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MLK DAY
Belafonte addresses inequality in keynote Social activist, musician delivers speech to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy By TANAZ AHMED
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Kinesiology sophomore Capri’Nara Kendall participates in a demonstration organized by the Black Student Union in front of Hill Auditorium Monday. As a follow-up to their #BBUM campaign the students announced seven demands and gave University administrators seven days to respond.
Protests call for inclusion BSU demands seven initiatives aimed to improve diversity
By YARDAIN AMRON & CLAIRE BRYAN Daily Staff Reporters
The protest lasted barely ten minutes, but the ultimatum was clear: seven demands, seven days. Coinciding with Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, students from the Black Student Union protested the University’s response to racial issues on campus across Central Campus. As the first wave of students and staff filed out from social activist Henry Belafonte’s keynote address at Hill Auditorium, a line of about 15 students from BSU were waiting on the steps, signs in hand. Engineering junior Robert Greenfield, BSU treasurer, stepped onto a lamppost plat-
form and addressed a crowd of about 30 people. “What brings me here today is not that social action is done. What brings me here today is the unfinished business of the first three fights of the Black action movement,” Greenfield said. LSA senior Erick Gavin, a member of the BSU, took Greenfield’s place on the lamppost and laid out a concrete list of demands, some of which were addressed late last week by the
University. Business senior Shayla Scales, who spoke last, demanded a response from the University’s administration. “We have heard the University use the phrase ‘We are listening’ since 1970, and I am tired of waiting for a response. We are tired of waiting for a response,” Scales said. “We allow the University seven days to end negotiations and to come to conclusions on our seven demands.” See PROTESTS, Page 5A
Daily Staff Reporter
For the 28th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, Harry Belafonte, a social activist and award-winning musician, delivered the keynote memorial lecture at Hill Auditorium. Every year, the University holds the largest Martin Luther King, Jr. Day symposium of any college in the nation. Along with the keynote speech, the University held several other events that examined the symposium’s 2014 theme, “Power, Justice, Love: Heal the Divide.” According to the symposium’s website, the notions of power, justice and love were transformed during the Civil Rights
Movement in the 1950s and 1960s. Together, these changed concepts helped bridge the divide created by racial violence and inequality. Belafonte, a noted singer and songwriter, worked with King and former President John F. Kennedy during the Civil Rights Movement. He was formerly a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, promoting one of the United Nations principal charitable organizations. Belafonte called on the attendees to look for solutions to a variety of systemic problems, ranging from lingering racism to violence agasint women, adding that, “somewhere along the line we (the nation) seemed to have lost our moral compass.” During his speech, Belafonte discussed issues the country currently faces, such as the unequal distribution of wealth and its connection to the prevalence of racism and sexism in popular culture. Belafonte also recounted the See KEYNOTE, Page 5A
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
CAMPUS LIFE
MHacks moves to Motor City for third event
Students develop new video games in contest
Three-day computer programming expo draws 1200 student participants By IAN DILLINGHAM Daily News Editor
DETROIT—While many people from around the nation flooded into Detroit this weekend for the annual North American International Auto Show, a group of computer science students made the journey for a different reason. Hosted by MPowered and Michigan Hackers, MHacks — a three-day computer programming competition and expo — moved to Detroit this semester to better suit the needs and mission of the event. This weekend’s event was the third presentation of the hackathon at the University in the last two years. Following the format of previous years, teams of four stu-
dents, who may not have even known each other prior to the event, were required to brainstorm, design, build and demonstrate a piece of technology within the event’s 36-hour window. While prizes are awarded for the best creations, many participants said hackathons represent the beginning of a transition in how colleges teach computer science. Rather than traditional lecture-style instruction, hackathons focus on the projectbased learning, which many view as more applicable to realworld industries. Engineering junior Dylan Hurd, one of the event’s directors, said computer science program s ac ro s s t he cou nt r y h ave b e en delv i ng in project-based learning — which MHacks demonstrates. “A lot of schools are seeing that learning extends beyond the classroom — it’s about knowing how to work in a real-world environment,” Hurd said. “I think the University does a See MHACKS, Page5A
Wolverine Software hosts intensive 48-hour competition By EMILIE PLESSET Daily Staff Reporter VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Students, faculty fill the Michigan Union’s new Starbucks in its soft opening Monday.
Private preview kicks off opening of new Starbucks Coffee chain serves as final addition to Union eateries By CAROLYN GEARIG Daily Staff Reporter
Let the caffination begin. Or not, decaf’s fine too. Starbucks opened its Michigan Union location at a private preview event Monday morn-
ing and will host its grand opening Tuesday. The coffee chain joined a host of recent additions including Ahmo’s Gyros and Deli and Au Bon Pain. Starbucks occupies the space next the Union Courtyard that previously held Amer’s Mediterranean Deli, which closed in May after its reapplication for the space was rejected. The location will serve coffee beverages, sand-
wiches, baked goods and other items, similar to other locations near campus on South University Avenue and State Street. One unique factor from the other stores, however, is that the Union location will accept Blue Bucks. Michigan Union director Susan Pile said she hoped the addition of Starbucks — as well as Au Bon Pain, which opened Jan. 7 — will bring more activSee STARBUCKS, Page 5A
A video game can take up to 100 professional developers and over a year to create, but this past weekend, 70 University students created them in teams of four in only 48 hours. Wolverine Software, a student group dedicated to the developing video games, ran the 48-Hour Game Jam competition, which began its run Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. and ended Sunday at 7:00 p.m. in the Duderstadt Center on North Campus. At the end of the 48th hour, students played each other’s games and ranked their top three favorites. Judges also scored the games on various aspects including gameplay, creativity and originality, visuals, audio, polish and bugs, and the incorporation of the theme. See GAMES, Page 5A
Upset in Mad-town Stauskas step-back 3-pointer helps Michigan upset Wisconsin
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News
2A — Tuesday, January 21, 2014
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers Before You Were Here
THURSDAY: CampusProfiles Clubs Alumni
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
Are you happy about how the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame has grown and changed under later curators? I have (gone back). It was an exciting and interesting job at the time. But I’ve moved on to a lot
of other things in my life, so that particular element does not hold a lot of interest for me anymore. I’m much more interested in living today than I am in living in the past. Could you speak of your recent studies of Robert Johnson? I have a book that’s going to be coming out: “The Definitive Biography of Robert Johnson.” And I’ve more or less been interested in Robert Johnson for the last 50 years. I think he’s probably the first modern blues artist. And it’s interesting how much mythology American culture has surrounded him with.
Artistically, how does being a youth in 1960s New York compare to living in Ann Arbor now? We’re talking about a 50-year difference. The times have changed. As a result, obviously, I’ve changed. Ann Arbor is a remarkably exciting and vibrant place and I love it here. And I don’t think it would be fair to compare New York City in the ’60s with Ann Arbor in 2010. Each place has its own unique characteristic and history and culture. It’s kind of like comparing apples and oranges. — MAX RADWIN
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Phyllis Meadows, associate dean for practice at the School of Public Health, speaks about community health as part of the University’s 28th annual MLK symposium.
Patient check- Traffic stop out problems trouble
Archaeology of Jerusalem
Masterclass jazz show
WHERE: 1500 East Medical Center WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 19, 9:32 p.m. WHAT: A visitor sleeping in the Medical Center parking deck was arrested for trespassing, University Police reported.
WHAT: A presentation will examine how goals and motives intersect and compete in a city central to three major world religions. WHO: J.P. Dessel, Louis and Helen Padnos WHEN: Today at 4 p.m. WHERE: 202 S. Thayer
WHAT: Han Bennink on percussion and Mary Olson on viola will perform their hard swinging 1960s stlye of music. WHO: The School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 5:30 p.m. WHERE: Moore Building, Rehearsal Hall
Cell phone thievery
WHERE: Law Quad WHEN: Monday around 2 a.m. WHAT: A person was arrested for possession of suspected cocaine and marijuana, University Police reported. He was processed and released.
WHERE: Shapiro Undergraduate Library WHEN: Sunday at 8:05 p.m. WHAT: A cell phone was reportedly stolen from the library, University Police reported. The owner of the phone later called back and said he had found it.
MORE ONLINE Love Crime Notes?
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Controversial Lecture and Coyote Part II recital WHAT: Wildlife biologist Bill Dodge and Holly Hadac give an update on radiocollar tracking studies of coyote activities in Southeast Michigan. WHO: Matthaei Botanical Gardens WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Matthaei Botanical Gardens
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Drugs in the Law Quad
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CRIME NOTES
WHERE: 1137 Ann WHEN: Sunday, Jan. 19 at 1:28 a.m. WHAT: An intoxicated driver was stopped during a traffic stop, University Police reported. The driver was arrested and taken to jail.
FRIDAY: Photos the Week Week Photos of the
KING’S LEGAC Y
Prof. curated notable hall of fame Bruce Conforth is a lecturer in the Department of American Culture and received his doctorate in 1990 from Indiana University. Conforth was the founding curator of the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, and is a director of the Blues Heritage Foundation. He won the Golden Apple Award as the Most Outstanding Professor of 2012.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
WHAT: Jonathan Caldwell will lead a dissertation lecture followed by a performance. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. CORRECTIONS l Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily.com.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Passengers on a flight that landed in Phoenix Saturday were advised to get tuberculosis shots, ABC15 reported. An airline spokesman said a passenger had a “medical issue.” The passenger’s status was changed to no-fly after departure.
