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Culture

REVIEW: ‘Mortal Kombat’ delivers a much anticipated reboot

Jesus Mata | April 26

This review contains spoilers Fans of the video game franchise have been eager to have someone take another chance on making a live action film since the release of the original in 1995. The wait is now over as “Mortal Kombat” (2021) is now available in the U.S on HBO Max and in theaters as of April 23. The film serves as an origin story, setting up character arcs for Hanzo Hasashi (aka Scorpion), Bi-Han (aka Sub-Zero) in the 1600’s, Jax and a newly added character to the franchise, Cole Young, a descendent of Hasashi.

Culture

UNM LEAF calls for climate action at Earth Day Rally

Avery Rogers | April 26

“Divest from polluters, invest in the future,” protesters chanted on April 22 at an Earth Day rally and march at the University of New Mexico. The event was hosted by the campus organization UNM Leaders for Environmental Action and Foresight (LEAF). UNM LEAF is a group of UNM students and staff dedicated to addressing climate change and potential actions to take to lessen humanity’s impact on the natural world, according to the organization’s website. The event started on Johnson Field, where signs were given out and opening statements were made by UNM LEAF’s Director of Operations Kineo Memmer and Director of Student Outreach Sofia Jenkins-Nieto. The crowd then split into smaller groups to comply with social distancing and began to march their way further into campus.

Culture

'There must be other names for the river:' A sonic call to action

John Scott | April 23

“There Must Be Other Names for the River” greets visitors of the virtual exhibit with this sentence: “The river is the reason we can live in this part of the arid high desert. It’s why there are animals and plants, villages and cities. And it’s drying up.” The exhibition consists of a “22 minute sound performance,” with recordings of six different singers, each embodying streamflow data, numerical data collected to analyze the flow of the Rio Grande, collected from the 1970s to now and into “possible futures.” The audience is given the choice to listen to these recordings simultaneously or individually. The tracks consist only of the one singer interpreting the streamflow data using their voice as well as different audio effects, like distortion or reverb.

Culture

Cannabis and Communication classes offered at UNM

Megan Gleason | April 20

Since spring 2019, associate professor Tamar Ginossar has taught two “Cannabis and Communication” courses focused on stigma and discourse surrounding the recently-legalized drug. “For the 200 level (course), the goal is to apply communication concepts and learn about the field of communication through the topic of cannabis, which is a topic that is very meaningful and very interesting to a lot of students,” Ginossar said. The upper-level companion course, CJ 393, will be available as a class this summer over Zoom, but Ginossar said she’s hoping they can transition back to an in-person environment in the future. According to Ginossar, this class is more in-depth than the introductory course and has a specific focus on research.

Culture

PLAYLIST: Cannabisseur's Delight

Joseph McKee , Liam Debonis , Alex McCausland , Megan Gleason and John Scott | April 19

The recent legalization of recreational cannabis is cause for celebration, and to commemorate the event and the upcoming 4/20 holiday, the Daily Lobo editors assembled their favorite songs with especially chill vibes. Listen to the playlist on Spotify here!

Culture

Local 4/20 art show kicks off the holiday weekend with a bong

Shelby Kleinhans | April 19

Situated between a barber shop and a tattoo parlor, the exterior of Rebel Prints off 3rd street in downtown Albuquerque appears unassuming at first glance. But if you walked in on the afternoon of April 16, you would’ve been treated to a wide array of artwork and apparel in a particular shade of green. This wasn’t your average art pop-up; it was the “Roll into Spring Cannabis Inspired Art Show” hosted by Rebel Prints from 4:20 to 7:10 p.m. The description of the event posted on Facebook stated, “Here we go Yo! Let's Roll into Spring with a fresh look on going Green. Live Art! Chill Vibes! Masks Required.” Iconic leaves, reddened eyes and lighters were plentiful among the artwork adorning the walls of the studios crafted by 13 local artists. Screen-printed t-shirts made by Karl Bautista, the owner of Rebel Prints, would satisfy any cannabis enthusiast’s needs. A vendor market out back hosted an additional eight artists selling their goods.

