Thursday, July 26, 2018
ONE-HUNDRED-TWENTY SEVEN YEARS OF EDITORIAL FREEDOM
inside
Crime
NEWS
Nassar appeals abuse sentence
Admissions U-M eliminates the optional SAT/ACT writing requirement.
Former USA gymnastics coach challenges objectivity of judge
>> SEE PAGE 2
OPINION
Eyes wide shut
By GRACE KAY
Columnist Ethan Kessler discusses Trump, North Korea and the media >> SEE PAGE 4
ARTS
The movie-musical hits all the right notes >> SEE PAGE 6
MICHIGAN IN COLOR
The joys of eating
Discovering history, culture and family through food
Summer Managing News Editor
ALEC COHEN / DAILY
“Mamma Mia” is triumphant
Visitors walk through the Ann Arbor Art Fair in downtown Ann Arbor Thursday.
A talk with Maureen Riley, director of one of the art fairs Maureen Riley discusses how the Art Fair has grown over time
>> SEE PAGE 9 By JACK BRANDON Summer Managing Arts Editor
SPORTS
Man Utd. vs. Liverpool The Daily breaks down things to know for the International Champions Cup held at the Big House. >> SEE PAGE 10
INDEX Vol. CXXVII, No. 125 © 2018 The Michigan Daily michigandaily.com
NEWS .................................... 2 OPINION ............................... 4 ARTS...................................... 6 MiC......................................... 9 SPORTS................................ 10
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The Annual Ann Arbor Art Fair took place last Thursday through Sunday, bringing artists, vendors, shoppers and spectators who lined the blocks of South University, North University, Main, Liberty and State. For a town that sees older teens and twenty-somethings most of the year, Ann Arbor in the summertime can fall into a lull. The Art Fair brings a much needed pulse of energy to midsummer ease of downtown. In a phone interview with the Daily, Maureen Riley, executive director of the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, The Original, delved into the history of the Art Fair. Riley
said that beginning in 1960, the art fair was put forth as an idea by one of the merchants in the South University area. “It was pre-mall, and all of the shopping was in town,” Riley said. “When all of the students went away in the summer, those businesses needed extra help.” The fair, which boasted three music stages, over 1,000 artists, and an expectation of 500,000 visitors according to M-Live, is in its 59th year. Despite its longevity, Riley says through the decades, the Fair’s mission has remained largely the same: to drive business into downtown Ann Arbor during the quiet of summer and to promote knowledge and appreciation of art. “The State Street Art Fair and the South University Art Fair all have business within their footprint that participate within their fairs,” Riley said, “particularly State Street. There are merchants from the stores on the street. That’s part of the fun of Ann Arbor.” In other ways, however, the
phenomenon that is the Ann Arbor Art Fair has splintered and shifted. In beginning, the first artist markets were only hosted on South University. After the events’ repeated successes, year after year, the State Street area created a fair of its own. “I believe that was ’67. So there were two,” Riley said. She continued, “there were so many artists that wanted to be part of it, and it had been very successful for the South University businesses.” The Art Fair continued to grow into the aughts, and two more fairs would spring up. A group of artists started the Free Fair, in which they sold their wares on blankets in the diag, but the University put the kibosh on that. “Ultimately, that became the guild of artists and artisans in the summer art fair. Which is why the summer art fair has two locations: a few blocks on state street adjacent to the diag, because they started there,” Riley
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Larry Nassar, former USA Gymnastics and MSU physician sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexual abuse, filed for a retrial and asked for a new sentencing hearing as well as a new judge to hear his case. Nassar’s appeal claims Judge Rosemarie Aquilina of the Ingham County Case used the hearing as a platform to promote her own politics and villainize Nassar. “Judge Aquilina made numerous statements throughout the proceedings indicating that she had already decided to impose the maximum allowed by the sentence agreement even before the sentencing hearing began,” the retrial filing reads. “Thus, from the defendant’s perspective the sentencing hearing was just a ritual.” According to the filing, Nassar was assaulted within hours of entering the prison’s general population in May. The appeal claims the assault due to Aquilina’s villainization of him in court, alleging Aquilina was swayed by public outrage against Nassar. “Instead of proceeding to assist the judge in reaching a fair and just sentencing decision, the judge used the nationally-televised proceeding as an opportunity to advance her own agenda, including to advocate for policy initiatives within the state as well as the federal legislatures, to push for broader cultural change regarding gender equity and sexual discrimination issues, and, seemingly as a type of group therapy for the victims” the filing reads. Nassar’s attorneys argue Aquilina made her personal disdain for Nassar clear throughout the sentencing both in court and through multiple media interviews as well as her attendance at the 2018 ESPN ESPYS Awards where Nassar victims received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
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2 NEWS Phishing scam goes after U-M Weblogin credentials Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Fake payroll emails link to fraudulent Weblogin page By ALICE TRACEY Summer Daily News Editor
A string of fraudulent payroll emails, distributed among University of Michigan community members on July 13, scammed some recipients into revealing their U-M online credentials. The messages directed recipients to a fake Weblogin page in an attempt to steal their passwords, a type of cyberattack known as phishing. U-M Safe Computing immediately released a notice warning the University community about the scam and outlining a plan for defusing the situation. In order to shut down the attack, information administrators blocked the IP address on U-M networks and took steps to digitally flag the site. They also worked to remove unopened scam emails from recipients’ mailboxes
and helped affected employees change their passwords. In an email interview with The Daily, University Privacy Officer Sol Bermann, the interim U-M chief information security officer, said the University’s quick response helped contain the damage caused by the phishing attempt. “The U-M Information Assurance team quickly identified this phishing attack, and took a number of steps to quickly mitigate its effectiveness,” Bermann wrote. “Our team continues to improve on how we detect and rapidly respond to these sorts of threats, as a result, very very few U-M community members were affected by this attack.” Bermann suggested U-M faculty, employees and students learn more about phishing scams on the Safe Computing website, and also recommended turning on two-factor authentication at Weblogin.
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‘U’ builds world’s smallest computer Team of researchers beats IBM’s record By ELIZABETH LAWRENCE Daily Staff Reporter
A team of engineers at the University of Michigan has created a computer small enough to stand on the tip of a grain of rice. With a volume of 0.4 cubic millimeters, it holds the title of the world’s smallest computer, outdoing IBM’s most recent attempt. Because of its small size, there are limitations on what the device can actually do. But according to Xiao Wu, an Engineering doctorate student who worked on the project, the defining elements of a computer are all present. “It has basic components of a computer,” Wu said. “It has a microprocessor that’s (a) general purpose processor unit. It’s an Arm patent Cortex-M0+, so it’s a commercial processor. And it’s also got its own memory. So it’s a smaller and simpler version of a computer, but it’s got basic elements of the computer.” The computer is the product of many years of work, according to David Blaauw, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science who co-led the recent project and has been working on tiny computing since 2005. Throughout the
years, his team has found ways to reduce power consumption of computer chips and circuits, enabling the development of smaller computers. Blaauw said with such low power consumption comes the challenge of figuring out how to make a computer run. “We consume, in standby mode when the sensor’s sort of dormant, a few nanoamps, whereas a cell phone would consume a few milliamps,” Blaauw said. “So it’s about a million times less than a cell phone power consumption in the same kind of dormant mode.” Blaauw said another challenge is that the computer can only be handled wirelessly. His team communicates with the computer though light signals, and also uses light to recharge it. Regular-size computers and cell phones are able to charge through wires, but the new computer is too small for any kind of connector. “We can’t just conveniently charge it, it has to charge itself with light or something like that,” Blaauw said. “It can’t sort of reprogram itself easily with the wire. You need to do it wirelessly. Everything needs to be done wirelessly; it’s very challenging.”