2
Michigan wrestling defeated No. 2 Minnesota on Sunday. Freshman Adam Coon successfully defended his status as the top heavyweight in the nation. >> FOR MORE, SEE SPORTS, PAGE 1B
3
NBC News reported that three people were injured when a helicopter was forced to make an emergency landing in Antarctica yesterday. They are currently being treated by the crew of a second helicopter that was flying in tandem.
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Fashion show promotes arts and innovation on campus EnspiRED event makes its eighth apperance on campus By BRIE WINNEGA Daily Staff Reporter
Student models donning undergrad-produced designs stomped down the runway Saturday night. EnspiRED, a student organization that aims to promote artis-
tic expression at the University, hosted the fashion show. Taking place in the Biomedical Science Research Building, it also featured pieces from artists nationwide. The event is traditionally EnspiRED’s biggest of the year, LSA senior Tyrell Collier, EnspiRED production manager and president, said. “We wanted to show that you can be innovative, you can be creative, and you can do things that are outside of the norm,” Col-
lier said. “I feel like when people leave this show this will be something they’ve never seen before on campus.” In its eighth year on campus, EnspiRED donated 15 percent of the show’s proceeds to Art Road Nonprofit, an organization dedicated to funding art classes in southeast Michigan schools that have lost support for their programs. EnspiRED is also planning a trip to Detroit to assist the nonprofit through volunteer work. The majority of the generated money will fund this year’s and next year’s show. The show featured five waves of clothing designs: Liberation, Creation, Innovation, Domination and Live Red Nation. “To ‘live red’ means to be happy, be creative and just be you and do what makes you happy,” LSA senior Danetta Jameson, an EnspiRED model, said. Collier said he hopes to demonstrate the positive influence African American students have on campus through organizations like EnspiRED and its fashion show. “We are a majority Black organization, meaning that our executive board is a majority African Americans,” Collier said. “This is being Black at Michigan to me.” For the first time, Music, Theatre and Dance sophomore Stephon Dorsey had the opportunity to showcase his own clothing designs from his line called Vision by Goodsteph. “I wanted to showcase something that exemplified the whole idea of using what you have to get what you want,” said Dorsey. “At first, it was definitely a little hectic, and I was a little anxious and worried, but once I was able to see everybody on the screen – that was the most glorifying moment of my life.” LSA junior Taylor Clayborne said she enjoyed the outfits, models and venue that the show had to offer. “I think that it’s awesome that they’re using local and student clothing lines,” Clayborne said. “I’m really impressed that this was all student-run.”
REBECCA KEPHART/Daily
UPPER: LSA and School of Music, Theatre, and Dance freshman Aliyah Smith models in EnspiRED’s annual charity fashion show. LEFT: LSA junior Ashley Chimner walks in the show. RIGHT: LSA freshman Ariel Rogan poses on the runway. LOWER: Students attended the fashion show, which was sold out this year.
News
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 — 3A
Orchestra features science community
NEWS BRIEFS PELLSTON, Mich.
Snowfall increases, temperatures set to drop below zero Another round of frigid air is making its way into Michigan, with temperatures expected to drop to double-digits below zero in parts of the Lower Peninsula and up to a foot of snow forecast for some lakeshore areas. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather warning for much of Michigan, predicting brisk winds and temperatures as low as minus 11 in the central Lower Peninsula early Tuesday. Ahead of the cold front, temperatures reached the mid-30s Monday afternoon in parts of southern Michigan. Kalamazoo and Lambertville reported 36 degrees at 1 p.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va.
Legislators push to regulate chemical storage facilities West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin on Monday proposed tighter regulations for chemical storage facilities after a spill contaminated the water supply for 300,000 people. Tomblin, the Democratic governor, urged passage of a chemical storage regulatory program. The bill aims to address shortcomings that allowed 7,500 gallons of coalcleaning chemicals to seep into the Elk River on Jan. 9. Freedom Industries, which owned the plant that leaked the chemicals, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday. Freedom Industries’ safety flaws, including a last-resort containment wall filled with cracks, went largely undetected, because as a facility that neither manufactured chemicals, produced emissions, or stored chemicals underground, it was not subject to environmental regulations, state Department of Environmental Protection officials have said. The chemical that spilled also wasn’t deemed hazardous enough for additional regulation.
WASHINGTON
As states legalize, Obama says pot is better than alcohol President Barack Obama said he doesn’t think marijuana is more dangerous than alcohol, “in terms of its impact on the individual consumer.” “As has been well documented, I smoked pot as a kid, and I view it as a bad habit and a vice, not very different from the cigarettes that I smoked as a young person up through a big chunk of my adult life. I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol,” the president said an interview with “The New Yorker” magazine.
TEHRAN, Iran
U.S., Europe to lift sanctions on Iran in nuclear deal Iran unplugged banks of centrifuges involved in its most sensitive uranium enrichment work on Monday, prompting the United States and European Union to partially lift economic sanctions as a landmark deal aimed at easing concerns over Iran’s nuclear program went into effect. The mutual actions — curbing atomic work in exchange for some sanctions relief — start a six-month clock for Tehran and the world powers to negotiate a final accord that the Obama administration and its European allies say will be intended to ensure Iran cannot build a nuclear weapon. In the meantime, the interim deal puts limits on Iran’s program — though it continues low levels of uranium enrichment. Tehran denies its nuclear program is intended to produce a bomb. —Compiled from Daily wire reports
Musicians range from students to professionals By NEALA BERKOWSKI For the Daily
LILY ANGELL/Daily
University alum Zafar Razzacki, a keynote speaker at the 12th annual South Asian Awareness Network Conference, addressed 144 participants of the SAAN conference this weekend.
Conference explores the gravity of social justice Annual event drew largest crowd in SAAN history with 440 people By ANNA GRAFF Daily Staff Reporter
Beginning Friday and continuing through Saturday evening, the South Asian Awareness Network held its annual social justice conference, entitled “Panorama: Capturing change through the lens of culture” at The Michigan League. Business senior Gaurav Ahuja, co-conference chair, said the conference’s theme encompassed taking one of the first steps towards social change and understanding different communities’ cultures. “Culture has no one set type or definition,” Ahuja said. “There are cultures defined by ethnicity, race, gender, geo-
graphical location, ability and so on. Our culture shapes the choices we make along with the way, and how we perceive the world and each other.” Ahuja added that he would consider this year’s conference “the best yet.” Guest speakers and entertainers for this year’s conference included Sedika Mojadidi, an Afghan-American documentary filmmaker; Bilal Qureshi, a multimedia journalist and reporter for National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”; Gautam Raghavan, an adviser in The White House Office of Public Engagement and Hasan Minhaj, a comedian, actor, host and writer based in Los Angeles. Speakers participated in facilitating two keynote presentations and three workshops on their specific fields throughout the course of the weekend. LSA sophomore Nayeem Huq, who attended the event, said she was inspired by the host of speakers and lecturers.
“This year’s conference has been the best by far,” Huq said. “It’s always an inspiration to hear the shared stories of how speakers have impacted cultural perspectives within their communities.” In addition to 12 speakers, Panorama had a staff of 22 members in charge of planning the event, 34 facilitators, 17 flex members, four social justice team members and nearly 50 mentors and mentees. Conference attendance this year — a reported 440 attendees — was nearly double that of the previous record of 250. Business senior Yash Bhutada, co-conference chair, said the organization has focused on growing over the past year, garnering its largest recorded conference attendance. “We continue to be excited by everything the organization the stands for,” Bhutada said. “This year we focused a lot on visible growth and have had the largest SAAN Conference ever.”
