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2nd Albuquerque Junk Jog crowdsources public litter removal

Gabriel Biadora | September 24

On Saturday, Sept. 19, the City of Albuquerque had its Second Annual Junk Jog where citizens plogged — or picked up litter while jogging — to their heart’s content. What started as a fitness trend in Sweden circa 2016, plogging — from the Swedish word “plokka up,” meaning “to pick up” — has made its way into the United States as a way for communities to come together for the environment and a brisk morning of exercise, according to the Washington Post. Upon arrival at the Junk Jog, ploggers were met by a team from the City of Albuquerque and given trash bags, gloves and a mask. Participants were encouraged to pick their local routes and follow the various health guidelines concerning COVID-19, according to the City of Albuquerque’s website.

Culture

Albuquerque Museum’s Third Thursday event continues celebrating virtually

Jesus Mata | September 22

The Albuquerque Museum had its monthly Third Thursday event on Sept. 17 with a variety of organized online events open to the public. Due to the pandemic, the Third Thursday events shifted to live streams via YouTube and Facebook on April 16. The event began with museum director Andrew Connors showing psychedelic artwork from the 1960’s and 70’s, then a yoga class with YogaZo instructor Elizabeth Kivlighan and ended with a performance by the band “Let it Grow.” Connors said they were fortunate to have the support of the city during the pandemic, but they faced rough patches as well.

Culture

OPINION: ‘Avengers’ video game misses the mark by a long shot

Gino Gutierrez | September 20

Over the past 10 years, Marvel’s Avengers intellectual property has been one of the most successful franchises in the entertainment industry. So when it was announced in 2017 that Square Enix was developing an Avengers video game, anticipation around the project began to build. The thought of being able to fly like Iron Man, wield Thor’s hammer and throw Captain America’s shield had many chomping at the bit to get their hands on the game. But after playing it, I was left feeling underwhelmed. Sure, taking control of these iconic heroes was a blast, but the sheer amount of lifeless characters, bugs, uninspired gameplay design and endless grinding left me feeling more annoyed than blown away.

Culture

Historic Camino Real museum reopens after six month hiatus

Hannah John | September 20

El Rancho de las Golondrinas, located near the Santa Fe Plaza, reopened on Sept. 9 after being closed for six months due to COVID-19 measures put in place by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham. El Rancho de las Golondrinas was active in the 18th and 19th centuries as a stopping point for people who were traveling the Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, a historic trade route between Mexico City and Ohkay Owingeh during the Spanish colonial era. It is now a museum that is dedicated to preserving an important site of New Mexican history. According to the website, the museum is meant to promote and preserve the Hispanic heritage of northern New Mexico.

Culture

UNM professor, students celebrate women’s suffrage centennial with art exhibit

Megan Gleason | September 20

The centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage is upon us in 2020, and “A Yellow Rose Project” celebrates the victories and acknowledges the losses of the historic passage of the 19th Amendment through an online photography exhibit. University of New Mexico Honors College associate professor Megan Jacobs was one artist chosen among over a hundred other women to contribute to the project, collaborating with UNM students Hyunju Blemel, Sydney Nesbit, Sierra Venegas and Tilcara Webb. A portion of the exhibit is available to view in person at the Spectra Gallery at the Honors College.

Culture

Hays Honey going strong since 1970

Adam Clemena | September 15

New Mexico resident Kenneth Hays may be the bravest beekeeper in the state. Hays was born with an allergy to bee venom, but after he was given a beehive from a friend, he picked up beekeeping as a hobby full-time. After Hays retired, he decided to turn his hobby into a business and has been running his own beekeeping and apple orchard business in New Mexico since 1970. This has been one of the best years for Hays’ bee farm — so far, his bees have produced over 500 pounds of several different types of honey. Hays said “the right amount of rain at the right time” seperates a good year from a bad year.

