Culture

Culture

Black bean banana bread great vegan alternative even for pickiest eater

Loreena Cain | April 17

For many people, baking has been a way of passing time while social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the recipes and the aprons came out of storage, the phenomenon of black bean bread surged in popularity on social media. This vegan black bean banana bread recipe is a fun way to have a tasty and healthy snack, whether you are vegan or not. It takes about 45 minutes from start to finish and it is simple enough for someone with little to no baking experience to try out.

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Culture

Quarantine cuts

Alex McCausland | April 16

Tangled, greasy, bushy, overgrown, and unkempt.  As New Mexico’s quarantine restrictions continue to grow tighter, University of New Mexico students are forced to take matters into their own hands to tame their unruly hairs. Since Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham ordered all “non-essential” businesses to close last month, New Mexico salons and barbershops have been out of commission. As a result, students who have grown accustomed to their regular trim, fade, shave and wax are having to get creative about how they maintain their favorite style at home. 

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Culture

Three easy meatless meals

Amanda Britt | April 15

As most of us are constantly stuck inside to avoid spreading COVID-19, one way to pass the time is by experimenting with different homemade meals.  Whether you want to help the environment or simply cannot find any meat left in the store, these three easy to make, meat-free meals are worth trying. 

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Culture

UNM student hosts Snapchat “Virtual Bachelor” to date while social distancing

Makayla Grijalva | April 14

Will you accept this virtual rose?  As the reality of the new age of social distancing and self-quarantine sets in, some University of New Mexico students like Alex Johnson decided to take a new approach to kindle new romances. Johnson began hosting a virtual dating competition mimicking ABC’s hit show “The Bachelor” complete with dates, rose ceremonies, testimonials and drama. “It’s fun. It’s weird,” Johnson said. “I’m glad that it’s happening, but it’s weird, you know.” 

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Culture

UNM gaming clubs come together stronger than ever in pandemic

Megan Gleason | April 13

For University of New Mexico gamers like Nicholas Livingstone and Samina Kabir, the transition online wasn't much of a transition at all. “We were in a good place to handle the pandemic prior to it happening,” Livingstone, vice president of the Tabletop Tavern club, said. “What our club centers around — board games, tabletop games — has a virtual representation that allows us to maintain some communication with members of our club.” In fact, Livingstone and Kabir — club president of UNM Esports — report their clubs have ballooned as UNM and its students search for community amid the COVID-19 outbreak. The two clubs both have their own online chat room servers on Discord but members of each group have recently collaborated together to provide a fun gaming environment for everyone. 

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Culture

Albuquerque Pride Fest 2020 canceled

Justin Garcia | April 13

Albuquerque’s Pride ceremonies in June were officially canceled this week, the latest cancellation for the City of Albuquerque.  The cancellation follows an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Bernalillo county. As of April 13, there were at least 440 cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico’s most populous county along with 16 deaths.  “We are issuing full refunds and you’ll receive an email within the next 1-2 days to confirm your refund has been issued. At that point, it’ll take 5-7 banking days for your funds to be available for use,” Neil Macernie wrote in a press release about the yearly events. 

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Culture

Local musicians find audience online

Loreena Cain | April 10

With live performances canceled for the foreseeable future, local musicians are struggling to continue performing for audiences and still pay the bills. Many musicians are substituting live in-person performances for online live shows where audiences can tip them. Local musician and University of New Mexico student Marìon Carrillo said, “I play all over the state generally and it has really been my primary source of income for like a year.” Without live performances, it is more difficult for musicians to make the money they were making before the pandemic.

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Culture

Local religious services adapt to online environment

Beatrice Nisoli | April 8

Religious institutions across the state are choosing to transfer their services remotely in response to forced closures due to the ever-present COVID-19 threat in New Mexico. Just as educational institutions and workplaces begin to take advantage of online platforms such as Zoom and Discord, so too are churches transmitting live streams of worship, youth group classes, rosary sessions, and more. 

