Culture

Culture

Food Fridays promote use of Civic Plaza

Skylar Griego | May 26

As summer approaches, homebound local students may be wondering what to do with their newfound free time. One option to consider is ABQ Food Fridays, a weekly event held from May through August, created by Civic Plaza Presents. ABQ Food Fridays is a social gathering held from 4 to 8 p.m. at Civic Plaza where people can eat, drink and experience the week’s music and events for Friday night fun. Damian Lopez-Gaston, director of event services at the Albuquerque Convention Center, said Food Fridays is a pop-up happy hour food-and-beer event designed to get people to start thinking about Civic Plaza in a slightly different way. Last fall, Civic Plaza was awarded one of four place-making grants by Southwest Airlines, Lopez-Gaston said. The purpose of the grant is to make an underused area more important to the city it’s in, he said.

---

Culture

Service animals treat invisible disabilities

Imani Lambert | May 26

Service animals are typically trained dogs that assist people who are blind or have a physical disability. However, a new type of service animal has emerged in recent years. Emotional Support Animals are prescribed by a mental health professional for a person who has a mental health diagnosis, according to the National Service Animal Registry. That animal’s presence helps to minimize the symptoms of a person’s diagnosis both at home and in public. Registering a pet as an ESA is a simple process: the pet owner must have a mental health diagnosis, and the animal must be leash trained, follow simple commands and be non-aggressive toward people, according to nsarco.com. If those qualifications are met, the licensure process can be completed online for about $65.

---

Music

Album review: Folk band's music lovely in any language

Skylar Griego | April 30

The beautiful thing about music is you don’t have to understand what a musician is saying to connect with it. Regardless of whether or not lyrics are present, one only has to listen to the melodies, harmonies and beats of a song to feel what the artist is conveying. Of course, it still helps if you speak the language. “Têtu,” Le Vent Du Nord’s latest release, captures its audience with a traditional style unlike any found in today’s popular music. The opening track, “Noce tragique,” has an abrupt beginning that quickly draws you in with a steady beat, a repetitive accordion melody and the strong presence of a hurdy-gurdy. When the lead vocalist begins singing, one will be surprised to hear a voice full of timbre in contrast with the light melody. The music complements him beautifully.

---

Culture

Albuquerque wineries have special obstacles

Mychal Miltenberger , Kyle Lord and Scott McCoy | April 30

Albuquerque microbreweries have made a name for themselves locally and nationally, but it’s easy to forget the Duke City produces another quality alcoholic beverage: wine. New Mexico is home to nearly 50 wineries, nine of which are located in the greater Albuquerque area. Operations like the Corrales Winery have on-site vineyards and face unique challenges harvesting grapes in such a dry climate. Keith Johnstone, co-owner of the winery, said winter is a major obstacle for vineyards here.

---

Culture

5 & why with Finnie Coleman

Khadijah Jacobs | April 30

The moments that define a generation and genre of music can be as simple as an awards ceremony or as big as a rising star. Finnie Coleman, associate professor of African American studies, taught Introduction to Hip-Hop Culture in fall 2014. The course focused on giving incoming freshmen a historical understanding of the elements of African American cultural production. He said these moments represent the evolution of hip-hop, which has recently culminated in Kendrick Lamar’s recent album “To Pimp a Butterfly.” These are Coleman’s top five moments in the evolution of hip-hop culture.

---

Culture

Sabaku Con brings together anime fandoms

Imani Lambert | April 28

Cosplayers and anime fans filled the Crown Plaza hotel this weekend for Sabaku Con. Sabaku Con is an anime and Japanese pop-culture convention created to help build the anime fan community, according to Sabaku Con’s website.

---

Culture

Medical school's rave promote wellness

Mychal Miltenberger , Kyle Lord and Scott McCoy | April 23

The School of Medicine will host the campus’ first rave, but attendees won’t be heading to an empty warehouse in the dead of night for this one – it will be in the morning. Lori Peterkin, assistant director of advancement at the School of Medicine, said the event Friday morning was conceived to celebrate the school’s 50th anniversary and is designed to promote physical activity and positive energy in a non-traditional way. “The morning rave is sort of a new concept. Raves in general have been associated with a nighttime, drug- and alcohol-type thing,” she said. “There has been a new movement throughout the world that started in big cities like London and Hong Kong, where they have morning raves that have been focused on some form of wellness.”

---

Culture

UNM freshmen unprepared for college-level math

Lauren Marvin | April 23

College is hard. Math is harder. UNM’s incoming freshmen are struggling with college-level math courses. However, the blame or where the problem starts can’t be pinpointed. For full-time freshmen taking their first semester in college, 17 percent of students are in algebra and 19 percent are in development math, and only six percent of students start with calculus, said Tim Schroeder, director of UNM’s STEM Collaborative Center.

---

Culture

Artist Christopher Casey drawn to Arita medium

Imani Lambert | April 22

From Arita, Japan to UNM, an art form that began 6,641 miles away created a different avenue for Christopher Casey to explore art. Casey graduated in 2013 with a bachelor of fine arts, specializing in ceramics. During his time at UNM, Casey participated in a wheel-throwing class called Arita Porcelain taught by Kathryne Cyman.

