Culture

Culture

Review: Short stories explore life's breakups

Moriah Carty | April 9

While many people may try to forget about past loves and relationships, Tony Rauch decided to write about his in a way that’s so exciting and curious that it’s hard to put down. The book, “what if I got down on my knees,” is Rauch’s fourth compilation of short stories. The title represents his passive nature and already clues the reader into what may be, perhaps, a series of mental breakdowns and hardships. This collection is cleverly imagined. It touches on the essence of being human creatively. It isn’t too far-fetched to say everyone can relate to at least one of his stories.

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Culture

Restaurateurs find entry point in food trucks

Lauren Marvin | April 9

It may cost as much as two and a half years of tuition, but for some food truck owners it was cheaper than the alternative. Anne-Marie Aigner, founder of Food Truck Festivals of America, said for aspiring restaurant owners, food trucks are an affordable entry point into the business. It can take around $50,000 to start a food truck, compared to a restaurant which can be around $200,000, she said. “The popularity of today’s food truck has to do with the menu, number one. Number two, convenience: you don’t need a reservation, no tipping. And I believe it’s become a sort of trendy and social experience,” Aigner said.

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Culture

Food column: Uses plentiful for that dusty, ol' waffle iron

Steve “Mo” Fye | April 8

It sits on a shelf gathering dust most of the year, only used on the occasional lazy Sunday. It may have been a gift or handed down. Now, instead of being stored away, the waffle iron may become one of the most used appliances in the kitchen. The waffle iron can be an amazingly useful and versatile tool for cooks with a bit of creativity. Since a waffle iron heats from both sides and has a fairly wide range of heat settings, it can be used to make everything from hash browns to grilled cheese.

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Culture

Ten things college students say vs. what they mean

Sophie Earle | April 8

College students are notorious for procrastination and laziness. While student’s grades waiver from “oh crap” to “dang, I’m good”, some try to appease family and friends with white lies but mean something completely different.

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Culture

Movie review: Everyday moments of 'Boyhood' ring true

Nathan Reynolds | April 8

“Boyhood”, which almost won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, was produced over the course of over 20 years; utilizing the same actors for the duration; but director Richard Linklater is not for gimmicks, he is one of moments.

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Culture

Five & Why, what Lobos love to watch: With Robert Burford.

Skylar Griego | April 7

Television shows can be a good form of entertainment, introduce viewers to different cultures and explore social phenomena’s. However, television has its downside.For Robert Burford, student conduct officer for the Dean of Student’s Office, the schedule changes are the worst. Burford said that most of his favorite shows are not running anymore, and he didn’t know what to do with his Thursday nights after one of his favorite shows ended.

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Culture

Artwork keeps language alive at Linguicide exhibit

Moriah Carty | April 7

In effort to bring awareness to dying and dead languages, one New Mexico artist is looking to her past for inspirations. Last Friday, the Weyrich Gallery opened a new exhibit titled Linguicide from local artist Harriette Tsosie. The inspiration came, she said, from a DNA test she did after rummaging through her grandmother’s belongings. What caught her attention the most was the diary her grandmother kept from 1900 to1968, she said.

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Culture

Review: Singer stretches her limits

Skylar Griego | April 2

Imagine this: It’s 1 o’clock in the morning, and you’re counting the minutes until you can finally put the notes away and sleep before tomorrow morning’s exam. To help with your struggle to stay awake, you decide to play your newest indie rock album. Immediately after pressing play, your ears are struck with a dissonant ringing that makes you cringe. This is the first impression Waxahatchee’s “Ivy Tripp” gives poor unsuspecting night owls. It might be best to wait until daytime to listen to the band’s third release. “Breathless” doesn’t improve much musically. It’s about as good as an untrained child experimenting with the effects on a keyboard. The atonal music is redeemed only by Katie Crutchfield’s mellow vocals. Her light and airy harmonies only go so far. For listeners who prefer their music to sound like, well, music, expect to skip this track often.

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Culture

Five and Why with Lydia Wolberg

Skylar Griego | April 2

It’s that time of year again: everyone’s favorite shows are airing the season finales. Sometimes the hardest part about having a favorite show is not knowing what to do when it’s over. Lydia Wolberg, professional intern in the Dean of Students Office, said only one of her five favorite TV shows is still running today. If she wants to watch the others, she has to catch the re-runs, she said.

