Culture

Rival inks its spot as more than a tattoo shop (Slideshow)

Troupes cross borders in show of dramatic unity

Dijana Milosevic wants to talk tea. She flew across Europe, above the Atlantic and over several states to direct a play about three women talking tea. But it's more than just tea. It's about its history. A rich history. A history that spans from the dawn of civilization, highlighting the greatness of humanity: how man achieved flight.

Poof - Like magic, the sheriff's back

Albuquerque's first-elected sheriff is back from the dead. See for yourself at the history-infused biographical magic show Friday at the Magic Juggler Shop at 3205 Central Ave. N.E. Magician and performer Blake, who declined to give his last name, plays the ghost of sheriff Milton Yarberry, who was convicted of murder and hanged Feb.

Raw foodists tout benefits for health, environment

Good news, raw foodists: the group Your Radical Health Albuquerque meets once or twice a month at ever-changing locations. You can keep up with their meeting places at Meetup.com/abqraw to share raw food recipes and eat raw food dishes together. Raw foods are classified as uncooked and unprocessed foods.

Tattoo studio mixes media to rival the competition

Tattoo artist Jeff Hayes named his shop Rival because he said it excels over the competition with a wide variety of media beyond skin ink. Rival Tattoo Art Studios has a photography room, a screen-printing press and a clothing line called M80. The 3,000 square-foot shop doubles as an art gallery, Hayes said, and he rotates the artists every two months.

Artist's Avenue

Grad student May Goldman Shaltiel makes dichotomous, disharmonious video art. She got her BFA in photography 10 years ago in New York, where she also grew up with her hippie parents traveling from commune to commune. Since a family tragedy struck last summer, she has kept busy teaching and studying in the electronic arts program, making work, and maintaining an internship for a culture center.

Con men clash in Broadway musical

Actor Brian McKay, who co-stars in an upcoming Broadway musical comedy about con artists, said he's only been scammed one time while walking up Eighth Avenue in New York. "I saw a guy running the three-card game - he shuffles the card and you've got to spot the ace, and I watched and watched and said, 'That's easy.

'Milk' puts keen eye on challenges to gay rights

Gus Van Sant's latest movie, "Milk," tells the story of Harvey Milk (Sean Penn), one of the first openly gay men elected to office on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors. The film follows the story from his election to his assassination, going back and forth from Milk talking into his recorder in his home and flashback shots to his life.

Carnival characters promise music, magic

The Dead Man's Carnival is coming to town from Wisconsin. "There's a deep cultural history of circuses and vaudeville in Wisconsin," member Sir Pinkerton Xyloma said. "The Circus World Museum is in Baraboo, Wisc. There's also the International Clown Museum.

The Console Wars

Another year has gone by, and "Duke Nukem Forever" still hasn't been released. All kidding aside, 2008 was a hell of a year for the huddled gaming masses. "Fallout 3" hit the streets in October, and it's probably safe to say that it's the best RPG since "Planescape: Torment" graced the cathode-ray tubes in 1997.

'Day' stumbles on bad cast, terrible plot

They did it again. Once more, Hollywood has remade a great film into a steaming pile of horse crap. The latest victim is "The Day the Earth Stood Still." We should have seen this coming. The first sign that something foul was afoot came when they cast Keanu "Wooden Face" Reeves in the starring role of Klaatu, and it only gets worse from there.

Show introduces youths to professional art world

"Urbane Expo" will showcase emerging artists under 21 with a black-tie-optional night of performance, music and art. "It has a dual meaning," organizer Amy Dalness said. "You think 'urban,' like street, city, kind of hip - urban has a lot of meanings. But 'urbane' means kind of refined and sophisticated.

Solstice swap combines art, healing

Artist and Maine-native Kelin Underwood said she's never eaten peyote but has traveled a lot. "I had this serious anxiety issue and was not, like, bound to one place but kind of feeling stuck, like I could never branch out," she said. So she took her dog and a bunch of art she made in high school and took off across the States.

Students delve into game development

On the second floor of the Electrical and Computer Engineering building is what might be the coolest lab on campus. There aren't any lab benches, just a couple of couches, a few tables and a 200-inch projection screen. Attached to the screen is an Xbox 360.

Grammy-winner's novel touts tradition

Music meets literature as American Indian music legend Robert Mirabal will read from his first novel, Running Alone in Photographs, today in the SUB Ballroom from noon to 1:30 p.m. He will read three passages of different subjects, followed by a Q&A session and then a book signing at American Indian Student Services, 1119 Mesa Vista Hall.

Film centers on sexuality switcheroo

Sexuality experiments on fruit flies inspired writer-director Max Mitchell's latest political satire movie, "Horror in the Wind." "In biogenetics, there are ways of changing the pheromones, the DNA of a fruit fly, so you can fool the one fruit fly into thinking the female is really a male," he said.

Minor musician (Slideshow)

Eleven-year-old Micah Yoder is one of seven guitar players featured on the Web site YoungGuitarProdigies.com. "It was just after my eighth birthday when I got my first guitar," the Albuquerque resident said. "Dad said if I played six months for a half hour each day that he'd give me lessons.

Show presents dramatic display of sin

"The 49 Sins" features 42 one-minute plays and seven 10-minute plays about lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. It finishes this weekend at North Fourth Art Center at 4904 Fourth Street N.W. Sister Mary Abomination, a character painted to look dead, acts as the show's silent host.

'Conceptions' calls for creativity

Friday is the last day to submit writing, art and music to Conceptions Southwest. Editor Jennifer Olson said the publication usually gets between 200 and 300 submissions. "For the size of the University, that's not very much," Olson said. "People shouldn't hesitate to submit.

The Console Wars

Last month, the American work force took a big shock to its system. Productivity fell, and absenteeism rose to levels not seen since January 2007. Many workers seem apathetic about their jobs, and most appear to be getting less sleep than they need. The reason for this should be obvious to all.