ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY-FOUR YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM Thursday, December 5, 2013
Ann Arbor, Michigan
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PHILANTHROPY
Fundraiser to benefit children in hospitals Students will canvass city on Galens Tag Days
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
The Harmonettes performed among many other student a cappella groups at the Kill-A-Watt Unplugged Concert in East Hall Wednesday evening.
By ANASTASSIOS ADAMOPOLOUS
Competition kills waste Dorm challenge encourages sustainability By HILLARY CRAWFORD Daily Staff Reporter
The University has put a positive twist on its sustainability initiative with the third annual Kill-A-Watt competition,
where students in the residence halls challenge each other to decrease energy consumption in their residence halls. In a ceremony Wednesday at East Hall, Helen Newberry Residence Hall took the grand prize for using the least energy, while Martha Cook Residence Hall and East Quad Residence Hall came in second and third place, respectively. During the one-month com-
petition, students living in various residence halls collaborate with each other and form friendly rivalries with other halls. To win the competition, a residence hall must decrease its energy use by least ten percent from the same month the year before. To be officially announced as a Kill-A-Watt Energy Saving Winner, halls have to reduce their energy use
Daily Staff Reporter
by the same amount, in comparison to a more long-term standard — the average energy consumption during the past four years. Students from the winning halls are then offered opportunities to attain scholarships. Kill-A-Watt rates its participants in terms of quantifiable energy reduction and incorporates an effort-awarding See PROGRAM, Page 5A
With the first snowflakes falling, it is once again time for the Galens Tag Days fundraisers to take over the streets of Ann Arbor. The annual event, sponsored by the Galens Medical Society, strives to help children at the University Hospital and local organizations. The event traces its roots to 1927, making 2013 the 87th year of canvassing for the organization. The Galens Medical Society was founded as an honor society by medical students in 1914 but has since grown into 120-member strong charitable and service orga-
ENGI-NERD
TIMBER!
ACADEMICS
Pledges take tree down like Pitbull, Ke$ha UMPD responds to FIJI house after alleged theft of 13-foot pine By ADAM RUBENFIRE Managing News Editor
There were 16,408 trees at the University in fiscal year 2012, according to the most recent data. But University officials will need to subtract one tree from this year’s total after an incident Wednesday morning involving a fraternity’s pledging activities. Twelve students were interviewed by University Police early Wednesday after they allegedly stole a tree from a parking lot near the Industrial and Operations Engineering Building and took it to the house of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, commonly known as FIJI. Responding officers were able to determine that the tree cutting was a part of a fraternity pledging activity, but later Wednesday morning University Police would not confirm what fraternity the students were affiliated with. In response to a report
that several individuals were removing a tree at about 1:20 a.m., UMPD officers canvassed North Campus, later heading to the Oxford area on Central Campus, where police and a Housing Security officer were seen with the tree and several students at about 2 a.m. The tree was in the bed of a blue Ford F-150 pickup truck on the front lawn of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house at 707 Oxford Road. Officers interviewed the students at the house, then escorted the pickup — with the tree in the truck’s bed — to a garage near the Campus Safety Services building on Kipke Drive, where the tree was left for storage. One officer was seen holding a hacksaw, though it’s unclear whether it was confiscated from the suspects. After the tree was stored, University Police were seen at the tree’s original location with four of the suspects, where officers continued to talk with them. A tree stump surrounded by sawdust and debris could be seen at the northeast corner of the lot. The tree is currently being classified by UMPD as a 13-foot Pine Tree, but a more accurate See PLEDGES, Page 5A
Law clinic helps prove jailed man’s innocence DNA testing shows convicted man was not guilty By RACHEL PREMACK Daily Staff Reporter
ALLISON FARRAND/Daily
Engineering junior Brian McCann works on a car for the student group MRacing Formula SAE in the Wilson Center Wednesday. Last summer, the team placed ninth at a competition at the Hockenheimring Cicuit in BadenWürttemberg, Germany.
BUSINESS
Tech companies could spur rebirth on E. Liberty Street Influx of startups could increase low rate of foot traffic By K.C. WASSMAN Daily News Editor
The lights from the Michigan Theater have shone for more than 80 years, but its constant
presence has been the exception rather than the rule for businesses on East Liberty Street. In recent years the street has seen a shuffle of businesses, most notably the closure of the flagship Borders bookstore in 2011. But the transformation of the Borders space was one of many over the course of the street’s history. Before Borders, Jacobson’s
department store occupied the space on the corner of East Liberty and Maynard Street, until it moved to Briarwood Mall in the 80s. When Susan Pollay, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, first moved to Ann Arbor in 1983 See STREET, Page 5A
bowties and baritones
getting ink’d
A closer look at the campus’ oldest student organization
The competition and artistry in the tattoo business
» SEE PAGE 8 WEATHER TOMORROW
nization. This year’s program will begin Thursday. The fundraiser aims to fund various Washtenaw County children’s organizations and programs, including those within the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Medical student Devon Rupley, the co-chair of the event, said the fundraiser is a great way for the medical community and students to come together and help children outside the hospital. She added that the effort is one of the hospital’s biggest philanthropic pushes each year. The 2012 event raised slightly more than $60,000. Rupley said the amount raised typically ranges between $60,000 and $65,000. All money raised will go to beneficent organizations and the costs of organizing and running the fundraiser are covered by other funding sources. See SOCIETY, Page 5A
In a sleepy village in northern Michigan, a jury found a 22-yearold named Jamie Lee Peterson guilty of the rape and murder of a 68-year-old widow. However, semen found inside victim Geraldine Montgomery did not match Peterson’s DNA. Police decided that there must have been a second, unknown accomplice. DNA testing led to an arrest Monday of Flint-area resident Jason Ryan, in part to the Innocence Clinic the University Law School and Northwestern University School of Law. Law student A.J. Dixon led the Michigan Innocence Clinic student team on the Peterson case. He said the DNA testing proves that Peterson was not involved. “I can’t see how anyone looking at this case could come to any conclusion other than that Jamie Lee Peterson is anything but innocent and that the sole perSee CLINIC, Page 5A
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NEWS......................... 2A OPINION.....................4A S P O R T S . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7A
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News
2A — Thursday, December 5, 2013
MONDAY: This Week in History
TUESDAY: Professor Profiles
WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers
THURSDAY: Alumni Profiles
LIVE FROM NEW YORK
for four years. I also was founder and editor of a monthly comedy newspaper called The AntiDaily. It was started in rebellion because I tried unsuccessfully for two years to get a job writing a humor column for The Michigan Daily. So, you can imagine the soul-searching needed before I agreed to this interview. What is it like working at Saturday Night Live? I love it. It’s perfect for dramatic people with short attention spans. There are extreme highs and lows. And then it’s gone. You move on from that host, that sketch, that embarrass-
What activities were you involved in at Michigan? I was on the men’s rowing team
CRIME NOTES
WHERE: The Duderstadt Complex WHEN: Tuesday around 9:45 p.m. WHAT: An unattended purse was taken from near the cafeteria, University Police reported. The subject later realized that her credit cards had been used at retail stores.
Free for all WHERE: Mason Hall WHEN: Wednesday 12:35 p.m. WHAT: A vending machine broke in the main lobby, allowing free access to the food inside, University Police reported. The machine broke between 11:30 p.m. and 12:30 a.m.; the number of items stolen is unknown.
ing moment because you have to focus on the next one. What’s the most important lesson you learned University? By having to search around for my major, I learned that you have to love what you do. And you have to receive some feedback that you’re doing well at it. If you’re just doing the career that you feel is correct or garners the most success, you won’t attack it with the same passion and will actually be less successful than if you do something you truly love. It just takes forever to find sometimes
KIRBY VOIGTMAN
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James Douglas, a fellow in the Department of Chemistry explores new uses of visible light and photochemistry.
Healthy Holidays
The Comedy of Errors
WHERE: East Medical Center Lot WHEN: Tuesday at about 7:05 p.m. WHAT: Antifreeze leaked from a vehicle was found at a stopsign near the East Medical Center Lot M-10, University Police reported.
WHAT: The eco open house will offer healthy snacks, a light lunch and a lecture on toxins found in everyday items. WHO: Planet Blue WHEN: Today from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. WHERE: Hatcher Graduate Library
WHAT: Come see Shakespeare’s comedy directed by John Neville-Andrews. Tickets are available in the Michigan League ticket office. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Power Center for the Performing Arts
It’s like you’re my mirror
Jazz ensemble Variety show WHAT: This show welconcert comes singers, actors, come-
WHERE: 1600 block Plymouth WHEN: Tuesday at about 3:40 p.m. WHAT: A vehicle’s mirror accidentally grazed a Blue Bus while passing it, University Police reported. Minor damage occurred.
WHAT: The Jazz Lab Ensemble will be performing music by Lee Konitz, Gordon Goodwin and Quincy Jones, among other artists. Tickets are not required. WHO: School of Music, Theatre & Dance WHEN: Today at 8 p.m. WHERE: Rackham Auditorium
Get more online at michigandaily.com/blogs/The Wire
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CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Cashin’ out
FRIDAY: Photos of the Week
SEE THE LIGHT?
The next Jason Sudekis In 2009, Mike O’Brien moved to New York City when he was hired as a writer for “Saturday Night Live,” Lorne Michaels’s prolific weekly sketch comedy show. He became a featured player this past year and is the first writer after Jason Sudekis to move to an acting role. After considering a major in a pre-med-related degree and then engineering, O’Brien graduated from the University in 1999 with a degree in film-video, a program that is now known as Screen Arts & Cultures.
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dians and dancers. WHO: Center for Campus Involvement WHEN: Tonight at 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Michigan League
CORRECTIONS l Please report any error in the Daily to corrections@michigandaily. com.
THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW TODAY
1
Netflix announced that it will renew its original Emmy-nominated series, House of Cards, for a second season, USA Today reported Wednesday. The season will be available to fans on Valentine’s Day. Frank Underwood strikes again.
2
After Detroit formally entered bankruptcy Tuesday, Emergency Manager Kevin Orr must cut pensions to over 20,000 Detroit retirees who previously believed they would receive their full pension. >> FOR MORE, SEE OPINION, PAGE 4
3
A video of Harrison Odjegba Okene’s rescue from a submerged ship in May went viral on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. The Nigerian cook survived underwater for three days before a diver discovered him.
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BUSINESS STAFF Amal Muzaffar Digital Accounts Manager Doug Soloman University Accounts Manager Leah Louis-Prescott Classified Manager Lexi Derasmo Local Accounts Manager Hillary Wang National Accounts Manager Ellen Wolbert and Sophie Greenbaum Production Managers The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $110. Winter term (January through April) is $115, yearlong (September through April) is $195. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated Collegiate Press.
Sandy Hook 911 calls released, Detroit bankruptcy decision show anguish, tension in school allows city to cut pensions Multiple calls made during shooting now public
away from windows, OK?” one dispatcher told the frightened teacher who reported hearing shots in the hall. The calls were made public under a court order after a lengthy effort by The Associated Press. Prosecutors had argued that releasing the recordings would only cause more anguish for the victims’ families. The gunman, 20-year-old Adam Lanza, shot his way through a plate-glass window at the front of the school on Dec. 14. The office staff saw the shooter, who was wearing a hat and sunglasses, as he entered the building with a rifle and began firing down a hallway. One of the first callers to Newtown police was a woman who said in a trembling, out-of-breath voice: “I think there’s somebody shooting in here at Sandy Hook school.” Asked what made her think so, she said: “Because somebody’s got
a gun. I caught a glimpse of somebody. They’re running down the hallway. Oh, they’re still running. They’re still shooting. Sandy Hook school, please.” Another woman, who was shot HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — As in the foot, calmly reported that gunfire boomed over and over in she was in a classroom with chilthe background, a janitor begged dren and two other adults, but a 911 dispatcher to send help, saythat there was no way to safely ing, “There’s still shooting going lock the door. The dispatcher on! Please!” A woman breathlesstold her to apply pressure to the ly reported seeing a gunman run wound. down a hall. And a teacher said “OK, are you OK right now?” she was holed up in her classroom the dispatcher asked. with her children but hadn’t yet The woman answered: “For locked the door. now, hopefully.” Recordings of 911 calls from Another call came from a cuslast year’s Sandy Hook Elementatodian, Rick Thorne, who said ry School shooting were released that a window at the front of the Wednesday, and they not only school was shattered and that he paint a picture of anguish and kept hearing shooting. tension inside the building, they While on the line with Thorne, also show Newtown dispatchers the dispatcher told somebody mobilizing help, reassuring callelse: “Get everyone you can going ers and urging them to take cover. down there.” Sudoku Syndication “Keep everybody calm. Keep Thorne remained on the phone everybody down. Get everybody for several minutes. “There’s still shooting going on! Please!” the custodian pleaded as six or seven shots could be heard in the background. “Still, it’s still going on!” EASY Within 11 minutes of entering the school, Lanza had fatally shot 20 children and six educators with a semi-automatic rifle. Lanza also killed his mother in their Newtown home before driving to the school. He committed suicide as police closed in. Newtown police officers arrived at the school within four minutes of the first 911 call, but nearly six more minutes passed before they entered the building while they sorted out concerns over a possible second shooter, according to a prosecutor’s report issued last week. It’s not clear whether the delay made a difference because Lanza killed himself one minute after the first officer arrived on the scene, according to the report. In one of the recordings released Wednesday, dispatchers For personal use only. IT’S MIDNIGHT MADNESS! puzzle by sudokusyndication.com © sudokusolver.com. were heard making three calls to Connecticut state police that apparently rang unanswered.
