THE HUMAN HEART

As the physical, emotional and functional center of the body, the heart has come to represent the soul of a person. In some of the stories of the saints, there are tales of the heart bearing literal words of God inscribed revealed up death of the saint.

In the case of St Ignatius, given the name “Theophorus,” meaning “God-Bearer,” his heart was untouched by the lions that devoured him, and the gilt words, “Jesus Christ,” could be seen upon his heart by the pagan onlookers.

Later, when the courtly love of medieval times spread through literature and art, the symbol of the heart took on a more earthly meaning of romantic love.



THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS...

Alcohol ruined Kelly and Mason’s life together. Months after their breakup, just as Kelly is in recovery and Mason is hitting bottom, a mutual friend’s suicide brings them back together.

The reunion forces them to confront their life choices, the damage they have done to themselves and others, and the ferocity of the love they shared. We can feel how much they want to be together, even as they both know they’re idealizing the relationship in hindsight. Along the way some emotional bombs drop, threatening to drive both men to the brink.

Writer-director Stanley Bain packs a lot of emotion into 18 minutes, and there are no easy answers here. We’re left to wonder whether Kelly...

Growing up on the Navajo Reservation, Stanley Bain was afraid to dream. The future looked less than hopeful: graduate from Holbrook High School in Arizona, then get a dead-end job there or in some other bordertown. Grander opportunities seemed out of reach.

“I didn’t think I was afforded or had the right to dream,” Bain recalled. “I could maybe find a job in town. I didn’t think I was allowed to dream and do what I wanted to do. I felt alone.”

A lot has changed. Today Bain is realizing his dream of being a filmmaker, working the festival circuit with his short film “Together” and pursuing new projects.

“Together” screened at the Santa Fe Film Festival over the...

Funds from New Mexico MainStreet will help the city complete downtown upgrades

New Mexico MainStreet Awards, a program of the New Mexico Economic Development Department, granted Gallup $100,000 to through the Capital Outlay Program Jan. 14. This program awards funds annually to continue its work on the Coal Avenue Commons Alleyways Project which reached the completion stage of Phase I last summer.

Gallup’s funds will be to fix drainage and flooding issues and make the alleyways more pedestrian-friendly. Utility lines hanging in the alleys will also be buried.

Since the downtown district in Gallup has faced flooding issues, recent upgrades have focused on renovating the storm...