Culture

Culture

Studios strip stigma from pole fitness

Imani Lambert | June 22

Gymnastics on a pole, or pole fitness, is changing the way people think about pole dancing and about exercise. It isn’t stripper training, said Julia S., a junior liberal arts major and pole fitness trainer at FIT Tease. She said she is asked that question often, and dislikes the stigma surrounding the words “pole dancing.” “When you tell someone ‘I pole dance’ or ‘I am a pole dancer,’ they immediately think, ‘oh, what club do you work at?’” she said. “That’s not what it’s about.”

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Culture

Mewvies purrmote adoption

Skylar Griego | June 22

Grumpy. Nyan. Hamilton. Whether real or animated, the Internet is obsessed with cats.

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Culture

Five and Why with Joe Ragland III

Kevin Haaf | June 15

By Kevin Haaf Some say music and movies can make a society. That the shape of a culture is crafted and reflected by the celebrities who set trends. Joe Ragland III, a senior psychology major, said his five favorite artists and celebrities are all feminists.

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Culture

Musicr eview: "Born on Fire" an ideal album - if you like one specific sound

Skylar Griego | June 15

Ike Reilly’s seventh album offers many things for fans to look forward to: raspy vocals, upbeat rhythms, occasional guitar solos and a few misspelled titles. The indie rock “Born on Fire” is a record five years in the making, but it sounds more like country rock meets campfire sing-along with instruments. A truly great record is able to capture the hearts of listeners regardless of whether they are die-hard fans of a particular genre. Unfortunately for Reilly, his release falls short of that: this album can expect to be bypassed by those of the heavier rock n’ roll community.

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Culture

LGBT edition: Initiative focuses on preferred names

Skylar Griego | June 8

What’s your name? This is the question the University’s LGBTQ Resource Center is addressing with their latest goal, the preferred name initiative. The initiative is to allow transgender students to use preferred names, rather than legal names, in the academic setting, including on students’ Lobo IDs.

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Culture

LGBT edition: Pride parades represent more than just fun

Imani Lambert | June 8

Despite the large numbers that attend pride parades, the history behind them doesn’t seem to be well-understood by the general populace. Curtison Badonie, a senior biology major, said ‘pride’ means having acceptance of who an individual is, no matter what. Pride focuses on LGBTQ community representation through art and other forms of expression, regardless of how society treats them. Badonie said he learned more about activists who were underrepresented than prominent figures such as Harvey Milk.

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Culture

LGBT edition: 10 amazing movies to watch for Pride 2015

Nathan Reynolds | June 8

In honor of Pride 2015, here is a list of some of the most incredible, but often forgotten, LGBT films in history.

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Culture

Creativity festival showcases local art

Skylar Griego | June 1

On Saturday, Civic Plaza Presents hosted a ‘creativity festival’ titled Creative 505, a showcase at which Albuquerque locals and tourists alike experienced local culture at Civic Plaza. Creative 505 was a collaborative, family-friendly event among local organizations and businesses to showcase Albuquerque’s film, theater, art, music, tech and other communities. The event provided a variety of entertainment options, including live music and other performances, interactive informational booths, vendors, food trucks, face painting and chalk art. There were also more formal options, such as business demonstrations and installations.

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Culture

Exchange system looks to empower through books

Kevin Haaf | June 1

Motivated by a desire to help people enrich their lives through literacy and education, local organization Zombie Bar Krawl is launching a free exchange library system called 1000 Paper Brainz. Chelsea McBride, founder of 1000 Paper Brainz, said the name was originally an idea for an art project based on the Japanese novel “A Thousand Paper Cranes,” which is founded on the legend suggesting that if one folds 1,000 origami cranes, he or she will be granted a wish. “I’m an avid book reader and lover. I’m always trying to think of ways to convince everybody to read,” she said. “I took the idea to my Albuquerque Bar Krawl Krew (the local chapter of Zombie Bar Krawl), and they loved it.”

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Culture

Review: French film similar to Helen Keller story

Nathan Reynolds | June 1

Feeling, hearing, speaking: the often intense, sometimes intimate relationship between the senses and interpersonal communication. These are the elements that make “Marie’s Story,” the new film by Jean-Pierre Améris, a unique variation on the common subject of communication. “Marie’s Story” centers on a French monastery — a school for the deaf — and a nun named Soeur Marguerette, played by Isabelle Carré. Her sole mission is to teach Marie, a young, blind and deaf girl portrayed by Ariana Rivoire, how to communicate and eventually find pleasure in a world outside her own perception. The story is similar to that of Helen Keller, which has been dramatized as “The Miracle Worker” in English several times. The concept is well-trod, and it feels that way in the film. The two primary characters go through little development. Marguerette starts out as a woman with something missing from her life and trying to fill the void with teaching Marie. She then discovers a newness and excitement about the world through her own eyes in the process.

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Culture

Review: 'Fury Road' does action right

Nathan Reynolds | May 26

In “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the latest addition to the groundbreaking post-apocalyptic film series directed by George Miller, Mad Max describes himself as “a man reduced to a single instant.” “Mad Max: Fury Road” is very much a film obsessed with the instant: particularly frantic instants of fire, twisting metal, and endless sand. Miller has taken the Mad Max concept and not only expanded on the world of the story, but pushed the elements that made the earlier movies popular as far as he could. The plot of “Fury Road” revolves around Max, played by Tom Hardy, and Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa as they attempt to steal the wives and war rig of the tyrannical warlord Immortan Joe, played by Hugh Keays Byrne, who also played the villain in the original Mad Max. Immortan Joe, not too happy about theft of his wives, sets out after the heroes with a whole party of white-painted warriors on an array of deadly vehicular monstrosities. The breakneck narrative of “Fury Road” takes place almost entirely in, on and around these constructions — particularly the war rig, a giant semi equipped with armored hatchbacks and machine guns.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.