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Case serves as largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history
city officials that he would not “lightly or casually” sign off on just any cuts. “This once proud and prosperous city can’t pay its debts. It’s insolvent,” Rhodes said in formally granting Detroit the largest public bankruptcy in DETROIT (AP) — A judge U.S. history. “At the same time, has given Detroit the green it also has an opportunity for a light to cut pensions as a way fresh start.” out of the largest municipal The ruling came more than bankruptcy in U.S. history, a four months after Detroit filed decision that puts the case in for Chapter 9 protection. the laps of thousands of retirRhodes agreed with unions ees who had hoped that the and pension funds that the Michigan Constitution would city’s emergency manager, protect them from getting Kevyn Orr, had not negotismaller checks in their golden ated in good faith in the weeks years. ahead of the July filing, a key Judge Steven Rhodes said condition under federal law. the city is eligible to stay in But he said the number of bankruptcy court and scrub creditors — more than 100,000 $18 billion in debt, with about — and a wide array of compethalf of that amount linked to ing interests probably made underfunded pensions and that “impossible.” http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ health care obligations. But Detroit “could have and he also warned officials that should have filed for bankruptthey’ll need to justify any deep cy long before it did. Perhaps reductions. years,” the judge said. The case now turns to The decision set the stage crunching numbers and try- for officials to confront debt ing to strike deals, although with a plan that might pay unions are pursuing an appeal. creditors just pennies on the Some retirees said they felt dollar and is sure to include socked by the outcome Tuesday. touchy negotiations over the “We’ll be thrown out of our pensions of about 23,000 retirhomes and starving if they ees and 9,000 workers. Orr seriously slash our pensions. says pension funds are short by Then they’ll tell us to go to the $3.5 billion; most who collect soup lines,” said David Sole, get less than $20,000 a year. 65, who retired from the public “We’re trying to be very works department in January thoughtful, measured and after 22 years and whose wife humane,” Orr told reportalso is a city retiree. ers. “The reality is there is not “We don’t know what they enough money to address the are going to take,” Sole said. situation no matter what we do.” “The judge said he would not The city has argued that tolerate steep cuts. What’s bankruptcy protection will steep?” allow it to help beleaguered The judge, who wondered residents who for years have aloud why the bankruptcy tolerated slow police responshad not happened years ago, es, darkened streetlights and said pensions can be altered erratic garbage pickup — a conjust like any contract because cern mentioned by the judge the state constitution does not during a nine-day trial that offer bulletproof protection for ended Nov. 8. public employee benefits. But Before the July filing, nearly he signaled a desire for a mea- 40 cents of every dollar colsured approach and warned lected by Detroit was used to
Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com!
pay debt, a figure that could rise to 65 cents without relief through bankruptcy, according to the city. City truck mechanic Mark Clark, 53, said he may look for another job after absorbing pay cuts and higher health care costs. Now a smaller pension looms. “Most of us didn’t have too much faith in the court. ... The working class is becoming the have-nots,” Clark said outside the courthouse. “I’m broke up and beat up. I’m going to pray a whole lot.” Marcia Ingram, a retired clerical worker, said she may need to find work but added: “How many folks are going to hire a 60-year-old woman?” The judge spoke for more than an hour in a packed courtroom, reciting Detroit’s proud history as the diverse, hardworking Motor City devoted to auto manufacturing. But he then tallied a list of warts: double-digit unemployment, catastrophic debt deals, thousands of vacant homes and wave after wave of population loss. Behind closed doors, mediators have been meeting with Orr’s team and creditors for weeks to explore possible settlements. The judge has told the city to come up with a plan by March 1 to exit bankruptcy. Orr has said he would like to have one ready weeks earlier. The city is so desperate for money that it may consider peddling masterpieces from the Detroit Institute of Arts and selling a water department that serves much of southeastern Michigan. In a report Wednesday, New York auction house Christie’s pegged the value of city-purchased art at $452 million to $866 million. It’s just a fraction of what the museum holds. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, which represents half of city workers, vowed to appeal Rhodes’ decision.
News
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SOCIETY From Page 1A This year’s event will begin earlier than past fundraisers. The event will run Thursday from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the hospital. The fundraiser will recommence Friday at 6 a.m. and last until 11 p.m. On Saturday, it will run from
PROGRAM From Page 1A aspect through the distribution of “enthusiasm points.” Points are earned by submitting videos proposing energy-saving plans and by creating individual sustainability events. This year’s winners were announced at an event called KillA-Watt Unplugged, where campus music groups and solo artists led a “free, zero-waste and lowenergy” concert. LSA junior Natalie Stevenson and Public Policy junior Kayla Ulrich worked together to put on the competition as part of the Kill-A-Watt team. This year, the group added more residence halls to the mix and increased their publicity to get the word out across campus. “We find sustainability to be one of the more big issues right now, and we really want to involve everyone and make it not
PLEDGES From Page 1A description, along with the value of the tree, will be determined over the course of an investigation. Once the investigation concludes, Washtenaw County prosecutors will decide what charges, if any, will be made in the case. In larceny cases, charg-
CLINIC From Page 1A petrator of this crime was Jason Anthony Ryan,” Dixon said. Peterson’s former attorney —Al Millstein — approached Michigan Innocence Clinic co-director David Moran last spring, Dixon said. Millstein and a Kalkaska County attorney made repeated attempts for the county prosecutor to investigate using newer DNA technologies. Though the
7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Staff and faculty will assist medical students during their volunteering shift. Volunteers will give donors symbolic tags in exchange for their contribution. Rupley noted that this year some former patients — including young children — will help with the fundraiser at the hospital by giving tags to donors.
Although the fundraiser lasts for a few days, deciding where the money is allocated is a rigorous process. The society has a committee that examines requests for funds by various organizations and a vote then decides which charities will receive support. Donations to the fundraising effort can also be made online here.
just relevant to environmentalists, but to everyone at Michigan,” Ulrich said. Stevenson added that one of their main goals is to instill behavioral changes within students to encourage them to lead sustainable lives, even after the competition. At the event, attendees enjoyed free food, watched performances by campus a capella groups and participated in sustainable activities. Kill-A-Watt is one of many programs supported by the sustainability initiative announced by President Coleman in 2009, and statistics show that sustainability on campus has improved since then. The Office of Campus Sustainability released its annual report Wednesday on the progress made by the University in furthering a greener campus. According to the OCS press release, the University has successfully encouraged 80 University offices to participate in the Sustainable Workplace Certifica-
tion program and has lessened energy consumption in 137 University buildings by 8.4 percent, since last year, among other achievements. Although progress has been made, new energy technologies offer greater potential for the future. One of the activities, hosted by LSA junior David Levine, invited attendees to make small ecosystems out of recycled light bulbs with sand, moss and other materials. As a Planet Blue student leader last year, Levine said he chose to get involved with KillA-Watt to continue his support of on-campus sustainability practices. “Just turning off the lights, that simple action, goes a long way,” Levine said. “Saving energy is one the easiest hard things to do, so we’re trying to show that saving energy is actually easy and can improve how you live your life.”
es and consequences can differ based on the monetary value of stolen property. Several of the suspects declined to comment, as did brothers at the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house. It’s unclear what the students were planning to do with the tree. University Police acknowledged that there is a yearly trend in December tree-cuttings, but
unlike this case, many tree larcenies are not resolved. In December 2011, UMPD investigated the larceny of a Serbian spruce tree from Nichols Arboretum. That tree was valued at $400 by UMPD, and $1,200 by Arboretum officials.
former prosecutor rebuffed these requests, the current prosecutor allowed that recent innovations might correctly identify the unknown source of the semen. DNA results identified Ryan this summer as the source of semen found in the rape kit and on Montgomery’s shirt. The latter DNA could not be tested in 1996. Dixon said their motion for a new trial would be filed by Dec. 25. If the motion passes, the jury would hear new evidence and decide if Peterson is still guilty.
He currently is sentenced to life in prison without parole. Still, Dixon explained that one cannot predict if or when Peterson will be exonerated, despite the lack of hard evidence that he is not guilty. “I would certainly say that the true perpetrator being arrested is enormous and enormously important,” Dixon said. “We’re not going to be satisfied until Jamie Lee Peterson has been released.”
—Daily Staff Reporter Jennifer Calfas contributed to this report.
Thursday, December 5, 2013 — 5A
STREET From Page 1A she could buy everything she needed to live downtown, noting the multiple clothing, food and service stores that existed in the area, including Jacobson’s. She added that you still can find a wide variety of shops downtown, but East Liberty in particular has given way to coffee shops and restaurants. While Jacobson’s gave shoppers a reason to go downtown, Pollay said Borders provided an anchor for local businesses. “It became its own kind of experience and, like Jacobson’s before it, Borders had an enormous advertising budget and an enormous ability to pull in those name authors,” Pollay said. “These huge names came to do book readings and from that again businesses nearby thrived because they sat off of the Borders space.” Borders declared bankruptcy and left the street temporarily vacant, but it wasn’t alone: East Liberty has seen a lot of storefront turnover in the past few years. Some spaces, such as the former @Burger and Grand Traverse Pie Company space, saw two businesses come and go within nearly four years — each restaurant stayed in business for less than a year. Pollay cited the Borders closure, the struggling economy and an increase in outlet and online shopping as the causes of the turnover on the street, adding that Ann Arbor isn’t as insulated from the struggling economy as people think. “I think things were pretty fragile here for a while, and I
don’t know that we all understand just how fragile it is to have an independent business,” Pollay said. Though there are still a few empty storefronts, Pollay said she sees the street growing and evolving to support a different clientele than in the past: tech workers. Two tech companies, Menlo Innovations and Barracuda Networks, relocated to the East Liberty corridor in the past two years, which Pollay said will bring a more stable customer base than that of students, who aren’t in the city year-round and don’t necessarily venture down the street. “The neighborhood is going to change because the new economy fortunately includes a lot of folks who are doing very well in tech businesses and those employees are now spending their money locally in that neighborhood,” Pollay said. Anna Flynn of Menlo Innovations said though they have only been in their East Liberty location for about a year and a half, employees enjoy being close to all the shops and restaurants that State Street, Main Street and East Liberty have to offer. Flynn added that they are excited for the new businesses moving into the former Borders building. “We love being downtown and close to everything and seeing Liberty grow and change,” Flynn said. “I think that East Liberty is in the middle of town, but it’s not on Main Street or on State Street so you can get the best of both worlds.” Tom Hackett, who has owned the Afternoon Delight restaurant on East Liberty for 35 years, said the street has seen a steady decline in foot traffic and overall
business since the 1990s. Hackett said he believes people don’t come to Ann Arbor to shop anymore. Hackett added that because the area has become home to an increasing amount of restaurants in comparison to other properties, he has shifted the restaurant’s focus toward catering to offset the decrease in business. Russ Collins, executive director and CEO of the Michigan Theater and an Ann Arbor native, said though the Michigan Theater has been a long-standing presence on Liberty, it has seen a long term decline in patrons. The theater was almost shut down in 1979 after the company running it left following a 50-year lease, but Collins said the community rallied to save the theater. Collins has seen a lot of change on East Liberty — including the departures of Jacobson’s and Borders — and he believes the Michigan Theater is the true anchor business on the street, given how long it has been in existence, the consistent customers it draws in and the vitality it brings to the street. Having grown up in Ann Arbor, Collins said it’s hard to define exactly how downtown Ann Arbor and East Liberty have changed because the area never stops evolving. He added that while stores and restaurants frequently move in and out of downtown, that’s the nature of business. “There has been constant change in Ann Arbor in general, but in the downtown specifically,” Collins said. “There’s an old saying that the only constant in the universe is change, and that is absolutely true.”