Islamic militants threaten Sochi Winter Olympic games Russia has deployed 100,000 police, soldiers and other forces for security MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s counter-terrorism agency says it’s studying a video posted by an Islamic militant group that asserted responsibility for suicide bombings that killed 34 people last month and is threatening to strike the Winter Olympics in Sochi. Security experts say the Russians are right in taking the threat seriously. The video was posted online Sunday by a militant group in Dagestan, a predominantly Muslim republic in Russia’s volatile North Caucasus. The Olympic host city of Sochi lies only 500 kilometers (300 miles) west of Dagestan. Two Russian-speaking men featured in the video are identified as members of Ansar alSunna, the name of a Jihadist group operating in Iraq. It was unclear whether the men in the video had received funding or training from that group or only adopted its name. There was no confirmation the two men were the suicide bombers who struck the southern Russian city of Volgograd last month as the video claims. Scores of people were also injured by the bombings of a train station and a bus. Russia’s National Anti-Terrorism Committee said Monday it was studying the video and would have no immediate comment. The video couldn’t be viewed in Russia, where Internet providers cut access to it under a law that bans the “dissemination of extremist materials.” In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman Monday said the U.S. has offered support to the Russian government as it conducts security prepara-
tions for the Winter Olympics. Rear Adm. John Kirby said the U.S. will offer air and naval support, including two Navy ships in the Black Sea, to be available if requested “for all manner of contingencies,” in consultation with the Russian government. The video was released by the Vilayat Dagestan, one of the units that make up the socalled Caucasus Emirate, an umbrella group for the rebels seeking to establish an independent Islamic state in the North Caucasus. Doku Umarov, a Chechen warlord who leads the Emirate, had ordered a halt to attacks on civilian targets in 2012. But he rescinded that order in July, urging his followers to strike the Sochi Olympics, which he denounced as “satanic dances on the bones of our ancestors.” The games run from Feb. 7-23. The Kremlin-backed leader of Chechnya claimed last week that Umarov was dead, but the claim couldn’t be verified. The Vilayat Dagestan statement said the Volgograd attacks were carried out in part because of Umarov’s order, but it didn’t specifically say he had ordered them. Dagestan has become the center of an Islamic insurgency that has engulfed Russia’s North Caucasus after two separatist wars in Chechnya. Militants seeking to create an independent state governed by Islamic Shariah law in the Caucasus launch daily attacks on police and other authorities there. One of the two ethnic Chechen brothers accused of staging the Boston Marathon bombings spent six months in Dagestan in 2012. Andrei Soldatov, an independent Moscow-based security analyst, said the video threat need to be taken seriously. “They have capabilities to strike beyond the North Caucasus, which they demonstrat-
ed in Volgograd,” he said. “It’s extremely difficult to stop a ‘lone wolf’ suicide bombing attack.” Georgy Mirsky, a respected Russian expert on the Middle East, said the video reflected the increasingly close ties between Jihadists in the Caucasus and elsewhere. Russia’s war against Caucasus militants has made it an enemy on par with the United States and Israel for militant Islamic groups in the Middle East, he wrote on his blog. Russia has responded to the Islamic threat by introducing some of the most sweeping security measures ever seen at an international sports event. Some 100,000 police, army and other security forces have been deployed, according to analysts, and tight restrictions have been placed on access to the Sochi area. Anyone attending the Winter Olympics has to buy a ticket online from the organizers and obtain a spectator pass that requires providing passport details. Authorities have already barred access to all cars registered outside of Sochi and Russian police have gone house-to-house methodically screening all city residents. Soldatov argued, however, that Russia’s massive security presence at the Olympics could also have an adverse effect. “When you put so many troops on the ground, you might get some problems with the coordination of all these people,” he said. Soldatov noted that the ominous threat of a “present” for the visitors to the Games contained in the video is loosely phrased and could herald an attack outside tightly guarded Olympic facilities. “They never tried to specify the place where they might strike, that’s why everybody
On a blustery Sunday afternoon, more than 300 students and faculty attended the free, semiannual Life Sciences Orchestra concert in Hill Auditorium. LSO is one of the organizations included in the University’s Gifts of Art program, which brings a host of art and music programs to the University of Michigan Health System, according to Elaine Sims, the director of the University’s Gifts of Art. Representing the science and medical communities at the University, the 71 members of the group range from undergraduate students to professors and doctors in the medical field. The orchestra serves as an outlet for the high-stress jobs and intense studies of its members, said LSO co-founder Kara Gavin, who is also lead public relations representative for the University Health System. She also plays the French horn and is a member of the Executive Committee of the LSO. David Brown, associate professor of otolaryngology and a founding member of the LSO, echoed Gavin’s sentiments. “It is a creative outlet for the people playing in it, but it’s also an opportunity for others to hear a performance by their friends, family members and their colleagues, and to showcase their talents,” Brown said. With a theme based on water, the concert included performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s “Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage” Op. 27, Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 73 and Claude Debussy’s “La Mer,” all performed under Music Director Adrian Slywotzky. “I looked at the recent of history of the LSO and tried to explore more composers that the orchestra hadn’t played in the past few years so that the players could have a little bit of variety,” Slywotzky said. “Since we have a long season … it’s important to find music that will keep us engaged for that many hours.” In a lecture before the concert, Slywotzky presented historical information about the music and composers that were featured in the concert. He also prompted the audience to listen for various aspects of the compositions. Gifts of Art is not funded by the University, and therefore relies
on donations from its members and friends and family. For the first time in the concert’s 14-year history, an individual donation underwrote the performance. The donation came from Lester Monts, senior vice provost for academic affairs and professor of musicology. Monts announced earlier this year that he will step down from his administrative position after holding it for 20 years. He will shift his focus to his faculty position and research starting in July. “For me, I’m always a little nervous until the second piece but I thought it (the concert) was lovely,” Sims said. “Every year it gets better.” In preparation for the concert, the LSO practiced almost every Sunday beginning in September. The group will continue practicing for their next free and public concert on April 27. Brown said LSO formed when he decided to expand his “doctor’s quintet” into something larger so that others could also contribute. “I met with Elaine Sims and Kara Gavin and a few others in August of 2000,” he said. “We scurried and had auditions (for the LSO) that September and that’s when the orchestra started.” In the beginning, the orchestra was going to be for leisurely activity, to get together and play music, according to Surgery Prof. Robert Bartlett, a founding member of the group. “After the first couple of weeks we said, ‘Alright, we have to play at some point,’” he said. All LSO members and aspiring members have to audition yearly for a chance to perform with the group. The process involves playing an intricate piece of music for the music director and one member of the executive committee. “There is that strange connection between medicine, music and science, and so there are just so many people who are … just thrilled to be able to have music back in their lives because of the LSO,” Sims said. LSA sophomore D’Arcy Cook said she has been playing with the LSO since she auditioned her freshman year. “When I was in high school my French horn teacher helped me explore possible ways to keep playing French horn even though I didn’t want to be a music major,” Cook said. “There was campus orchestra and everything but one of the orchestras that’s good for the science people is LSO, so that was one of the three or so orchestras that was an option for me.”
MICHIGAN IN COLOR Want to be a part of a new and exciting project? MiC is a designated space for and by the University’s students of color, where they can voice their opinions and share perspectives and experiences that may be overshadowed by dominant narratives on campus. We’re looking to build a team of passionate, creative contributors to share their stories and thoughts. If interested, please e-mail michiganincolor@umich.edu to request an application!
Opinion
4A — Tuesday, January 21, 2014
MEGGIE RAMM
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com E-mail Meggie at roseraam@umich.edu
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Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
RIMA FADLALLAH, JERUSALIEM GEBREZIABBER AND KAYLA UPADHYAYA | MICHIGAN IN COLOR
FROM THE DAILY
Let’s talk about race
Emergency re-evaluation The ‘U’ needs to have a definitive policy in place for emergencies
T
he University reopened for the winter term on Jan. 8 and remained open that week in the middle of extremely frigid temperatures brought on by the “Polar Vortex” storm. Though there is an emergency closure policy in place in the University’s Standard Practice Guide, the current policy isn’t specific enough and doesn’t include a comprehensive action plan. According to Provost Martha Pollack, the University didn’t have the “appropriate mechanisms” to close campus during the week of the storm. The existing policy needs to be reevaluated in order to ensure the University is prepared for emergencies with the safety of students and employees in mind. The current University Standard Practice Guide is vague regarding closure protocol. According to the policy, in circumstances which include severe weather, “some or all services may be discontinued or reduced.” Likewise, a closure “may include the cessation of non-essential services.” However, the University hasn’t definitively distinguished between essential and non-essential staff. The well-being of students should seriously be evaluated when reconsidering the policy. According to the Ann Arbor Public Schools’ unsafe weather guidelines, K-12 schools are mandated to close when the “temperature and/or wind chill are below -20ºF.” Similarly, a wind chill advisory by the National Weather Service goes in effect when wind chills are 15 degrees below zero or lower. Other Michigan institutions have already implemented extreme weather policies which address issues that the University’s existing policy does not. Both Eastern Michigan University and Michigan State University have policies that provide various communication channels to alert both employees and students about campus closings. Michigan State’s policy even specifies that all departments are forced to have emergency plans in place that include identifying essential employees.
Closure and evacuation policies are especially important for the University around term breaks since a majority of the current student body are long distance travelers — about 57 percent of students are out-of-state residents and 9 percent are international students. Since the reopening of the University coincided with severe weather this year, many students had difficulty returning to Ann Arbor. The many unexpected travel delays also created issues with the academic policy. The first classes of the semester are often used to measure student attendance and track waitlisted students. In an e-mail sent to all students on Jan. 7, Dean of Students Laura Blake Jones wrote that students shouldn’t be dropped if they were unable to attend their first class meetings. However, according to student accounts, some smaller classes such as discussion sections and English classes were hesitant to follow the suggested rule modifications. The modified class drop policy should be made universal throughout the University and be strictly enforced in all departments. By including specific definitions of severe weather and closure policies, the University would ensure the safety of students and employees alike during emergency situations.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Nivedita Karki, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Michael Schramm, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe SAMUEL MYERS | VIEWPOINT
Deprived of diversity
Last November’s BBUM hashtag that took over social media for a few days temporarily made room for a dialogue about the lack of diversity at the University of Michigan. Occurring simultaneously with similar movements at other large universities, much attention became focused on the general and widespread lack of diversity in higher education. It seemed that, for a moment, we, as a university but also as a nation, were poised to call into question our education and what it was doing to foster a more racially aware and equitable world. Unfortunately, as most internet-fueled movements do, the BBUM hashtag lost its luster. The discussion about the severe lack of diversity at the University fell back into the depths of academia and modern civil rights discourse, both of which are regrettably not sexy enough for “news” — CNN, MSNBC, let alone FOX News. Though I felt very personally connected to the movement, my own vigor faded too — admittedly, it was finals time, and so my anxieties and attention were elsewhere. This is a new semester, though, and I do not yet have a paper assigned. I have also been presented with an opportunity to reconsider and criticize what my university is doing to fight institutional, subtle and the many other iterations of racism. I am in my third class within the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies. In DAAS, I have found the most talented, critical and personable professors of any that I’ve encountered at the University. I have also found that discussions are livelier than in any other department and that students feel very legitimately connected to the material. Some things that I have not found: people majoring in business or economics, people majoring in engineering, people majoring in math or people majoring in science. I cannot speak to the actual frequency with which business or engineering students take DAAS classes — or any other courses that deal very intimately with the United States’ blatant
and undeniable history of racial inequality. I can, though, speak from my own experience and also from these departments’ degree requirements. Undergraduate engineering students need only complete three credits in humanities. In LSA, to get a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree, students must take but one “Race & Ethnicity” course. And speaking from experience with many students, these small opportunities — to enhance one’s understanding of how race inflects politics, economics and social life — are often spent in search of easy A’s to counteract the wanton grading in science and math departments. If we aren’t taught in college — though earlier would be better — that racism is not gone or, for that matter, that unfettered capitalism is producing more and more discrepancy and stratification in wealth, then these injustices are doomed to continue. In light of the #BBUM movement and my own experiences, I am prepared to ask, what is the University really doing to fight racism, poverty and inequality? What is any university or business school doing? If these things are not central to every college student’s education, then what are the real prospects of achieving a better world? Or perhaps I’m mistaken in assuming that is the goal. I know, too, that the opposite argument could be brought against me. After all, I can admit that I have never taken a college-level math or accounting course, and most LSA students probably do not. Granted, our abilities to calculate an integral or balance checkbooks may very well suffer. But thousands of future doctors, executives, economists and programmers — indeed high-paid and powerful people — graduate every year without knowing anything about the War on Drugs and that hundreds of thousands of minorities are in prison for petty drug offenses, their families and communities devastated as a result. Who suffers then? Samuel Myers is an LSA junior.
