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UNMPD files leaked in large-scale law enforcement hack

Amidst national protests against police brutality spurred by the police murder of George Floyd, hundreds of University of New Mexico Police Department files were leaked in what is reportedly the largest hack of United States law enforcement agencies. Notably, UNMPD appears to be the only university police department included in the leak. It’s now been over three months since the hacked files were published with no public action from the University. Responding to a request from the Daily Lobo, UNM said they were unaware that private information — like home addresses and driver’s license numbers collected for police reports — was made public.

COVID-19, flu season threaten to push hospitals over the edge

U.S. health officials are bracing for a potential perfect storm as the flu season begins amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year influenza, or the common flu, poses a large burden on the health care system. Within the last year, New Mexico has seen several hundred deaths due to the flu. The state’s mortality rates follow closely with national mortality rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The University of New Mexico Hospital is operating at critical levels, “well above the 85% average capacity threshold considered optimal for hospital efficiency,” according to a UNMH report. A heavy flu season could stagger hospitals already dealing with COVID cases, as both respiratory viral infections can require intensive care treatment.

‘Cuties’ courts controversy

No film in 2020 has divided critics and audiences more than “Cuties (Migonnes),”  which was released on Sept. 9 on Netflix. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently sits at a very modest 85% rating from critics — and a miserable 13% from audiences. Let’s start at the beginning. The film is helmed by a French Senegalese woman, Maïmouna Doucouré, in her feature directorial debut. The film originally premiered on Jan. 23 at Sundance and garnered her the Directing Award in the World Cinematic Drama category. At the time of its premiere, there was no widespread hate or controversy surrounding the film.

Globalquerque livestreams 16th annual performance

Globalquerque livestreamed its 16th annual performance on Wednesday, Sept. 30, featuring collaborative performances from musicians from around the world as well as interviews with the musicians and coordinators. The theme of this year’s event was “Cross-Cultural Crossover,” wherein musicians from different musical backgrounds gathered to re-imagine a song that one of the musicians had written. The collaborations included blends of New Orleans jazz, Angolan vocals and Iraqi oud music to create something that Globalquerque has never done before.  The event usually occurs at the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) but was streamed online through Twitch, YouTube and Facebook due to the coronavirus pandemic. Attendance was free of charge, although donations were accepted.

October 4, 2020 Comics

Balloon Fiesta takes flight in a different light

New Mexicans were able to experience some bit of normalcy amidst the ongoing pandemic on Saturday and Sunday as hot air balloons took flight in the crisp early morning October air. Due to COVID-19 social distancing regulations, the 49th annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta was postponed to at least 2021, and all events this year were canceled. The International Balloon Fiesta traditionally is a nine-day event which not only brings in hundreds of different hot air balloons from across the world, but also brings hundreds of thousands of tourists from around the world to Albuquerque.

Trump tests positive for COVID-19

President Donald Trump confirmed in a tweet on the evening of Oct. 1 that he tested positive for the coronavirus, along with first lady Melania Trump. According to reporting from the New York Times, Trump’s senior advisor Hope Hicks began exhibiting COVID symptoms “around the time of Mr. Trump’s rally” in Duluth, Minnesota on Wednesday, which she attended with the president. Hicks was quarantined while returning to Washington on Air Force One and received positive test results the following day. No details have been provided about if the air in her area of the plane was recycled and filtered throughout the rest of the aircraft.

Dragon's House of Horror makes adjustments for COVID-19

Haunted houses may seem impossible to operate within COVID-19 restrictions, but Dragons House of Horror recently opened the first drive-through haunted house in New Mexico called Miles of Terror. This haunted house is an attraction offered at the Santa Ana Star Civic Center in Rio Rancho. Tickets can be purchased online or in person, and are $40 per vehicle. According to the website, cars are limited to a maximum of five people. Nichole Harwood, a spokesperson for Dragons House of Horror Mile of Terror, said, “Normally Dragons is a normal haunted house. It’s the largest in the world. We have the Guinness World Record for that.”

Mountain West reverses course, to play 8-game season

The Mountain West Conference released its revamped fall football schedule on Oct. 1, with 8 games to be played in the span of a month and a half. For the University of New Mexico, the first game of the regular season will be played on Oct. 24, and the final regular season game will be played on Dec. 12. The Lobos’ season consists of four away and home games apiece, with the season starting on the road at Colorado State. UNM’s first home game will be on Halloween against San José State.

How students can help save the environment

As the world gets warmer, weather events are becoming more intense and more frequent, sea levels are rising, prolonged droughts are putting pressure on crops and many plant and animal species are quickly becoming extinct. Global climate change impacts everyone, and it’s time for students to learn about what they can do to battle this. “It’s important to think about what we can do individually as well as what we can do as a group, a force, because climate change can be so overwhelming and understood to be such a grand challenge,” said Miriam Gay-Antaki, an assistant professor in geography and environmental studies at the University of New Mexico. “It might make us think that we can’t do anything about it individually, but our individual decisions do matter.”