—Daily Staff Reporter Sam Gringlas contributed reporting.
COURTESY OF BENTLEY LIBRARY
LILLY ANGELL/Daily
In a side by side comparison, East Liberty Street circa the 1920s is seen on the left, while the same street Wednesday is seen on the right. The businesses along East Liberty Street have changed while its buildings have remained unchanged.
Wildlife workers unable to save 48 Kerry aspires to strengthen U.S. stranded whales in shallow water
relations with former USSR As Ukraine rocked by unrest, former senator leads diplomatic mission
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Between diplomatic headaches in Afghanistan and the Mideast, John Kerry spent happy hour Wednesday praising a wine-producing but poor Eastern European nation for resisting Russia's grasp. Kerry, the U.S. secretary of state, said he wanted to visit Moldova to do more than simply sample its vast supply of red, white and sparkling wines — although several varieties of each were in abundance as he toured a 15th century wine cellar that is billed as the world's largest. He did not mention Russia by name, but U.S. and Western officials have accused Moscow of trying to force its influence in several former Soviet states, including Moldova and Ukraine. Ukraine is undergoing a surge of upheaval over President Viktor Yanukovych shelved an anticipated agreement to forge stronger ties with the European Union. As many as 300,000 people have joined demonstrations this week in Kiev, the largest outpouring of public anger since the 2004 Orange Revolution. Kerry's brief visit Wednesday carried a strong symbolic message, coming a few days after Moldova signed an EU trade agreement — a decisive step away from its Russian federation heritage. Moldova held its first democratic elections in 1994, three years after the Soviet Union dissolved.
"It is about building the bridges of opportunity and defining the future through your own hopes and your own aspirations," Kerry told about 200 government officials, business owners and journalists gathered at the Cricova winery for his nearly four-hour tour of Chisinau, the Moldovan capital. "And to the people of the Ukraine, we say the same thing: You deserve the opportunity to choose tour own future." Earlier, at the NATO meeting in Brussels, a clearly irritated Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned a statement by Western diplomats supporting Ukraine's aspirations for a European future. He said the unrest in Kiev should be dealt with internally. "I hope Ukranian politicians will be able to bring this situation back on a constitutional track," Lavrov said. "And we encourage everybody not to interfere." Moldovan officials say Russia's attempts to retain influence in Chisinau have been clear. Moscow banned Moldovan wine and brandy imports in September in a direct hit to Moldova's economy. Russia said the embargo was the result of the drinks' substandard quality, but it was viewed by many as a warning shot to dissuade Moldova from signing the EU agreement. An estimated $61 million in Moldovan wine was sold in Russia last year. U.S. officials said Moldova, an agricultural country of about 3 million people, is Europe's poorest nation with an annual gross domestic product of $7.25 billion. Russia "tried to thwart us
signing the association with the EU and influence the results of the elections in our country — and will do so when elections take place in a year," Moldovan President Nicolae Timofti told Kerry in an appeal for stronger U.S. assistance in regional security. He added: "Moldova has committed itself to actively contribute to promoting democracy and security internally, and internationally with our western partners." Kerry sought to step into the economic breach with plans to increase trade opportunities for Moldovan wine, fashion and other goods. It provided a comfortable cocktail hour travel break for Kerry, who is dealing with a tentative U.S. military future of Afghanistan and foundering peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. Kerry originally planned to visit Kiev and participate in a meeting of foreign ministers from the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, during this weeklong trip that took him from Brussels to Jerusalem. However, following Kiev's rejection of the EU agreement and subsequent protests, the State Department said scheduling reasons would prevent Kerry from attending. The department has refused to elaborate on the scheduling problem, and U.S. officials have privately allowed that the cancellation was a sign of displeasure with the Ukrainian government. Vice President Joe Biden visited Chisinau two years ago, but Kerry's trip marked the first trip to Moldova by a U.S. secretary of state since 1992.
EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK, Fla. (AP) — Wildlife workers in boats struggled unsuccessfully Wednesday to coax nearly four dozen pilot whales out of dangerous shallow waters in Florida's Everglades National Park, hoping to spare them the fate of 10 others that already had died. The workers suspended their efforts after dark, but planned to return Thursday morning to try again, said Kim Amendola, spokeswoman for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is taking part in the effort. Six of the whales were found dead, and four of the whales had
to be euthanized Wednesday, said Blair Mase, coordinator for NOAA's marine mammal stranding network. At least three could be seen on the beach, out of the water. The whales are stranded in a remote area near Highland Beach, the western boundary of Everglades National Park and about 20 miles east of where they normally live. It takes more than an hour to reach the spot from the nearest boat ramp and there is no cellphone service, complicating rescue efforts. "We want to set the expectation low, because the challenges are very, very difficult," Mase said.
Park spokeswoman Linda Friar said rescuers were trying to surround the whales, which were in roughly 3 feet of salt water about 75 feet from shore, and herd them back to sea. "They are not cooperating," Friar said. Workers also tried to nudge the whales out to sea earlier in the day with no success. The short-finned pilot whales typically live in very deep water. Even if rescuers were able to begin nudging the 41 remaining whales out to sea, Mase said they would encounter sandbars and patches of shallow water along the way.
Opinion
4A —Thursday, December 5, 2013
MEGGIE RAMM
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com E-mail Meggie at roseramm@umich.edu
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com MELANIE KRUVELIS ANDREW WEINER EDITOR IN CHIEF
and ADRIENNE ROBERTS
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS
MATT SLOVIN MANAGING EDITOR
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.
FROM THE DAILY
Protecting Detroit’s retirees Bankruptcy decision threatens the future of the pension program
F
ederal bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes ruled Tuesday that Detroit could formally enter bankruptcy, and the widely held belief that pensions were protected under Michigan’s Constitution was shattered. Under Chapter 9 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, state residents believed that public-sector pensions were protected by the state’s constitution; however, as Rhodes said, “pension benefits are a contractual right and are not entitled to any heightened protection in a municipal bankruptcy.” This ruling puts not only the well being of retired Detroit employees at risk, but also the protected pensions across the country. “This is one of the strongest protected pension obligations in the country here in Michigan ... If this ruling is upheld, this is the canary in a coal mine for protected pension benefits across the country. They’re gone,” said Bruce Babiarz, a spokesman for the Detroit Police and Fire Retirement System. So, while Detroit’s bankruptcy gained notoriety with reports that the city would consider selling the Detroit Institute of Art’s collection, the implications of this ruling have much more far-reaching impact. Now, Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr will be able to eliminate the city’s pension obligations to its retirees. Rhodes did say that the city should be “fair and equitable” as it decides if and by how much pensions should be reduced. However, any substantial cuts could be devastating to pensioners. Amru Meah, a pensioner who worked for the city for 32 years, said the pension is “going to affect me greatly. A big pension cut may force me to file for bankruptcy. I can’t afford to take a pay cut.” Although it’s unlikely the city will be able to resolve its debts without affecting its legacy obligations, Orr should make every effort to structure the
cuts to be as minimal as possible. The cuts will affect Detroit’s 23,500 retirees, even though they previously believed they would be receiving their full pension as it is in the Michigan Constitution. However, there are various other options as to where these pension cuts may come from. There are options that won’t hurt Detroit’s oldest and poorest retirees and instead, will instead take cuts from the future pensions of Detroit’s active workers or will impose smaller cuts on the city’s retired police and firelighters. By ruling in favor of the U.S. constitution’s supremacy clause over the state constitution’s protection of pension, other struggling American cities and states may follow suit and not guarantee the protection of pensions for retirees. Cities that struggle with the rising cost of pensions and funding of public school and public safety departments — such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia — may now take this option into consideration. In cities and states that are dealing with unfunded pension liabilities, public-sector retirees may lose the obligations made by their state in the wake of a Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS Kaan Avdan, Sharik Bashir, Barry Belmont, James Brennan, Rima Fadlallah, Eric Ferguson, Jordyn Kay, Jesse Klein, Kellie Halushka, Melanie Kruvelis, Aarica Marsh, Megan McDonald, Victoria Noble, Adrienne Roberts, Matthew Seligman, Daniel Wang, Derek Wolfe KELLIE HALUSHKA | VIEWPOINT
The ‘Not a Racist’ badge
The #BBUM campaign on Nov. 19 received national attention and sparked conversations on race at the University. I know I’ve been talking about it more than usual, and some conversations I’ve had with other friends — people I otherwise consider to be enlightened and tolerant individuals — have left me both angry and aware of how far race relations at this school still have to come. I’ve found my hometown and high school to be more racially diverse than my experience in Ann Arbor thus far. Since kindergarten, I’ve been intimately familiar with the customs, foods and clothing of other cultures — the older couples with whom my parents hang out always commented on how diverse my homecoming group pictures were. College has been a strange experience for me because the University appears to be more active in its discussion and encouragement of cultural and racial diversity than demonstrative of it in terms of actual demographics. For the first time in my life, I’ve been in predominantly white academic and social environments, which has shown me how out of touch some people are with other races, due not to prejudice but rather to a simple lack of exposure and education. The infamous Theta Xi party notwithstanding, I believe that the vast majority of students on this campus are not overtly racist. One of the biggest issues I’ve observed among my peers is the assumption that the status quo is good enough. Because they have been raised to accept others who are different from themselves, they don’t “see race;” they don’t understand why initiatives like #BBUM are important when they address problems that “also happen to white people.” Basically, they don’t understand that these feelings are wrong because they come from a position of privilege. They don’t intend to be hurtful or deserve to be dismissed as racists, but they do need to be educated. It makes me vaguely uncomfortable to write
about race issues as a white girl hailing from suburban Michigan because I cannot call myself a victim of the discrimination I hope to prevent. I understand privilege and think that this is a good place to help bring other wouldbe enlightened people up to speed. For one thing, it’s insensitive for a person to say that he or she doesn’t see race because this ignores that he or she is allowed to not do so. For many, race is something seen, heard and thought about almost every moment of every day, and discrimination based upon it is always a possibility. When a person says that they “do not see race,” they aren’t saying that they are tolerant; rather, they are saying that because they personally choose not to discriminate against others, their identity doesn’t matter and shouldn’t affect them. It’s vitally important to not ignore the experience of others, and part of this is acknowledging and being sensitive to the fact that race is always a factor in some people’s lives. Another phenomenon I’ve observed is the dismissal of race-specific experiences in the name of a warped notion of “equality.” An African American student Tweeted, “#BBUM is my mom calling me worried about my safety because I wrote an opinion piece about my identity.” One of my friends asked me why this was relevant to a race discussion when they also get concerned calls from parents telling them not to walk alone at night. My response is that issues like this Tweet are relevant because of the history of racial profiling behind them like the Trayvon Martin case. An ironclad equality-is-equality mindset does not work when everyone in the United States is not and historically has not been equal. It’s great that people on campus are racially sensitive, but being so is part of a dynamic and life-long learning curve. Putting on the “Not A Racist” badge and then ignoring the conversation is not a solution. Kellie Halushka is an LSA freshman.
CHECK US OUT ONLINE Keep up with columnists, read Daily editorials, view cartoons and join in the debate. Check out @michigandaily and Facebook.com/MichiganDaily to get updates on Daily opinion content throughout the day.