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Culture

Nationwide photoshoot meet takes place online

Amanda Britt | April 4

There are two types of people in life — those that take advantage in times like this, and those that help, according to Hector Puig, a photographer and artist based in Los Angeles. Puig is the visionary behind the world’s largest virtual photography experience, where photographers from across the country can join together to create art. He said that creating this experience is how he could help both the photographers and the rest of the world through expression and art in these dark times. Puig, along with photographer Dovvie Viramontes, reached out to photo-communities in Albuquerque, Los Angeles, Seattle and DC through Instagram, and expect over 400 photographers to attend the zoom meeting on April 4, 2020.

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Culture

Student resource centers shift to a remote workforce

Megan Gleason | April 3

All of the University of New Mexico’s student resource centers have moved to remote services or limited operations during spring break due to the outbreak of COVID-19. Many of the resource centers still operate fairly normally and are offering a majority of their typical resources, such as counseling, advocacy, academic advisement and many more.  Other resources, such as printing stations or computer labs, are curren

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Culture

Good Friday traditions postponed

Cameron Ward | April 2

The tradition of Good Friday shared amongst many Catholic religious people in New Mexico has been postponed at Santuario de Chimayo from Archbishop of Santa Fe, John Wester.  It was announced by Archbishop Wester March 13, 2020, for the people of God, to stay home during the pilgrimage walk that would happen this upcoming April 10th, known as Good Friday.  Father Glennon Jones from the Archdiocese of Santa Fe said, “The walk has been officially canceled this year, but you know how those things go. No doubt some people will try to do it anyway even though we’ve asked them not to.”

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Culture

Fine Arts Departments Adapt with Online School

Megan Gleason | April 2

As the University of New Mexico moves online, the fine arts departments are faced with challenges on how to move hands-on subjects to a remote education. Many courses were adapted to work from home, which provided challenges like accessibility to the internet and the necessary equipment to work. Andrea Polli, professor of art and ecology, said that art students will struggle with a lack of equipment like 3D printers and laser cutters, which were provided for them at school. Fortunately, Polli’s students bought art kits at the start of the semester and are still able to work from home, although limited. Some courses, like musical ensembles, were canceled completely. 

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Culture

UNM students practice self-care while in isolation

Liam Debonis | April 2

In a time when normal life comes to a halt, having a daily workout or meditation session may seem trivial. But, the battle against the new coronavirus is not the only battle people must fight. Depression, loneliness and anxiety are things that many people struggle with already and are only exacerbated by orders to stay at home, not go to school or refrain from socializing in person. The fight for health and sanity in such concerning times is not impracticable. Resources have already been mobilized for those stuck in their homes. Amazon now offers select children's movies for free. Arnold Schwarzenegger shared his home workout routine online. Self-help mobile apps like Sanvello are offering free premium access to their services for the duration of the outbreak. And online counseling services are experiencing increased demand.

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Culture

Coronavirus calls for creativity: The joy at the end of a candle

Cameron Ward | April 1

Candles can be a great way to experience wonderful smells flooding your room while stuck inside during quarantine. Once you have used up your wick, it shouldn’t end your joy but instead spark more happy times.  If I had a dollar saved from all the candles I have bought in the past, I could have spent more on the groceries that I needed during this quarantine. You can ask me about my favorite scents, but the greatest thing I’ve learned in my history of candles is the number of different things it can hold in its container.  Whether you love candles or just want to get rid of them, this upcycle works for anyone. In this creation, you will turn a plain used candle into your own new recycled container. If you have a sweet tooth like me, some Jolly Ranchers would be perfect to hold in your new container. 