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MiC check 1, 2. 1, 2. Can you hear us? Because we’re here. We are Michigan in Color, the Daily’s first opinion section designated as a space for and by students of color at the University of Michigan. Welcome! MiC is a place for people of color to voice their opinions and share experiences that are overshadowed by dominant narratives — or the history, stories and perspectives that privilege conformity and make it into the mainstream, marginalizing all other narratives in the process. We hope MiC will elevate conversations on race, identity, liberation and social justice while engaging specifically with communities of color on campus. Race is a topic that can elicit several different emotions; from shame, pride, anger, confusion, love, discomfort, or all of the above — this space is here to explore it all. We want to unearth “taboos.” We want the topics that feel a bit too coarse to talk about in a crowded coffee shop to roll right off your tongue in this safe space. We want to challenge the historical whiteness of The Michigan Daily by creating this long-needed space that will hopefully lead to a more inclusive newsroom and a better informed campus. To kick off this exciting new project, we will start at the roots of MiC: What exactly does “person of color” mean? Person/people of color — or PoC — is a blanket term typically used to refer to all non-white individuals. The term is far from perfect. Just look at the definition: It doesn’t say what we are, but rather points to what we are not. As with any umbrella term, using the label PoC runs the risk of collapsing many diverse and complex identities and experiences into one
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am most at home when I am traveling between places. In the eighteen years it took me to come to this realization, I spent hundreds of hours on airplanes, coming and going between the cities and countries I grew JULIA up in. As “third culture kids,” ZARINA my friends and I moved as easily between time zones and continents as we did between languages, currencies and cultures. Growing up, we collected information the way some people collect postage stamps. We could both curse and say “I love you” with conviction in a dozen languages and eat our meals just as comfortably on the floor with our hands as with chopsticks at a table. Like staring at a square-inch sepia print of some distant monarch and wondering about the place the letter came from, I liked having just enough information about something to be intrigued by the larger concept it represented. My motivation to be better was always the pursuit of something just out of reach — if I had all of something, there was nothing left of it to want — and so I drifted happily from place to place and from person to person. I was content with the balance my friends and I existed in. We belonged nowhere and everywhere at the same time. For many of us, going “home” was the hardest part. It meant trying to make sense of a culture you were inherently supposed to understand and love, even when that culture sometimes made little effort to return the sentiment. I had endless questions, some big, some small. What was that song on the radio? Would wearing my favorite salwar kameez be unwelcome appropriation of a culture no stranger would immediately associate me with? Being “American” seemed to require full commitment
falsely homogenous and broad group. Many different identities exist under the PoC umbrella, and we will never suggest that all PoCs have the same experiences, beliefs or priorities, just like we will never deny that differences and hierarchies exist within the phrase itself. How can any phrase encompass the experiences of a group of people so diverse? It can’t, so in introducing this space, we must first recognize the limitations of the phrase “people of color.” Instead of relying on this very general and oversimplified phrase to identify us, we appreciate the power of personal narrative in making our individual voices and specific experiences heard, debunking myths and unpacking stereotypes in the process. “Unfortunately, so many times, people of color hear the term ‘people of color’ from other white people that (PoCs) think white people created it instead of understanding that we self-named ourselves,” Loretta Ross, a reproductive rights activist said in a talk about feminism. “This is term that has a lot of power for us.” The dominant narrative often excludes and silences the diverse experiences of PoCs, both on and off campus. Through MiC, we hope to open one avenue through which PoCs on campus can make their voices heard. All posts published on MiC are written and edited by PoCs, making this a space that is truly ours. On a campus that is 72.6 percent white, having a space just for students of color isn’t just important; it’s essential for our survival and thrival on campus; this space is radical. MiC isn’t a diversity project, because diversity is just about numbers, and our vision is much bigger than any set of statistics. First and foremost, we hope MiC will create
a space where we, as people of color, are free to unapologetically express and be ourselves as we discuss our ideas, goals, dreams and experiences while fostering this collaborative and creative space. Not everything in this space will tackle heavy issues (we are people, after all), but we expect that many of our posts will be powerful and provocative, discussing marginalized and trivialized topics like anti-Blackness, internalized racism and University policies on “diversity and inclusion” that so desperately need to be part of the larger conversation on campus. We also want this to be a safe space for both our writers and readers, and personal attacks will not be tolerated. This is a platform for speaking out about the lived experiences of students on campus, both good and bad, in whatever creative form writers see fit. We aren’t hostile assailants but pursuers of whispered memories as a source of change instead of shame. As the founding editors of Michigan in Color, this project means a lot to us. We’re excited; we’re ready. If you’re interested in joining our team as a regular contributor, e-mail us atmichiganincolor@umich.edu to request an application. If you’re a PoC who doesn’t want the commitment of contributing regularly, this space is yours to claim whenever you feel so inclined — just e-mail us your posts! Otherwise, we hope you become a part of this community by engaging with our posts and continuing the conversations beyond this space. Pick up the MiC and share your voice. Rima Fadlallah is an LSA senior, Jerusaliem Gebreziabher is an LSA senior and Kayla Upadhyaya is a Public Policy senior.
Flying home to an identity that was clearly laid out in movies, in speech, in beliefs. Otherwise, your American-ness came with some qualifiers. Sometimes I catch myself making up easier truths. I tell people I grew up in Texas, which, in the Midwest, is just unusual enough to invite neither suspicion nor familiarity. Adapting to a new identity comes naturally, something everyone who comes to school here has done to some extent. For me and many others, it can be tempting to lose the more complicated pieces of our identity in favor of such a well-accepted new one. We can’t proudly make our own hands into maps of Michigan — maps of our home — when we are questioned and say “Here. This is where I’m from. This is me.” The walls in my room are filled with dozens of pictures — camels at the market, my sister and I in matching galabeyas, old friends, old lovers — not because I want to relive the past, but because I don’t want to forget it. My home isn’t as much a place as it is moments in time that are impossible to return to. Airports are the first home of any third culture kid and are perfect environments for the kind of self-reflection that is difficult to do in a place like a university, where you are supposed to be unwaveringly true to an identity. I find myself focused on tiny details about people in a place where fleeting impressions are the only impressions. There are people who roll their sleek suitcases through terminals with a stride that carefully implies they are very busy and their suits are very expensive. I wonder if they think of themselves the way that the woman working the end of the night shift who sold them coffee thinks of them. Is the way I walk desperate to convey that every adjective I embody was hard-won? When people look at me, does a single phrase jump to mind? I’ve always loved airports because they were our whole lives condensed, sped up and laid out before us for examination like film on an editor’s table. A rush of lan-
guages, destinations, stories never heard in full, and small corners of the world you come to know impossibly well for an hour or two. Every person passing by is unknown: in your life for a brief, shared experience and then gone again. On the plane, the comfortable myopia fades away. As we gather speed and the dots of city lights blur into lines through the window, there’s an ambiguous sense of loss and a familiar melancholy — a nostalgia for a time that hasn’t passed yet. I am never conscious of where I am going or where I am leaving but I am infinitely aware of hurtling towards some great and obscure unknown, as though if the engines were to suddenly cut out the plane could just as easily fall to earth as it could void the laws of gravity and fall up in to the sky, an accidental spaceship destined for some nameless galaxy. I once heard someone say that they imagined dying to be a little like that and I think it must be true. It’s a little like being born, I guess, too. Or a little like falling in love. Or any number of our most important occurrences. When you overthink your sense of time, the other five fade out. With this comes the inevitable epiphany that I will never have a moment of certainty that isn’t already in the past. From the ground it seems fatalistic and terrifying, but in the air it’s an entirely different matter. Without deciding, I have an innate resolve to do all the things a person with no fear of the unknown should do. I will run to the person I love and tell them; I will admit to any insecurity. Instead of the usual prayers to my gods — the gods of shooting stars and shiny pennies — to help direct the outcome of things I personally cannot, I think of all the times I’ve been there before. Every culture, every country, every new friend, new class and new plan I couldn’t predict the ending to. In the uncertainty I am resolutely, perfectly at home. — Julia Zarina can be reached at jumilton@umich.edu.