Why I don’t value being comfortable
W
hen I was growing up, the most repeated phrase I heard from my parents was an exasperated “Why can’t you just be OK with what you have?” It was usually following some highly questionable plan I made to stir up trouble for myself and JULIA others around ZARINA me. Example: When I was eight years old, I was grounded for life for going AWOL from my elementary school in Egypt. After months of careful scheming and reckless uprooting of decorative plants, I built a step ladder out of flowerpots behind the supply building at my school, hauled myself over the eight-foot wall that surrounded the campus and climbed down a tree into the frenzied traffic of downtown Cairo. In my backpack, I had a crayon-drawn map of my wildly inaccurate perception of a direct route back to my apartment building, a book of matches I smuggled out of a restaurant and a piece of foil-wrapped cheese. I was flying the damn coop. I was a rebel with a cause — we had been studying the same pharaoh in Egyptian culture class for three weeks, and I was really bored. Today, 14 years older and probably two-and-a-half years wiser — and truly sorry for the previously stated incident — I would tell my mother that although I hadn’t quite figured out how to appropriately express it, I was never “just OK” with what I had because I didn’t want to value being comfortable. I still don’t. Not valuing being comfortable means becoming overly and personally familiar with the reality that everybody — but seemingly most often, you — will make mistakes all the time; and in turn, it means learning how to appropriately recognize those mistakes. When you hurt someone you love, you overcome your pride and apologize for your actions. When something is racist, sexist or prejudiced in
any way, you act — not just speak — to stop it. When you are called out for a problem, you listen, you learn and you fix your mistakes. When you trip on the sidewalk and are unable to get up due to the fact that your overloaded backpack combined with the force of gravity has turned you into some kind of freakish turtle on its shell, you know that your friends laughing hysterically is the universally accepted response. Not valuing being comfortable means not trying to change or dilute who you are and where you come from, in all of its flawed glory, and no matter how far off the “ideal” it is. It means that due to my Eastern European roots, my face is genetically predisposed to frighten most youngsters into eating their beets and my body will undoubtedly assume the natural curves of a potato eventually. Accepting this means recognizing that I will never age with the grace, beauty or figure of Beyonce, but it also means being thankful for the fact that at least my family will not suffer from a beet deficiency. Accepting who you are also implies that as a human you will probably never master the power of flight or the art of echolocation — two very uncomfortable revelations in an entirely different sense that I once had. Not valuing being comfortable means being able and willing to address issues that are inherently uncomfortable if approached with the level of seriousness that valuable conversations demand. Not valuing being comfortable means forcing yourself to constantly reassess and learn from topics that are undeniable parts of the human experience and, yet, are still considered “dirty words” in polite society — sexuality, race, gender, emotions, growing up, death, love and hate. It means learning to recognize your privilege as it applies and knowing when your voice is valuable and when to listen — without
waiting for your turn to speak — when the discussion is about experiences you could never possibly claim as your own. It’s about learning to move through your own prejudices in a way that does not make the conversation about you, or place the burden of your education on others, or confuse appropriation with empathy. It’s about recognizing that becoming a better friend, a better ally, a better anything of importance is a process that literally no one else can tell you how to best navigate, however difficult and inconvenient that truth may be. Not valuing being comfortable isn’t synonymous with not being happy with what you already have; it means only that you are not content to be complacent with what already exists. Being grateful for something and demanding its improvement are not mutually exclusive activities, whether that something is your community, yourself or your favorite TV show. Nothing I’ve loved has ever gotten a free pass; if anything, the only things worth being critical of are the things that truly matter. The thing about being comfortable is that it is a really easy thing to do. I can’t truly say that I don’t value being comfortable at all. There is a certain safety in knowing the spaces and places and people with whom you fit in effortlessly and these places and people are legitimate and important. But never making the choice to be uncomfortable is accepting complacency. It’s accepting a fate that is unending and resolute. We do the same things, have the same conversations, make the same mistakes and can only expect a different outcome by way of some kind of divine intervention or statistical elimination. Without being uncomfortable, nothing changes.
Not being comfortable means not being content to be complacent with what exists.
— Julia Zarina can be reached at jumilton@umich.edu.
VIEWPOINT
New president must improve racial relations To the University of Michigan Regents and Presidential Advisory Search Committee: The Association of Black Professionals, Administrators, Faculty and Staff feels that the candidate selected as the new president of the University must have a documented history of a strong commitment to racial diversity. We request that the selection committee obtain and address documented data that support the selected candidate’s successful work in promoting racial diversity in a university setting. In addition, the selected candidate should have a verifiable history of having supported and instituted policies that promote the recruitment and retention of African American faculty, staff and students. One of the most important attributes of a successful and vibrant university is the cultural diversity of its students, faculty and staff. Given the current climate of the University, with growing African American student dissatisfaction and protest, and the filing of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints from African American staff in the University of Michigan Health System, we believe it is essential that the new president is aware of and willing to act upon issues, such as poor recruitment and retention of African Americans in many units around campus. In many instances, the lack of recruitment of African Americans is directly related to current departmental policies and process-
es that allow failed and ineffective practices to continue to exist. Furthermore, in many units, African Americans are undervalued and not appropriately promoted. We are also concerned about the lack of presence of African Americans in the skilled trade positions within the University and in the workforce of suppliers and contractors. Additionally, we request that the new president embrace and support health system executive leadership in a continued effort to make the UMHS a more inviting, accepting, engaging and equitable place for African American staff, faculty and patients. The new president must also be supportive of developing programs that foster collaboration and partnerships between the University and its neighboring institutions and communities: Detroit, Metro Detroit, Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan University and Wayne State University. The new president should also build relationships with the city of Ann Arbor to help create a climate in the city of Ann Arbor that is welcoming to all students, faculty and staff. The experiences of faculty and students are not only affected by the campus climate, but also by the climate of the adjoining city, and the new president should join other area leaders in improving the climate. We request that the final candidates meet with our organization, ABPAFS, during their on-campus interview sessions for a question-
and-answer session. Once a candidate is selected for the position we request that the new president regularly meet with our organization to continue the dialogue and work of addressing issues that affect African Americans on campus. Concrete institutional goals and systemic practices must be established to significantly improve the recruitment, retention and satisfaction of African American faculty, students and staff. Additionally, we request that interval assessments be conducted to evaluate the University’s progress in meeting these goals. The Association of Black Professionals, Administrators, Faculty and Staff Leon Howard III is the president of ABPAFS and a hall director. Sonja Brandon is the vice president of ABPAFS and an administrative specialist for senior healthcare. Darquillius Johnson is the treasurer of ABPAFS and a hall director. Terrance Wilbert is the assistant treasurer of ABPAFS and a hall director. Shelley Clifton is the secretary of ABPAFS and is the Associate Managing Director of Oversight and Performance. Charles Ransom is a member of ABPAFS and a Multicultural Studies librarian. Jeffery Harrold is a member of ABPAFS and is the coordinator for Academic Standards and Special Populations.
News
6A — Thursday, December 5, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Ukraine boxing star leading Myanmar university opens opponent in president race for first time in two decades Vitali Kitschko promoting proWestern platform KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Towering over his fellow protest leaders, Vitali Klitschko, the reigning world heavyweight boxing champion, has emerged as Ukraine’s most popular opposition figure and has ambitions to become its next president. Thanks to his sports-hero status and reputation as a proWestern politician untainted by Ukraine’s frequent corruption scandals, the 6-foot 7-inch Klitschko has surpassed jailed former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko in opinion polls. As massive anti-government protests continue to grip Ukraine, the 42-year-old boxer-turned-politician is urging his countrymen to continue their fight to turn this ex-Soviet republic into a genuine Western democracy. “This is not a revolution. It is a peaceful protest that demands justice,” Klitschko told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday. “The people are not defending political interests. They are defending the idea of living in a civilized country.” Dubbed Dr. Ironfist for his prowess in the boxing ring, Klitschko has scored 45 victories in 47 fights, 41 of them with knockouts. He has successfully defended his title 11 times, most recently in September 2012, and plans to have one more bout before he retires. He still spends several hours a day training. Now Klitschko must prove that he has as much stamina in the political arena. Despite earning a doctorate in sports science, Klitschko has had to fight a stereotype of being intellectually unfit to run this economically troubled nation of 46 million. Having been raised — like many Ukrainians — in a Russian-speaking family, Klitschko only recently learned Ukrainian and sometimes struggles to find the right word. Still, he appeals
to many Ukrainians with his air of sincerity and his image as a handsome tough guy ready to defend his compatriots. “He is a national hero and comes across as being decent,” said Andreas Umland, assistant professor of European studies at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. Klitschko was one of only a few opposition politicians who tried to stop several hundred radical protesters from storming President Viktor Yanukovych’s office during a demonstration Sunday that drew hundreds of thousands to the streets of the capital, Kiev. As the boxer called for peace, the jubilant crowd chanted his name. Beside him stood his wife, Natalia, an attractive brunette and former model who recently launched a singing career. The couple has three children. The angry protests were sparked by the president’s abrupt decision last month to ditch a political and economic treaty with the 28-nation European Union in favor of closer economic ties with Russia, which had threatened Ukraine with trade consequences if the country signed the EU deal. On Wednesday, his party joined two other opposition parties in blockading the Ukrainian parliament as part of a nationwide strike. The demonstrations in Kiev were galvanized when Yanukovych’s government sent in riot police with truncheons to break up a small, peaceful rally in the middle of the night, injuring dozens. “They took away people’s hope to implement reforms, to change the situation in the country,” Klitschko told the AP, speaking inside the parliament building. “They stole our hope.” Klitschko made his first foray into politics during the country’s 2004 Orange Revolution, the mass protests that led to the annulment of Yanukovych’s fraud-tainted presidential win and ushered in a pro-Western government. Fresh from a victory in the ring in the United States, Klitschko flew to Kiev
and appeared in the heart of those protests wearing an orange scarf, the symbol of the revolution. Next to him stood his brother, Wladimir Klitschko, now 37, another heavyweight world boxing champion who is engaged to the American actress Hayden Panettiere, star of the TV series “Nashville.” After two failed attempts to be elected mayor of Kiev, Klitschko entered national politics last year when his proWestern Udar party — Punch in English — finished a strong third in the parliamentary election, running on a reform and anti-corruption platform. He was able to capitalize on popular anger with Yanukovych, who quickly undid many of the democratic victories of the Orange Revolution, and with voters’ disillusionment with the Orange leaders, now in opposition, including Tymoshenko. A year before the 2012 election, Tymoshenko was jailed for abuse of office, charges the West considers politically motivated. Klitschko has joined other opposition leaders in campaigning for the release of Tymoshenko, long Yanukovych’s biggest political rival. Klitschko was born in 1971 in Kyrgyzstan, then part of the Soviet Union, to a school teacher mother and a father whose job as an army pilot took the family to remote military bases across the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. He embraced Western values while training in Germany and the United States for matches, he says, and wants to bring that mindset home to Ukraine. “Those people who are in politics (now) do not make it their goal to change the country,” Klitschko said. “They are simply plundering the country.” Unlike many Ukrainian politicians — including Tymoshenko — who are accused of making their fortunes in shady business deals in the tumultuous post-Soviet era, Klitschko’s millions come from a transparent source — the boxing ring.
Classifieds RELEASE DATE– Thursday, December 5, 2013
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
DOWN 1 “Lost” actress Raymonde
2 How soldiers may lie 3 Gratify the baser side of 4 Have the lead 5 Shellfish morsels 6 Lines from the center 7 33-Down’s homeland 8 Open-mouthed 9 Western landform 10 Clichéd 11 Happy hour morsel 12 Makes amends 13 Rub the wrong way 21 Manjula’s husband on “The Simpsons” 22 Like autumn mornings 27 Like morning grass 28 Made-up 29 Loosen, as laces 30 Enroll 33 U2 frontman 34 Belly laughs
35 Prefix with morph 37 Pixar title robot 38 Hardwood option 39 Mystery 42 Most distant 43 Black Russian component 44 Fulfills a takeout order? 46 Alpine parrot
48 Roundish 49 1,000 kilograms 50 Kerry’s department 52 Projection room stack 54 Badgers 55 It may be round 56 Stuff in a backpack 57 José’s home
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YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — The campus is overrun by a tangled web of weeds and vines. Many of the books in the open-air library are ancient, their pages yellow. Students will have to share a handful of donated computers and put up with slow-speed Internet, at least at first. And professors are struggling to catch up with developments in their fields. This is Yangon University, once among Asia’s most prestigious institutions of learning. It reopens to undergraduates Thursday for the first time in nearly two decades, finally emerging from a crackdown by military rulers who considered education a threat to their supremacy. “It’s a start,” Thaw Kaung, one of the country’s most respected scholars, said with a smile. The junta that ruled Myanmar for half a century gutted education, which received 1.3 percent of the budget, compared to 25 percent for defense. Education spending has shot up since President Thein Sein was inaugurated to lead a nominally civilian government, jumping from $340 million in 2011 to $1 billion this year. But experts say more needs to be done. “We need educated people to run the country,” said Thaw Kaung, an octogenarian in thick, black-rimmed glasses who long served as the university’s chief librarian. “We can’t just rely on foreign aid and experts. Without a university producing capable persons, it will be difficult to sustain development in the long run.” Foreign investors are eager to do business in this desperately poor nation of 60 million
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ACROSS 1 Rewards for waiting 5 Sauce finisher, often 10 Bit of Halloween makeup 14 Gray subj. 15 Expansive 16 Parting words 17 Family nickname 18 Parting word 19 Erelong 20 “ ” 23 Presidential nickname 24 Inflationary fig.? 25 Drive off 26 Language of Pakistan 28 Peak on the 1,000-yen note 31 Language suffix 32 __-Julie, Quebec 33 Nail-biting way to win 36 “ ” 40 Jerks 41 Morse code letter after ditdit-dit 42 Outlaw Clanton 45 Get rid of 46 Gorilla trained to use sign language 47 Holiday air 49 Mao __-tung 51 Ten-cent pres. 53 “ ” 58 Designer Schiaparelli 59 The Joe in Detroit, for one 60 Superb 61 Tallow source 62 Huge 63 Earthworm habitat 64 Stun, in a way 65 Bout of retail “therapy” 66 Fine subject?