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Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
NEWS 3
Admissions drops ACT and SAT writing U-M seeks to reduce costs for applicants By GRACE KAY Summer Managing News Editor
COURTESY OF WDIV
Democratic gubernatorial candidates talk healthcare, recreational marijuana
Whitmer, El-Sayed criticize each other’s campaign finances By ALICE TRACEY Summer Daily News Editor
Michigan’s Democratic gubernatorial candidates gathered at WDIV Local 4 in Detroit Thursday night for their final debate before the Aug. 7 primaries. Abdul El-Sayed, former executive director of the Detroit Health Department, entrepreneur Shri Thanedar and Gretchen Whitmer, former minority leader of the Michigan Senate, discussed healthcare, tax reform, marijuana and partisan division, and clashed over corporate involvement in their respective campaigns. Moderators Devin Scillian and Kimberly Gill launched the debate by asking candidates to provide opening statements. Thanedar, who currently holds an estimated 19 percent of the Democratic vote, emphasized his underprivileged upbringing in India, his climb to success in the United States chemical industry and the fact that he created jobs through his company, Avomeen Analytical Services. ElSayed, who lags Thanedar at 17 percent, focused on his opposition to corporate favoritism, saying he values real Michiganders. “It is time to go back to a government for the people and by the people,” El-Sayed said. Whitmer, the leading candidate with 40 percent of the Democratic vote, said she loves the state of Michigan and is dedicated to improving its infrastructure, insurance systems and education. She also brought up her opposition to leading Republican candidate Bill Schuette.
Unemployment The moderators acknowledged Michigan has gained half a million jobs and is now at its lowest unemployment rate in 17 years since current Gov. Rick Snyder took office in 2010. Scillian and Gill invited the candidates to share how they will keep those improvements in place. Thanedar said the key to boosting Michigan’s economy is investing in education, giving people the skills necessary to succeed in the workforce. Specifically, he mentioned his plan to make community college tuition-free. “I’ve created jobs, and I know what it takes to create jobs,” Thanedar said. “Corporate incentives don’t create jobs, giving skill sets to the people of Michigan will create jobs and I will focus my efforts on bringing technical and skilled education.” According to El-Sayed, employment has increased in Michigan, but not all jobs are highly skilled or well-paid. He accused corporations of not valuing the average worker, and promised to help small businesses thrive. “I’m not going to be taking a dime of corporate money, so I’m not going to be in a situation where those same corporations come to my office and ask me to use the Michigan economic development corporation to pass them off these subsidies,” El-Sayed said. Like Thanedar, Whitmer mentioned the importance of investing in high-quality education, saying she hopes to provide debtfree, two-year college to Michigan residents.
Tax Reform Referencing the fact that the Republican gubernatorial candidates aim to cut taxes, the moderators asked the Democrats how they will convince people that tax increases could benefit Michigan. El-Sayed suggested the reason people feel overtaxed is because of inefficient government spending of tax dollars. When the Republicans mention tax cuts, ElSayed added, they mean tax cuts for corporations rather than making business pay their fair share. Whitmer agreed with El-Sayed’s point about government spending, saying the state’s refusal to invest in resources like clean water and high-quality education forces people to spend more money day-to-day. “We’re paying an education tax every time you hire a tutor because your kid’s teacher is so overwhelmed with kids packed into the classroom,” Whitmer said. “We’re paying a water tax — if you are in Flint, or if you are in one of the 71 communities with lead in your water, or the tens, maybe hundreds of communities with P-Phos in your water, you’re paying a water tax because you’ve got to pay bottled water because government’s not getting the job done.” Thanedar proposed eliminating the state income tax for any family making under $50,000 annually and said he will tax corporations in order to fund education and infrastructure.
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Following the lead of universities such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Stanford, the University of Michigan will no longer require students to complete the optional writing component of the SAT or ACT when the University’s application goes live Aug. 1. Kedra Ishop, vice provost for enrollment management, explained in a University Record press release there were several reasons that made the optional writing component expendable for the University. Erica Sanders, director of undergraduate admissions, explained the new SAT structure developed in 2016 was a contributing factor. “With recent changes to the SAT, we realized that this additional writing score was no longer needed,” Sanders said. “We’re confident in our holistic review process, which is both individualized for each applicant and comprehensive.” In 2016, the new SAT switched to more evidence-based writing and reading sections. In the new SAT, scored from 400 to 1600 points instead of 600 to 2400, the test also no longer categorizes reading and writing individually. In addition to reporting one’s SAT or ACT score, the U-M application requires students to submit multiple writing samples in response to several different writing prompts. “We believe we have sufficient evidence to assess an applicant’s writing ability without the optional portions of these exams that add cost and time to student testing,” Ishop said. Fewer than two dozen schools still require the optional writing component, which was developed in 2005 for both the SAT and ACT in an effort to promote the importance of clear and effective academic writing. The University adopted the additional require-
ment the following year. According to InsideHigherEd, about 70 percent of students who take the SAT each year take the writing test even though many will attend universities that do not require the additional component. The article quotes James Murphy, director of national outreach for the Princeton Review, who wrote in response to Ivy League universities eliminating the component. “We are really pleased to see Princeton and Stanford join not only six other Ivy League universities but also more than 1,600 other schools across the country in their decision not to require the essay,” Murphy wrote. “This is good for students and does no harm to schools. Writing well is an essential skill for college and beyond, but these assessments do a poor job in evaluating writing skill. We look forward to the 23 schools that still require the essays coming to see the light.” The 2018 SAT costs $47.50 without the essay component, requiring an additional $17 to include it. Similarly, the ACT costs $50.50 with the writing test an additional $16.50. While some students can qualify for fee exemptions based on family income, the total price of the SAT and ACT does not include the cost to send test results to more than four universities. According to The University Record, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions has already updated its website to reflect this change and shared the news with all deans, associate deans, unit liaisons and campus communicators. Currently, the University requires prospective students to submit their high school transcript, school report – including their GPA and class rank – one teacher evaluation and a $75 application fee alongside their ACT or SAT score. The early-action application deadline for the University of Michigan is Nov. 1 and the regular application deadline is Feb. 1.
4 OPINION
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
ETHAN KESSLER | COLUMN
Eyes wide shut Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com
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HANNAH HARHSE| COLUMN
F
Career representation is important
or a good portion of my early adolescence, my primary goal was to be just like Miley in the Disney Channel show Hannah Montana. In the show, Miley is an awkward, unpopular high school student who has a huge secret: she’s actually international pop superstar Hannah Montana. Somehow, nobody at her school knows her secret identity because, when she performs as Hannah, she wears a blonde wig. In fifth grade, I had my pop star alter ego all figured out. I had given her a name and sketched a wig in my journal. I was ready for fame. Retrospectively, it makes perfect sense that I would resonate with a character like Miley. I was the tallest girl in my school, I was clumsy and unathletic, always embarrassing myself in gym class, and my social skills were exceptionally lacking. Simply put, I was the weird girl in school. I wanted desperately to fit in. Miley appealed to me because the show always made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t well-liked in school. In the pilot episode, the popular girls, Amber and Ashley, tell Miley she has to sit at “the loser table” at lunch. Scenes like that made me identify with Miley; she wasn’t some untouchable celebrity, she was a girl like me. But, unlike me, Miley rose above her circumstances. She became a famous singer, and whenever Amber and Ashley made fun of her, she could look them in the eyes with the knowledge that she was
more successful than they’d ever be. I wonder how my middle school career would’ve turned out if Miley’s glamorous alter ego Hannah Montana was a famous author, not a famous singer. Why? Because I was good at writing, and I actually enjoyed it enough that, had I set the goal of writing a book, I would’ve been willing to put in the necessary work to achieve that goal. But, in my mind, writing was nerdy and unglamorous; it was the kind of thing that would make me less popular than I already was. Can you blame my younger self for wanting to be a pop star? I certainly can’t. Even today, I tend to idolize the characters I see on my TV screen. Has anyone ever watched Legally Blonde and not been inspired to start studying for the LSAT? However, my story tells a valuable lesson about the power of female role models on television, and representation in general. According to a study by Dr. Amy I. Nathanson, an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Ohio State University, girls who watch more TV are more likely to have an interest in traditionally feminine jobs, such as that of secretary, dancer, model...or teen pop sensation. This makes perfect sense. From ages 11 to 13, CNN reports that children “feel self-conscious about physical changes and feel pressure to conform to cultural gender norms.” When you’re an insecure middle school student and a character like Hannah Montana looks glamorous and beau-
tiful every time she steps onstage, of course you’re going to aspire to be like her. But what if Miley’s alter ego was a glamorous, world-famous, beloved engineer? How many more women would be enrolled in the College of Engineering right now? Representation doesn’t just mean representation of a broad range of careers for females. Frankly, I was extremely lucky in middle school because I had a role model on television at all. I was raised in a sociocultural context in which I was able to identify simply as a “girl”, and therefore felt that I could view all female characters as role models. Others, depending on the circumstances in which they were raised, might identify not simply by their gender, but by their race, ability, socioeconomic status, etc. Stereotypes still largely prevail in television, and probably still affect the career goals of insecure young girls. The good news? The entertainment world is getting better. Every day, more kids’ shows come out featuring more characters of color, more women in STEM, more sensitive men and career-oriented women. I’d like to think that, as students at the University of Michigan, we’re a part of that; we’re the role models we didn’t have when we were younger. I just wish that I could go back and tell my eleven-year-old self to dream a little bigger than international pop superstar. Hannah Harshe can be reached at hharhse@umich.edu.
