Culture

Culture

UNM students participate in local jazz performance

Ariel Lutnesky | February 2

Wednesday evening was a calm one inside the Hotel Andaluz as a jazz combo featuring UNM students played to a quietly chattering audience. The group consisted of pianist Sean Umstead, bassist and UNM freshman Matthew Jaeger, and drummer Jonathan Rodriguez, a graduate student studying percussion performance. The majority of their performance was improvised, according to the group. “Jazz, as it is, is about spontaneous creation. Which is why I guess it’s fun and sort of more free because we just play off of each other,” Umstead said. ”The music grows as we want it to as the night goes along.”

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Culture

Restaurant Review: Gyro's Mediterranean delivers on its namesake

Troy Amato | February 1

Nestled behind Frontier and across from Main Campus on Cornell Drive rests the Greek eatery Gyro’s Mediterranean. Gyro’s sports authentic Mediterranean plates, such as gyro sandwiches, falafel and moussaka. It provides an excellent local taste of mediterranean cuisine for any customer willing to reach overseas for exotic flavors.

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Culture

"Free Stuff ABQ" Facebook group makes it easy to give and receive

Matthew Reisen | February 1

UNM student Simon Walker has a vision: if you need something, you should get it. If you have something you don’t need, you should give it away. Back in December, Walker started the Facebook group “Free Stuff ABQ” and by February, the group has collected nearly 2,000 members. The group allows members to post on their page, requesting items they may need or items they are willing to give away.

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Culture

Telluride Film Fest visits UNM

Troy Amato | January 30

Last weekend the ASUNM Southwest Film Center and the UNM Wilderness Alliance, in partnership with MountainFilm, hosted the Telluride Film Festival on Tour in the UNM SUB.

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Movies

SWFC Preview: "Kubo" the latest offering from Laika animation

Fin Martinez | January 29

The critically acclaimed animated feature “Kubo and the Two Strings,” is coming to the SUB’s Southwest Film Center for a limited time from Feb 3-5. The screening is part of a biannual series by the SWFC that screens indie films, one per week, each semester. “Kubo and the Two Strings” is the story of Kubo, a young boy living in a seaside village until his world is turned upside down by spirits from the past that begin to pursue him. In order to survive, Kubo must find armor that belonged to his father with the help of his companions Monkey and Beetle. Originally released in 2016, “Kubo and the Two Strings” received rave reviews despite not being a blockbuster hit. The film was made by Oregon-based stop-motion animation studio Laika, who has produced films such as “Coraline,” the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name, and Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride,” both critically acclaimed films.

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Culture

Fashion Column: New threads for a new year

Courtney Salinger | January 25

Ringing in the new year includes making resolutions, setting up calendars filled with new engagements and most importantly, a new semester of school. The new term is a great opportunity to show off the latest fashion trends. Showing up to class in the newest threads makes for a fun and exciting first week of school. Wearing a fresh outfit brings confidence to the occasions of meeting new people and to any endeavor you encounter. Here are some of the latest fashion trends and ideas on how to wear them.

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Culture

ABQ Jedi club brings the Force to campus

Fin Martinez | January 25

Any fan of Star Wars remembers wanting to be Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader or Qui-gon Jinn. Being a Jedi was the childhood dream of many Star Wars fans and for many, the main appeal of being a Jedi was wielding their legendary weapon — the lightsaber. A unique and quickly growing clubs on campus, ABQ Jedi, taps into this childhood dream by meeting twice a week at the duck pond, where members duel using recreations of the Jedi’s weapon. The club was founded by Revan Killian, a former UNM student, and a “Master Jedi” in the club. “I joined up with another group that meets here called ‘Order of The Wolf.’ It wasn’t exactly a Star Wars group, and I stuck with it for a while, but I wanted something more closely based on the lore of Star Wars,” Killian said. “I played around with the idea six years ago with a few people, and about four years ago I set it down with three other guys. We made the basis and the foundation based off of what I was already throwing around.”

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Culture

Ways to settle back into college life

Fin Martinez | January 22

College. It’s considered by many as the best years of your life, a time where self-exploration meets academic challenges, and the most important dynamic is finding the perfect balance between work and play. Winter break takes a toll on the best of us; a full month devoid of classes, homework and other obligations but full of fun, play and relaxation. Some travel home and party with their hometown buddies, others stay and party here while working. But after that academic sabbatical, it’s hard to get back into the swing of things and find a renewed balance of work and play. Here are some ways to get back into the swing of things.

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News

On this date in UNM history...

Daily Lobo Staff | January 22

A look back at the importance of January 23 over the years, as told through Daily Lobo coverage. 

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TV

TV Review: "A Series of Unfortunate Events" stays true to the books

Fin Martinez | January 18

It’s a common trend in film to adapt novels and other stories to the silver screen and create a visual interpretation of our favorite books and stories. We’ve seen it with the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games and many Disney films, but with the rise of streaming sites like Netflix, adaptations have come to the small screen. On Friday the 13th, Netflix premiered it’s long anticipated exclusive show, “A Series of Unfortunate Events.” The series, being teased for nearly a year, is an adaptation of Lemony Snicket’s series of the same name, and is the second adaptation of the books. While the first was a standalone film that covered the first three books in the series, Netflix’s rendition presents the series in long-form television, allowing for all thirteen books to be adapted for the visual medium.

