New Mexico Mercury

Feminism revisited on the Albuquerque stage

A full-throated debate over women’s equality might seem to be a pointless rhetorical replay of the arguments of our parents or even our grandparents. But that turns out to be hardly true.

As illustration recall the passage from Just Fly the Plane, Stupid, the new memoir by our own congressman, Republican Steve Pearce, in which he said he and his wife agreed to follow a biblical injection that a woman would follow her husband and be subordinate to him.

A similar theme is debated in Rapture, Blister, Burn, a thoughtful new play at the Aux Dog Theater in Albuquerque’s Nob Hill, which will have its last performances 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday after a three-week run...

Section K: So, Who Are We Saying Goodbye to on Wednesday?

The Pit will fill Wednesday night to honor seniors Kendall Williams and Cameron Bairstow. With both players as candidates for Conference Player of the Year, their distinct journeys have converged this season.        

Growing up as a UCLA fan, Williams committed to the Bruins as a sophomore in high school, but UCLA rescinded the scholarship offer in July before his senior year. Less than four months later, Steve Alford signed Williams, and he made an instant impact starting as a freshman...

She Who Wears the Pants

The headline of the February 20, 2014 issue of La Prensa stated that Daniel Ortega, President of Nicaragua had fired two Cabinet ministers. In the first paragraph of the accompanying article, however, it said that differences with First Lady, Rosario Murillo had led to their ouster. In Nicaragua, a cab driver named Ismael told us, “Whatever she says, he does.” Or to quote a man on horseback in Granada, “It’s she who wears the pants"...

Weekly Poem: Villagrá’s Lament

        I.        Qualacú

the guiding
light of our journey across this
mesquital was
the cerro indio moon’s pale
cantankerous shine.
                                We
followed
Oñate north across
the desert
winds rippled
the river into mud, the
bosque disappeared into
                                      the badlands...

Six Degrees of Separation?

Six degrees of separation has become a cliché, or at the very least a metaphor for the idea that chance and science are linked in connecting us. We are surrounded by a variety of circumstantial evidence attesting to the fact that we touch one another in ways we may find surprising. The oft-mentioned “global village,” and other versions of “togetherness” as desirable states pop up at unexpected times and in the least likely places.

Yet despite the apparent shrinkage of modern day life, we have never been more separate...

El Machete: Tragic Black History

Tragic Black History

The Root Cause of Northern New Mexico’s Drug and Alcohol Problems

A quick perusal of the NM Department of Health Substance Abuse Epidemiological Profile for New Mexico, 2013 shows that NM:

-Has an alcohol-related death rate that’s 1.9 times higher than the national average

-Has the highest drug-overdose rate in the entire country

-Has a suicide rate that’s 2 times the national average

Without any doubt, Northern New Mexico owns the worst reputation for drug-related issues, as Rio Arriba County owns the state’s highest drug related death rate.  The data shows that we, as a community, MUST do something to try and get our drug usage and death rates lowered.  But what do we do?...

Section K: Defending Players or Defending Racism

This week the Lobos won two big games, and their commanding play deserves a column. Unfortunately, other issues need our attention.

As you may know, two controversial images “promoting” the Lobo game at UNLV were tweeted by a self-proclaimed UNLV fan this week. Both images show Hey Reb, the UNLV mascot, holding a leash attached to a Lobo player: one a hunched Jamal Fenton, the other a running Cameron Bairstow. The photos turn my stomach. They are disgusting, sad, and hateful...

The Deportee Chronicles: Life After Diesel Therapy

Fernando Santos’ life these days doesn’t exactly fit his old nickname:“Drifter.” Instead of wandering the land, the former U.S. resident takes care of others who answer the call of the road at the budget hotel he manages in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

An easy-going man with a stocky build and a ready laugh to boot, Santos says he could never imagine how his life would eventually turn out when he was a young man gangbanging on the streets of Los Angeles and Denver...

Axe’s “Make Love, Not War” Superbowl Ad

As part of Axe's #kissforpeace campaign, Axe first debuted this ad for their new product, Axe Peace, on the internet and then revealed a shorter version during the commercial breaks of the Superbowl. The ad’s tagline, “Make Love, Not War,” initially seems to indicate that this ad will be different from Axe’s usual sexist romps. And while the ad does attempt to dismantle stereotypes about race, terrorism, and war, it ends up reinforcing them. In addition, Axe’s portrayal of romance on the battlefield is disturbing for the ways it erases violence against women during war and glorifies colonialism...