," "annoying," "superficial" and "robotic," mostly by backers of an anonymous resistance group hyping the phrase "Soy de Burque!" or "I am from Burque." That's not to say all of the comments are negative, -- one blogger says the Q has "'memorable' potential" -- but the overall tone from this albeit small segment of the community is that the Q is a corporate attempt to label the city as something it's not.

The idea behind the branding was to capitalize on Albuquerque's distinctive spelling -- two Qs -- and the letter's contemporary style. "It's not just a logo or an ad campaign," said Debbie Johnson, CEO of RJC, during the Q's spring coming-out event. "This would be the graphic focal point of the branding."

The last, and possibly only, time the Q got this much attention from the press was 2005, when the often overlooked letter (even the college dictionary gives it only 8{ pages) found itself at the center of a trademark infringement lawsuit between automakers Nissan and Audi. Nissan claimed exclusive right to the Q after years of use on its Infinitis when Audi decided the letter would add flair as a prefix on its new SUV line. (The case was settled out of court.)

It's exactly this type of legal battle that the city is trying to avoid, why the mayor et al. have appeared rather quiet on the subject since the announcement. It's not that the Burquenos have gotten to the administration. Rather, the city lawyers have been at work making sure Albuquerque isn't about to step on the toes of anyone who already has license to the letter.

"And to have some competitive protection ourselves ... (pause) -- from other cities that have two qs in their names," Johnson said wryly during a conference call with the Journal and city officials after the powers that be met about trademark issues last week.

"We're worried about Quebec," Johnson said.

Mayor: "I hear they're changing their name."

Seriously, the mayor said, "We're still Albuquerque, or Albuquerque, if you prefer. People can call us whatever they want, use whatever Q they want. They can use the whole word, half the word, or Spanish slang if they want to."

While the Q is designed to be a marketing tool for business development and for the ACVB to promote city tourism, some local business people are already seizing upon the letter's potential.

Carl Baca just earned his real estate license this summer and immediately secured the Internet domain name theQrealty.com for a future residential real estate business. He's currently focused on a commercial endeavor in the North Valley.

"That's like free marketing for anybody who essentially drafts off of that name, or identifies themselves as something having to do with the Q. It really doesn't matter what business you have, but something with the Q will sound familiar to people with the city and within the state and even in the nation.

"I couldn't afford as an individual business owner to obtain that kind of marketing."

Mayor Martin Chavez says Q-lovers and Q-haters and those who just don't care are welcome to e-mail him their opinions or statements of ambivalence at martinchavez@cabq.gov.

Copyright (c) 2007, Albuquerque Journal, N.M.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Response:

We are writing in response to Autumn Gray’s column in the Business Outlook (“All riled up over that Q,” Thursday, 8/23/07). Soy de Burque was not contacted for this column and, as a result, we feel that our movement has been misrepresented by the author. For that reason we
are compelled to respond in this uphill battle to sustain our identity and culture. We do not have the resources nor the contacts that the Q or Rick Johnson have to be asked our opinions on this continuing merry-go-round.

As for the staff of the Albuquerque Journal, the largest circulating newspaper in
the state, we feel it is your responsibility to present both sides of the
story in order to maintain any sort of journalistic credibility. We are not difficult to
contact and would enjoy being included in discussion regarding this important issue.

We feel the comment, but the overall tone from this albeit small
segment of the community, is careless. Are there statistics or
reports validating this claim? Ask anyone of the many people who have
responded to our movement if they feel alone in their support for
Burque. To simply claim that it is only a small “anonymous resistance group” that cares about its culture and identity, without verifying your sources, seems to be quite negligent. As far as we're concerned, the reaction to this government-inspired cultural branding and our movement Soy de Burque is not small. Unfortunately, neither is the amount of money that the city is spending on this branding effort as a “marketing tool.”

This is tax payer money. Since when do we allow the government to
define us? As a democracy we are responsible to define our
government, not the other way around. Recent moves by the city’s top elected official fall nothing short of politicking, and a branding effort is just as transparent as other statements and initiatives. It is obvious to us Burqueños that he is simply packing his resume for political aspirations beyond his service as mayor.

Soy de Burque is an organization attempting to raise the profile of
Albuquerque as a cultural hub, distinct from other cities around the
world. Our focus is promoting social responsibility in local business operations
and awareness to social justice issues impacting the people of
Albuquerque. We want to preserve the rich culture and identity of Albuquerque’s residents.

Our purpose is to raise the issue that people care about regarding Burque,
not just as a name, but as a metaphor for citizens resisting decision-making without their consent.

We respect all opinions for or against branding our city. Those are
words from the people. The Q,” on the other hand, is something forced
upon us.

But again, I digress; our primary issue is not what we're called. Call
Albuquerque what you want. This isn't any politician's city to name. That's the
point.

We have also been featured on KOBTV with Jeremy Jojola and interviewed
with the Weekly Alibi. Visit our web page, www.soydeburque.com, for these stories as both sides were able to present their opinions.

Viva Burque.

Sincerely,

Soy de Burque

Your "Q" Dollars

2008-02-07T07:07:00.000-08:00

Remember when the city had Joan Osborne and Kenny Wayne Shepard come play for "free"? Remember the "Q" Jam?

I keep asking myself, why would a pop music star, who has no tie to Burque, come play music for free? Then let Marty play his guitar...

I can only imagine Marty jamming on stage while Osborne played her "What if god is one of us?", and Marty requested the spotlight shine down on him.

And as I recall, when they forced this whole "Q" thing on us, they said they were only going to use the environmental "Q" logo on "new" "hybrid" vehicles.

Something tells me they're lying to us...

Ahhh... our green "Q" trash cans...

Something more innovative and environmentally friendly would have been to at least make them composting bins.

Have you noticed the billboards going up everywhere? I recently got a quote of $4100 from Clear Channel to have a billboard. Marty must know someone if all these "Q" tattoos are costing taxpayers less than $1500 (as quoted by city officials).

I dream of the day, we can have a Soy de Burque billboard.

Tattooed Cars = World Peace and the end to Global Warming.