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GAMES From Page 1A First place winners were given a trophy, medals and first picks from a table holding prizes ranging from video games to t-shirts and pens. Mini-achievement awards were also given out so all participants received a prize. Some of the prizes included a gold-painted rock for the team that had the most solid game idea and a gold-painted Monster drink for the person who stayed up the longest. The event has grown since its inception in 2004. This year’s competition included nine more students than last year’s event and 41 more students than two years ago. In addition to creating a complex game in a brief period of time, students incorporated a theme reveled at the beginning of the event. This year the theme was “separate.” Engineering freshman Alex Dishaw and his team incorporated the theme by giving their game’s character the ability to separate his torso from the rest of his body. “This is my first time I’ve made a video game and it’s really, really fun,” LSA junior Hope Tambala
STARBUCKS From Page 1A ity into the Union. The two establishments will share a seating area. “I think they will both be great places to hang out, study, meet friends and gather with student organizations,” she said. Business junior Michael Proppe, Central Student Government president, agreed, adding that he hoped the two could generate more activity in the Union. “There are so many student organizations housed here,” Proppe said. “I don’t think a lot of students know the Union outside of the food court in the basement. But these are going to be very popular with a lot of students, bringing them through so they can see the other stuff that’s going on here as well.” Starbucks will be open from 7 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. on Sundays and is expected to appeal to late night studiers. Renovations to the space preserved historic details of the 95-year-old building while making some changes to conform to the traditional Starbucks atmo-
KEYNOTE From Page 1A last time he worked with King before his assassination. At the time, King told him, “I’ve come to the realization that I think we are integrating into a burning house.” To save the country from the painful ending, King said to Belafonte that they must become firemen. He continued King’s metaphor and stated that the only way to become firemen and save the nation from being consumed by its problems of poverty, racism and sexism was for people to take responsibility for their actions and the world around them. “We can ignore our responsibilities and pay the price, but I think there’s still time for us
said. “Hearing my music and playing the game that I helped design is really cool.” Engineering junior Austin Yarger, WSOFT president, said the ideal team is comprised of two programmers, an artist and a musician. However, not all teams had experience in some of the roles and many participants were forced to test their abilities in new roles. “That is kind of part of the fun of game development,” Yarger said. “You often are exposed to so many different industries and art forms that may be out of your comfort zone. You learn a lot. It’s wonderful.” While participants are allowed to leave at any time during the competition, some competitors made themselves comfortable in various corners of the Duderstadt Center and stayed overnight. Engineering junior Robert Reneker came to the event prepared to sleep in the library both nights. While his teammates went home, he laid out a few blankets and slept on the floor. “I liked the idea of sleeping here and staying the night,” Reneker said. “I could just get right up and go straight to work once I got up in the morning.”
VIRGINIA LOZANO/Daily
Award-winning social activist Harry Belafonte speaks at the keynote memorial lecture of the Martin Luther King Jr. symposium at Hill Auditorium on Monday.
PROTESTS From Page 1A sphere. Store manager Nikki Beaudry, who has nine years experience working for the company, said she is excited because of the unique location and customer base of a college campus. “I think it’s a great place to be,” she said. “I love the young atmosphere and I’m excited we can be a place for students to come study and drink coffee, not only students but administrative people and people in the community as well. We’re unique because we’re the first Starbucks ever to be in the Michigan Union, and we’re a little different looking than other Starbucks because we still have that historical feel with a little bit of the pop of the modern Starbucks.” As a part of its opening festivities, Starbucks will hand out free tall coffees from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Wednesday, and samples of sandwiches, espresso and blended beverages from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Pile said she has high hopes for the coffee chain’s newest location. “I think food is a really key component in bringing people together,” Pile said. “Coffee in particular helps drive community building which is really what the Union’s all about.”
to sit and seriously take stock of what’s going on,” Belafonte said. “Because this inclement weather we are experiencing, it’s our fault, let no one tell you differently. It is up to us to find the moral center.” LSA sophomore Queosha Jones said she was glad she could learn from someone who was friends with King and was actually a part of the civil rights movement. “There’s still a lot of change that needs to happen and I think young people have to try to make that happen,” Jones said. Belafonte encouraged the new generation of young men and women to look to historical figures such as King, Nelson Mandela and W.E.B. DuBois for inspiration on how to take action. “How do we fix things? Let’s get back to what we know how to do.”
Scales ended her speech by promising “physical actions” against the University and increasing activism if negotiations are not concluded within the given timeframe. In a letter delivered to University President Mary Sue Coleman and the University’s Board of Regents late Monday, the BSU clarified that if the University does not comply with their seven demands, they will be forced to increase “physical activism for social progress” on campus. The deadline given at the protest is Jan. 27 by 5 p.m. The protest comes on the heels of the University’s newlyannounced plan of action to combat diversity issues on campus. An e-mail Thursday night from Provost Martha Pollack outlined new initiatives including improvements to the Trotter Multicultural Center and the creation of a new leadership position to help combat low minority recruitment. “This commitment is longstanding and fundamental to who we are as an institution,” Pollack wrote. “And yet, there are times we have not lived up to our highest aspirations.” However, LSA senior Tyrell
MHACKS From Page 1A great job and other universities around the country are quickly adapting as well.” Many of the event sponsors used MHacks as a venue to recruit future talent to their companies. The companies observed participants solve problems and present solutions in real time, Hurd said. “You have to go actually apply what you’ve learned in a real-world setting, solve unexpected problems, encounter new obstacles that you didn’t see coming and work in a team more often, which is absolutely essential to the real world,” he said.
Collier, BSU speaker, said Thursday that the BSU was not consulted before the announcement, even though it explicitly acknowledged the #BBUM campaign. The movement, which was led by the BSU in November, received national media attention and shed light on the experiences of many Black students on campus. The list of demands was subsequently tweeted under the trending BBUM hashtag: - We demand the University to give us an equal opportunity to implement change. The change that complete restoration of the BSU’s purchasing power through an increased budget would obtain. - We demand the University available housing on central campus for those of lower socioeconomic status at a rate that students can afford to be a part of university life, and not just on the periphery. - We demand for an opportunity to congregate and share our experiences in a new Trotter (Multicultural Center) located on central campus. - We demand an opportunity to educate and be educated about America’s historical treatment and marginalization of colored groups through race and ethnicity requirements throughout all schools and colleges within the University.
- We demand the equal opportunity to succeed with emergency scholarships for black students in need of financial support, without the mental anxiety of not being able to focus on and afford the University’s academic life. - We demand for increased exposure of all documents within the Bentley (Historical) Library. There should be transparency about the University and its past dealings with race relations. - We demand an increase in black representation on this campus equal to 10 percent. “The University should invest in our well-being because we invest in it,” Scales said. “Because after all the struggle of being brown and Black on this campus, in the end, we still bleed the same colors as everyone else — maize and blue.” The BSU protestors quickly dispersed after Scales concluded her remarks. The majority of attendees from Belafonte’s lecture left the building after the protest was over. LSA sophomore Alexis Farmer, a student who observed the protest, was skeptical that action will be taken in seven days. “Realistically, some of the demands were stated in the first movement,” Farmer said. “That was over 30 years ago and we are still having the same problems.”
LSA senior Ravon Alford, another student who observed the protest, was more optimistic. “I think it is possible because if BBUM can receive national recognition within a few hours in one day. Seven days is enough time for this video that they made to just take the media by storm and for it to be taken to the administrators of this university,” Alford said. “We need more diversity on campus to make this an enjoyable experience for all students of all racial backgrounds.” A second protest by BAMN, an advocacy group that protest in favor of affirmative action policies, began shortly after the BBUM rally. The organization is part of a national group with chapters on college campuses and the country. Students held signs and chanted down South State Street, up North University Avenue and through to the Hill neighborhood. The event came after Friday’s protest in the Diag, which called for similar actions. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments for Schuette v. Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action in October. The case questions the legality of Proposal 2, a 2006 amendment to the Michigan State Constitution that banned the consideration of race in the college admissions process, among other factors.
This year’s event was held in the Qube — the Quicken Loans headquarters. Dan Gilbert, founder and chairman of Quicken Loans, worked closely with the organizers to promote the city’s resurgence, a mission he supports through Opportunity Detroit, a subsidiary of Quicken Loans that works on a variety of restoration and revitalization projects around the city. Business and LSA junior Lucy Zhao, one of the event’s coordinators, said Detroit was a logical choice for the event, given the University’s close ties to the city. “Detroit is a big part of the University of Michigan identity and the Ann Arbor community and we thought it was a great opportunity to show
off the city,” Zhao said. “A lot of the time, people around the country only hear of Detroit as dangerous and bankrupt — they only hear bad news about it.” Zhao said the combination of the Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend and Detroit Auto Show seemed like the opportune moment to reverse some of the public misconceptions regarding the city. “The great thing about an event like MHacks is that we can bring 1,200 real talented, top engineers from around the country and world to this location,” Zhao said. “It’s a great opportunity to show off the entrepreneurial renaissance that’s happening in Detroit — tons of startups, venture capital and new investments — that a lot of people don’t know about.”