Reactions to #TheLastofUsDay reveals fans’ deeper seated feelings

Editor’s note: This review contains spoilers. After repeated delays and major leaks, the video game studio Naughty Dog released “The Last of Us Part II” for PlayStation on June 19. While the first game, “The Last of Us,” was universally beloved, nothing has been more divisive in the fanbase than the release of the sequel. Since the initial backlash, the studio has been relatively quiet. But on Sept. 22, the studio released a statement on Twitter that recounted the difficulties that the studio had faced over the past year — including COVID-19 — and concluded with the announcement that “Sept. 26 will be known as the Last of Us Day — a name that not only acknowledges the world around us, but also reflects the growth of the community as we welcome millions of new players.”

Sept 30, 2020 Comics

OPINION: Online discussion posts encourage lazy repetition, not stimulating debate

As the new age of online education solidifies itself in university curriculum, students have no doubt noticed an increase in “discussion post” assignments through Blackboard Learn. While masquerading as a platform for the free exchange of ideas and organic conversation, the virtual space instead encourages nothing more than rote repetitions and buzzword-heavy responses. The shift from in-person learning to Zoom-conducted lectures has been a tough experience for students. We have been forced to sacrifice many of the comforts of face-to-face education, and our college experience has been fundamentally altered. Study groups at Zimmerman Library, group projects in class and the basic feeling of being surrounded by a diverse population with unique and differing perspectives have all been stripped from us by the coronavirus pandemic

YouTube channels to stay motivated (and entertained) during the pandemic

With no relief in sight as the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate the United States, it can be difficult for students to stay motivated when all they want to do is glue themselves to their phones and watch YouTube. The solution? Watching videos that are motivational enough to jump right out of bed to work out, study or try new recipes. Workout Channels: Yoga with Adriene Yoga with Adriene is a YouTube channel wherein Adriene Mishler, a certified yoga instructor, guides her viewers through yoga sessions of different lengths and topics.  For example, Mishler has a video on her channel, titled “Yoga for Writers,” to help people that sit at their desk all day and need relief for their brain and wrists.

New Mexico United rolls into playoffs with 1-0 victory

In an extraordinary season, New Mexico United has met every challenge with tenacity and remarkable verve. Those efforts paid off after a team performance sent New Mexico into the playoffs with a style-affirming flourish in the club’s second season. French winger Joris Ahlinvi scored in the 57th minute, Real Monarchs SLC put on a woeful performance and United punctuated its regular season finale with a victory at Zion’s Bank Stadium on a late September evening. With the win, United kept its sparkling record against the Monarchs in 2020 unblemished, finishing the season 4-0 against its neighbors to the northwest.

UNM employees plead for better working conditions, hazard pay

With the University of New Mexico currently reporting 42 cases of COVID-19 among students, faculty and staff, some employees working on campus are requesting better working conditions and hazard pay. Dante Gonzales, a representative of the labor union Communications Workers of America, explained some of the fears and concerns UNM employees have, many of which have been lingering since the coronavirus pandemic began over six months ago. When asked about job security and the potential for layoffs, Gonzales said the rumor mill is abuzz. “(There is) lots of fear around that, especially with temporary workers, because there are definitely rumors about layoffs and furloughs,” Gonzales said. “But to my knowledge, there have been no answers regarding that question.”

Four UNM buildings still bear names of violent conquistadors

The University of New Mexico’s Committee on Naming has reported to President Garnett Stokes that UNM should develop thorough criteria and an enduring, community-inclusive process for removing controversial names from campus buildings. After a counter-protester shot a man protesting the Juan de Oñate statue outside the Albuquerque Museum in June and the sign outside UNM’s Oñate Hall was vandalized, Stokes requested that the committee review the University’s building renaming policy.  The committee reported their conclusions and recommendations in a memo sent to Stokes on Sept. 23. The committee reported their conclusions and recommendations in a memo sent to Stokes on Sept. 23. 

Sept 28, 2020 Comics

‘Boys State’ captures vitality of democracy

Politics is hell. There’s the systemic corruption which pervades our democratic process, as well as the Kafkaesque bureaucracy of the federal government which we’re taught, and there’s that mixed bag of stale and divisive political actors we’re forced to see and deal with. “Boys State,” however, offers refuge from the bullshit of politics without censoring it and consequently creates a window into how intimate and raw a democracy could and should be.

LETTER: The time for paid family leave is now

Dear editor,  There is nothing more important than our families’ health. But our country needs to live up to its family values. Did you know that even before the pandemic, one in four new moms are forced to return to work within two weeks of giving birth? That’s heartbreaking and insane! I am the proud mother of a 6-week-old, and I have been lucky that I can teach from home, but if we weren’t working from home, I would be in the same boat. And as a teacher, I have seen