Culture

Prickly Pear Festival goes virtual

Jesus Mata | September 15

The second annual New Mexico Prickly Pear Festival went online this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, adapting an on-hands event to online workshops and discussions on Sept. 12. Will Thomson, the event’s coordinator, said the goals of the event were “to increase the market for prickly pear and make it a resource for farmers, food producers and food businesses in New Mexico (and) to center prickly pear’s history as an Indigenous food in the U.S. Southwest.” Attendees could order items online and pick them up at a specified drive-through location during the day.

Culture

UNM sustainability blog maintains symbiosis with community

Megan Gleason | September 15

Have you ever had to blog for your class? Students in the University of New Mexico’s “Sustainability 364: Local Food Systems Practicum” class prepare “ABQ Stew” every spring semester, a blog concerning environmental sustainability meant to benefit the community. The class is taught by Jessica Rowland, a professor dedicated to leading students in recognizing the importance of environmental concerns. In the blog, students explore topics that they have been studying in-depth throughout the semester, connecting with the community to share their work. Rowland said the goal is to “really engage them deeply with their communities so they can recognize these sustainability challenges.”

Culture

Exploring New Mexico

Nicholas Romero | September 15

Pecos River A quick day trip up north from Albuquerque takes you to one of New Mexico’s most beautiful spots for fishing, hiking, camping and endless scenic views. The Pecos River is just about an hour and a half drive from Albuquerque.The Pecos has hiking spots, fishing spots, and places for picnics all alongside Highway 63. As an added bonus, the drive over is one of the more beautiful drives in the state. As you ride alongside the river, you become immersed in wildlife, cool temperatures and some of the natural beauty New Mexico has to offer.

Culture

Into the Wild: Camping spots located off the beaten path

Lissa Knudsen , Liam Debonis and Gabrielle Ortiz | September 14

With the help of University of New Mexico outdoor recreation coordinator Charles Gwinn, the Daily Lobo team explored some incredible camping spots and compiled our favorites into this list for readers who want to give camping a try in their own backyard. Gwinn, along with recommendations for great camping spots, provided us with useful and important tips for new campers. Enjoy!

Culture

UNM’s Mikaela ‘FlyBy’ Osler breaks thru-hiking record

Gabriel Biadora | September 14

Editor's note: Mikaela Osler and the Daily Lobo recognize and acknowledge the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation in Colorado and the diverse communities who have cared for and continue to preserve the land. Within ancestral Ute land, traversing eight sweeping mountain ranges, across five charging river systems and through the thickets and fields of six national forests, the 485-mile Colorado Trail asks hikers to set aside four to six weeks of backpacking to complete it. Mikaela Osler finished the trail in ten days, 12 hours and 36 minutes.

Culture

SHAC massages help relieve stress on campus

Daniel Ward | September 10

The University of New Mexico’s Student Health and Counseling (SHAC) has reopened its massage services, leaving licensed massage therapist (LMT) Eric Revels to find a way to safely meet with clients while simultaneously helping them release stresses often related to the ongoing pandemic. However, Revels has experienced some anxiety himself taking on new patients amid the continued spread of the coronavirus. “My worry wasn’t about particularly working at SHAC, but particularly with working on new people,” Revels said. “Whether that be in my private practice or (SHAC) and them being safe to follow the precautions.”

Culture

Brined, not stoned: ‘An American Pickle’ required viewing for Seth Rogen fans only

Hevyn Heckes | September 10

If you’re wondering what the science behind a man being preserved in pickle brine for 100 years is, you’re in luck! An unnamed reporter asks that very question in the first 15 minutes of the Seth Rogen vehicle “An American Pickle.” I won’t spoil the answer here. I can only say that, according to Herschel’s inner monologue, “The science was good, and everyone was satisfied.” The main highlights of the film include Rogen’s passable Russian accent as Herschel and a few not-so-subtle digs at social media. Fans of YouTube’s “Kalen Reacts” will be pleased to see Kalen Allen make several appearances as Herschel’s “fairy godmother” of the technological age and pickle-odor aficionado.

