Written, edited, and reviewed by members of KAMP student radio
This Week in Science
Written by: Rhiannon S. Cox
Published: March 25, 2022
Covid Variants Combining to Create New
You’ve heard of the Delta variant, you’ve heard of the Omicron Variant, now there’s the Deltacron Variant. On February 16th 2022, Bioinformatician Scott Nguyen discovered a new variant with the head of Omicron and body of Delta Variants. But how did this come to be?
When an organism has been infected with more than one variant within a short amount of time, they will inhabit the same cell and fuse together. The two variants will combine in a way that will best infect organisms. Nguyen found a specimen that was mostly Delta, but utilized the spike proteins of Omicron to optimize for infection. A handful of these combination viruses have been found in the United States, while one has been discovered in both the U.K. and Brazil. Hopefully, early detection of these variants will help scientists prepare protocols that will keep people safe.
This Week in Culture/Arts
Written by: Catherine Hill
Published: March 25, 2022
Tucson, Ariz. – Local artists fundraised to support TASSN during KAMP punk rock showcase at Groundworks last Saturday night, a month ago.
University of Arizona’s KAMP radio ensemble Tinfoil Hat, Bennie and Moon Nite performed alongside local Tucson artist Closet Goth to raise funds for the Transgender Asylum Seeker Support Network. The music venue, Groundworks, is located at 2919 E Grant Rd. Tickets were $10 each and all of the proceeds directly supported TASSN. A total of $600 was raised.
According to Juliet Saxton, 24, a volunteer for TASSN, all of the proceeds support housing initiatives for transgender youths seeking shelter in Tucson, Arizona. The initiative serves LGBT+ migrants and creates a safe center for the community. TASSN is merging with Casa Mariposa. Together the group writes letters to those detained by ICE and raises funds to sustain housing projects for POC LGBT+ youth. Saxton is starting a Masters’ in Latin American studies partnered with the school of journalism within the global department next spring at the University of Arizona.
Tinfoil Hat opened with a song about opening your eyes and opening your mind. The second artist, Bennie, began their set by taking a bite out of an onion and then offered their bitten onion to the crowd. Bennie’s song, “Sailing Blues,” conveyed longing within the lyrics: “Take a piece of me with you…where will you head next?” Bennie retold the origin story of their electric guitar, a sparkling blue and white instrument. Bennie bought the guitar from a man in a silver bus who remodified a portion of the guitar with shiny aluminum foil.
Intermission broke up the set list, as audience members moved across the floor to converse with each other.
George Romero began his set with a declaration, “Make up your mind now if you’re going to love or hate it but no in between please,” before launching into an original work in the style of reggaeton beats. An audience member from the far back cried out, “Love it!” Romero’s one man band is named Moon Nite and he serves as the current Alternative Music Director at KAMP radio.
The final artist, Closet Goth, began their set with heavy metal. Half way through their second song, the band abruptly stopped and led the audience into a smaller, dark room. Closet Goth proceed to give a presentation about a proposed murder, passing around a “bloodied” red T-shirt. Closet Goth presented a slideshow of evidence and clues to the audience while the shirt was passed around. The lead singer encouraged the audience members to chant “Admit it Tristan,” while relaying clues. The band accused Tristan, a member of a rival band, of a fictional murder. This comedic bit concluded in an advertisement for Closet Goth’s merchandise.
According to Annika Reimers, the fundraiser was a way to give back to the community. Reimers is the General Manager for KAMP radio. They are an active member of TASSN and wanted to use the concert to assist the group in securing financial stability and housing. This event was the first of the year, and another fundraiser is in the works for the end of May.
All artists performed their own original works at the show. The crowd stood packed shoulder to shoulder. The audience mostly consisted of current and alumni KAMP members. A completed vaccine card as well as a negative COVID-19 test was required prior to admission.
This Week in Politics
Written by: Alex Sanchez
Published: March 25, 2022
Tucson Climate Strike
This Friday, March 25th the “AZ Youth Climate Coalition” is hosting a strike from 2 pm to 5 pm in Downtown Tucson. They will be marching to demand our Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Kyrsten Sinema to support the protection of the Oak Flat and a reduction of plastic and fossil fuel subsidies. The Oak Flat is a piece of land that is about 40 miles east of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest. The land is also a sacred place to Native Americans from around the area. It is currently facing the threat of obliteration due to copper mining. The other half of the purpose of the rally is to reduce fossil fuel usage which has been an issue of the United States for the past few decades or so. If you care about protecting sacred Native American land or the amount of fossil fuel that we use, show up and have fun protesting!
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