Aaron Cowan - The Daily Lobo

Opinion

International Issue: Column — Esperanto : The universal international language / Kolumno — Esperanto: la universala internacia lingvo

Aaron Cowan and Arono Kovano | April 9

Esperanto is sometimes referred to as “the International Language,” according to esperanto.net. Unlike traditional languages, such as English, Spanish or Chinese, which have naturally emerged over many hundreds or even thousands of years, Esperanto was intentionally invented by one person. Esperanto estas foje nomata "Internacia Lingvo" laŭ esperanto.net. Kontraste al tradiciaj lingvoj, kiel ekzemple la angla, hispana aŭ ĉina, kiuj nature evoluis dum multaj centoj aŭ eĉ miloj da jaroj, Esperanton intence inventis unu persono.

Abbey Willison passes the ball in a game against ACU on Friday, March 30, 2018 at Lucky 66 Bowl.

Sports

Beach Volleyball: Lobos net three wins, one loss in home tournament

Aaron Cowan | April 1

The University of New Mexico’s beach volleyball team turned in a dominant performance in their first home tournament of the season, at the Lucky 66 Bowl outdoor courts, clinching wins against Colorado Mesa University and Abilene Christian University both days, before falling to Arizona State University. These much needed victories pushed UNM’s record to 5-10 in their third week of season play. Head coach Jeff Nelson seemed to express satisfaction with the game results and the venue. “In terms of training and on-court facilities, this is the best place for us to train”, Nelson said of the Lucky 66 Bowl venue. Nelson noted that UNM’s beach volleyball program is relatively new, having just started its fourth season, compared to its indoor counterpart.

Sports

Career Issue: Lobo point guard Hunter Greene transitions from basketball to business

Aaron Cowan | February 5

At 6 feet, 7 inches, former Lobo point guard Hunter Greene is hard to miss. Greene played basketball at UNM from 1983 to 1988, under head coach Gary Colson, getting redshirted in the 1985-1986 season. “It definitely helps to have the height,” Greene said. “I think that’s probably what got me attracted to basketball was my height.” Greene did well on UNM’s team, and said that he thoroughly enjoyed his time there. “I wanted basketball to last longer,” he said. “I graduated as the all-time leading scorer.” From there Greene said he felt that he had to give the NBA a shot and tried out for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Culture

First Poet Laureate of ABQ to give talk at UNM

Aaron Cowan | January 24

Hakim Bellamy, the first Poet Laureate of Albuquerque, will give a talk through the Alumni Association at Hodgin Hall on Jan. 25 on his journey in the creative community, since coming here in 2005. Bellamy, a writer, actor and award-winning activist said these kinds of pursuits were not originally part of his intended career path.

News

What to expect at NM’s legislative session

Aaron Cowan | January 16

New Mexico’s legislative session begins Jan. 16 — to preview the legislative priorities for this session, the Santa Fe Chamber of Commerce invited leaders from the New Mexico State Senate and House of Representatives to provide a public briefing Jan. 11 at the Santa Fe Hilton. Sen. Peter Wirth, the Democratic Majority Floor Leader, described a number of items expected to be on the special session agenda. He said that, due to fluctuations in the price of oil and gas, New Mexico’s budget has experienced a $500 million swing in revenues. This has taken them from a deficit situation to a projected surplus that is expected to be somewhere in the range of $200 to $250 million in new money, meaning that spending is now possible.

Culture

ABQ Nosh Fest celebrates Jewish heritage

Aaron Cowan | January 16

People of all ages and backgrounds packed the Embassy Suites Hotel this Sunday for the first annual Jewish food festival. Dubbed the ABQ Nosh Fest, the event featured over 40 different food vendors and a variety of activities for the whole family, including a photo booth, a kids’ zone and a football “playoff zone,” courtesy of Baillo’s Electronics.

Sports

Football: Gildan festivities kick off with coaches luncheon

Aaron Cowan | December 11

Preparation for the 2017 New Mexico Bowl between Colorado State University and Marshall University officially kicked off this week with the Intralot press luncheon hosted at the Four Hills Country Club. Radio sportscaster and Gildan ESPN Executive Director Jeff Sembieda served as the master of ceremonies, introducing the coaches and athletics directors from each school. He spoke at length about the records that both of these Group of Five teams have achieved and what this bowl game means for New Mexico. “This is a great kickoff for our bowl community and for the media to meet these people and get excited,” Sembieda said. “I love bringing in this intraregional game with two of the most successful group of five teams in conference history”.

Sports

Lobomania exhibit documents UNM sports history

Aaron Cowan | December 5

The University of New Mexico has a rich history of participation in college athletics, and now this story has been chronicled in an exhibit entitled “LOBOMANIA! UNM Sports through the Years”, which will be on display until March 31 of next year in the Frank Waters Room of Zimmerman Library. Pictures and sports memorabilia from the archives at UNM’s Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections have been painstakingly assembled by a team of staff and students lead by University archivist Portia Vescio. In an interview Vescio said, “As the University Archivist my job is to research and work with the university’s historical records. I always knew I was going to do something about UNM sports history.” Vescio went on to say, “I really wanted to show the evolution of sports history [at UNM] from this program where you have one building and you have to put equipment outside because it is too small...It has had its ups and downs and good and bad things have happened...” Indeed, the introductory placard for the Lobomania exhibit acknowledged this fact, stating, “The road to success was rocky at times. Scandal, violations, and mismanagement have been persistent reminders that winning is sometimes more important that sportsmanship”.

Sports

Volleyball: 16-16 for the season with two wins and one loss

Aaron Cowan | November 20

UNM Women’s volleyball completed their season in a week of intense play, routing UTEP and UNLV at home, but falling to the Air Force Academy in their final match. The Lobos now stand at 16-16 ( or .500) for the season and 7-11 in Mountain West play, which puts them 8th in conference rankings. This is the 10th season that Lobo volleyball has achieved at least .500 for the season in the 11 years that head coach Jeff Nelson has led the program. UNM started the week with a match against the University of Texas El Paso Miners at Johnson. Coming off a three game losing streak, the Lobos were desperately hoping to flip that script and they found a way to do just that. In the end the Lobos swept the Miners, who now stand at 6-22 for the season, in three straight sets, 25-16, 25-16 and 28-26. In a press release, redshirt junior Victoria Spragg said, "We've kind of been going up and down...so today was just a little redemption and showing ourselves and the fans that we can play volleyball”.

Culture

Comedic giant David Sedaris visits UNM

Aaron Cowan | November 20

Acclaimed author and comedy writer David Sedaris regaled a capacity crowd at Popejoy Hall with readings from his essays and diaries during his one-night appearance Friday Nov. 17. Audiences roared consistently, as he unleashed a steady stream of his well-tested comedic musings. The crowds seemed rapt by his skillful mixture of sometimes bawdy prose, along with random observations about things such as how toenails taste or how to pronounce “fresh avocados.”