Students return to campus following term of suppression by government
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that only recently opened up to the rest of the world. They are no longer hindered by U.S. and European sanctions, but now must figure out how to deal with an enthusiastic but utterly unprepared work force. Even finding English-speakers for five-star hotels can be a challenge, investors say, let alone business and information technology professionals, lawyers or accountants. The onslaught on education in Myanmar began when Gen. Ne Win seized power in 1962. Troops blew up Yangon University’s Student Union because of protests and tightened control over classes. Soldiers stormed the campus again in 1974 to quell protests. The biggest blow came in 1988, following the failed student uprisings that put a global spotlight on pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The junta shut down urban campuses, seen as hotbeds of political dissent, and restricted what could be taught. Yangon University produced many of Myanmar’s leaders and its most famous dissidents and intellectuals, including Suu Kyi’s father, independence leader Aung San. The school closed repeatedly for long stretches under the junta, and up until this week, only a handful of graduate students could be seen roaming the 200-acre campus. “It’s a dream come true,” said 16-year-old May Thin Khaing, clutching the straps of her backpack as she looked for her name on the board near registration. “My parents both went here in the 1980s and often spoke nostalgically about those days,” said the teenager, who will study chemistry. “I hope I can feel the same sense of pride that my parents once enjoyed.” The school once had 60,000 students, but it’s a long way from that now. Initially, only 300 students — 15 from each of the 20 disciplines — were supposed to head to class on Thursday. Follow-
ing criticism from academics and lawmakers, the number was boosted at the final hour to 1,000 — or 50 for each discipline. That left professors scrambling to prepare extra lab equipment and clean up vacant classrooms. Workers were frantically putting in light bulbs ahead of the reopening and sweeping away thick, dusty cobwebs. Dr. Phone Win, a physician who heads Mingalar Myanmar, a group promoting education, said enrollment should be even higher: “Why only 50 for each discipline? Who came up with that number?” He said that despite economic and political reforms in the last three years, the government maintains a top-down approach across almost every sector, including education. “It’s very hierarchial,” Win said. The ministry is reluctant to give too much control to the university rector, and the rector limits professors’ autonomy, he said. “What these students need now is academic freedom,” he said. Students also may be skeptical that such freedom has arrived. Political science has returned to the curriculum, but so far only six students have signed up. With urban campuses closed, 70 percent of the country’s students have in recent years relied on distance learning, with graduation depending largely on their memorization skills. Others made long, daily commutes to newly built sterile institutions on the outskirts of bustling cities. Nay Oak, a professor of English at Yangon in the 1960s and ‘70s, said that as the military closed down universities, its answer to education was to allow students to take crash courses. Many walked away with degrees after just six months of study. “In many cases, they didn’t have to learn a thing,” Nay Oak said.
Illinois pension fund continues to struggle Plan to save the fund could be scrapped SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — With the fight over solving Illinois’ worst-in-the-nation pension shortfall now headed to the courts, the financially troubled state faces a grim possibility: The plan could be tossed, and Illinois could wind up in an even deeper fiscal hole than the one it’s in now. Legislative leaders, anticipating a legal challenge from public-employee unions once the landmark bill approved Tuesday is signed, went extra lengths to bolster the law’s odds in the courtroom — including an unusual three-page preamble to the legislation in which they lay out their case for cutting worker and retiree benefits. But legal experts say those efforts could mean little in a state that provides some of the country’s stronger constitutional protections of pension benefits. They point to Arizona as a possible warning sign. In 2012, a judge there said a law raising the employee contribution to pension benefits was illegal, and ordered the state to repay the money to workers — with interest. Amanda Kass, budget director and pension specialist for the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability in Chicago, predicted Illinois could see a similar outcome. “The state could owe back a huge sum of money, possibly with interest,” she said. Recent rulings across the
country bring even greater unpredictability to a plan supporters described as crucial to getting Illinois on better financial footing. A bankruptcy judge in Michigan ruled Tuesday that Detroit can cut its pensions despite constitutional protections like Illinois’ — a blow to labor unions and their members. Illinois, Michigan and Arizona are among the seven states that have clauses in their state constitutions that protect pension benefits, according to the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College. The others are Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana and New York. Illinois and New York’s protections are considered to the strongest, however, because the language expressly states that it applies to current and future benefits. “I think they’ve got a serious problem,” said Professor Ann Lousin, the Edward T. and Noble W. Lee Chair in Constitutional Law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, speaking of the legislative leaders who were the political architects of the Illinois measure. Illinois’ unfunded pension liability is $100 billion, largely because lawmakers for decades didn’t make the state’s annual contributions to the funds. The enormous shortfall led major credit rating agencies to downgrade Illinois to the lowest credit rating in the country. Pension payments also grew to consume about one-fifth of the state’s general funds budget — siphoning money from education, social services and other areas.
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Thursday, December 5, 2013 — 7A
Lots of potential, but ‘M’ couldn’t fulfill it
ADAM GLANZMAN/Daily
Michigan coach John Beilein said, “Maybe we should have run our late-game offense the whole time.”
In anemic night, some offensive oddities By NEAL ROTHSCHILD Daily Sports Editor
If it wasn’t so painful, it might have just been called odd. The No. 22 Michigan men’s basketball team’s offensive performance in Tuesday night’s 79-69 loss to Duke was by far the worst of the season, never mind that the Wolverines have also lost games scoring 70 and 61 points. With 119 seconds remaining, Michigan trailed 68-50. To that point, it had shot 18-for-46 and only 1-for-9 on 3-pointers. Down 18 with two minutes to play, Michigan (5-3) got a layup from sophomore forward Mitch McGary, and then the hacking commenced. The Wolverines fouled the Blue Devils to send them to the line, prolonging a contest that was well out of hand. Michigan fouled nine times in the final two minutes to manufacture nine more possessions, in which the Wolverines drained two 3-pointers and scored 19 points to bring the score totals to a respectable level. Those 19 points accounted for 28 percent of Michigan’s scoring. McGary led the garbage-time parade, padding his stats with eight points and three rebounds to complete a seemingly impres-
sive 15-point, 14-rebound game. Ultimately, the Wolverines boosted their field-goal percentage from 39 percent to 45 percent and their 3-point rate from 11 percent to 23 percent in that span. Though the outcome was never threatened, Michigan cut the deficit to 10 by game’s end. “We didn’t get some threes until the end,” said Michigan coach John Beilein. “Maybe we should have run our late-game offense the whole time, and we could have scored some points.” Beilein’s teams have traditionally been prolific at perimeter shooting, so Duke’s game plan to limit opportunities in transition — and from sophomore guard Nik Stauskas in particular — put the Wolverines in an untenable situation. “You gotta go two at a time, and you gotta get stops at the other end,” Beilein said about adjusting to the 3-pointer being taken away. “And then you gotta make runs coming out of that, but we weren’t able to do that. But (overcoming) 12 points anywhere is hard to get.” The only player able to carry the scoring burden was sophomore guard Caris LeVert. After he scored just four points in the first half, LeVert went off for 20
in the second half, almost strictly on dribble penetration and almost strictly to the left side. “They were having a hard time scoring, and LeVert just kind of put them on his back and was terrific,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.“We kept telling (the Duke players), he goes left more than right, but he went left real hard, and he’s very good.” Try as they might, the other Wolverines were unable to generate anything. Drive attempts were forced off balance, and the shots were off target. Until the final 119 seconds, aside from LeVert, the rest of the Wolverines scored just 13 points in the second half. The first 20 minutes were even worse, with the Blue Devils heading into halftime with a 32-22 lead. For Michigan’s starters, the points on the first-half score sheet read: four, three, five, three, four. “We dialed (LeVert) up like crazy in the second half,” Beilein said. “We played through him the whole second half. That was something that we saw from the game, and we just went with him. Knowing that they were going to deny Nik as much as they can, we went in a different direction and it worked. Unfortunately we already buried ourselves in a hole.”
Indiana forward Dylan Mares collected the ball outside the 18-yard box and weaved by two defenders before slotting it into the back of the net. As the Hoosiers celebrated, the Michigan men’s soccer team sullenly walked off the field. MINH Mares’s DOAN goal had sent the On Men’s Soccer team packing from the Big Ten Tournament, virtually ending its season. A campaign filled with such promise was over, and many team goals were left unchecked. “A Big Ten Championship and an NCAA Tournament bid were our two major goals,” said redshirt junior midfielder Tyler Arnone last week. The 2012 season was Wolverines’ coach Chaka Daley’s inaugural year and included appearances in the Big Ten Championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Michigan hoped to build off those accomplishments heading into this year. But instead of improving on last season’s achievement, the Wolverines (3-3 Big Ten, 8-7-3 overall) regressed. “One of the major disappointments was this team had so much potential,” Arnone said. “I don’t think we reached our high point at any time.” Finishing scoring chances became Michigan’s biggest Achilles’ heel. Early in the season, the Wolverines took on South Florida in a non-conference battle. Michigan outshot the Bulls, 15-7, and dominated most of the second half and overtime periods, but the Wolverines could not prevail, tying the match, 1-1. The same issue was prevalent in many other games, such as one against then-No. 7 Northwestern, when the Wolverines outshot the Wildcats, 15-5, but couldn’t come away with a goal in a 2-0 loss. The highlight of the season was a three-game winning streak at home in which the
Wolverines were lifted by timely goals. Against then-No. 12 Creighton, Wisconsin and defending NCAA champion Indiana, late second-half goals by freshman defender Lars Eckenrode, redshirt junior Tyler Arnone and junior midfielder TJ Van Slooten gave Michigan a chance to celebrate and pushed it into second place in the Big Ten, placing it in a good position for an NCAA Tournament at-large bid. “Beating two teams that were in the Final Four (Creighton and Indiana) last year on national TV was certainly encouraging for our group,” Daley said. To secure the at-large bid, the Wolverines needed to go into East Lansing and beat No. 18 Michigan State. The game started off well for Michigan, but its recurring theme of deficiencies in front of goal hurt the Wolverines once again. The Michigan offense rattled off 10 shots to the Spartans’ zero but could not come up with a goal. In the second half, sophomore defender Jack Brown was sent off with a red card, and Michigan State scored two goals on its way to taking back the Big Bear Trophy in a 2-0 win. “We took it to Michigan State before the red card,” Arnone said. “We showed we could compete against the best teams in the country.” That loss, coupled with a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament, only reinforced the disappointing reality that the Wolverines would not make the NCAA Tournament. “We were essentially one and a half games from making the NCAA Tournament.” Arnone said. While the season did not turn out the way Michigan would have liked, there were many bright spots on the team. The freshmen played exceptionally well and stepped up in big situations when needed. Eckenrode and fellow freshman defenders Rylee Woods and Andre Morris played big minutes when their numbers were called upon. Woods and
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Michigan coach Chaka Daley’s second season was a slight regression.
Eckenrode received All-Big Ten freshman team honors, and the three will be the foundation of the Wolverine defense for seasons to come. Arnone was another highlight for the team. His work as a boxto-box midfielder and hustle led to his recognition as the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year. He led the team with five assists and put away two goals on the season. “My goal was to be an influence in every game,” Arnone said. “I wanted to perform well throughout the year and have a level of consistency.” Michigan will say goodbye to six seniors: midfielders Dylan Mencia and Fabio Pereira, defenders Tyler Leppek and Ezekiel Harris and forwards Malcolm Miller and TJ Roehn. All six have left their mark on the program and they serve as the last players on the team from the Wolverines’ run to the College Cup in 2010. But with the freshmen, a slew of key position players and both captains — Arnone and redshirt junior goalkeeper Adam Grinwis — are coming back for another season, so Michigan’s goals remain the same. Heading into next season, the young team will have experience behind it and will look to replicate the success the departing seniors brought. “We’re certainly excited about where we’re going as a program,” Daley said. “The future is looking very bright.”