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Culture

NMDOT collaborates with UNM's Wild Friends for pollinator license plate

Beatrice Nisoli | March 31

In collaboration with the University of New Mexico law school's Wild Friends education program and the New Mexico Motor Vehicle Division, the state's Department of Transportation (NMDOT) has released its first Pollinator Protection license plate featuring student artwork. The law school's Wild Friends program prompted the initiative and approached NMDOT for an outreach effort. The Wild Friends program began at the UNM School of Law in 1991. Since then, the program has continued to collaborate with students in grades 4-12 to promote serving low-income schools and maintaining an educational focus on civics and science through the advancement of wildlife issues at the state legislature.

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Culture

UNM students launch website to connect volunteers to healthcare workers

Megan Gleason | March 31

A group of medical students from the University of New Mexico recently launched Corona Care NM, a website that helps connect New Mexico volunteers to local healthcare and hospital workers, and vice versa. Volunteers can help healthcare workers with childcare needs, cooking, cleaning, pet sitting and more. They are able to fill out their experience in order to be best fitted with a particular job or duty, as well as preference for what type of work they are willing to do. If healthcare workers need help with childcare, they are connected with three to five volunteers. Otherwise, they are connected with one volunteer. The contact information for volunteers is given directly to the healthcare professional and the process is then in their hands. “We are simply providing a service to connect healthcare workers with volunteers,” David Gangwish, founder of the site, said.

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Culture

Bridge Boulevard officially renamed to Avenida Dolores Huerta

Makayla Grijalva | March 30

On a day when people from all over Albuquerque typically gather at the National Hispanic Cultural Center to celebrate the annual Recuerda a César Chávez la marcha de justicia and fiesta, the streets fell quiet. Although the streets may have been silent, it didn't stop new street signs renaming a stretch of Bridge Boulevard to Avenida Dolores Huerta from rising to their new spots this week. This year's celebration planned to include a dedication to Huerta for her contributions to the United Farm Workers labor movement and unveil the new intersection where Avenida Cesar Chavez and Avenida Dolores Huerta meet. "It really was a labor of love," said Diana Montoya, Las Mujeres member and chair of the Avenida Dolores Huerta Project. "What I like to call it is more than a street sign. I think that a lot of people are in agreement that it becomes more than a sign, that it becomes a destination. It becomes a place where visitors will come and see that here we have this tribute to these two icons, these two civil rights heroes."

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Culture

Inside Meals on Wheels during COVID-19

Liam Debonis | March 27

In the midst of the coronavirus outbreak, the Albuquerque Meals on Wheels staff work to ensure meals are delivered to those who need it. By 9 a.m. on March 25, the kitchen staff was preparing hot meals and packing them into insulated bags to be distributed to drivers. A workforce of about ten members scooped spaghetti, ladled marinara, and dished up vegetables with rigor. “Usually, the kitchen is half staff and half volunteers,” Shauna Frost, Executive Director of Meals on Wheels Albuquerque said.

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Culture

Farmworker Awareness Week adapts to an online format

Megan Gleason | March 27

The eighth annual Farmworker Awareness Week was hosted by Camperinos (CAMP), a University of New Mexico student organization, and took place on Facebook from March 24 to March 26 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The event displayed videos featuring various members of the community, and highlighted different activities the public could partake like petitions and boycotts. It also presented relevant facts and statistics, all with the goal of supporting farmworkers. “It is meant to promote awareness and advocacy for farmworkers around New Mexico and around the nation,” Diego Salicido, project assistant of the event and treasurer of CAMP, said.

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Culture

Local teacher makes protective face masks

Loreena Cain | March 26

While the coronavirus continues to sweep through New Mexico, making face masks is one way some Albuquerque locals are working on the front lines against the virus. With schools shuttered, local first-grade teacher and University of New Mexico alumna Angel Padilla is using her time to sew face masks. She has already made 35 masks and is currently working on 100 more. "In the event that healthcare professionals run out of personal protective equipment (PPE), these masks will be available instead of a scarf or bandana," Padilla said. "I've been told that it might be possible to prolong the life of N95 masks when used with the masks I am making."