Culture

Fast fashion out of style at Nob Hill’s NEO Thread

Cameron Ward | September 8

Nob Hill’s local upcycling store NEO Thread, also known as “New Life,” has been on hold since February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic but continues to keep a space for creativity for all of its dedicated shoppers. Sarah Holley, the owner, founder, seamstress and expert of upcycling, has been in the process of designing and drafting more creative activities for the “wonderfully misunderstood Albuquerque” since 2019. Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is “the process of changing something you already own into better quality or more valuable to your liking,” as explained previously in the Daily Lobo.

Culture

‘Mulan’ divides and conquers

Andrew Gunn and Lissa Knudsen | September 8

I had the privilege — after paying $30 on top of my Disney+ subscription — of watching the new live action version of Mulan over the Labor Day weekend. And, despite much vitriolic criticism and scathing reviews, I found it to be a gorgeous, uplifting brain break during a socially distanced pandemic that has been grinding on for far too long. Though the movie has garnered a number of angry, bitter commentaries about how the movie was “too politically correct” — for insisting on having an exclusively Chinese and Mongolian cast — and the dialog was” underwhelming,” I thought it was a gorgeous cinematic feat that had less cultural appropriation and more realism than the original animated version of the movie.

Culture

Zozobra gets roasted

Gabriel Saiz | September 8

SANTA FE — Zozobra and the shredded gloom of 2020 stuffed inside him burned away for the 96th time on Friday, Sept. 4, this year in front of a nearly empty field due to the coronavirus pandemic. “If there ever was a year that deserved to burn, it's 2020,” Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said as he kicked off the Zozobra live broadcast. “Old Man Gloom” — a 50-foot marionette of gloom incarnate — burns every year at Fort Marcy Park in Santa Fe in a storm of fireworks and flames.

Culture

Moments Together supports pandemic parenting, early childhood development

Beatrice Nisoli | September 8

Childhood education and care never ceases, especially during a pandemic. On Aug. 10, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) launched Moments Together, a campaign intended to provide intellectual and developmental stimulus to children under five as well as support to their caregivers through free and easily accessible online resources. The campaign was adapted from the United Way of Central New Mexico and designed by the Early Literacy Strategy Group in collaboration with the University of New Mexico’s Family Development Program, MediaDesk and New Mexico PBS.

Culture

Activism and poetry inspires truth at UNM

Sarah Bodkin | September 4

Poetry and pressing conversations about social justice typically go hand-in-hand, and “Dare To Speak” confirms just this. Carlos Andrés Gómez and Katie Kramer spoke to University of New Mexico students on Sept. 1 about activism through poetry through the Student Activities Center. I recently found myself reminiscing about on-campus events that wouldn’t happen this semester, prompting me to click on UNM’s Aug. 31 newsletter, “This Week at UNM.” I scrolled until I saw an activist poetry event and, thrilled to see the efforts to spark meaningful conversations among students, I immediately signed up. Kramer and Gómez are collaborators who perform poetry together at various schools and companies in order to promote inclusivity in professional settings.

Culture

Albuquerque movie theaters yet another pandemic casualty

Spencer Butler | September 1

The movie theater industry has been slammed by the coronavirus pandemic on both national and local levels and has seen its enterprise on movie releases shrink. Theaters that financially survive the pandemic are considered the lucky ones. In Albuquerque, permanent closures include both Movies 8 and Movies West theaters of the Cinemark chain, leaving the city without any “one dollar theaters.” While major theater chains struggle, local theaters face similar, if not more dire, financial consequences. Keif Henly, owner of the Guild Cinema in Nob Hill, said revenue is extremely down due to COVID-19 but the online streaming service the cinema has used has helped with lost revenues.

Culture

Fine arts students face unique challenges, new perspectives with distance learning

Liberty Stalnaker | August 30

Methods of learning and practice have changed radically for University of New Mexico fine arts students because of distancing procedures amid the coronavirus pandemic in the fall 2020 semester. As a plethora of courses are now being held primarily or solely online, students in hands-on art studies have voiced a number of concerns with the quality and value of their current education. Photography major Elizabeth Wilkinson said distanced learning affects not only the production of her art, but the nature of her creativity. "When I'm around other people, I get most of my inspiration and most of my motivation, so not having those people around has been a huge burden on my work," Wilkinson said.