U.S. Under-18 foe is young, Surprising Michigan brings hungry and capable of upset red-hot shooting to Virginia WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
By JEREMY SUMMITT
By MAX COHEN Daily Sports Writer
The Michigan women’s basketball team hit its 3-pointers left and right in the second half of its near-upset against No. 15 LSU last weekend. The Wolverines went 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in the half, helping them keep the Michigan competition at Virginia close. Matchup: This marks- Michigan 5-3; man-like Virginia 3-4 shooting has When: Thurscontinuously day 7 P.M. aided Michigan in its surpris- Where: John Paul Jones ing start. Arena The Wolverines (5-3) enter TV/Radio: VirginiaSports. this year’s Big com ($) Ten/ACC Challenge game at Virginia looking to build momentum after their two most impressive performances of the season. At the Barclays Invitational last weekend, Michigan beat Texas Tech in convincing fashion and nearly pulled off the upset over the Lady Tigers. Historically, Michigan has fared well in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge compared to its fellow Big Ten programs. Since the Challenge’s inception in 2007, the Wolverines are 4-2, while their conference has not yet won the overall title. “Any time we have an opportunity to play against another conference, it’s our job to represent,” said Michigan coach Kim Barnes Arico.
The coach hopes the team’s shooting prowess displayed last weekend was no accident. “We made shots, which is something, in the games that we lost earlier this year, we weren’t able to do,” Barnes Arico said. “They’re spending a lot of extra time in the gym getting up shots.” Against the Lady Raiders, the Wolverines shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the field. The next day facing LSU, Michigan barely missed out on eclipsing the 50-percent mark for the second game in a row, making 47.1 percent of its attempts. Effectiveness in shooting has been the difference between wins and losses for the young team. In the team’s other two losses, it made less than 36 percent of its attempts. The recent lights-out shooting has continued a trend for the Wolverines. Despite its low percentage in those two early losses, Michigan enters its game against the Cavaliers ranked No. 27 in the country in field-goal percentage at 46.5 percent — a significant accomplishment for a team that didn’t know who its primary scorer would be entering the season. Junior guard Shannon Smith emerged early as a key offensive presence for the team and leads the Wolverines in scoring. But Smith’s status is still up in the air for Thursday’s game. She injured her back late in Friday’s victory and missed Saturday’s contest against LSU as a result. Smith has participated in some activities in practice
this week but will be a gametime decision. If Smith isn’t in the lineup, senior forward Val Driscoll will likely take her place, as she did Saturday against LSU. Driscoll played her best game of the season against the Lady Tigers, going toe to toe with talented LSU bigs and coming away with 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. Virginia (3-4) hasn’t experienced as much recent success. The Cavaliers come into the game fresh off of a weekend trip to the Bahamas, where they lost both of their games in the Junkanoo Jam Tournament. One of the losses was a blowout at the hands of No. 3 Tennessee. In the second game of the tournament, center Sarah Imovbioh and guard Kelsey Wolfe combined to score all but eight of the team’s 46 points in a narrow loss to Kansas State. Generally, the team has a more balanced scoring attack, led by Imovbioh, guard Ataira Franklin and guard Faith Randolph, who all average between 11 and 13 points per game. Last season, the ACC won the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, 7-5. But it’s new year, and the new-look Michigan team hopes to help the conference notch its first win. “We feel so fortunate to be at Michigan, but also to be a part of the Big Ten conference, which I believe is the best conference in the country and is just going to get better and better in years to come,” Barnes Arico said.
Daily Sports Editor
Exactly 11 months ago, a sullen Michigan hockey team skated off the rink at Yost Ice Arena after suffering a 5-3 defeat. At the other end of the rink, current Wolverine freshmen Tyler Motte, U.S. NTDP JT Compher at Michigan and Evan Allen were more (ex.) than satisfied. Matchup: The trio NTDP 0-0; played for the Michigan 10-2-1 U.S. Under-18 National Team When: Thursday 7 P.M. Development Program last Where: Yost season before Ice Arena enrolling at TV: Fox Sports Michigan, and Detroit combined for five points — Motte with two goals, Compher with two assists and Allen with one assist — in the NTDP’s victory over the Wolverines. “With the national team, it’s one of the biggest games of the year,” Motte said. “You look forward to it all year.” On Thursday, the scene will be very different. Motte, Compher and Allen will line up in maize and blue when No. 3 Michigan hosts their former team in an exhibition. Looking back, Compher most vividly remembers a jam-packed crowd hovering over him last January. He got the starting nod that day since Yost would soon be his home arena, making the night that much more special. “It’s a really exciting game for
everyone,” Compher said. “Since we’re in Ann Arbor for two years (with the NTDP), a bunch of guys come see Michigan games, and for me it was a little more important.” Since the NTDP plays locally at the Ann Arbor Ice Cube, the high anticipation surrounding the game is somewhat expected. Motte went as far as saying the annual matchup is progressing into a rivalry, and Michigan coach Red Berenson has grown to appreciate it, too. “We’ve got to play that program,” Berenson said. “It might not help us, necessarily, but it’s the right thing to do. That’s why we play them.” But the game is an exhibition, and Berenson will use it as a chance to experiment with lines and give some upperclassmen a night off. Specifically, junior forward Derek DeBlois and senior defenseman Mac Bennett will be out of the lineup for the first time this season. According to Berenson, Bennett has some “bumps and bruises” after last weekend’s series sweep over Ohio State. Filling in for Bennett, junior defenseman Brennan Serville will return to the ice for the first time since sustaining a head injury against Niagara on Nov. 22. Berenson also confirmed that junior Andrew Sinelli would be a mainstay on the blue line after the coach saw some positives in his game the past two weeks. Sinelli is typically a forward. “I like his quickness,” Berenson said. “He’s a good skater, and he goes back to get the puck and he’ll win that race. He’ll take a hit to make a play, and he’s a defen-
PAUL SHERMAN/Daily
Freshman forward Tyler Motte beat Michigan last year with the NTDP.
sive forward, so he’s got good defensive instincts in our zone.” Thursday’s game will also be the first opportunity for many Michigan fans to see Dylan Larkin, a Wolverine commit for the 2014-15 season. He has tallied 22 points (14 goals and eight assists) in 23 games this year with the NTDP. Berenson cited his skating, spirit and strength on the puck as some of his most promising traits. Even in an exhibition with multiple lineup changes, Michigan will still look to spoil Larkin’s night. Motte called last year’s loss an upset for the Wolverines and said a similar result this season would be “devastating.” “Guys on this side are hungry for it,” Motte said. “For us, this year, I think it’s about more of keeping our momentum, not taking it lightly and moving forward into the rest of our season.”
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
8 — Thursday, December 5, 2013
Bowties and baritones
By Erin Kirkland
I
’ll be the first to tell you that I can’t sing. So I set out to explore the campus’ a cappella culture. It’s no secret that in recent years, as seen in movies such as “Pitch Perfect,” the depiction of college a cappella culture stresses the transition from stiff, straightlaced chorale groups to loosenedup groups singing mashups. But what about the oldest student organization on campus — The Men’s Glee Club? Founded in 1859, the organization is known as the roughly 100 men between the ages of 18 and 22 who don penguin-esque tuxedos and sport boutonnieres. Since it incorporates musical accompaniment they don’t quite fall underneath the a cappella umbrella, but it still straddles the line between tradition and modernity.
“We want to honor the traditions the 154 year old student organization holds dear . . . However it’s important to think critically about those traditions and ensure that the club’s culture evolves with the times,” said LSA senior Chris Osborn. In doing so, the group’s set list includes both classical and contemporary selections, and a few performances from the 8 person comedic musical group known as The Friars. Each year Glee Club participates in their outreach program known as Brothers in Song, providing mentorship and musical opportunity for a local high school. And as far as loosening up goes, you can hear them singing at Cottage Inn after Thursday practices. While documenting the group as
they prepared for their fall concert, I realized that the organization stands as a musical reminder of the University’s historical tradition and legacy. In fact, each spring the club comes to a football practice to teach the next team how to properly sing “The Victors.” For me, what once stood as an image of shiny shoes and neatly pressed shirts, has been replaced by the final act of the fall concert. In the last 5 minutes the group sings Michigan-specific, age-old songs — “In College Days, The Victors,” and “The University” —which echo throughout Hill’s rich-colored ceiling. The end result of my sociological, photographic exploration? I still can’t sing. But I know of an organization on campus that certainly can.
the b-side B
The Michigan Daily | michigandaily.com | Thursday, December 5, 2013
ink’d By Anna Sadovskaya, Senior Arts Editor
It was once the mark of a sailor: the washedout anchor on rough skin served as a permanent reminder of grimy life at sea. It used to be the sign of a gang-member: embedded designs announced his loyalties before him. It travelled through prison systems and biker bars, igniting a sense of unease in the hearts of those outside. And now, it resides on the inner bicep of a 21-year-old as an expression of individuality. “What people miss is that human beings have been tattooing their bodies from day one, and it comes from a very aboriginal rite of passage, where we mark moments in time, a period in our life, with a tattoo,” said Jeff Zuck, tattoo artist and owner of Name Brand Tattoo. “It’s really not that bizarre if we break it down to the roots of it. This is our body, we’ve adorned it forever.” Though an ancient practice, tattoo artistry has long been shrouded in mystery and taboo, only recently seeing a refined emergence on college students, young professionals and even businessmen and women who are enticed by the glowing “Tattoo Parlor” signs. According to Zuck, who was himself motivated by the gradual shift in tattoo culture, this is the tattoo movement. “I started tattooing at my house, and it’s not something I recommend to anyone,” Zuck said. “I didn’t have tutelage, but that is how I started. I’ve been tattooing 20 years, and 20 years ago, it was just starting to be at that point where you would see tattoos on interesting people: skate boarders, people I look up to, musicians ... And they were not so much the stereotypical biker, druggie, criminal, and it started to be on people that, in my young age, I thought to be very inspirational.” Leap to ink Brad Nugent, a tattoo artist at Lucky Monkey Tattoo Parlour, like Zuck, started out tattooing on his own, at home, with needles and an exacto knife. His left arm is a tribute to his adolescent experimentation as a “scratcher,” or an unex-
perienced tattoo artist who ends up with a rough tattoo as opposed to the graceful semblance of a smoother design. “I had a friend who was in a gang, and he had a lot of gang tattoos: pitchforks and crowns and stuff. And he said he had done it himself, and I said ‘how’d you do that?’ And what you do is you take one needle, three needles, five needles and you wrap them in thread and then you leave the amount of needle exposed that you want penetrating the skin and then you’d dip it in ink,” Nugent walked through the process, miming the needles fitting into the cartridge of an opened exacto knife. Nugent spent years struggling as a rebellious teen before he realized his true calling as a tattoo artist. Going through school for refrigeration and air conditioning in New York, Nugent took an art elective class where his creative talent came through in a still-life assignment — where he drew his tattoo equipment. Nugent’s teacher took notice and encouraged him to pursue his artistic interests. “He said, ‘What are you doing? Refrigeration, air conditioning? Really? Don’t you make art? Try to do something with your art.’ ” Nugent quickly realized he was prepared to take the leap into ink artistry. After years of forming contacts, working at the art every day and losing a side job, Nugent got into his groove and paid his dues, finally settling into his career as a tattoo artist at Lucky Monkey in Ann Arbor. He chose the small University city because, aside from being a college town, Ann Arbor is also home to tattoo-changing artists and styles. Types of tattoos such as tribal, Americana, black and grey, traditional Japanese styles and gore, among others, are offered in the city's many parlors, with tattoo artists spending years honing their craft. “I started studying (Japanese-style tattooing) maybe 10, 12 years ago in the traditional sense … really emulating that style,” Zuck said. “I’ve recently taken a break from that and people continue to ask who else there is to go to. I have one person who’s been working under me for five years who actually understands that, grasps that and comes close to
that (style of tattooing). Outside of that, people are going to have to travel a few states away, even to the coast, to find someone that qualified.” Tony Caporusso, a traditional American tattoo artist at Lucky Monkey Tattoo Parlour, described his succession into tattoo territory as a fixation; after his first tattoo at 18, he was hooked. Caporusso quit his job in advertising to pursue his calling — hunched over shoulders, arms and elsewhere, spreading ink into their skin, creating art. “I’ve always been an artist and an illustrator, and as soon as I turned 18, I got my first tattoo. I got more interested in the culture and the history of tattooing and the art that went along with it,” Caporusso said. “I started replicating traditional flash and over the years of collecting tattoos, I just got obsessed. It overtook my profession to the point where I couldn’t think about anything else and I had to pursue that career change.” This dedication to their craft, along with help from popular media (such as TLC’s “LA Ink” and photo sharing on Instagram) is providing the world with a clear look into tattooing, with unprecedented access to artists, their styles and their shops. The tattoo renaissance But this resurgence has been a long time coming for some. To become a true artist, it takes years of practice and continuous work, building up a portfolio so a tattoo studio will take them on. Tattooists just starting out have the typical hardships associated with starting a new career, along with the added bonus of needing others to practice on. “I had an opportunity at one point to apprentice under Hot Stuff Deluxe in Texas, where I lived out there for 12 years,” Nugent recalled. “I didn’t really jump on the opportunity, because I didn’t realize what was in front of me and how hard it is to get an apprenticeship, what kinds of sacrifices you have to make in your life: doing grunt work for a year, not even tattooing, just making artwork, stencils, filling out paperwork.” See INK’D, Page 3B
the b-side
2B — Thursday, December 5, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NETFLIX PIX
FOOD COLUMN
Finding the hidden holiday treats of Ann Arbor
I
t’s the most wonderful time of the year, people: parties for hosting, marshmallows for toasting, caroling out in the snow … and in the world of food, there’s a lot more going on than just chestnuts roasting on an open fire. NATE Say what you WOOD want about commercial businesses capitalizing on the holiday season; if it means I get those holiday treats I’ve been waiting 10 months for, then I don’t care. As a kid, I remember feeling like the holidays had really only begun when my mom came home with a carton of eggnog. It was super rich, probably imitation stuff that I had to dilute with skim milk to make drinkable, but every November, I’d look forward to slurping the concoction from those gaudy, winter-themed glasses (envision pixelated pine trees beneath a sky of uniformly arranged snowflakes) that were dug out from the back of our cabinet at only this time of year. It wasn’t the eggnog that I cared about, but instead what it symbolized. Truthfully, I haven’t changed much in that regard: I still get really into this whole holiday cheer thing. And here to help are a number of local eateries and national chain restaurants, which oh-so-generously shove “limitedtime” products in my face decorated with bright-red ribbons and jolly, happy snowmen. But hey, like I said before, I don’t care. So — in no particular order — I present my top-six picks for Ann Arbor holiday treats. Achatz Handmade Pie Company Turkey Pot Pie Forget Banquet!, Achatz’s handmade pies are the way to go.