This year’s winning creation was “Workflow”, an iPad application that allows users to create and execute a complex series of tasks using simple drag-and-drop controls.
911 recordings related to two exorcism deaths released in Md. Reports revealed after police charge suspects with murder
GERMANTOWN, Md. (AP) — Montgomery County Police have released 911 calls related to the deaths of two children in Maryland, deaths police attributed to two women who believed they were performing an exorcism. The release of the recordings Monday comes two days after police charged Monifa Sanford and Zakieya Latrice Avery with killing two of Avery’s children, ages 1 and 2. The women are also facing attempted-
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 — 5A
murder charges for injuring the children’s siblings, ages 5 and 8. Police had said previously that they were called Thursday to the Germantown home where the women lived after a 911 caller reported a child unattended in a vehicle. By the time the police arrived, the child was no longer in the car and no one answered the door at a nearby home. Police returned Friday when a neighbor called 911 after noticing a car with the door open and a knife that appeared to have blood on it. That’s when the children were found dead inside a nearby home. Police said they suffered multiple stab wounds. In a 911 phone call from Thursday about 10:15 p.m., a male caller reports
a baby being left unattended in a blue Toyota Corolla. While the man is talking to the operator, he reports that two women have come out for the child and are “attacking” the caller and walking after him. He can be heard telling someone, “You need to back up off me, ma’am” and “A baby in the car for an hour is my business.” He later tells the 911 operator that one of the women is talking to herself. 911 recordings released in Md. exorcism deaths In a 911 call from 9:30 a.m. Friday a female caller reports seeing a blue Toyota with a door open and a knife with blood on it. “I heard loud noises in the night,” says the woman, a neighbor. She adds that she heard what
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6A — Tuesday, January 21, 2014
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Judge resigns after emails reveal racist bias in court issues Hundreds of racist messages prompt investigation into past rulings HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A former Montana judge who was investigated for forwarding a racist email involving President Barack Obama sent hundreds of other inappropriate messages from his federal email account, according to the findings of a judicial review panel released Friday. Former U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull sent emails to personal and professional contacts that showed disdain for blacks, Indians, Hispanics, women, certain religious faiths, liberal political leaders, and some emails contained inappropriate jokes about sexual orientation, the Judicial Council of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found. Many of the emails also related to pending issues that could have come before Cebull’s court, such as immigration, gun control, civil rights, health care and environmental issues, the council found in its March 15, 2013, order. The investigation looked at four years of Cebull’s personal correspondence sent from his official email account. Investigators also reviewed his past cases and interviewed witnesses. The investigation found no evidence of bias in Cebull’s rulings or sentences, and the witnesses generally regarded him as a “good and honest trial lawyer, and an esteemed trial judge,” according to the report. The 9th Circuit council issued Cebull a public reprimand; ordered no new cases be assigned to him for 180 days; ordered him to complete training on judicial ethics, racial awareness and elimination of bias; and ordered him to issue a second public apology that would acknowledge “the breadth of his behavior.” The panel said impeachment
was not warranted because Cebull did not violate federal or state law, though two of the judges on the council said they would have asked for his resignation. But none of the sanctions took effect and the findings did not become public until Friday on the order of a national judicial review panel. Cebull announced his resignation March 29, two weeks after the judicial council issued its order. After Cebull retired May 3, the 9th Circuit council vacated its previous order and wrote a new one calling the complaints against Cebull “moot” because of his retirement. The panel also omitted details from the original unpublished order about the other emails Cebull had sent. That prompted Judge Theodore McKee, the chief judge of the 3rd U.S. Circuit, to file a petition with the national Judicial Conference’s Committee on Judicial Conduct and Disability, asking the committee to review the council’s work and publish the original March 15 order. Judge McKee argued that the 9th Circuit council’s subsequent rulings inappropriately concealed its original findings. The 9th Circuit Council told the national review panel in response that it sought only to disclose enough about the investigation to ensure the public knows the matter was taken seriously, and it did not intend to publish the original order. The national committee ruled that Cebull’s retirement only affected the sanctions, but the factual findings and legal conclusions of the investigation must still be published. “The imperative of transparency of the complaint process compels publication of orders finding judicial misconduct,” the national judicial panel wrote in its decision. A phone number listed under Cebull’s name was disconnected Friday, and an after-hours phone call to the U.S. District Court in Billings went unanswered.
JASON GETZ/AP
Elder Cal Murrell reacts to a speaker during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday commemorative service at Ebenezer Baptist Church Monday in Atlanta. The service at the church where King preached featured prayers, songs, music and speakers.
Civil rights leaders remember MLK legacy, discuss work left to be done National movement seeks to expand on half century of achievements ATLANTA (AP) — As the nation remembered and reflected Monday on the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., leaders and everyday Americans talked about how far the country has come in the past 50 years and how much more is to be done. At Ebenezer Baptist Church in King’s hometown of Atlanta, civil rights leaders and members of King’s own family spoke about poverty, violence, health care and voting rights, all themes from the civil rights struggle that still resonate to this day. “There is much work that we must do,” King’s daughter Bernice King said. “Are we afraid, or are we truly committed to the work that must be done?”
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
DOWN 1 Run the kingdom 2 Electron home
3 Webster’s, e.g.: Abbr. 4 Essen exclamation 5 Madison Square Garden hockey team 6 Drop in on 7 What you pay 8 Piña colada liquor 9 Konica __: Japanese conglomerate 10 Happen next 11 Business letter abbr. 12 On a __-to-know basis 13 Camera types, for short 18 “A snap!” 19 Missouri range 23 Potato chip flavor, briefly 24 Prophet whose name sounds like a mineral 25 __ nova: Brazilian music genre 26 Exemplary 27 Viking language 28 Hula or hora 29 Travels with the band
30 Binge 31 Lowly laborers 33 Beijing-born martial arts actor 34 Apartment contract 36 Stopped the ship, in nautical lingo 39 Still on the plate 40 Bar sing-along 43 Expanse near the Capitol, with “the”
44 Coke competitor 45 Churlish types 46 Sales slip: Abbr. 47 “... __ saw Elba” 48 “Auld Lang __” 49 Tub toy 50 Pinball foul 51 __ of Wight 52 Eye sore 54 Last letter, in Leeds 55 Some refrigerators
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Iran, Syria to enter discussion at World Economic Forum
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“I think that more than just saying kind thoughts about him we ought to take action ourselves,” said Deal, a Republican. “That’s how we embed truth into our words. I think it’s time for Georgia’s leaders to follow in Dr. King’s footsteps and take action, too.” In the fall, a statue of 19th century white supremacist politician and newspaperman Tom Watson was removed from the Capitol. Deal also touched on criminal justice reforms his administration has tried to make, including drug and mental health courts, saying too many people are not being rehabilitated in prisons. “Let’s build a monument, but the monument should inspire us to build a better world,” said the Atlanta event’s keynote speaker, the Rev. Raphael Warnock. He also said the growing disparities in income, opportunity and health care are indications of a continuing struggle for equality decades after King’s death.
HELP WANTED
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
ACROSS 1 Speeder’s undoing 6 TiVo ancestor 9 Wherewithal 14 Erie Canal city 15 Letters for debtors 16 Big name in computer chips 17 Sighting in the Scottish Highlands 20 Accident scene fig. 21 Gallop or canter 22 “By Jove!” 23 Cream of the crop 24 Like plugs vis-àvis outlets 25 Using only ones and zeros 28 __-cheap: for a song 29 Recipe amt. 32 Air freshener targets 33 Sighting in Douglas, Wyoming 35 Belgrade citizen 36 Singer Horne and actress Olin 37 Continental coin 38 Sighting in the Pacific Northwest 40 Grammy winner Carpenter 41 Pub brew 42 Christie’s “Death on the __” 43 Large crowds 44 Mani’s salon gowith 45 Uncovered 46 Find a new table for 49 Gaucho’s weapon 50 “__ the season ...” 53 One studying this puzzle’s sightings 56 “Je __, donc je suis”: Descartes 57 Corn unit 58 Shade of green from Ireland 59 Promotional ploy 60 Skid row affliction 61 Lauder of cosmetics
The event in Atlanta featured music, songs and choirs and was one of many celebrations, marches, parades and community service projects held Monday across the nation to honor the slain civil rights leader. It was about 50 years ago today that King had just appeared on the cover of Time magazine as its Man of the Year, and the nation was on the cusp of passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964. King would win the Nobel Peace Prize later that year. Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal said not many states could boast a native son that merited a national holiday. “But we Georgians can,” he told the audience. Deal said this year he would work with state legislators to find a way to honor King at the Georgia Capitol, which drew a standing ovation. He did not give any specifics, but civil rights leaders have suggested a statue. The only current tribute to King at the state Capitol is a portrait inside the Statehouse.