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Culture

Review: 'Chupacabra' lost its focus

Graham Gentz | April 2

It is never a good sign when any script contains five different names under the writing credits. Such is the troubled production of the original work “The Chupacabra Cantina,” created by the local activist and Latina performance troupe Las Meganenas, which recently finished performances. The play attempts to tackle a baffling number of discordant social issues while unfortunately illuminating none of them, attempting to embed them sneakily within a broadly-cast net of New Mexican culture and convention. Where to begin? “The Chupacabra Cantina” is set in a bar in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico, but none of that really matters. Nothing in the play really matters. There is no conflict, no tension, no plot and certainly no story. There is a lot that’s distressingly wrong about “The Chupacabra Cantina.” But the single biggest issue is simply the atrocious writing.

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Culture

Fashion Week show boost NM designers

Khadijah Jacobs | March 31

The second annual New Mexico Fashion Week Runway Show, held Saturday at the Albuquerque Convention Center, sought to recognize and promote local designers, businesses, manufacturers and other aspects of the fashion industry. Melissa Beasley, founder and executive director of Albuquerque Apparel Center, said she recognizes that there are a lot of creative people throughout New Mexico and wants to play a role in promoting those in the fashion industry.

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Culture

UNM poets take home kudos in slam

Nayla Degreff | March 31

After months of preparation and an intense competition, three UNM students and one UNM professor earned four of the five top positions on the 2015 Grand Slam team. After pouring their hearts and souls out for the audience, the new team members were selected: Matthew Brown, Mercedez Holtry, Damien Flores, Kalid Binsunni and Aaron Cuffee.

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Culture

Dance night to benefit children's hospital

Lauren Marvin | March 26

Bruce Wayne may not be the only superhero into philanthropy. For a second consecutive year, LoboTHON is raising money for the UNM Children’s Hospital, only this time with masked crusaders. The theme of this year’s marathon is superheroes, and the goal is $62,000.

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Culture

Column: Eight things to know before going to college

Sophie Earle | March 26

After high school, students usually feel fully prepared for college life. Countless people talk about the importance of engaging in school activities to make friends, how there might be a change in career paths more than once and how to learn to love and regret the classic “red cup beer pong” parties. College is a chapter in life where students become adults. To an extent, these comments became true. However, there are a few things I wish I had been told when I was a freshman.

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Culture

Prof.'s with visible ink part of growing trend

Skylar Griego | March 26

Two figures square off. Wile E. Coyote eternally faces his nemesis: the Road Runner. This image is on the ankle of Michael Ryan, an associate professor of history, who is one of many people who sport visible tattoos in the workplace. Ryan said he has been getting inked since he was 18 years old. Each of his tattoos, even Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, have a deep and symbolic connection to him that he enjoys displaying, he said.

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Culture

Movie review: 'Insurgent' falls short.

Moriah Carty | March 25

By Moriah Carty Equally as fierce as its predecessor, “The Divergent Series: Insurgent” captures a new struggle within the factions.

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Culture

Ballet course offered for healthier lifestyle

Khadijah Jacobs | March 25

Recovering from traumatic illnesses and injuries is not always an easy process, and one local ballet program is helping those who have survived such traumas through a six-week course in the artistry. Bianca Juganaru, dance instructor and owner of Bianca Lily Ballet & Studio B,said she teaches Intro to Ballet for Absolute Beginner Adults at Maple Street Dance Studio.

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Culture

DJ Sunuvphun is a former 'jazz elitist'

Skylar Griego | March 25

What he saw when he glanced at the clock surprised him. It was 2 a.m. As the loops continued to play in his head, James Breslin worked furiously at his Digital Audio Workstation to form his latest creation. He looked up again, it was four in the morning. DJ Sunuvphun would have to get up soon to work his day job as a roofer, as his wife Sarah had reminded him the night before. Another night was lost in creating music.

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Culture

Pop culture courses add substance to material

David Lynch | March 24

The word “academics” usually conjures up images of math classes, chemistry labs, and literary analysis courses in the English Department. But UNM also offers several courses based on popular cultures that don’t seem to have educational value, at first glance. Yet instructors in these courses – like those focusing on hip hop, Harry Potter and fashion – do feature typical academic approaches and concepts that serve higher educational goals.

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Culture

Five & Why, what Lobos love to watch: With Anna Alfaro

Skylar Griego | March 24

Many people say the best movies are those that take the viewer to another world. Anna Alfaro, a senior pre-design for performance major and an employee for the Southwest Film Center, said that all of her favorite movies are “nerd movies” for this reason.