With regard to June’s widely publicized and widely criticized, summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, President Donald Trump had this to say about his totalitarian counterpart: “I made a deal with him; I shook hands with him. I really believe he means it.” Beyond the narcissistic bluster of such a statement, made in the aftermath of a “deal” that saw the United States trade regional military presence for nothing more than a promise, such faith in a regime as martially motivated as Kim’s captures the stunning gullibility of our president. Stateside, President Trump recently reminded us of his equally innate knack for dishonesty; paying no heed to his own administration’s endorsement of its familyseparation policy at the southern border, nor to his own party’s legislative majority, he labeled the cruel policy a “law” of the Democrats’ doing and charged the Democrats with the responsibility of changing it. While these egregious displays of poor leadership are by all means disheartening, the minimal fallout stemming from them – that is, the ability of Trump to continue leading confidently after making these statements – makes obvious the great power Trump wields over his party. To be sure, Trump’s general popularity is by all means reflective of his divisive tactics: Poll-wise, Trump fares, and has fared, worse than other modern presidents. Frequent jabs at Trump’s policies and behavior in national media do, however, hinder widespread recognition of the ironclad grip he has on the GOP: Approval ratings of Trump among Republicans have peaked at 88 percent, up significantly since last year. As made evident by Trump’s domineering hold over the Republican Party, the myth of the “regular Republican” as anything but a negligible minority is just that. Those Republicans – sold on free trade, wary of Russia, and willing to sacrifice short-term political gain for the maintenance of democratic civility, among other things – do not represent the devout holdouts of the Republican Party that have stuck
it out. Rather, they constitute politically vagrant conservatives whose party’s shift towards obnoxious populism and nearabsolute alignment with Trump happened blisteringly quick. America’s Trump contingent, therefore, is both overwhelmingly Republican yet proudly distanced from Republican tenets of yesteryear. Beyond the usual socio-economic divisions that traditionally help define political preferences, the most salient issues for Trump’s congregation are indeed those pertaining to race and culture. From here, typically lukewarm political allegiance has been exchanged for fervent devotion, of which the irredeemably race-obsessed maverick at the forefront of the new GOP is the subject. As a result, Trump’s base, more so than other political cohorts, finds singularity in a very select and vocal slice of the news media. We grossly underestimate the power of this “Trump-ist” media, yet it serves as the lifeline for the Trump presidency and its oftendisastrous survival. Trump’s mandate to rule, after all, is only as solid as the continued support of his Republican base. Trump-friendly media, namely the hegemonic Fox News, is the linchpin of this mandate, providing dedicated Trump voters with pro-Trump coverage on a scale unmatched by liberal media counterparts, and going beyond validation of existing beliefs by impeding access to new ones. It is an age-old relationship between viewers largely informed by media and politicians keenly sensitive to the opinions of these viewers, only without the diversity of media sources found in most other cases. One would reason, then, that stemming this flow of unabashedly dogmatic and sycophantic coverage with apt and well-received criticism could curtail its allure. This could then soften Trump’s dominion over the Republican electorate and, suddenly, getting away with ludicrous statements would be a bit costlier for the president.
Continue reading on page 5.
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Eyes wide shut by Ethan Kessler continued below:
Some may find discomfort in this idea and view it as a biased assault on news media, which is guaranteed the right of free speech— up to and including false statements. However, protection of the press does not excuse an institution as large and inf luential as the news media from deliberately misleading large swaths of listeners to the scale and degree seen with Fox News. The network has shed contributors hostile to Trump and tailored nearly all of its coverage to the president’s individual tastes, singularly aligning itself with a political figure and in the process transforming itself into an executive mouthpiece. Especially in a time when print news is in decline, television media’s preeminence in the information realm really does matter, necessitating honest and fact-based coverage by the networks who wield this power. In addition to its content, Fox News’ interaction with the president further embodies the novelty of the Trump problem. While all news sources sometimes distort facts in advocating their political stances, the nature of Trump’s reliance on and his supporters’ subsequent attachment to, his preferential media sources is clearly unique. That the president so heavily feeds off of his coverage on Fox News—all the while his political brand strays even further from old party ways—supports this characterization. Unfortunately, this alarming relationship is clouded by boilerplate calls
for intellectual diversity. While society should always promote willingness to consider conf licting points of view, the seemingly magnetic tendency to denounce “both the left and right” of equally vile partisanship amounts to nothing more than false equivalence (which brings to mind a particularly misplaced invocation of the “both sides” narrative). Even if one could manage to write off several prominent anti-Trump Republicans jumping ship as a routine political shake-up, George Will calling for a Democratic takeover of Congress should sound some alarms. Listening to the other side does not mean ignoring signs that things are clearly not normal. Trump’s power to lead in a manner devoid of both caution and beneficence lies squarely in the constituency he has cultivated. Nourishing these new Republicans and steadily fueling Trump’s presidency – criticism of his decisions be damned – is Trump’s media corps, epitomized by Fox News and servile to the president insofar as its broadcasts resound through the homes of his devotees. This is a dynamic as disquieting as it is underappreciated, and it demands a newfound scrutiny of our media. In turn, this would promote greater accountability of our president, something that should be appreciated by Trump’s loudest supporters and critics alike.
Ethan Kessler can be reached at ethankes@umich.edu.
CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONVERSATION Readers are encouraged to submit letters to the editor and op-eds. Letters should be fewer than 300 words while op-eds should be 550 to 850 words. Send the writer’s full name and University affiliation to emmacha@umich.edu
OPINION 5
AUDREY GILMOUR | COLUMN
D
From victim to survivor: my path to healing
uring October of my freshman year of college, my father bought me a pink can of pepper spray to keep with me at all times. Starting college in 2015, everyone was talking about sexual assault. The statistics were circling, nearly a quarter of women attending college would be sexually assaulted. Across the country, young women were stepping up and sharing stories about the ways their bodies had been treated as objects. Young women, like the student at Columbia University carrying her dorm mattress across campus from class to class, were brave and inspiring in their fight to create awareness. I struggled to imagine why any victim of sexual assault would keep their story private in this time of social change. Reporting and charging sexual predators was such a simple concept to me at the time. Perpetrators of sexual assault deserve to be charged and disciplined for their actions. More importantly, they need to be prevented from continuing a pattern of harm. This was the way I understood sexual assault and society’s reaction to it. I knew charging sexual assault was never easy; I had seen plenty of stories in the news about men emerging with less-thanappropriate sentences as the legal system chose to put their future over those of the affected women. However, despite the difficulties that came with legal action, I felt that it was every victim’s responsibility to act and ensure their assaulter would never be able to harm another. What I was not able to comprehend at the time is that I was one of the many women that had been sexually assaulted and chosen not to act on it. As a young girl I was repeatedly molested and assaulted over a period of roughly two years. I was a 10-year-old girl smitten with the boy down the street, certain I was in love. He was a 14-year-old boy taking advantage of the power he knew he possessed over me. It took me years to realize that what had conspired between the two of us was not consensual, though it may have felt it at times. No matter the feelings I thought
I felt for this boy, I was in no way capable of consenting to the actions that took place in dark corners of the park and empty bedrooms. Despite eventually coming to this realization, I never considered myself a victim of rape. I saw it as a chapter in my past and tried to believe I had left it firmly there. Half a year ago I realized my past was not stagnant. My sexual assault is a f luid part of my existence, affecting my mental state to this day, and with this reality came the understanding
“Young women, like the student at Columbia University carrying her dorm mattress across campus from class to class, were brave and inspiring in their fight to create awareness.” that what happened to me was significant. My assault was just as significant as that of the young woman at Columbia carrying her mattress on her back. My assault was significant and if I chose to do so, I could take my rapist to court. I began preparing myself mentally for the battle ahead and went through old Facebook messages looking for evidence. I met with a close law yer friend and explored my options, ranging from restraining orders to a lawsuit. For a week or two I believed this was finally my path to closure. The process of having my assault recognized legally would force me to fully accept what had been done to me and move forward. I was sure of my decision, until I returned home for winter break and found myself frozen at the idea
of telling my parents what had happened to me. I was acting, doing something I considered to be my responsibility by making sure my rapist wouldn’t be able to impact someone else’s life in the way that he had impacted mine. This was what I believed in. So why couldn’t I tell my parents? I told myself that I was being a coward and with a bit of bravery I would eventually be capable of confiding in my parents about this dark stain on my past. Every time I contemplated telling them I remembered things: the day my dad bought me pink pepper spray and told me that he would have to kill someone if they ever hurt me, the pain and worry in my parents’ eyes and voices when I struggled with depression and panic attacks as a freshman in college. I couldn’t bear to see their reactions to one of their worst nightmares coming true. For months I lived with my decision not to tell my parents about my assault or pursue legal action. I saw myself as a hypocrite for not acting on what I perceived as a personal responsibility. How could I expect others who have had similar experiences to take action when I couldn’t? The thing about sexual assault is that you are never fully healed; it is never fully in the past. Every day I make decisions that are affected by my assault, even though it happened over a decade ago. It took me 10 years to process what happened to me and I am just now starting to recognize the significance of my experience. Right now, the healing process includes sharing my story with those closest to me, including my parents. For me, healing will probably never include taking legal action like I might have thought six months ago – and that’s okay. I am slowly learning, no victim of assault has a responsibility to take outward action. The only responsibility we have is to become survivors and do what is necessary to make ourselves start to feel healthy again.