An independent business with a number of locations scattered throughout Ann Arbor and metro Detroit, Achatz Handmade Pie Company is currently offering its seasonal turkey pot pie filled with everything you love about Thanksgiving. A combination of shredded turkey breast, verdant green beans and sweet notes from golden sweet potatoes and plump cranberries is wrapped in rich, salty gravy and topped with an herbed crouton crust. And yes, they’ll ship it to you. Does it get any better than this? McDonald’s Eggnog Shake I know, I know, how classless for a food critic to suggest ordering anything at McDonald’s. But let me reiterate a recurring theme: I don’t care. The eggnog shakes here are actually the best. The eggs, the nog and the shake probably aren’t real, but I know for a fact that the chemically preserved cherry on top is … well, mostly, anyway. Just try it; don’t think about it.
Don’t knock McDonald’s delicious Eggnog Shake. Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory Peanut Brittle Nothing says Christmas like peanut-brittle. Whether you’re planning on enjoying the treat yourself or just stuffing it in party-favor to-go bags, Zingerman’s Candy Manufactory (who knew that was even a word?) has perfected the art of peanut-brittle pulling. Watch the video on their website to see why — instead of making a huge, molten mess yourself — you should probably just leave candy-making to the professionals.
Daily Arts Writers dig through recent Netflix releases to find the shows worth revisiting or discovering.
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Not to be a hipster about this, but I liked Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Lattes (we’ll call them PSLs) before they were cool. And you want to know a secret? I know how to make them even better. Listen. Normally, a grandé-sized drink at Starbucks has four pumps of flavored syrup. Take advantage of this knowledge (and act obnoxiously pretentious in the process) by asking your barista for a “Grandé Pumpkin Spice Latte, three pumps pumpkin spice, one pump white mocha” instead of your standard PSL. Modeled after a cappuccino I had in Traverse City a few years back, this customized Starbucks drink will — I promise — be your new winter favorite. Iorio’s Gelateria Bourbon Caramel Gingersnap Gelato Though this really shouldn’t require any persuasion on my part, allow me to sing the praises of this boozy holiday muddle of awesome: Taste the dense, silky gelato swirled with sweet and sticky caramel. Freshly baked gingersnap cookies add a welcomed hearty texture, and the dash of strikingly dark, barrel-aged spirits the perfect taste-bud punch. Am I making myself clear?
MANDARIN
“Dexter”
“American Horror Story”
Okay, so maybe right before finals isn’t the best time to get into this highly addictive drama about friendly neighborhood serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall, “Six Feet Under”) ... but I mean, c’mon, it’s “Dexter.” Regardless of the last few seasons, the first four are fantastic and John Lithgow’s Trinity stands with Hannibal Lecter as one of the greatest on-screen serial-killers of all time. But what brings the series alive is Hall’s constant ability to change. He’s never simple enough to just be a one-note murderer. Instances of change are visible in every episode, but the impact is invisible because the results are always drenched in blood.
Midway through the bewitching third season of “American Horror Story,” Netflix has released the series’s second installation, “Asylum,” for streaming. The real showcase of the season is Sarah Paulson’s mesmerizing portrayal of Lana Winters — watch as she braves the horrors of 1960s mental health care and steadfastly rivals Jessica Lange (in both the fictional world and in performance). Unlike the more focused first season, “Asylum” skillfully juggles many terrors, from the devil to mad scientists to aliens. Look out for Ian McShane’s serial-killer Santa in episode eight, a surefire way to get in the holiday spirit!
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PARAMOUNT
Roos Roast Holiday Blend To wash everything down, grab a locally roasted bag of beans and brew a cup of joe. The Holiday Blend at Roos Roast is mildly spiced to trigger those warm clove, cinnamon and nutmeg notes, just the pick-me-up your Monday mornings are probably looking for. I went through a full pound during Fall 2012 final exams. Don’t judge me. And with that, I say, ‘let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.’ Deck the halls; we need a little Christmas. Joy to the world! Still not feeling the holiday cheer? Go check your heart; it’s probably three sizes too small.
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SINGLE REVIEW Justin Timberlake’s “TKO” is a gripping pop song off of September’s The 20/20 Experience – 2 of 2 that demands Cthe listener’s attention. For TKO (Black the track’s Friday official remix, Remix) Timberlake recruited Justin three of 2013’s Timberlake most ubiquitous rappers to RCA drop emotionally honest verses. J. Cole, A$AP Rocky and Pusha T are three of the largest names in rap music, and each was called out in the most discussed verse of the year, Kendrick Lamar’s blistering “Control,” which asserted his dominance over his so-called peers in the rap industry. Timberlake has a sparse presence on the remix; his original verses are removed and his fal-
“Doctor Who”
“It’s Always Sunny...”
No, I’m not telling you to watch 50 years worth of television, but the classic BBC series just celebrated one hell of a milestone. I mean, how many shows have a 50th anniversary? To call the series addictive would be an understatement, so be warned: It is definitely not a good idea to plunge into the Doctor’s world during finals week. And with the 12th Doctor (Matt Smith) set to regenerate into Peter Capaldi’s Number 13 come Christmas, new fans have the perfect jumping-on point.
Season 8 just landed on Netflix and, like those before it, it’s filled with the same offensive, crude, deceitful, selfish and shallow antics fans have come to love and expect from “The Gang.” A personal favorite from the new season: “The Maureen Ponderosa Wedding Massacre.” The horror-themed episode showcases how insane (and huge) the McPoyle family is and includes a cameo from director Guillermo Del Toro (“Pacific Rim,” “Pan’s Labyrinth”). Just don’t drink the milk.
TRAILER REVIEW
RCA
setto primarily serves as a backdrop for the emcees to rhyme over. Cole opens the track with a humorous account of how being named in “Control” affected his everyday life and led him to leave his girlfriend and even being questioned by his mother. A$AP Rocky follows with a technically proficient verse that demonstrates his clever wordplay and ability to use assonance to string phrases together while asserting his superiority and dismissing rumors and gossip. Pusha T closes the song with a boast about
WARNER BROS
having the best hip hop album of the year and the length of his successful career. The remix may not have the longevity of the original track as a pop hit, but the catchy earworm hook and the engaging, candid verses warrant a look at the authentic emotions of some of rap’s largest stars. Fans of Timberlake’s progressive R&B may be put off by the rap-heavy verses, but the honesty in each verse shines through to create a compelling remix. — KAYLA UPADHYAYA
Bubbly, intelligent dialogue, flashbulb-touched camera pans and a crooning, buoyant Johnny Mathis hit make up 60 A percent of David O. RusAmerican sell’s new Hustle trailer for “American Columbia Hustle.” The other 40 percent is hair. It’s literally everywhere. Elaborate comb-overs, horrendous man-perms and, yes, a weird Elvis-meets-Johnny Bravo pompadour sagging on top of Hawkeye’s head. Google search “seventies + hair” and you’ll quickly understand why this two-minute trailer is a video representation of whatever shows up on the first page. And I’m all for it. Not because I have any particular affinity to hair, but because those luscious locks, unlike so much of the dreck we
COLUMBIA
see these days at comingsoon. net, excel at creating an engaging atmosphere without giving away too much of the movie they’re trying to advertise. The trailer draws us in using the details that’ll inevitably stick out when we plop down in a theater seat to see the film, but the little bits of action are presented in a hodgepodge collage that only really tells us one thing: Shit is eventually going to hit the fan. Wisely,
whoever made this trailer veers away from approaching the finer minutiae of what looks to be an awfully intricate plotline, featuring the Mafia, undercover FBI agents and double-crossing. Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, J-Law, Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams are in for an interesting ride this Christmas. I’m just happy they have the same stylist. —AKSHAY SETH
the b-side
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
INK’D From Page 1B “Tatooing, right now, is allowing for a handful of individuals who are skilled enough at the craft, and imaginative enough, to work towards influencing their own aesthetic and style inside of tattooing,” Zuck explained. “(The artists) are selling paintings and expressing themselves. So it’s legitimate artists coming out of the movement, and in Ann Arbor is where it’s really amazing.” As Zuck put it, this is the tattoo renaissance. But not every artist welcomes the revived interest. As an art form, tattooing is the culmination of hours spent refining a design, working towards a portfolio to showcase the artist’s preferred style. Just like painters or musicians dedicate their lives to the paintbrush or a sheet of music, so do true tattoo artists dedicate themselves to the art of embellishing skin. Now, that long-expended time is often being reduced to drawing a feather exploding into birds on a naked shoulder. “We’re not pirates … well we kind of are,” Nugent admitted. “But, we’re not scummy, bikery, dirty … but at the same time, you almost want certain types of people to have that kind of perception to retain that kind of mystery and mystique.” The access, though, seems to follow in the ever-growing trends of tattoo artistry. “When I first started, it was the Tasmanian devils: the classic, Tasmanian tattoo, the Yosemite Sam,” Zuck mused. “Then, dolphins jumping over the sun were the ’90s era, the lower back tattoo … today, things are flowing in multiple directions: One in the creative direction towards symbolic tattoos, and the other as very literal, straightforward tattoos, such as lettering and script.” The straightforward direction of tattooing comes from the college and young professional generation who, after scouring the
internet saw their favorite celebrity’s tattoos, filled their Pinterest boards with “ink ideas” and hurried to their nearest parlor to get their favorite quote tattooed. Caporusso described the Ann Arbor clientele as mostly collegeaged newbies, eager to get marked. “Largely it’s a lot of college walk-ins and first-timers. They’re heavily influenced by the web and modern design, so it’s a lot of recent stuff: little arrows, stuff you’d see on t-shirts,” Caporusso said. “Most of those people are getting their first tattoo, and, largely their only tattoo, so that’s where that begins and ends for college students.” Evolution of the art The hope, though, is to allow the new generation of tattoo seekers to explore the vastly underresearched possibilities of tattoo artistry, teaching the newcomers different styles and techniques. “The other side of the coin is, you turn them on to something they weren’t expecting, and they get hooked on to that kind of style, and they come back, which is what I try to do: Education is a large part of it.” Caporusso added. Despite persistence and enthusiasm, some customers simply want what they want — no matter how cheesy the ink will come out. Here, Caporusso, Zuck and Nuget, alongside most other artists, agree: The customer comes first. “I read the situation, and say ‘I can do that for you,’ and if there’s a problem with the design or with it lasting and looking the way it should, then I will recommend a change to it to make it a better tattoo — that’s as far as I’ll go designwise,” Caporusso said. Nugent, likewise, realized the importance of being able to tattoo no matter how cliché or menial the design is: “I’m happy to tattoo. Anytime I pick up the machine, and am doing the tattoo, I’m grateful,” Nugent said. “I understand it’s a luxury to be doing something like that, to work among people who are good and can teach me something.”
