I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
"Super Size Me" and "Where In the World is Osama Bin Laden" filmmaker and documentarian Morgan Spurlock’s third season of "30 Days" concludes with an episode covering the month he spent on the Navajo Nation. The FX Network television show will air the show Tuesday. The Web site for th series says that Morgan soon realizes "just how little he knows about the issues facing this tribal culture."
For "30 Days," Spurlock lived with Deborah and Karl Dennison and their children: son Kyle, 25 and daughter Cassidy, 15. Deborah holds a PhD in education and is the superintendent of the Ganado School District; Karl is a physical education teacher at the tribal Dine College and is a renowned rodeo competitor. Despite living on a remote desert ranch, the Dennison family has many of the conveniences of the modern world, yet make great efforts to preserve the ancient traditions and culture of their ancestors.
While on the reservation, Morgan spent time living in a traditional Navajo dwelling called a Hogan, worked at a tire shop and spent several grueling hours in a sweat lodge as part of a "Coyote Ceremony." He also experienced the economic hardships and social crises that are common to reservation life while exploring many misconceptions about Native Americans, according to the show’s official Web site.
He also did an interview with the Farmington Daily Times, where Sprulock says, "It’s like America’s dirty little secret. There’s a lot of things people don’t know about, and the reservation is like a Third World country."
The FX Network show can be seen at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the Farmington area and airs at 11 p.m. for Albuquerque Comcast customers (channel 39). Satellite customers should check their program guide for more information.