Audrey Gilmour can be reached at audreymg@umich.edu
6 ARTS
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FESTIVAL REVIEW
SEAN LANG/Michigan Daily
Pitchfork 2018: Striking performance, bad weather NATALIE ZAK Daily Arts Writer
Cloudy, ominous weather welcomed me to Pitchfork Music Festival this year, and bracing myself for the worst I strapped up in a raincoat and boots for the first day of the fest. But what was originally daunting proved simply unreliable. The weather circled through cloud, rain and shine all weekend while artists dealt with wet equipment and herds of fans waiting patiently in the rain to see them. But this erratic weather didn’t do much to dissuade fans. If anything, the rain that poured down onto us during the Tame Impala set Friday night simply made their backlit bodies and light show all the more spectacular as beads of water could be seen streaming through the lights. A festival dominated by femalefronted bands and artists, Pitchfork stands out from more mainstream festivals in its emphasis on female and queer artists, especially this year. The diversity of the artists, genre, and its celebration of smaller names alongside bigger ones is what makes this festival unique; it’s relative tameness and inclusiveness of an older, less wreckless crowd is what makes it still exciting and bearable by day three. In the last year the festival improved upon its layout and welcomed more women than ever before, and despite last minute cancellations from artists such as Earl Sweatshirt, the festival carried on day after day as thousands gathered in Union Park to celebrate music, drink excessively
and participate in the hedonistic rituals that accompany music and those who value it more than their own life. Courtney Barnett Steve Hyden claimed in his recent novel that Courtney Barnett is the best rock song writer of our decade. Her lyrics and unsympathetic electric guitar deliver what the Sex Pistols or the Rolling Stones did for a previous generation except with one noticeable difference: She’s a woman. And that makes her even fiercer. In an all black outfit accented by her blood red guitar, Barnett greeted her adoring crowd with the song “Hopefulessness” which is off her recent release Tell Me How You Really Feel. And immediately, her crowd went into a concentrated state of head-banging until the set concluded more than an hour later. It was as if I was standing on the precipice of a mosh pit the entire set; eagerly wanting to break out into a push and pull with other attendees, I held back. For while Barnett’s songs reach towards punk rock, they often hold back just a little bit and show restraint. This can be particularly heard on songs like “Charity” and “Small Poppies,” but becomes less clear on more aggressive songs like “Elevator Operator” and “Pedestrian at Best.” And perhaps this is what made the performance so thrilling. There was an element of unknown over what was going to happen next, whether the crowd would burst into a mosh pit of continue banging their heads along, holding back with every bit of
strength so to fully take in the rock god Barnett has established herself to be. Blood Orange Seconds into Blood Orange’s set on Saturday, I gasped. The familiar notes of Sky Ferierra’s “Everything is Embarrassing” echoed through the field as Dev Hynes, Blood Orange’s lead singer, walked on stage and immediately dove into the 2012 hit he co-wrote with the punk rocker. From this, the set only grew exponentially better. Delivering familiar tracks like “Best to You” as well as hints of new music from their upcoming album Negro Swan, Hynes and his accompanying band put on one of the best performances of the weekend, drawing in a rapturous crowd and greeting cheering fans with sly smiles and matched energy. Closing with two of his biggest hits, “You’re Not Good Enough” and “E.V.P.” Hynes captivated the huge crowd that had gathered around the Green Stage, the largest stage at the festival. Japanese Breakfast Along with Blood Orange, Japanese Breakfast was my favorite performance of the weekend. Between their after show Saturday night at Thalia Hall in Chicago and the Sunday afternoon performance on the Blue Stage, Michelle Zauner captured my heart. For while Psychopomp and Soft Sounds from Another Planet are gorgeous albums in their own right, hearing the songs performed live and watching as Zauner delivers them with fierce energy and enthusiasm not easily located in the recordings is a com-
pletely different thing. Yielding her electric guitar and egging on her fellow bandmates, Zauner pushed through hits such as “In Heaven,” “Everybody Wants to Love You,” and “Boyish” and left me in a distraught state — I wasn’t sure if I wanted to dance or cry, so I did both at the same time. Closing with a cover of the Cranberries’ “Dreams” and the song “Machinist” off of their second studio album, Japanese Breakfast left the crowd in awe. Zauner is a bubble of happiness on stage. One wouldn’t know the grief that inspired and undercuts Psychopomp and Soft Sounds unless they’ve read about their background elsewhere (one was written in the wake of her mother’s cancer diagnosis, and the next in the wake of her mother’s death). The juxtaposition of this heaviness with Zauner’s lighthearted delivery is perhaps why I felt so struck by the band’s performances. In the end, it proves to be a catharsis not just for the crowd, but for Zauner too at each and every tour date. Noname Last September I was lucky enough to see Noname open for Ms. Lauryn Hill at the Royal Oak Music Theatre. At the time, it had only been a month since she released her debut studio album Telefone, and while it would grow to garner widespread praise from multiple critics, it only had a small following at the time. Six months later, she would come to Michigan once again, this time headlining her own show at the El Club with opener Ravyn Lenae. By this time, her stint as Lauryn Hill’s opener would become a verse in rapper Smino’s song “Amphetamine”: “Said I’m moving too fast, slow down, slow down / Opened up for Lauryn Hill, woah now, woah now.” In six months she had grown from a small Chicago rapper featured on Chance the Rapper’s Acid Rap to a woman being called the “musical reincarnation of Lauryn Hill.” And while her music does lend itself to this comparison, her stage presence is much more reserved than the mother of modern hip hop. “I wanted to do one of my new songs, but then I smoked and forgot the lyrics,” the rapper said, after stopping her band two minutes into the first song. “Do you mind if I do it a cappella?” She’s irresistibly charming, if untraditional in her delivery of her music. The set continued on in this vein, with her occasionally stopping to start a song again from the beginning or guiding the audience in the harmonies for a song from her upcoming album Room 25.