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Culture

Restaurant Review: Mazaya Cafe delivers mouthwatering Mediterranean

Jonathan Baca | January 18

It’s a new semester, and luckily there’s a new restaurant in the neighborhood that’s perfect for a quick meal on a student budget. The Mazaya Cafe, located on Harvard Drive right across from Main Campus, serves up an impressive range of Mediterranean-fusion dishes at very reasonable prices. A few months ago the manager Rojesh Maharjan and his team moved into their current location, a spot that has seen several restaurants come and go in the last couple years. Despite the apparent curse on the location, Mazaya has been slowly winning over loyal customers, and this reviewer is now one of them. Walking in the front door, I was immediately struck by the cleanliness and the beautiful Mediterranean-style decor. We sat down at a comfy booth under a big screen TV tuned to ESPN. We started with the lentil soup, which was shockingly flavorful and filling thanks to the chicken broth. For $3, this could easily be a light lunch on a cold day all by itself.

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Culture

ABQ Comic Con draws huge crowds

Jonathan Baca | January 15

Last weekend the nerds, geeks and superfans of Albuquerque descended on the Convention Center downtown for three days of fandom, photo ops and costumed revelry. The 7th annual Albuquerque Comic Con brought a long list of cult celebrities, comic artists and vendors to all three floors of the Convention Center, attracting an estimated 30,000 fans. The size of the event was truly impressive, with an endless maze of vendor and artist booths. One could wander for hours around one of the many large ballrooms and still not see everything that was on display. Jim Burleson, the owner and promoter of Albuquerque Comic Con, said that the size and scope of the event has been years in the making.

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Culture

Theater Review: 'Matilda' sure to please all ages

Fin Martinez | January 15

It’s by pure serendipity that “Matilda” proved to be a show that captured the spirit of Broadway in such an accessible and non-kitsch way. One usually hopes for a quality production when seeing a Broadway production, but it was a pleasant surprise to see such one executed in such a way as “Matilda.” The first thing that made an impression was the quirky, almost Tim Burton-esque set, which resembled in spirit the style of author Roald Dahl, who wrote the book the musical is based off of.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Comanche student studies family history for dissertation

Fin Martinez | December 12

After a rigorous career in academia, Eric Tippeconnic, a Comanche doctoral candidate, will be receiving his doctorate degree in history, making him the first professionally trained historian in his tribe’s history. Tippeconnic said that he initially began looking into graduate school and was visiting his tribal headquarters in Lawton, Oklahoma, where the education director asked him what he was interested in pursuing.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Answering the call to study music

Skylar Griego | December 11

For the final weeks of the fall 2016, some students are preparing for a month-long break between terms while others are saying goodbye to UNM for the final time. Students from all walks of life will be graduating with a hard-earned degree this December — some even with more than one. Christian Newman, a fine arts student, will be graduating with two master’s degrees after finals week: one in piano performance and one in music composition.

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Culture

Grad Issue: Student hopes to use his education to serve his country in the Air Force

Savanna Molina | December 11

Many people who don’t finish college on their first shot usually never go back, but for Christopher Kennedy, his return and graduation has been a long time coming. After six different schools and 16 years since he attended his first college course, Kennedy will be graduating from UNM with honors at the age of 34. Right out of high school, Kennedy first attended the Coast Guard Academy and for several years studied at many other military schools and community colleges. He said he had a job while he was going to school, but when it was too much and his life wasn’t going in the right direction, he decided joining the U.S. Air Force was his best chance at a better future.

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Culture

Breakdown of the World Chess Championships

Eddie Wyckoff | December 6

Magnus Carlsen celebrated his 26th birthday and a third consecutive World Chess Championship victory last Wednesday. Hundreds of millions watched while over the course of nearly three weeks the defending Norwegian champion played Russian challenger Sergey Karjakin to retain the title. Both grandmasters are a mere 26 years old. Carlsen was thought to be the overwhelming favorite going in, but, game by game, Karjakin matched Carlsen’s ingenuity, inevitably requiring an additional tiebreak series of four rapid games to settle matters.

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Culture

Duo showcases the beauty of ceramics

Savanna Molina | December 4

Figure can complement the functional, something that was made evident at the “Figure Function Fire” ceramics show organized by UNM studio art majors Miguel Lastra and Jessi Penrod and held in the UNM art building on Thursday. These duo of advanced ceramics students presented their semester’s work from Studio Intensive Ceramics, which displayed their work that was created via different firing techniques to create a stunning collection.

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Culture

ASUNM holds 53rd Arts and Crafts Fair

Jonathan Baca | December 1

For the 53rd year in a row, the annual ASUNM Arts and Crafts Fair is in full swing in the SUB Ballrooms, showcasing an impressive collection of artists and craftspeople from around the state. Hosted by the ASUNM Arts and Crafts Studio, the show invited over 70 local vendors in a holiday shopping extravaganza. The items on sale range from knitting and crocheted clothing, hand-blown glass figures, handmade soaps and body products, pottery, graphic art and jewelry.

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Movies

Movie Review: "Viva" tackles LGBTQ issues with style

Audrin Baghaie | November 30

“Viva” is a hurricane. Amid fast-paced dialogue, explicit scenes of LGBTQ struggle and an overall passionate delivery, this movie keeps your attention and plays with various social issues while it has it. It’s an ardent film, sometimes too passionate, with blatant symbolism and a cliché plot. But “Viva” follows through for a fleshed-out and powerful 90-minute narrative. Hector Medina stars as Jesus, a young hairdresser that yearns to be a drag performer in the Cuban cabaret club he works at. His passion damages his relationship with his father, Angel, played by Jorge Perugorria, and propels a turbulent story that takes twists and turns all along this certain social taboo.