Opinion

OPINION: A Filipino’s modern journey to Independence Day

Philippines Independence Day on June 12 not only commemorates the day the nation was declared as independent from Spanish colonial rule, but also serves as a continual reminder of the struggle for the liberation of Filipinos in America. My family settled into New Mexico in 2008, when I was in third grade. My mom had been living in the state for three years already, working as a nurse, but my dad was still waiting on his visa before he could come to the mainland from Saipan, an island 120 miles north of Guam.

OPINION: Top five places to study on campus

College life is a big adjustment, and although you might be tempted to hole up in your dorm room, the resources on campus for studying are extensive to say the least. If you live on the University of New Mexico’s main campus, check out these top five spots so you can study comfortably.

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LETTER: UNM faculty deserve fair contract from administration before semester ends

It’s an understatement to say that the last 14 months were challenging for educators across New Mexico. As a faculty member in the biology department at the University of New Mexico, I built new online lecture and lab courses in real time to replace face-to-face instruction. I was intent on maintaining quality and substance for the 1,604 UNM students I taught during the pandemic, each of whom were coping with their own struggles. I found it humbling to maintain my professionalism on Zoom, while simultaneously supervising three children in their virtual Albuquerque Public School classrooms.

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OPINION: Disappointing end of the ‘Star Wars’ Skywalker saga has fans wondering what’s next

“Star Wars” has transformed from a three-part film series that began in 1977 with an eponymous first movie to a mammoth franchise spanning several generations. While there is much debate over which film or set of films is best, the one sure thing is that “Star Wars” is a defining icon of the 20th and 21st century. As an avid fan of more than a decade and a dedicated viewer of most things Star Wars, I have to say that over the course of the last five or so years, my excitement and general interest in the films has steadily declined. Unfortunately, the awe I felt watching the first three “Star Wars” films has yet to be rivaled.

REVIEW: “Crying in H Mart:” Finding who you are through what you eat

For musician Michelle Zauner, the death of her mother is her life’s most critical moment, both breaking her from the inside out and propelling her into the most successful period in her career.  In the memoir “Crying in H Mart,” Zauner details her experiences with loss, Korean American identity and how food connects the two. Zauner has years of experience with artistic expression through her music under the alias Japanese Breakfast, and her newcomer status in the world of writing makes this book all the more impressive. Despite this, Zauner makes it look easy, carrying the story of her life with poignant, witty and skillful prose from start to finish.

REVIEW: Stowaway: A meddling contemplation of a complex moral dilemma

This review contains spoilers. If you were stranded on a desert island with three other people with only enough resources for three of you to survive until help arrived, what would you do? This is the question that “Stowaway” seeks to solve. The twist is that instead of an island, you’re in space and instead of discussing all possible options, the filmmakers restrict you to one scenario but throw in a few twists and turns as a treat.  The film opens with the crew taking off on a mission to Mars. We hear the different intercoms from mission control and the crew performing final checks and confirmations before they finally embark on a two year journey to the red planet.

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OPINION: A year as bizarre as 2020 deserves an Oscars ceremony to match

What started out as a promising night turned into what can only be called a disaster of epic proportions — and #OscarsSoWhite wasn’t even trending.  The 93rd Academy Awards aired over two months later than usual due to complications caused by the pandemic, resulting in the three-hour-long show falling on the evening of April 25. However, the logistical changes weren’t what made the evening an infamous affair.  The most egregious oversight was certainly the handling of the nomination of late actor Chadwick Boseman, who passed away in August 2020 after battling colon cancer for the previous four years. 

LETTER: UNM must lead the way in addressing climate crisis

The climate crisis will not be solved unless we make changes – personal, social, economic and political. We know that if we continue to burn fossil fuels temperatures will rise to unacceptable levels within our lifetimes. Indeed, New Mexico is already in a megadrought, and forests are disappearing due to wildfire, drought and beetle infestation. So far this year, we have received less than half of the normal precipitation.

LETTER: Dr. Dennis Jackson of the SHC turns 80

Dr. Dennis Jackson, otherwise known as Den, worked at the University of New Mexico Student Health Center for 40 years. That being the case, he’s somewhat of a legend around Albuquerque; many have visited him for medical advice and know his characteristic look from seeing him on and around campus. Den was born on May 6, 1941 and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. He has five brothers, as he’ll sing-songily tell you the order: Biff, Den, Steve, Robert and Randy. His father, Frank, was also a physician (as was his father before him), and his mother Kathleen a nutritionist. They met at Bellevue in New York City while studying in their respective fields. He can recall historic moments growing up, like the civil rights marches in Montgomery with Martin Luther King Jr. and play dates at his friend’s house whose nanny was Rosa Parks. Den attended Vanderbilt University for medical school then eventually made his way west to find more progressive culture after a lifetime of witnessing much racism in the south.

REVIEW: ‘Mortal Kombat’ delivers a much anticipated reboot

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.

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