Addison Fulton - The Daily Lobo

Culture

The history of the newspaper arts and culture section

Addison Fulton and Dannely Verduzco | July 26

The arts and culture section is a mainstay of many established newspapers. The Daily Lobo is no exception. The New York Times, the Washington Post and Fox News all have arts and culture desks that go by various names. People have been discussing and commenting on culture for as long as it has existed, but the prominence of the culture desk has not always been so universal. There is a delay between the advent of journalism and when journalistic publications began to dedicate print space to arts and culture. Journalism began as far back as 3400 B.C.E., when early civilizations used hieroglyphics in clay to transmit news, according to the Science Survey.

Lobo Louie poses for a photo in The Pit, on April 3, 2018.

Sports

The origin of Lobo Louie

Addison Fulton | July 26

Across the United States, over 172 sports teams – from high school to college to professional – have a wolf as their mascot, according to the Mascot Database. While the University of New Mexico’s mascot is also a wolf, the Lobo has a unique history and connection to New Mexico. UNM was founded in 1889, but for its first 30 years, the University had no official mascot. The sports teams were known only as “The University Boys” or “Varsities,” according to the UNM Traditions website. In the fall of 1920, George S. Bryan, the student manager of the football team and editor of UNM Weekly – which would later become the Daily Lobo – suggested “Lobo” as the name and mascot of the teams.

Culture

‘Return to Reason’ returns to the silver screen

Addison Fulton | July 22

From July 13-15, the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque showed newly remastered and restored versions of four films by 1920s avant-garde filmmaker Man Ray. Ray – or Emmanuel Radnitzky – was a Dadaist-Surrealist filmmaker, painter and photographer, according to manray.net. He was born in Philadelphia but preferred to live and make his art in Paris, where he moved in 1921, according to the website. Ray was initially best known for his photography. He developed art pieces known as Rayogrammes. Ray created Rayogrammes without a camera by exposing an image that was placed directly on photo paper then exposed to light, according to manray.net.

News

The history of presidential assassination attempts

Shin Thant Hlaing and Addison Fulton | July 22

The history of successful and unsuccessful presidential assassination attempts is tied together by threads of lone gunmen and conspiracy theories. The phenomenon, though highlighted by the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on the campaign trail, isn’t new. Donald Trump On July 13, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally, killing Pennsylvania resident Corey Comperatore and clipping the former president in the ear. Crooks fired from the top of a nearby building, which was allegedly outside of the security perimeter set up by the Secret Service, according to a statement the Secret Service gave NBC. The building was meant to be guarded by local police.

News

‘It’s Joever’: Biden drops out of the presidential race

Lauren Lifke , Lily Alexander and Addison Fulton | July 22

On Sunday, July 21, President Joe Biden stepped down from his position as the 2024 presidential Democratic nominee. Shortly after the announcement, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the new nominee. “It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden wrote in a statement posted to X.

Opinion

OPINION: Crybabies and candles

Addison Fulton | July 19

On June 18, singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez released a line of 13 scented candles, each corresponding with a song from her most recent album, “Portals.” Each candle cost a whopping $75 before taxes, shipping and handling, and are now all sold out. The candles come in 4.3-ounce, roughly palm-sized, cracked egg-shaped jars with matching lids to complete the eggs. The scents are relatively unique, with candles featuring smells such as peach skin and marshmallow; yuzu and caramel; and fig with toasted coconut. Many fans questioned or complained about the high price tag, while some defended Martinez’s pricing. Some purchased the candles and were happy with them.

Culture

Business is booming: meet one of Albuquerque’s firework sellers

Addison Fulton | July 8

During the 2024 firework season, predicted firework revenues exceeded $2.4 billion in the United States, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. Different employees at firework vendors get involved in the industry for different reasons, Marcus Muldez, the New Mexico area manager for TNT Fireworks, said. Each year, Americans purchase and light nearly 275 million pounds of fireworks, according to Axios. The majority of these – about 250 million pounds – are bought by individual consumers from firework tents and vendors like TNT, according to Axios. Muldez initially started selling fireworks as part of a church fundraiser. The profit was used to build homes for unhoused families in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.

Culture

Sundance short films hit the Guild

Addison Fulton | July 5

From June 23 to June 27, the 2024 Sundance Film Festival Short Film Tour – created by the nonprofit Sundance Institute – came to the Guild Cinema in Albuquerque. The showcase featured seven short films spanning genre and medium, from animation to documentary. Three of the seven films received awards. “Bug Diner,” directed by Phoebe Jane Hart, won the Jury Award for animation. “Bug Diner” follows three stop-motion couples: a pair of praying mantises in an unhappy marriage, an anteater pining after a squirrel who does not feel the same and a fly in love with a mole with a “hot ass.” The film culminated in an explicit and chaotic ending – especially for a claymation film – as Hart pushed the medium to its limits.

News

Study shows pollutants may contribute to low birth weight in New Mexico

Addison Fulton | July 3

One of New Mexico’s biggest economic industries may also be endangering its youngest residents. The oil and gas industry contributes over $2 billion to the New Mexican economy, according to the Carlsbad Department of Development. However, those industries are significant contributors of “health-damaging air pollutant emissions,” according to PSE Healthy Energy. Oil and gas may also contribute to low birth weights among New Mexican infants, a new University of New Mexico study published in the "Journal of Environmental Management" shows.

News

What Biden’s debate performance means for New Mexicans

Addison Fulton and Nate Bernard | July 3

On Thursday, June 27, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump faced off in the first debate of a tense presidential race. The ripple effects of Biden’s performance in the debate could impact New Mexicans and local political races. Biden underperformed compared to Trump, voters say: 67% of those who watched the debate said they believed Trump performed better, according to a CNN poll. This is an uptick compared to the 2020 debates, when 39% of voters believed Trump won. Biden seemed unfocused and unenergetic through much of the debate, offering a “shaky performance,” according to the Washington Post.