With 20 minutes left in her set, she brought out guest after guest from Ravyn Lenae to Saba to Smino and while they brought a boost of energy to her reserved stage demeanor, she still remained the star. (Sandy) Alex G (Sandy) Alex G can be an asshole. A primary feature of his performances is often the antagonistic way he treats his crowd, asking for requests from his adoring audiences and then blowing them off to play a hardly recognizable deep cut. This performance was no exception with the singer-songwriter barely addressing the crowd during his brutally short 45 minute set. But for some reason, I, and all the other fans gathered around the Blue Stage Sunday evening, still dwelled in every second he bestowed on us. Throwing out the melody to Weezer’s “Island in the Sun” during soundcheck and then blasting the Rascal Flatt’s cover of “Life is a Highway” before taking the stage with his band, (Sandy) Alex G went right into a rendition of “Kute” and “Forever” before even addressing the audience. Strangely enough, Alex G played several songs off of Beach Music, his 2015 studio release, and at one point Michelle Zauner joined him on stage to perform the popular “Brite Boy,” a personal favorite of mine that hasn’t made a setlist at his concert in quite a while. And unlike the reserve fans showed during Courtney Barnett’s set on Friday, when her crowd remained stationary despite her rock songs begging for a mosh pit to form, the second Alex screamed the first lyric to his aggressive, punkheavy “Brick,” the crowd broke into a mosh pit, his dedicated fans throwing themselves at each other in a religious fervor, only stopping after a girl went down after getting elbowed in the nose. After a 15 song performance, the set ended suddenly with Alex G announcing that despite what he thought, there was no more time for another song. While the crowd bemoaned this and chanted “one more song!” Alex G fittingly approached the mic and screamed “Shut up, and thank you” before finally departing the stage. Ms. Lauryn Hill The most popular topic of discussion Sunday evening was throwing out guesses as to how many minutes would pass before Ms. Lauryn Hill would finally take the stage. Twenty minutes? Thirty? Would she come at all?
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Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FILM REVIEW
LEGENDARY ENTERTAINMENT
‘Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again’ glitters with joy, fun ASIF BECHER
Summer Editor in Chief
If it were possible to distill joy into liquid form and inject it directly into the vein, it still wouldn’t be as potent or infectious a high as “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Stuffed to the brim with beautiful people, colors, happy songs and bright emotions, the sequel to the original 2008 “Mamma Mia” is one of the best movie theater experiences you’re likely to find this year, or even this decade. It’s two straight hours of cathartic emotional release, a swirling giddy combination of laughter, tears and dance. The film opens several years after the first ended — Amanda Seyfried (“Anon”) plays Sophie, reeling from the death of her mother, Donna (Meryl Streep, “The Post”). Sophie’s in the process of rebranding the Greek island hotel her mother owned, attempting to return it to its former glory to honor Donna’s memory. The modern-day story is intercut with f lashes back to 1979, in which we follow young Donna, played by Lily James (“Darkest Hour”), as she travels across Europe and has a series of brief, but meaningful, love affairs. Every single person involved with making this movie is at their shining, brightest best. James turns in one of the most charismatic and charming per-
formances in recent memory, restaurant, and a baguette being full of a vibrant young energy used as an electric guitar. I’d tell that makes it obvious why these you about big f loppy hats and three men would immediately f lowing colorful skirts, or about fall in love with her. She’s the the way the chemistry between kind of actress who makes it James and Josh Dylan (“Allied”) nearly impossible to look away jumps clear off the screen. If I had the words, I’d tell you when she’s on-screen, dedicating herself with an almost reckless about the world of “Mamma abandon to the glitter and brava- Mia,” the way it’s full of love and do of this movie — as does every bravery, of people who live their single other actor here. There’s a lives with passion and romance, sense pervading the entire movie never (in the words of fellow that everybody is just so happy Daily staffer Arya Naidu, who to be there. And thank God they spent most of this movie sitting dead straight in were, because I am her chair with one so happy to be here “Mamma Mia! hand over her heart too. and another peri“Do what makes Here We Go odically punching your soul shine,” Again” me in the arm) setJulie Walters’s tling for anything character tells Rave Cinemas, that doesn’t absoSophie as she Quality 16 lutely thrill them. makes what seems I don’t really have like an impossible Legendary the words, though, choice. It’s a gorEntertainment because “Mamma geous mantra, one Mia” is not a movie that’s entrenched to be written about in the bones of this story. Because for all the — it’s meant to be felt. “Mamma Mia” operates not on sparkles and spectacle, “Mamma any kind of fancy twists of stoMia” shines at its heart. I wish I could explain, in rytelling mechanics, but rather words, all the things I loved on the rawest levels of catharabout “Mamma Mia.” If I could, sis — the viewer is taken by the I’d tell you about Colin Firth hand and whisked on a journey (“Kingsman: The Golden Cir- through whatever will make cle”) and Stellan Skarsgård them laugh or cry the most in (“The Man Who Killed Don each moment. In the process, Quixote”) swinging their hips in “Mamma Mia” develops an emotandem atop a boat while “Danc- tional language through song ing Queen” swells. I’d tell you and dance that’s clear and wellabout “Waterloo” in a French formed. All the bombast and
chaos is tied together by a tight intuitive throughline, coming together to create a story about the passions and tribulations of life, and all the ways love can hurt and heal people. It’s about dancing and motherhood, sex, joy and generations of women supporting and caring for each other. Kim Gordon once said that “People pay to see others believe in themselves,”* and with “Mamma Mia” that’s exactly what we did. There’s a scene near the end that cuts between the young and newly pregnant Sophie singing with her mother’s best friends and young Donna giving birth to Sophie. Donna is all alone in a dilapidated farmhouse, until the kind older Greek woman who owns it comes running to her. She strokes her hair and helps her birth the baby that will grow up to be Sophie, singing on that very same island in tribute to her brave and beautiful mother — and right in that scene I understood that this is a movie about women making the choices to define their lives in ways that excite and fulfill them. They’re looking for love — real love, not the cheap stuff — and real joy, and this story is a celebration of their search as they reach just a
ARTS 7
little higher. It’s about pop music, perfect Greek islands, sequined body suits and about how sometimes being a dancing queen means singing your way through a broken heart, performing with your whole body and soul for an empty room. It’s about (literally) falling into the arms of a Scandanavian sailor with the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen, about parties filled with all the people you love most in the world. It’s about Cher showing up uninvited at the stroke of midnight, blonde and fabulous, and declaring that Sophie has “glitter in her blood.” It’s the rare movie that lifts your spirits from the feet up, never doubting the innate goodness of its characters or devaluing the sweet and corny happiness it brings into the world. “Mamma Mia” is a magical movie, full of moments so over the top perfect, so heart-wrenchingly happy that I couldn’t stop smiling for its entire runtime. It’s the kind of movie that makes the world a little bit brighter — the kind of movie that makes your soul shine. *Thank you, again, to Arya Naidu for providing this quote
8 ARTS
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MUSIC REVIEW
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RELEASE DATE– Thursday, July 26, 2018
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
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ACROSS 1 Org. that awards the Spingarn Medal 6 Bochco series 11 Peter, Paul and Mary: Abbr. 14 Counterpart of “a” 15 Bacteria in undercooked meat 16 Not just “a” 17 Led 19 Bonanza contents 20 Many a Bon Appétit subscriber 21 Tablet download 23 Flips, in a way 26 Ball beauties 27 Hardened 28 Decline to recline? 30 Bursts 31 Barbecue favorite 34 Suffix with glob 35 Held closely (to) 37 “O wad some Pow’r the giftie __ us”: Burns 38 Reduces, as spending 40 Manage (for oneself) 41 Melonlike tropical fruit 42 Slapstick trio member 44 Loosey-__ 46 Fishing lure 47 Less experienced 48 Plump 50 Mike and __: fruity candy 51 Cooked fruit dessert ... and a cryptic hint to the start of 17-, 31and 38-Across 56 Part of mpg 57 Quilt filler 58 Latin stars 59 “Star Trek” rank: Abbr. 60 Tea go-with 61 Bikini blast
2 Hurdle for Hannibal 3 Act like 4 Plant-eating scarab beetles 5 Sentence shortener 6 City on the Aire 7 Antioxidant berry in smoothies 8 Valuable deposit 9 Tap output 10 Innocent-looking 11 Informer 12 Pang 13 Goes after 18 You might hear music on it 22 Cloud 23 Make confetti of 24 Name on a 1945 bomber 25 Dominant states 26 Spartan 28 Expels 29 Mountain lake 31 Larry McMurtry’s “The Last Picture __” 32 __-watch 33 Feast where the Haggadah is read 35 Bad-mouths
36 “Saving Private Ryan” event 39 Let up 40 Most affectionate 42 5’7” Webb, shortest to win the NBA Slam Dunk Contest 43 __ Alley 44 Beef 45 Like Cognac casks
46 About 1.3 cubic yards 48 Give a makeover 49 “A Prayer for __ Meany”: John Irving novel 52 Personal quirk 53 Downed a sub? 54 Syst. of cars on tracks 55 Convened
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Question: What goes great with your morning coffee?