Culture

REVIEW: ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’: an ode to Taylor Swift’s (and our) adolescence

Rebecca Hobart | April 16

Prince once famously said, “If you don’t own your masters, your master owns you.” 23 years after his 1996 Rolling Stones interview, Taylor Swift announced her intent to re-record her entire catalog. On April 9, Taylor Swift released “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” the newly re-recorded older and wiser sister of her sophomore studio album, “Fearless,” which was released in 2008. Although “Fearless” was a massive success — raking in her first No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 10 million copies and earning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year — it was owned by Big Machine Records, her former label.

Culture

UNM CAMPerinos hosts 9th annual Farmworker Awareness Week

Rebecca Hobart | April 12

The ninth annual Farmworker Awareness Week (FAW) kicked off virtually on March 28, with each day addressing a new facet of farmworker history and the impacts of the pandemic. UNM CAMPerinos used this week to honor the essential contributions of farmworkers’ and highlight the injustices they face. CAMPerinos serves students with migrant and seasonal farmworker backgrounds and other students at UNM by providing mentorship, community engagement opportunities and support. Farmworker Awareness Week was hosted on Facebook for the second consecutive year due to the ban on in-person gatherings. The online event consisted of a series of social media posts which featured infographics, student farmworker testimonials and information on historical figures in the farmworker rights movement.

Culture

New Mexico COVID-19 Association club spearheads pandemic student volunteer work

Megan Gleason | April 12

As the pandemic rages on, students at the University of New Mexico have banded together to form the New Mexico COVID-19 Association, a volunteer club focused on helping those directly impacted by the pandemic. Cameron Moezzi, the president of the club, said that volunteers mainly assist at vaccination sites and COVID-19 hotels and deliver vaccination supplies. “Every day there’s vaccines being given — thousands being given in New Mexico — and every time that I (volunteer), I notice that we lack help,” Moezzi said.

Culture

REVIEW: 'Godzilla vs. Kong' delivers ultimate CGI battle royale and little else

Shelby Kleinhans | April 7

This review contains spoilers. Eager fans of the fourth MonsterVerse installment can finally quench their anticipation now that “Godzilla vs. Kong” is available on HBO Max and theaters as of March 31. Streaming numbers haven’t been released yet, but the performance at the box office has been absolutely astounding. The opening day domestic box office figure of $9.6 million made for “the best opening day total of the coronavirus era,” according to Variety.

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Culture

UNM archives boast vast collection of photography

Megan Gleason | April 6

Photography students at the University of New Mexico have access to a wide array of resources, including collections from the Fine Arts & Design Library (FADL), the UNM Art Museum (UNMAM) and the Center for Southwest Research (CSWR). The FADL covers a wide range of academic topics in photography research, all of which can be browsed online or in-person during limited hours. Students can also schedule Zoom sessions with Beene for help with research or resources, according to librarian Stephanie Beene.

Culture

Picture Perfect Photo Lab proves film photography is alive and well

Shelby Kleinhans | April 6

Picture Perfect Photo Lab is a second home for photographers looking to return to the age old practice of developing film. Originally founded in 1985 as a one-hour photo store, the business now does it all: developing C-41 color negative and B&W film weekly, in addition to scanning and digitally restoring old photos/slides to continually add to a 22-year-old archive. “We've really seen a huge surge in film photography from young people who are in college or high school who are looking for a different experience from their phone or digital photography,” owner Matt Alexander said, who originally started working at the shop in 1996.

Culture

Photojournalist Junfu Han reflects on his path to success and time at UNM

Jesus Mata | April 6

Detroit Free Press Staff Photographer Junfu Han has worked hard to get where he is today, creating a Daily Lobo legacy that will live on. His peers and colleagues consider his dedicated nature an essential example for how he continues to be a role model for others. Han came to the U.S. in August 2008 as an international student after his unfulfilling studies in computer science in China. Here, he delved into the photography program at UNM, not knowing that this choice would later impact the rest of his life. When Han started his education at UNM, he began applying for a multitude of jobs on campus in order to fulfill the conditions of his international visa. This eventually led to his employment as photo editor, multimedia editor and web editor at the Daily Lobo in 2012.