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Israel-Palestine conflict to be another important topic in Davos DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Talks over the future of Syria and Iran will occur on the sidelines of the annual gathering for political and financial elites in the Swiss ski resort of Davos, the founder of the World Economic Forum said Monday. Klaus Schwab said in an interview with the Associated Press that there will be crossover between the forum’s 2,500 participants and the officials from the U.S., Russia and close to 40 other countries that are attending the start of the Syria peace conference several hours away in Montreux, Switzerland. Syria’s main, Western-backed opposition group agreed Monday to attend this week’s peace conference only after threatening to sit it out because of a last-minute U.N. invitation for Iran to join in. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was forced to withdraw the invitation Monday because the Syrian National Coalition had objected to Iran’s participation because it keeps “troops and militias” in Syria and failed to endorse a 2012 U.N.-brokered roadmap to establish a transitional government. But Iran will still be able to interact at Davos with many of the key players trying to end Syria’s devastating civil war. “Here you have some of the true leaders with the influence on the region, so I am sure the results will have an impact
The event closed with the choir singing “We Shall Overcome,” with visitors singing verses in Spanish, Hebrew and Italian as audience members joined hands and swayed in unison. President Barack Obama honored King’s legacy of service by helping a soup kitchen prepare its daily meals. Obama took his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha to DC Central Kitchen, which is a few minutes away from the White House. New York City’s new Mayor Bill de Blasio marked the day by talking about economic inequality, saying it was “closing doors for hard-working people in this city and all over this country.” “We have a city sadly divided between those with opportunity, with the means to fully partake of that opportunity, and those whose dreams of a better life are being deferred again and again,” he told an audience at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
on our own discussions,” said Schwab, a German-born economist and engineer who founded the Davos forum in 1971. Since then, the five-day gathering, which attracts heads of state, royalty and top executives, has grown into a massive networking event — what some consider speed-dating for the political and corporate elites. Iranian leaders’ presence at Davos also coincides with the implementation of the deal agreed to in Geneva that is intended to rein in their nuclear program in exchange for easing sanctions, enabling Iran to pursue new business opportunities particularly in its oil and gas sector. But Schwab said it would be too early for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his foreign minister, Javad Zarif, to start negotiating new investments while at the forum. First, they need to boost international trust that Iran will respect the terms of their nuclear deal. “We have to create the reality which allows confidence between the different parties, and only in the next phase you can really talk about business,” Schwab said of the Iranians’ prospects for new oil, gas and other business deals. Discussions on the IsraeliPalestinian conflict are also expected at the Davos forum, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni all attending. The flagging Mideast peace process is a priority for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is expected in Davos for most of the event, which lasts through Saturday.
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MOVIE REVIEW
Tuesday, January 21, 2014 —7A
TV REVIEW
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY
SHOWTIME
Too early to practice the Oscars speech, Meryl.
“YOU’RE NOT DON CHEADLE!!”
Over-the-top in ‘Osage County’
Bell shines in lukewarm ‘House of Lies’ premiere
Streep’s heavyhanded approach sinks starladen ‘August’ By NATALIE GADBOIS Senior Arts Editor
There is a moment (one of many), when “August: Osage County” goes completely over the edge of sanity. You haven’t Blived until you see Julia Rob- August: erts screamOsage County ing at Meryl Streep to, Michigan Theater “Eat the fish, The Weinstein bitch.” Much Company like the rest of “August,” the moment is fraught with aggression and sadness; it is also hilariously overwrought and over-the-top. The film, adapted from Tracy Letts’ award-winning play, is just too much: too many famous actors, too many weaving plot lines, too many screaming confrontations. The film doesn’t boil over so much as it intermittently explodes, creating a mess that in the end is just too much to clean up. Streep embodies Violet Weston, the drug-addled, vindictive matriarch of an old Oklahoma family. Violet is not a person so much as a force; Streep pulls out every textbook acting technique, with her warbled voice, exagger-
ated movements and faux intensity. After her alcoholic husband goes missing, her three daughters and their significant others come to Osage County to console her. The stars shuffle in like cattle — Roberts as her embittered daughter, Barb, Benedict Cumberbatch as the milky cousin, Dermot Mulroney as a sleazy boyfriend, Ewan Macgregor as Barb’s dandyish ex-husband. There is a lot of commitment to the roles — assumed accents, pronounced physical ticks — but this exuberant overacting turns the characters into caricatures, especially as the film continues and the story become stranger and sadder. What works best are the smaller moments: sweet conversations between estranged sisters, or the simple intimacies of two starcrossed lovers. In adapting an epic play into a two-hour movie, Letts tries to condense rather than cut, which throws off the film’s pacing. The plot is overstuffed and most of the meaning is swept away in the theatrics of the acting. Julianne Nicholson (“Masters of Sex”) is shyly resilient as Ivy, the only sister who stayed behind to take care of their unrelenting mother. She poignantly performs the everyday duties while everyone else is too busy arguing to remember; there is a powerful scene in which she is alone in the kitchen, washing dishes, while her family gossips about her on the porch. It’s a shame that as the story goes on, her character is sac-
rificed to the craziness, as Ivy was the only real person grounding the brazen story. More than anything else, the film succeeds in establishing exactly what Osage County is. It is only through the ugly desolation of the Great Plains that we can begin to understand why this family is so warped, and director John Wells (“The Company Men”) flawlessly cuts between family fights and empty suntinged fields. And the house. Much like in an old-fashioned English novel, the house is everything: a once stately home reduced to dilapidation. It’s where the family reunites, but is haunted by a dense past. Violet ensconces herself in the home for years, and the way it is designed ensures that you can nearly smell the musty loneliness. In a sense, the film acts like a play, placing extreme value in the setting. The house also serves to isolate this family even more than they already have been, creating a microenvironment separate from much of the rest of the world. What it may lack in organization, “August: Osage County” makes up for in pure earnestness. The cast is intensely committed, the screenplay lovingly adapted — the film is a mess not because they didn’t try, but because they tried too hard. Much like the Weston family, “August” focuses so much on painful introspection that it forgets how to live. It forgets how to be normal.
By ALEC STERN Senior Arts Editor
“House of Lies” is a smart show — a comedy about consultants as tactful and calculating as consultants themselves. B But there’s a lingering House of Lies question in the season Sundays at 10 p.m. three pre- Showtime miere that’s challenging the Showtime series’ intelligent history. How can “House of Lies” ever be the same after its explosive season two finale? There was a finality to it that ensures a long road to recovery for every one of the characters. One has to wonder: was it wise to make such an impactful change to what has been such a cleverly and carefully constructed show? In the season two finale, all hell breaks loose. There’s no other way to say it. Each member of “House of Lies” ’s irascible group of consultants, led by Don Cheadle (“Iron Man 3”) and Kristen Bell (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall”), goes their separate way — Cheadle’s Marty Kaan opens up his own shop, Bell’s Jeannie, along with Doug (Josh Lawson, “Romantically Challenged”), remain at Galweather & Stearn and Clyde (Ben Schwartz, “Parks and Recreation”) turns his back on his former partners for a rival company. It’s a tricky thing to “break up the band,” so to speak. The excitement is frontloaded; view-
ers get a tremendously exhilarating episode — “Glee” ’s season three graduation extravaganza, “The Office” ’s Michael Scott Paper Company foray — until they are left with the aftermath. When Nancy Botwin heartbreakingly burns her house down in “Weeds” ’s season three finale (one of the very best episodes of an up-and-down series), the captivating fire that burns quite literally leaves ashes to be picked up in season four. There are drastic moments in television that test both writers and viewers. It’s the difference between maintaining momentum and widespread echoes of negative sentiment — “Oh, I stopped watching ‘Weeds’ after season three.”
Scattered story undercuts strong cast The dissolution of “House of Lies” ’s consulting “pod” feels more like the Michael Scott Paper Company than “Glee” or “Weeds” — it’s inevitable that everyone will come together again at some point. But the Showtime comedy is still left with a harrowing vacancy. Cheadle, Bell, Schwartz and Lawson share something special: a unique chemistry that made “House of Lies” the most underappreciated half-hour for two straight years.
And after the wonderful, wild climax in last winter’s finale, the emotional catapult came to a thud in the season three premiere. The aftermath: Cheadle and Bell joined together for only two very brief scenes that bookend the so-so premiere. It isn’t the ashes of a burning house but the remnants of Doug’s smashed wedding cake and Jeannie’s lingering, unrequited “I love you” that are haunting “House of Lies” ’s opener. If not solely for Bell’s feisty performance, the episode is saved by surprisingly striking direction at the hands of executive producer, Stephen Hopkins. In many ways, “House of Lies” has always been innovative in its production, but this premiere stands out. From its opening dream sequence to amazing camerawork during an equally great Cheadle monologue, what the premiere lacks in story it makes up for in assembly. Even without enough overlapping screen time among the leads, there are good moments here — and Don Cheadle was born to play Marty Kaan. But we need more excitement, more fun from what is quite possibly the most engaging ensemble on television. With the group scattered, this dark comedy is just a bit too dark, too disjointed than it has been. But that’s what happens when you make a drastic change. You’re eventually left with the pieces. At the end of the day, the DNA of “House of Lies” is the group. So … let’s get the band back together.
