The peace symbol turns 50 this year. And to celebrate, the UNM Peace Studies Program is holding its Peace Fair in SUB ballrooms A and B on Wednesday. City Councilman Ray Garduno will open the ceremony by declaring Sept. 17 Albuquerque Peace Day. Le Chat Lunatique closes the day with a free concert in the SUB at 6:30 p.
Most people are asleep at 5 a.m. At the Albuquerque Zen Center, at 2300 Garfield Ave. S.E., practitioners of Zen Buddhism are settling down to meditate at that time. It's one of many open meditation sessions at the center held throughout the week. "It's for people who get up," said Seiju Bob Mammoser, the center's abbot.
After WWII, Fred Seiler was 12 years old and living in Heidelberg, Germany, near the French border. "We had a room we rented out to two soldiers," Seiler said. "And one of them played accordion, so that's how I was introduced to playing the accordion, from a French soldier.
A couple years ago, Doug Montoya, who runs the Box Performance Space with a partner, noticed people would promise to come watch the improv show the following weekend. Most of them never did, yet they kept promising. "I'll definitely make it next weekend!" they would say.
Reading gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's works, one might think his whole life was a blur of reckless behavior and drug abuse. But for all of the mescaline-induced tales of ambiguous lizard-like forms slithering about in seedy Las Vegas showrooms, his insight into the cultural and political landscape of his time gave him the torch to write about the American Dream.
This weekend, "STIR: A Festival of Words" will feature 80 poets in 22 events, four workshops, two exhibitions and one anthology. "We wanted to celebrate words, and poetry especially, from the state of New Mexico," festival founder and poet Lisa Gill said.
The psychedelic rock bands Boulder Acoustic Society, Aladocious and Liquid Gypsy are out to throw their audiences for a loop with their eclectic styles of music. Ranging from folk to swamp rock to hip-hop, the bands approach music with an open mind. Although none of these bands have met each other, they said they're excited to play together Friday at El Rey Theater.
Senior Leila Kola, an art studio major focusing on painting and drawing, has a death wish, artistically speaking. Her upcoming senior thesis show revolves around roadkill. Her latest art show was made up of more than 100 "exquisite corpse" drawings, based on an art game the surrealists in Paris used to play in the early 1900s.
After laying dormant for four years, the "Voices of the Southwest" series is back. The UNM Press invited five of its authors to give talks relating to their recent publications, spanning topics in evolution, immigration, medicine, archaeology and the writing process.
I have to admit, I purposely avoided "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" when it was released. As it turns out, it was for the best. In essence, George Lucas has been both the creator and the destroyer of the Star Wars franchise. He created Star Wars. He made it famous back in the late '70s.
Here's a Curt Fletcher joke: "I had a pretty traumatic experience when I was younger. I walked in on my grandparents having sex." Crowd groans in horror. "Yeah, my grandmother had been dead for six months." Fletcher's act has come a long way since he realized his talent for humor growing up.
Handwriting is your body language on paper. And Dr. Arlyn Imberman, who studied the European method of handwriting analysis for three years in New York, wrote a book called Signature for Success, in which she decodes the personality behind writing samples from artists, politicians, celebrities and others.
These are trying times. And that's a reason to go to the 516 Arts reception Saturday from 6 to 8 p.m. "Cautionary Tales: A Visual Dystopia" features artists exposing the dire situation of our planet, which is much of our own doing. Although it's a horrific subject, the artists' execution of color and imagery is beautiful.
Holly Roberts has a big yellow painting/photograph called "Mud Truck" hanging in the UNM Art Museum. "We had just gotten a new Toyota truck, and it was supposed to be a little one, but it was huge," she said. "I just felt weird driving this enormous thing around.
Devin Kovach, a senior majoring in studio arts, put painting on the back burner during his sojourn at the Glasgow School of Art last year to focus on drawing. He's putting together a show of large prints and drawings at The Stove inspired by the city's architecture.
Tirzah DeCaria is passionate about art. And for her, that means sharing it. DeCaria's work is far from conventional, and her style is not easily defined. Her work includes sculpture, printmaking, fiber arts, sewing and Japanese rod puppetry. She paints with oil on canvas or wood, and she works with encaustic wax and other materials to add texture.
The Street Theatre Brigade has big aspirations - like boosting Albuquerque's creative economy and artistic pull. And this grassroots group is looking for more people, so it's holding a meeting from 4 to 6 p.m. today in Popejoy Hall, Room B427. It'll go over all the ridiculous stuff it has always wanted to do in the middle of the street but couldn't because it lacked resources.
After spending an arduous flight with an Italian guy digging his arm into my side, I arrived at PAX - the Penny Arcade Expo - in Seattle. I crashed with an old friend, who happens to be one of the ubiquitous "enforcers" - the expo's cadre of volunteers who help with everything from setup to giving lost attendees directions.
Louie Torres began his movie poster collection at age 16 by cleaning out movie theater basements in Gallup. "In 1976, I walked into the Coronado movie theater, and there was a 'Star Wars' poster on display," he said. "I asked the movie theater manager if I could have it.
Since the release of his first mixtape in 2002, Jayceon Taylor, better known as The Game, has made it his life's calling to resurrect West Coast rap and force-feed it to the masses. Even during his stint with G-Unit, the 28-year-old rapper represented and remained loyal to Compton, Calif.
Solutions by The State News