The act of tattooing is an art that is unlike any other: At a most basic level, tattooing is an artist loaning his skills to create a lasting depiction for another. And though he is an artist in his own right, with his own, dynamic style, the premise of tattooing is allowing another individual to express themselves through an artist’s work. “That’s what a tattoo is: it’s an oracle that you can look at and you can carry it with you. And whatever fits for you and your culture, I think it’s right either way,” Zuck added. The increase in tattoo interest created a spike for master tattoo artists; though there’s more work now than ever, there are more artists, vying for customers, awards and apprenticeships. “What has influenced the art as a whole is the influx of art kids, who have a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts. And then they pick up a machine, learn the technique and when they do, show’s over,” Nugent said. “They create beautiful pieces that change the face of tattooing as a whole, and it contributes to this evolution of the art itself. I’m not angry with that. A lot of people in the industry don’t like to see that, but you have to step your game up.” For artists like Zuck, stepping his game up means taking on the smaller projects, taking time to speak with his walk-in customers, paying attention to tattoo-newcomers. “The grass is greener on the other side. I keep a full schedule, I get to do whatever I want to do, when I want to do it, and so when it comes down to it, I can do that so much that I lose distance from my walk-in customers,” Zuck finished. “So to sit down with someone and have a brief moment and find out what’s going on in college land, I like that, that’s fun. Zuck added: “If you’re having a hard time with something, you have to switch it up. If you’re eating the same sandwich over and over and over, you have to try something different.”
Thursday, December 5, 2013 — 3B
LETTERS FROM THE EDITOR
J
Kanye West’s incongruous racial persona
essica Ann Mitchell, Your article, “Kanye’s Frantz Fanon Complex,” is the most persuasive argument against Kanye West’s incongruous social messages that I’ve read thus far. In his recent overindulgent onslaught of media appearances, Kanye has JOHN repeatedly LYNCH shown that his intentions of breaking up the racial barriers of the fashion world and his denouncing of corporations are superficial and hypocritically self-centered in focus. Since The College Dropout, Kanye’s once poignant social and political message has undoubtedly become increasingly misguided and egoistic in nature. As the substance of his message becomes increasingly diluted by fame or ego, it’s certainly our job as journalists to call him out on his mistakes. My point in writing this letter, then, is to assess the potential cultural significance behind Kanye’s recent, seemingly irrational ambitions. So what makes Kanye West, as you said, an artist with a “tremendous impact on the music industry and pop culture?” In his nearly decade-long career, Kanye has transformed the world of rap
music by introducing emotional introspection and progressive sounds into the genre’s repertoire. With each album release, Kanye has proven that he’s consistently years ahead of the curve, and as a result, each of his musical projects undeniably shaped the course of popular music in the years following its release. At this moment, though, Kanye is at a crucial turning point in his life. In recent talk show interviews, Kanye has repeatedly stated that he regressed to a childlike state to create Yeezus, and today, he seems more interested in creating provocative art and high-level fashion than socially conscious rap music (or any music, for that matter). At the same time, Kanye repeatedly expresses a desire to shape culture for the better and calls himself a “futurist” and the Michelangelo or Andy Warhol of his generation.
Provocative art should be socially conscious. I personally believe that his ambitions are not unrealistic. If any artist has the ability to influence the aesthetic and culture
THE D’ART BOARD
of the future for the better, it’s Kanye West. The reason we care about Kanye’s stance on racial issues is because his voice is one that immediately grabs public attention and holds a certain cultural significance. If he could transform the world of rap music, who’s to say that he couldn’t reappropriate the Confederate Flag by claiming it as his own and changing a long-standing symbol of hate into a new mark of fashion, as he has attempted to do with his controversial Yeezus tour t-shirts? As cultural critics, then, we have an obligation to hold Kanye to the same cultural standard that he believes he can hold. Behind every headline-grabbing faux pas that Kanye makes are more subtle glimpses of powerful truth and self-assessment. After being overly “turnt” for the majority of his recent radio interview with The Breakfast Club, Kanye admitted that he’s fallible, far from self-actualized and in need of the guidance of others to achieve the lofty goals he’s put forth. With the press’s continued pressure on the issue of race, then, Kanye will hopefully refine his perception of race and culture and return from this “childlike state” to the same path of racial reform that he originally pursued — creating provocative, original art that’s as socially conscious as it is progressive. Best, An Optimistic Fan
ARTFLOP
Each week we take shots at the biggest developments in the entertainment world. Here’s what hit (and missed) this week.
Gaga’s sales drop a big 82% in week two
‘Panties’ drop R. Kelly makes his 12th album, Black Panties, available for streaming on ItemVN.
Hidey Ho, YouTube Every episode of ‘90s sitcom “Home Improvement” released on YouTube
Marshmallows Unite! “Veronica Mars” movie release date set for March 14, 2014
Fire and Ice “Catching Fire” and “Frozen” lead box office to record Thanksgiving grosses. Design by Nick Cruz
VIDEO GAME TRAILER REVIEW Hearkened in by a weathered old man, the watcher is asked “Do you know the name Adol Christin?” A The anime and gameYs: play blend of Memories the trailer will feel of Celceta familiar to Nihon Falcom the series’ veterans, with the brightly-colored characters and environments hiding what the series is famous for: addictive and challenging combat in a high-fantasy world rich with its own lore. We drift through a world reminiscent of “Guild Wars 2,” drifting between gaps of medieval splendor and futuristic robot factories. Overlaid text teases at the history and plot as the hero and his comrades flashily
NIHON FALCOM
fight foes big and small. But what is likely to keep you hooked is the “Kingdom of Hearts” style humanity in the plotline, “Memories of Celceta” marks the series’ first foray onto the PS
Vita. A reinterpretation of “Ys IV,” it capitalizes on the Vita’s better hardware to deliver a product much more polished and technically complex. —JULIAN AIDAN
MUSIC VIDEO REVIEW Not surprisingly, Justin Bieber’s music video for “Wake Me Up” is cinematographically sound, which is Bonly to be expected Wake Me Up of a star as Justin Bieber popular as J-Biebs. Def Jam There are several different color filters used for various shots and they definitely do a solid job of enhancing the sensual tone of the video. The sexual content, however, poses a problem: there’s too much of it. The video opens with a glance at an attractive female in lingerie — a continuing trend throughout the video. Bieber himself can be seen throughout the first half sporting not just one gold cross over his XL black T-shirt, but two, which is truly representative of the video’s persistent excesses.
DEF JAM
About half of the shots consist of Bieber hooking up with and feeling up various scantily clad females with occasional inanimate objects strategically placed on set to enhance sex appeal, including a motorcycle, an acoustic guitar, a projector, a cheetah print couch and various stools. The other half is Bieber and the models sitting on said objects. After the music cuts out at the end, there is 15 seconds of Bieber making out with a woman
before the video fades to black. I understand that the music video is trying to provide eye candy for both genders, but honestly, it comes off as far too much. I can sympathize with Bieber for trying to revoke the music industry’s perception of him as a teenybopper sensation and be seen as a more mature artist, but paying models to make out with you on camera is not musically or artistically mature — it’s soft-core porn. —KEN SALANDER
the b-side
4B — Thursday, December 5, 2013
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
TATTOO TALES
My time under the needle 15 minutes to a permanent Name Brand Tattoo By BRIANNE JOHNSON Senior Arts Editor
Ever since Nurse Joan strapped my flailing limbs to the ducky-patterned table for a vaccine shot in 1999, I have been afraid of needles. So, of course, I decided to get a tattoo. It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and I’m feeling particularly thankful that I own enough crewneck sweaters and striped arm-warmers from my middle-school years as a Hot Topic regular to hide any imminent inkage during family dinner. But as I crunch along the salt-sprinkled pavement of 25-degree Ann Arbor with Anna at my side, I wish I’d worn more than a grey knit t-shirt. “Are you crazy?” she asks, laughing. “It’s easy access — if I’m going to get the tattoo high up on my arm, he has to be able to get to it!” “He” introduces himself as Jeff Zuck, owner of Name Brand Tattoo, a studio with wide windows that peer across East Washington Street. Dark tufts of beard tangle along his collar, winding to a stop past the second stripe of his plaid buttonup. He’s cuffed his trousers at the ankles, folded over aubergine laceup boots. Tall and scruffy like Abe Lincoln, and with his warm steadiness, Jeff is a man whom, I decide, I can trust with a needle. “Tell me what you’re thinkin’ about getting,” he encourages. I raise my arm like Rosie the Riveter and trail a finger along my bicep. “I just want a line of text here.” When I tell him, after counting fingers, that the phrase — a line from E.E. Cummings’s “if everything happens that can’t be done” — contains 10 words, Jeff winces. But I assure him that I have long arms (me, providing reassurance to
a tattoo artist?). We talk font, and I stumble over a description of what I want: calligraphy-esque script, but not perfect cursive. Closer to handwriting, the letters even slanted a bit. Imperfection. But Jeff is a professional; he’s learned to pick through customers’ rambles, to read their minds through gestures and frustrated explanations and recreate their vision through his own. “OK, cool. How about I draft something up and see how you like it? Until then, feel free to explore the shop, and I’ll come find you when I’m done,” he said I plant myself next to Anna on a wooden, art deco-style bench facing a spread of framed tattoo prints: Five rows and seven columns on this wall alone, inked from floor to ceiling with pastel mermaids known for jigs on sailors’ arms, jeweltoned marigolds blooming from the corners and feminine portraits of women whose hauntingly gorgeous faces, like sugar skulls, remind me of Mexico’s Day of the Dead. An inspiring, if not comforting, display. I point to a set beneath the front lobby window. “Anna, look at that one. The creepy Mickey face.” Disney’s famous mouse seems to sneer at me with a wicked glee, eyes crazed and faded, and I’m struck by the thought of my dad: The man who — despite our many road trips to Florida’s Disney World, where the atmosphere is sweeter than the batter of mouse-shaped waffles — would gladly put his foot to my ass upon discovering my new and permanent accessory. Thankfully, Jeff returns. He lays a waxy patch of paper before me; my tattoo is scrawled on the bottom in perfect alignment, so elegantly curved and curled that it belongs at the tail of the Declaration of Independence. Call it hyperbolic, but these women and men are tattoo artists for a reason. “I don’t know if this will make sense,” I start. “But it’s almost too perfect, too formal. Like, it’s the
MARLENE LACASSE/Daily
Jeff Zuck, owner of Name Brand Tattoo, applies the finishing touches.
ideal, standard ‘cursive,’ but I almost want something messier.” As a close friend of many employees who brave the field of customer service, I worry that I’m too demanding. Will Jeff think I’m being difficult? That I doubt his talent? “A little less designed,” he says, hands spread over the paper. Typography is a science, he explains, wherein the artist exacts angles, stems and serifs with precision. But, he adds, reading between my sloppy lines, he understands that I’m looking for something more natural. How about my own handwriting? “Oh, God, no,” I blurt, blushing, as Anna laughs. Jeff assures me that he has some ideas — the suspense! — and retreats to his Artist Lair, I imagine, only to emerge with a sample of styles, all seemingly drafted with the ease of free-hand yet measured grace. I pick the third: Its delicate loops are sweetly petite and the line’s first word reduced to an unassuming, lower-case ‘A.’ “Are you ready?” he asks. “I sure hope so.” We follow Jeff through the back of the studio, into a room where frame after frame of prints, all in a defiantly surreal style, are pieced together on the green walls like an old, French artists’ salon. After applying the outline to my bicep (flexing, always flexing), Jeff directs me to lie on the black, leather-cushioned table. Then, the buzzing. Or maybe it’s
closer to a whir, I think, as I stare into the fluorescent light on the ceiling and tell Anna to talk about something. I don’t care what about. Music blares from a speaker behind a curtain, but I only hear buzzing. The most frequent question I’ve received about tattoos — after “What did it feel like?” and “But what does it mean?” — is the imminent, “Did it hurt?” One friend, wide-eyed and admiring, even questioned my personal pain threshold. “Put it on a scale,” she demanded. On a scale of My First Ear Piercing to “Saw IV,” the tattoo, depending on its placement on the body, might merit a solid six. The pain is as sharp as the needle, but as it drags across the muscle and flab of my arm, it’s no more unbearable than a 15-minute pinch. Though I do admit that one refugee tear may have escaped my left eye as Jeff finished the final words, I chalk it up (ink it up?) to an unhealthy habit of staring into bright lights. No, really! Wiping the excess blood and ink from my arm as Anna hovers over my body in amazement, Jeff announces that — thank Gaaaaaaawd — he’s finished. “Why don’t you go take a look in the mirror and see how you like it?” I skip across the room, raising my new, decorative wound to the mirror, and, of course, flex. “I really like it! My dad’s going to kill me!” “But,” Anna adds, “At least you’re not afraid of needles anymore?”