Culture

UNM photo department ranks eighth best grad program in country

Megan Gleason | April 6

The photography department at the University of New Mexico remains one of the top photography MFA programs in the country, and continues to stay on the cutting edge of interdisciplinary arts. UNM’s photo department is currently ranked #8 in the U.S. News & World Report’s list of the best graduate schools to study photography. As one of the oldest photo programs in the country, associate photography professor Patrick Manning said UNM has always made photography a priority in the fine arts department. “With our community, it’s always just been part of art,” Manning said.

Culture

ABQ Artwalk flourishes as pandemic slows

John Scott | April 5

On April 2, dozens of artists, creators and crafters lined the sidewalks of Central Avenue for the Albuquerque Artwalk, an independently-run showcase event designed to help artists to show off and sell their work to the public. According to ABQ Artwalk’s website, the walk “aims to support local artists, micro-businesses and local brick and mortar establishments by organizing cultural enrichment events, art place-making and an online platform for emerging artists.” ABQ Artwalk typically takes place every first Friday of the month, but the event was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. According to the ABQ Artwalk Instagram, the event was cancelled in April and May 2020 and had a one-time curbside-only Artwalk in June. July 2020 was the first month that the Artwalk resumed regular in-person activities.

Culture

OPINION: Top 5 photo books in UNM’s fine art library

Liam Debonis | April 5

There’s nothing quite as remarkable as holding a photo book in your hands; the feel of the gloss on the pages, the rich tones in each image and the knowledge that each photo was chosen carefully and arranged intentionally by the artist for the limited number of pages available to them. In the digital age of photography, it seems we’ve become accustomed to online portfolios and Instagram profiles. While on-screen displays have their place in the photographic landscape, nothing on a computer can truly compare to holding an artist’s finished work in your hands. Luckily for students at the University of New Mexico, the Fine Arts and Design Library has a large collection of these masterpieces available to be checked out at this very moment. As a photographer who has drawn an enormous amount of inspiration from photo books, I’ve compiled a list of some of the most awe-inspiring books the library has to offer.

Culture

'The Vault’ opens new doors for horror movie director Jaume Balagueró

Daniel Ward | March 29

Released Friday, March 26, “The Vault” is an action packed bank heist thriller expected to catch the interest of people from all over the world. With such a wide variety of bank heist movies, it’s hard to find one that actually stands out, but “The Vault” is a healthy combination of intellectual strategy and suspenseful close calls that keep the audience at the edge of their seat. Directed by Jaume Balagueró, “The Vault” has a wide range of talented actors including Freddie Highmore and Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham.

Culture

CAPS sees increase in virtual tutoring during pandemic

Megan Gleason | March 29

The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) at the University of New Mexico, which has been operating mostly online for over a year, has seen a drastic increase in virtual tutoring visits from last year. CAPS is a learning assistance center where students can get help with UNM coursework, with resources including drop-in tutoring, individual appointments, workshops, conversation groups, supplemental instruction (SI), online learning and faculty office hours. “(We have) lots of different (services), so we really do have something for everyone,” Megan Rivera, a student manager for the SI team, said.

Culture

NM nuclear fallout victims await federal compensation

Nikita Jaiswal | March 28

Bernice Gutierrez was eight days old when she experienced what many people believed was the end of the world. At 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, a plutonium based bomb detonated at the southern New Mexico Trinity test site, radiating more heat and light than the sun. The resulting fireball shot up more than seven miles high, and radioactive ash rained down for miles across the soil, water, animals and people. “We never knew what was happening,” Gutierrez said. “When my doctor asked me if I had been exposed to radiation, I had no clue.”

Culture

Maxwell Museum sees virtual boost in attendance with new online exhibits

Megan Gleason | March 28

The Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, located at the University of New Mexico, has seen a boost in attendance after switching to a solely online presence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three new virtual exhibits have been drawing in visitors: “COVID-19: Concepts of Sickness and Wellness,” “Iconoclasm: Questions of Veneration, Destruction, and Power” and “What We Do at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology Part I: Curator Dr. Carmen Mosley.” Carla Sinopoli, the director of the Maxwell Museum, said the COVID-19 exhibit was the biggest and most ambitious one. The exhibit explores the history of how humans deal with pandemics, with themes of sickness, wellness and healing.