DOWN 1 Hip-hop artist who narrates Netflix’s “The Get By Paul Coulter Down”
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Answer: michigandaily.com 07/26/18
COLUMBIA
‘Hive Mind’ is a soulful rainbow
“PRIDE” on his iPhone. Gaining steam with 2015’s breezy Ego Summer Senior Arts Editor Death and a healthy output of solo The Internet is the hardest projects — Steve Lacy’s Demo, band to be a fan of for one simple Syd’s Fin and Martians’ The Drum reason. Not because their music Chord Theory were among 2017’s is problematic, not because they subtle standouts — The Internet make questionable career choices, is a on a roll, and with their latest but because of two simple words: effort, only getting funkier. When paired with Ego Death, their name. What’s in a name? A lot of social faux pas apparently. Hive Mind’s title makes it seem On more than one occasion I have like the second installment in a mindlessly asked a friend “Have conceptual Jungian psychology you ever heard of The Internet?” trilogy, but don’t be mistaken. to recieve the blankest of stares. The album is as accessible as Only a few days ago I put on their the Motown classics it follows newest album Hive Mind in the in the footsteps of and rich in background while helping my lyrical meaning and masterfully mom prepare dinner; she asked melded production. The band’s me what we were listening to five members simply gel together, pooling their and my completely collective talent honest response Hive Mind and playfully was met with The Internet bouncing off each a curt “thanks, other to craft music smartass.” Columbia Records that evolves the Yet despite their joint sound while poor search engine optimization, The Internet and retaining individual flair. Lead single “Come Over” is a its individual members have been making musical tidal waves perfect example of the group’s recently. Thankfully I can now united psyche: Lacy’s work on type “The Internet” into Google guitar and bass presents itself as and the band’s website pops up as a Super Mario 64-esque endless the first result. Drop the “The,” staircase of twangs and thumps, however, and you’ll probably get carpeted by Martians’ staggered a confused FBI agent wondering drum patterns, all while Syd if the 19-year-old kid they were and her effortlessly cool vocals assigned to is actually a computer casually saunter up it. “We can play Simon Says / or watch TV in illiterate 65-year-old grandma. Once described as “what bed” implores Syd to her nameless people thought [Odd Future] was” Juliet in the song’s music video, as by lead vocalist Syd, The Internet she stands hands-in-pockets like has its roots in Tyler, the Creator’s a lost Romeo on a suburban lawn. (seemingly defunct) hip-hop When Syd finally gets her crush Sandlot. What began as Syd to perform the titular action, and percussionist/keyboardist the house literally spins around Matt Martians’ side project has the camera, revealing the other now evolved into a Grammy- four band members with their nominated group rounded out respective boos in simple, lovely by the multitalents Patrick Paige vignettes. II and Christopher Smith and guitarist Steve Lacy, the latter of Read more at MichiganDaily. whom was buzzed about last year com for producing Kendrick Lamar’s ROBERT MANSUETTI
MICHIGAN IN COLOR 9
Thursday July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Weddings, colonialism and food: My trip to Trinidad By LORNA BROWN MiC MANAGING EDITOR
Summertime, when the livin’ is easy. The perfect description of my time in Trinidad for a week of warm air, freshly picked mangoes and curried chicken. Adding in the wedding festivities with steel drums beating in the background of a barbeque where the twinkle lights hung low from the pink house whose warm yellow light glowed from the kitchen. White teeth grinning as the next pina colada is pouring into a glass and the bellowing laughter bouncing off the side of the white fence resting on the greenest grass I have ever seen. “Good night everyone!” someone bellows from the steps of the lit porch. Trinidad and Tobago, much like America, were colonized by Christopher Columbus, who sought to exploit the people who had lived there as well as utilize the land and its rich soil for monetary gain. What you might not know is that these islands were originally inhabited by the indigenous Carib and Arawak Indians. It wasn’t until slavery was introduced that Africans taken from their native homelands were forced to work Trinidad’s land for the British whose slave trade started in 1797, and the country became predominantly African. It was then in 1845 that indentured laborers from India were also brought into the mix — bringing with them their religious customs. In 1866 laborers from China immigrated to Trinidad and merchants from Lebanon and Syria later came in the 1900s. Though the history is dark and unmistakably horrendous, Trinidad has one of the most diverse populations of people, food, festivals and holidays all over the world.
Looking from the outside as a resident of the United States, I think it’s easy to think that America is one of the only places that face a history of exploitation and injustice. However, anyone willing to look a bit deeper into the history of many modern-day countries can see that systems of oppression were used to mobilize those who had guns in their hands and identified themselves as superior. If there is one thing I think many of us suffer from, it’s that we think there aren’t other people who share our experiences of being abused by people who had power, simply because our experiences occurred in a different way than the experiences of those who came before we did. I want to draw attention to the fact that there is much more to unite these atrocities that many of us faced than what creates division between us in America and with colonized countries across the face of the Earth. Despite this terrible past, one of the amazing things that resulted from these atrocities is the food. Knowing there is such a rich cultural element within the country’s history, there is no surprise that its food would reflect these features, from the curried chicken served to me at the wedding barbeque to the roti I scooped up my collard greens with and then dipped into my sweet yams. Roti andcurried chicken are both traditionally a part of Indian cuisine, and because these dishes are such an integrative part of Trinidad and Tobago’s African heritage, these dishes reflect the history of India and Africa. Doubles, or the Caribbean streetfood sandwich made with a flatbread called bara and then filled with curried chickpeas, was
one of the most popular foods that everyone raved about during my time in Trinidad. In fact, doubles are so popular in Trinidad that the bride and groom arranged for the “Doubles man” to make an appearance at their wedding to hand the delicious treat out to their wedding guests! I have to admit: Upon trying one, I wasn’t sure what I was in store for and I was definitely not disappointed. Trinidad and Tobago also have some of the best Chinese restaurants because, like their Indian roots, they also have a rich history of Chinese immigrants who brought their food over to the country. This is combined with the mangoes growing on every tree that were so juicy that if they fell from a tree, they would most likely splatter over the hot pavement. The cuisine of any country is a direct reflection of its history and culture, and Trinidad’s food is definitely an unforgettable experience that reveals how much history can truly affect the composition of a country. There is no doubt that food is a reflection of tradition and culture, but if there one is an event that ties together food and tradition, it is the celebration of a wedding. My family’s friendship with the groom is what brought us down to Trinidad in the first place, and getting to know the place where one of our oldest friends grew up was really breathtaking. Much of the ceremony was taken from traditions found here in America; just as we took from English tradition, so does Trinidad. However, some things that are unique to Trinidad were in the details of the reception. Read more online at
michigandaily.com
Eating goes beyond taste
By KAREEM SHUNNAR
LEVANT FOODS
MiC EDITOR
I remember my dad pulling me aside at a family gathering to a plethora of Jordanian food including mansaf, kanafeh and tabbouleh. As every other one of my 40 cousins piled food onto their plates, I stuck with the chicken tenders placed on the table almost entirely because of me. I had recently arrived in Jordan from America and definitely wasn’t used to the local cuisine. Instead, I was content with playing on my Grandpa’s swing with the soda I had snuck from the kitchen. I have always been the stubborn kid at the dinner table. I was a messy eater growing up and my mother even took me to etiquette classes. Along with this, I was a picky eater. I spent my adolescence being often told to eat my chicken or reminded not to play with my food. At an early age my family started flying me to Jordan to spend summers with my grandparents. Though I was in a different country, I was still constantly told at the dinner table not to eat with my hands or to try some of the local cuisine. Like most kids, I rebelled and often tried to sleep through breakfast. At dinnertime, I would sit by and fill up on tea and salad before running off to play soccer with my cousins in the local streets. To this day, I still do not like most Arabic food. However,
just as most kids are taught to eat their vegetables, I was taught to begrudgingly eat the food my grandparents made. My dad, who was not having my whitewashed taste buds, picked me up from the swing at that family gathering and dragged me over to the mansaf. Mansaf is usually rice and lamb served with fermented dried yogurt as a type of sauce. As I whined on the way to the meal, I noticed everyone for some reason was walking up to the huge piping hot plate of mansaf had just been placed on the kitchen counter. I was even more surprised when every single person began picking up balls of rice and lamb and eating it with their bare hands. As we approached the plate, I was sure there was no way my civilized father would do the same, but he did! All of the Arab men who had nagged me for being a messy child were now eating rice with their bare hands. Of course, I immediately began to eat the mysterious food. And though I hated every single bite, I had a great time. Eating mansaf that day was just fun. It was the first time I really remember connecting with my culture because it was as childish as I was. This past summer, I did a study-abroad trip in China and had my first swing at chopsticks.