MUSIC NOTEBOOK
TV REVIEW
Mature ‘Girls’ surprises
Underrated albums: 2013 By ERIKA HARWOOD
By MADDIE THOMAS TV/New Media Editor
The camaraderie among sitcom friends is one that is sought after by many a television viewer. The fun in watching shows like B+ “Friends” or “How I Met Girls Your Mother” is the inside Sundays at 10 p.m. jokes and HBO familiar banter that give viewers the feeling of really being with their favorite characters, gossiping at Central Perk or highfiving at the bar. There are some TV friend groups that everyone wishes they were a part of; the “Girls” gang is the group everyone wishes they weren’t. In season three of “Girls,” Lena Dunham is intent on letting us know that she knows we don’t like her characters, and that that’s kind of the whole point. “Females Only,” picks up a couple of months after season two’s whirlwind finale to find Adam and Hannah in the throes of a serious, long-term relationship, Marnie sleeping in Rainbow Brite sheets on her mother’s couch, Shoshanna waking up from a one-night stand on a bunk bed in a college dorm room and Jessa washing dishes in rehab. If everything seemed a little bit too perfect at the end of last season, don’t worry. Now we’re back to square one. In an interesting turn of events, Hannah is the most “together” of all four girls. She’s taking her meds regularly (administered
to her by Adam, her now live-in guardian) and she’s having some success with her book (her publisher wants to preview the first four chapters online). While Hannah’s togetherness is relative — only apparent when compared to her friends’ total lack of direction — she still assumes the role of the show’s stable center. It almost feels like as Hannah is settling down, the show settles down with her. Gone are the days of a mental illness popping up out of nowhere and an entire episode spent following Hannah into the depths of a Brooklyn brownstone. In both “Females Only” and “Truth or Dare” there’s a new, less experimental feel to the writing.
Writers find groove in season three That’s not to say that these first two episodes of season three aren’t funny — quite the opposite, actually. The show is simply starting to use typical sitcom scenarios as a catalyst for hilarious scenes from the main players. Most notably, in “Truth or Dare,” writer Jenni Konner sends Adam, Hannah, and Shoshanna on a road trip to pick up Jessa from rehab. The pairing of Adam and Shoshanna is a match made in comedy heaven, from Shosh asking Adam what his favorite utensil is to their
banter on an impromptu hike. In another great gag from Konner that pretty much epitomizes the tone of “Girls,” Hannah decides to “live her truth” and lie on the forest floor, ass exposed, listening to “This American Life” on her iPhone instead of joining Adam and Shosh on their hike. The writers of “Girls” seem to be finding a groove, which might be a sad thing for those who loved the spontaneity of last season’s antics, but is probably a positive thing for the maturation of the show as a whole. In the first two episodes of season three, we spend most of our time with the characters, watching them interact with each other. They are just as annoying, selfish and vain as ever, but the characters in “Girls” are starting to become a real ensemble, and now that Jessa is finally coming back to New York, maybe this feeling will stick as the season progresses. “Girls” is a show everyone loves to hate and hates to love. While there remain a few persisting issues that turn many people off to the show entirely (and somewhat rightfully), “Girls” is still just a half-hour comedy about millennials written by a millennial — not necessarily a generation defining work. As the characters come back together and the writing becomes slightly less abstract, “Girls” is gearing up for a fruitful third season. Hopefully Lena Dunham will find a way to balance this newfound “stability” with her trademark weirdness that drew us to these terrible people in the first place.
Senior Arts Editor
Reflecting on the reflections that were the best albums of 2013, there are some obvious standouts: Yeezus, Haim’s Days Are Gone and others I won’t nam because they’ve already been listed a thousand times within the last month. My relationship with year-end lists is a love-hate one — love when I agree with them and hate when I don’t. Suffice it to say, the balance typically favors the latter. To be fair, 2013 was a great year for music — and attempting to remember all of the influential albums then proceed to rank them is a daunting task. That said, is it too late to be discussing my grievances with the now finite Toro Y WTF Best of 2013 lists? Probably, but three of the year’s best albums it’s my sermon on the mount. I’d were neglected from a majority repeatedly heard of Autre Ne Veut of top 10 lists, and I feel a need to on blogs and in other nooks of the avenge their absence. Internet, but never had the motiCupid Deluxe - Blood Orange vation to actually check him out Dev Hynes’ second album under his Blood Orange moniker fortunately made the cut on a few top 10 lists, but not enough to keep me from writing this blurb. Cupid Deluxe transcends typical auditory experiences, creating the imagery of New York through seductive vocals, sexy sax stylings and disco inspired funk. until the middle of last summer, Even with his homage to retro months after the album’s release. sound, the album plays as fresh After hearing the shimmering, and innovative, making it more synth-laced opening track “Play than deserving of a spot on all the By Play,” I was hooked, and began “best of” lists. my descent into Autre Ne Veut Anxiety - Autre Ne Veut insanity. The album fuses genres I will talk to anyone who will in a way I’m not sure I’ll ever hear listen, or at least will remain with- again, while Arthur Ashin’s voice in earshot, about this album as if bursts with emotion that still
Undiscovered music of 2013
CARPARK
gives me chills. This is the sexiest album I’ve heard all year/forever. Anything In Return - Toro Y Moi The only reason I can conjure up as to why Toro Y Moi’s Anything In Return didn’t crack any lists would be its early release date of January 16, potentially causing it to get lost under the masses of all (literally all) albums that proceeded it. Despite the logistical flaw, the album itself has remained on my personal rotation for the entire year. As monotonous as the chillwave genre has become, Toro Y Moi continues to give it a fresh take with billowing intros, thumping bass and seductive samples. Chaz Bundick keeps experimenting with near flawless results, making Anything In Return his best album to date.
Arts
8A —Tuesday, January 21, 2014
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MOVIE REVIEW
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Archer’ reinvents himself By ALEX INTNER Daily Arts Writer
PARAMOUNT
”I used to be hot when I was your age!”
Pine can’t save irrelevent ‘Jack’ Overused tropes deflate ‘Recruit’ adaptation By NOAH COHEN Daily Arts Writer
Talent alone won’t make a good movie. The gorgeous eyes of Chris Pine (“Star Trek”) Cand cultured past of Ken- Jack Ryan: neth Branagh (“Henry V”) Shadow fail to make Recruit this production beautiful Quality 16 and Rave or clever. But Paramount watchable, yes. Chris Pine and his fiancé, played by Keira Knightley (“Pirates of the Caribbean”) keep attention focused on the characters, which is a merciful distraction from a script so riddled
with cobbled-together throwbacks to secret agent tropes that even the chase scene feels like it could have come from any action movie, ever. Branagh’s direction and acting pack a somber intelligence — out-of-place beside a plot which revolves around plugging a USB stick into a computer, thereby cracking a Russian financial database and stopping the next 9/11. The movie’s tagline: “Trust no one,” suggests a level of intrigue absent from the script. The trailer runs a clip of Jack’s mentor, played by Kevin Costner (“Man of Steel”), scoping out Jack through a sniper sight — so you hoped this would be one of those movies where the main character gets inexplicably and decisively betrayed in midias res. Nope. Everything goes according to plan, start to finish; nobody can take down the Blue Eyes White Dragon that is Chris Pine. Typical and to the point where it’s funny, the morality of a given
character can be predicted with 100 percent accuracy by his accent. American English? Good. Russian? Bad. Other? Irrelevant. McCarthy would be proud. In equally laughable fashion, all unnamed characters are so cutely pointless; The entire CIA pegs Jack Ryan, convalescent financial analyst, as the only man capable of plugging in a USB stick, or really doing any groundwork whatsoever. This becomes especially strange when we see that the CIA has a whole goon squad in Moscow, none of whom get in on the action except Pine, and to a lesser extent, Costner. A short roll of teenage fan fiction that somehow made it to the big screen under the cloak of Kenneth Branagh’s reputation, this 105-minute flick is a hiccup in several great throats. But like Ben Affleck, Alec Baldwin and Harrison Ford, Chris Pine came to Clancy on the up and up, and this career tripwire won’t stop the man.
When people talk about “Archer” decades from now, the season five premiere will be remembered as a major turn- A ing point in Archer the show’s life. The Mondays at 10 p.m. premiere FX did something incredibly risky: it threw away the show’s entire premise and essentially reset it. Twists this drastic are uncommon and can sometimes go very wrong. Most shows, especially comedies, have the tendency to repeat the same story lines, keeping one general model and safely manipulating it just enough to keep the viewers happy. With this episode, however, “Archer” does everything but raise a giant middle finger to traditional sitcom tropes by proving it doesn’t need to be repetitive. Whether creator Adam Reed and his writers were actually out of ideas for spy stories or they just wanted to do something new, this reboot serves as a surprising reinvigoration of the show. For four seasons, “Archer” followed the misadventures of a group of spies who do espionage work for a fictional agency, the International Secret Intelligence Service, or ISIS. In the season five premiere, it’s revealed that all of the work that was done throughout the series was, in fact, illegal when the FBI comes in and arrests everyone involved. As a result, ISIS is shut down and those who worked there land themselves another job: selling cocaine. “Archer” ’s premiere transitions from a show about spies
FX
Archer breaks bad
to a show about a drug cartel (with a revamped title, “Archer Vice”). It has to do quite a bit of heavy lifting plot-wise, but it never loses its tone or its sense of humor — and it doesn’t let plot get in the way of its hysterical jokes. Instead, “Archer” uses
James Bond to Tony Montana transformation pays off the episode’s FBI interrogations to let the characters’ awful, yet endearing personalities shine. It makes jokes about the characters’ willingness to turn on one another, with the vast majority of them spilling information in return for “a deal.” These characters are still selfish, and the
show uses that very well in this scene. Despite the change of premise, it doesn’t seem like “Archer” ’s tone is going to change that much. The show will still be about characters who are only interested in helping themselves. There will still be jokes at the expense of their personalities. It will still have the same impeccable voice cast, which is filled with actors who are good enough to add humor to material with just their voices. And, most importantly, Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin, “Bob’s Burgers”) will still be a pretentious asshole, treating everyone around him with disrespect. His character is in no way likable, yet the show continues to do a fantastic job of not making that an issue. “Archer” isn’t about spies anymore. It’s about crazy people selling drugs. And that should be great.