---

Culture

Five & Why, what Lobos love to read: With Andre Haag

Kevin Haaf | April 22

Students must read books. Often they are dry, flavorless textbooks that leave one groaning page after page. Andre Haag, a professor in the East Asian Studies Department, uses cultural artifacts (books) to demonstrate significant historical periods and events. When asked his five favorite novels, Haag said that he did not have any favorites and that the term “favorites” lacks a critical edge. “I don’t believe in the framework of having favorites. I don’t have the stability of preference required. I think it’s artificial to claim that you have a favorite. It changes moment to moment. Frankly, I think favorites are inane. No offense,” Haag said.

---

Culture

Column: Seven things I will miss about New Mexico

Sophie Earle | April 22

My time in New Mexico is quickly coming to an end, as I must return back to England for tea, scones and sarcastic comments. As my first column was about things I did not understand, I thought I would end in a cyclical manner, talking about the things I will greatly miss about New Mexico.

---

Culture

Student crowned 2015 Miss Indian UNM

Khadijah Jacobs | April 21

Renata Yazzie said Native Americans will always be influenced by the diverse outside cultures in modern day America. It’s important to combine those cultures with traditional Native American cultures in order to keep it alive, she said. Yazzie won the 2015 Miss Indian UNM crown Friday night at Keller Hall. Onawa Lacy-Haynes, a law school alumna and Miss Indian World 2003, hosted the event.

---

Culture

Sun Village Rail Jam sends out winter in style

April 21

As winter draws to a close, so does the snowboarding and skiing season. To say farewell to another winter season on the slopes, NMX Sports and Warehouse 508 hosted the fourth annual Sun Village Rail Jam on Friday. This event marked the final snowboarding and skiing competition of the season in New Mexico.

---

Culture

Green edition: How UNM deals with pot

Lauren Marvin | April 20

As legalized recreational use of marijuana is becoming more prevalent around the United States, there are mixed feelings about UNM experiencing an increase in use. According to UNM Police Department statistics, about 65 percent of all drug-related confiscations on campus from April 17, 2014 to March 2, 2015 were of marijuana or marijuana paraphernalia. Out of the 53 incidents of possession of controlled substances within the last year, 35 occurred within residence halls or American Campus Communities properties. According to UNM policy, “the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession or use of controlled substances or alcohol on UNM property or as part of any of its activities by any member of The University of New Mexico community — faculty, staff or student — is strictly prohibited.”

---

Culture

Green edition: Library-cycling makes literature local

Skylar Griego | April 20

Reduce, reuse, and recycle books. As the movement to “go green” spreads, a popular method has cropped up in the form of Little Free Libraries. A Little Free Library is a “take a book, give a book” structure in which neighborhoods and communities can exchange books — new or recycled — and other reading materials without having to organize and meet.

---

Culture

Clinic focuses on voice care

Lauren Marvin | April 16

One program will bring a unique hands-on experience to UNM’s graduate students on Friday. The Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences will celebrate World Voice Day 2015 by sponsoring free vocal education as well as hearing and vocal screenings. Jennifer Romero, a speech-language pathologist and clinical instructor, said World Voice Day is important because it provides education about vocal hygiene.

---

Culture

Album Review: 'Blue Bright Ow Sleep' flows through psychedelic journey

Skylar Griego | April 16

If only one word could be used to describe the newest Frogbelly and Symphony release “Blue Bright Ow Sleep,” it would be “trippy.” The sound of “Blue Bright Ow Sleep” is an interesting fusion of ‘70s psychedelic rock and modern-day indie rock. Listeners may feel as if they’ve been given hallucinogens after listening to the progressive folk rock album, in a good way. The opening track, “Minderbender,” leaves an excellent impression on listeners with frontwoman Liz Hanley’s resonant vocals complemented by heavy riffs and a groovy beat. There couldn’t be a more perfect opening for the record.

---

Culture

Movie review: Visual feast pays homage to Coen brothers

Graham Gentz | April 16

“Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter” is a love letter to many things. First, it is loosely based on the urban legend of the 2001 death of a young Japanese woman said to have been looking for the buried money from the Coen brothers film “Fargo.” Emphasis on loosely. The opening title card of “Fargo” is even recycled for “Kumiko,” in which it falsely claims to be a true story. Since “Kumiko” is a movie that claims a fictional event to be true, which in turn involves a movie that claims a fictional event to be true. The levels of “truthiness” in how stories are told is chiefly of concern here.

---

Culture

Fair features organic, locally grown produce

Kevin Haaf | April 14

Once in a while, an event takes place that breathes new life into the barren storehouses and broken windows of the Albuquerque Rail Yards. On Saturday, that event was the Naked Food Fair.

---

Culture

Five & Why, what Lobos love to watch: Pablo Colon

Imani Lambert | April 14

Japanese anime is not just for children. Anime contains complex story lines, tantalizing artwork and makes viewers question their own reality. Pablo Colon, a freshman business major, said anime is a childhood comfort and pleasurable pastime.