Needless to say it was a mess and I probably looked pretty dumb to the locals sitting at the table next to me. However, once again, it was a time of enjoyment because I was trying to acclimate to this new cultural norm. Meanwhile, a lot of people on my trip asked the waiter for forks. The issue with asking for a fork in a Chinese restaurant for me is it showed a clear disingenuous connection to the process of eating. We went to China to eat an authentic Chinese meal, yet we were still trying to have little bits of America infiltrate our meal. Though I may have looked dumb while I learned to use chopsticks, it was all part of the fun of traveling to this country. A country’s food is so much more to me than just something to fill your daily intake of calories. Every authentic meal is placed on that menu because it holds some type of significance to that country. That day, my dad really taught me to enjoy food for more than just the flavor. Food is a piece of a country’s past and a telling trait of its people. Of course, nobody can like every single food out there. However, I implore everyone to let yourself taste something awful — because while the aftertaste may not be the best, you’re sure to feel better later.
10 SPORTS
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FAHD AHSAN
Former Daily Sports Writer
In the wake of the International Champions Cup showdown between Manchester United and Liverpool, the casual American sports fan may be at a loss as to what to look for. As familiar as the venue might be — Michigan Stadium — the unfolding events may not be as welcoming. To make you seem like you know what you’re talking about on Saturday, the Daily breaks down what to expect on the pitch and how to appreciate the intricacies of the other football. Liverpool: New Look Midfield: On paper, last season’s starting midfield of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jordan Henderson and James Milner wasn’t one that necessarily looked on par with that of title rivals like the two Manchester clubs and European giants like Real Madrid. With Milner turning 33 next season, Emre Can having left for Juventus and Chamberlain succumbing to an ACL injury that ruled him out for part of the new season, manager Jurgen Klopp desperately needed to find reinforcements. The signing of Naby Keita from Red Bull Leipzig was tied up last year. The dynamic boxto-box midfielder and Klopp’s style of football appear a match made in football heaven. With an impressive range of vision, a tireless work ethic and an eye for goals, the Guinea captain will provide a spark from the heart of the midfield that Liverpool desperately needed since Chamberlain’s injury. Fabinho was signed from Monaco this transfer window. The all-action defensive midfielder played an integral role in guiding Monaco to the 2016-17
COURTESY OF TWITTER, @CHAMPIONSLEAGUE
English soccer clubs Manchester Utd. and Liverpool are playing at the Big House and The Daily tells you all you need to know about the
Things to know: Man United vs. Liverpool Ligue 1 title over PSG. He will provide much needed defensive cover in front of the Liverpool backline which was the Merseyside club’s Achilles heel last season, Keeper included. Both new signings should be on display Saturday, playing in their first derby against Manchester United. Attacking Reinforcements: Defenders across Europe shook in their expensive cleats at the thought of playing against Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino. Only Cristiano Ronaldo had more goals than the three in the Champions League, and it took Lionel Messi to keep the European Golden Boot away from Salah. Not bad company to sit behind. But when Salah got subbed off in the Champions League Final with a shoulder injury, Liverpool’s ferociousness left the pitch with him. No substitute looked close to giving Liverpool the extra gear they needed that night in Kiev. Daniel Sturridge was once Liverpool’s second best striker in the days of Luis Suarez. A plague of injuries and bad form had all but threatened to end his Anfield career. Three goals thus far in pre-season have Sturridge looking
sharper than he has in months, as he looks to fight for his place in the squad. Backups Dominic Solanke and Divok Origi haven’t inspired confidence during pre-season. As such, Liverpool signed Xherdan Shaqiri, Switzerland’s standout performer over the last two World Cups. They signed him for £13.5 million following Stoke City’s relegation. Should his World Cup form carry over, he could give Klopp a welcomed selection headache. Shaqiri, Sturridge, Solanke and Origi will all be looking to make a case for themselves before the start of next season. What better way to impress your manager than by scoring against your club’s eternal rivals? Formation Changes: Liverpool played in a free-f lowing 4-3-3 formation for most of last year. Following the injury to Alex OxladeChamberlain, however, Klopp occasionally played a 4-2-3-1, with Solanke sitting ahead of Firmino who played in a deeper, more traditional No.10 role. Klopp has tinkered with this formation throughout the preseason as well, especially given Naby Keita and Fabinhio’s proficiency in the two midfield roles.
Teenage forward Ben Woodburn has looked promising as well and could be given more game time to develop. Expect more tactical changes this weekend as Klopp tinkers with Liverpool’s formation and personnel, looking to get his squad ready for the start of the Premier League season. Manchester United: Alexis Sanchez: Manchester United orchestrated a coup with the signing of Arsenal’s star forward, Alexis Sanchez, getting him in exchange for want-away midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. Fast forward six months, and it seems Arsenal got the better deal. Sanchez’s talent and work ethic are beyond question, but for some reason he never quite fit in to Jose Mourinho’s tactical setup. Flashes of brilliance were overshadowed by subdued appearances. Relentless inconsistencies perfectly embody Sanchez’s career. However, following a full preseason with his new team, Sanchez looks more comfortable in his new surroundings. His first two games have been promising, and playing against club rival Liverpool could see a big game out of the Chilean. United fans should
be licking their lips at the prospect of seeing Sanchez linkup with Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku next season. New signing: Frederico Rodrigues de Paula Santos (Fred): With a midfield compromised of Paul Pogba, Marouane Fellaini and Nemanja Matic, Mourinho has a contingent of physically strong midfield enforcers. Standing at 5 feet and 7 inches, Fred provides a different kind of player. Quick and agile off his feet with a sharp passing range, Fred provides a more creative outlet to Manchester United, one that it sorely lacked last season, often looking bereft of creativity. Adept at starting counter-attacks and unlocking defenses, the Brazilian should make Manchester United a more exciting outfit next season. Fred is also versatile in that, despite being labeled an offensive conductor, he was also FC Shakhtar Donetsk’s top tackler last season. He can easily fit alongside Matic in a defensive midfield position allowing Pogba the freedom to venture further up-field where the Frenchman thrives. Having been an unused part of Brazil’s World Cup squad, Fred should be looking to stretch his
legs and impress during any game time he sees this summer, especially against Liverpool. The curious case of Anthony Martial: Since sending Old Trafford into raptures on his debut with a goal against Liverpool, Anthony Martial’s career has seen vertigo inducing highs and damning lows. A stellar first season with the club saw him labeled as the future of the club. An indifferent second year saw him left out of France’s world cup winning squad and overlooked in favor of younger, more promising talent. Just 22 and unhappy with not being guaranteed a starting spot, Martial could be looking for new pastures. With Bayern Munich and Chelsea reportedly interested, he could soon be leaving Manchester United. Jose Mourinho, however, would rather not lose a player of his caliber, especially considering fellow forwards Marcus Rashford and Romelu Lukaku may not be fully fit following long World Cup campaigns. Martial could be playing for his Manchester United future on Saturday, or auditioning for a new club that would more than welcome his signing. *** On Saturday, whether or not you know how to pronounce the players’ names or the storied past of Manchester United and Liverpool, the matchup will surely be something to behold. But as with all sporting events, the more you know heading in, the richer the experience. And as soccer slowly gains popularity in the states, there’s no doubt a spectacle of this size will create some new fans of the most popular sport in the world.
Thursday, July 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
FOOTBALL
SPORTS 11
Four-star recruit flips to Stanford from Michigan JACOB KOPNICK
Summer Managing Sports Editor
COURTESY OF JUNFU HAN, DETROIT FREE PRESS
Legendary English soccer clubs Liverpool and Manchester Utd. match up in the International Champions Cup in the Big House
Two soccer titans matchup at ‘M’ FAHD ASDAN
Former Daily Sports Writer
Manchester United and Liverpool, the two most successful English football clubs, are set to play each other this Saturday at Michigan Stadium. With a combined 38 league titles and eight Champions League crowns between them, the significance of the derby can’t be understated. It’s only fitting that America’s largest stage will host two of the world’s largest clubs. Upon winning the Europa League in 2017, Manchester United officially became England’s most decorated club with 42 major honors to Liverpool’s 41 — United’s 20 league titles to its rival’s 18 only strengthen its case. Liverpool fans will argue their five Champions League victories to United’s three grant their club superiority. The margins are thin. The Merseyside club can claim to have one of the world’s best players in winger Mohamed Salah, while Manchester United’s midfield is marshalled by newly-minted World Cup winner Paul Pogba, who scored past Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren at the showpiece event in Moscow. Forward Marcus Rashford’s brace put Liverpool to the sword the last time the two footballing juggernauts met in their
200thofficial meeting. However, the Manchester club is currently without Pogba, Rashford, striker Romelu Lukaku and a number of its starters who are on holiday after making deep runs in the World Cup. Star forward Alexis Sanchez should provide relief to the depleted United squad. Anthony Martial, left out of the French team for the World Cup, is available and fighting for a starting role at Old Trafford next season, provided another club doesn’t sign him during the transfer window. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has had an eventful summer, having bolstered his midfield by acquiring stand-out performers from the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, Naby Keita and Fabinho, respectively. Xerdan Shaqiri has also been brought in to provide support for Salah and Sadio Mane on the Wings. Liverpool’s headline singing has been that of Brazil goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who is set to take over the No.1 spot from Loris Karius. Karius has looked out of sorts in pre-season, carrying on his horrid form since the Champions League Final in Kyiv. He is, however, expected to start, with Alisson not having joined the squad following the World Cup as of now. Despite the overall head-tohead favoring of Manchester United with 80 wins, 55 draws
and 65 loses, manager Jose Mourinho has a worse record against Klopp than any other manager—barring Josep Guardiola of Manchester City. The game is not only between two legendary clubs, but also between two different footballing philosophies. Klopp’s brand of “heavy-metal football” with its relentless pressing and a free-f lowing attack lays in stark contrast to Mourinho’s brand of pragmatic football where his team grinds out results at all costs. Some argue Klopp’s football is more fun, but Mourinho’s trophy cabinet would beg to differ. Manchester United finished six points ahead of its rival in the Premier League title on the back of conceding 10 less goals, but Liverpool made it to the Champions League final behind Salah’s brilliance and the club’s fearsome attack. There is very little to give between these two great sides, and f lares are sure to f ly every time they meet — even in a pre-season friendly match. The Big House is no stranger to rivalries. Michigan vs Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame have all been played countless times, be it under the sun or under the lights. Now, it will be the setting for another chapter in the storied rivalry of Manchester United and Liverpool.
On July 23rd, four-star weakside defensive end Stephen Herron went public with his decision to flip his commitment from Michigan to Stanford — a move that devastated the Wolverines, as Herron was ranked fifth at his position and 86th overall. With the loss of Herron, Michigan’s 2019 recruiting class fell to eighth in the nation and second in the Big Ten just behind Ohio State. The Wolverines saw themselves ranked as high as third overall after a highly successful recruiting period in late-June. For Herron, the decision was purely based on academics. While Michigan boasts a world-renown reputation and an elite education, the recruit couldn’t turn down the opportunity to be a Cardinal and study at Stanford. That’s why the minute he received that acceptance letter to head out west, Herron’s mind was made. “For me, it’s not just football,” Herron told WolverinesWire. “I didn’t think I could pass up a Stanford education. I realize that a Michigan education isn’t far off, but the fact of the matter is a Stanford education would mean a lot.” After committing to the Wolverines, it all came down to whether or not Herron would gain acceptance to be a Cardinal to determine where he would finally end up. En route to his placement on the west coast, Herron was tasked with writing seven essays as part of the admissions process, a gruelling endeavor that he took as seriously as his football career. Whether via his public statements or actions in dealing with the team, it’s apparent that Herron has nothing but respect for Michigan and his decision has nothing to do with the Wolverines’ program or recruiting process. “I loved the family factor (at Michigan),” Herron said. “Even after I told the coaches, I went in our group chat and told the other 2019 commits that I would be decommitting and wished the best for everyone. I hope the best
for those guys and the coaching staff. I’m really excited (for them). Being a part of that family was great.” This news comes as a relief to Wolverine personnel and fans alike after questions were raised over the efficacy and personability of Michigan’s recruiting process. Earlier this offseason, fire-star offensive lineman Devontae Dobbs committed to Michigan State and wasn’t one to mince words in regards to his interactions with the Wolverines on the recruiting trail. Dobbs stated that the coaching staff, “acted like robots,” during his recruiting process and that the Spartans’ personnel was much more accomodating and friendlier. “They (MSU coaches) let it come naturally,” Dobbs said. “I just felt comfortable with them.” His comments insinuate a lack of awareness on behalf of the Wolverines, although this coaching staff has the same man who famously spent the night at a recruit’s home in a full-hearted pitch to get him to come to Ann Arbor. While some may see Herron’s flipped commitment and Dobbs’ comments as reason to doubt Michigan’s capacity for retaining high-level recruits, Herron’s respect for the program and a still-stacked 2019 recruiting class beg to differ. Additionally, while citing academics as his main impetus for leaving Michigan, this was also a football decision for Herron. “I feel like Stanford fit me better for play style with pass rushing. I want to be somewhere where I’m not used, and I’m not saying Michigan was ever going to do that. Rashan Gary, Chase Winovich and Taco Charlton, who the staff compared me to, are all doing just fine. “I just wanted to be used where I would fit best as an individual for my future.” While the Wolverines may not have been Herron’s best fit, Michigan will press on in its hunt for the nation’s best talent, and with any luck, it will get its recruits to adhere to their commitments going forward.
12 SPORTS
Thursday, June 26, 2018 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Beilein gets $3.8 million annually with new deal ETHAN SEARS
Daily Sports Writer
& MAX MARCOVITCH Daily Sports Editor
KATELYN MULCAHY / DAILY
Michigan assistant coach Luke Yaklich lends his insight on the Jordan Poole, the talented new freshman team and more
Notebook: Yaklich on new team In years past, the Michigan basketball team operated under the mantra “The best defense is a good offense.” They suffocated opposing defenses with their 3-point shooting, but their own defense sometimes held them back. Last season, though, the Wolverines flipped the script. They ranked third in the country in Adjusted Defense, according to KenPom. com. That was largely thanks to new assistant Luke Yaklich from Illinois State. Under Yaklich, younger players like sophomore guard Zavier Simpson developed into defensive stalwarts, but even junior forward Moritz Wagner and fifth-year senior wing Duncan Robinson — veterans whose defensive presence was previously almost nonexistent — vastly improved. With a down year for the offense, the new defensive mindset helped lead Michigan to the national title game. Yaklich, meanwhile, is just getting started, and this year he will have the country’s No. 8 recruiting class to work with. “Our entire coaching staff, it’s a great learning environment every day. And then obviously learning from our players what Michigan is all about, the culture. (The players are) 100 percent invested in that. They helped me … just showed me what Michigan basketball is about. That was a huge part of my own growth.” Now, it’s a symbiotic relationship. The players come excited to learn,
making Yaklich’s job much easier. And the culture that Beilein and the players built up was unparalleled. “Integrity (and) accountability are two of our core values. We live those out every day,” Yaklich said. “… When it’s part of your culture, it’s part of your behavior, and that’s again, our focus each and every day.” On his relationship with Colin Castleton Incoming freshman center Colin Castleton didn’t originally draw a lot of college interest. But one of the first schools that contacted him was Illinois State — an effort led by Yaklich. When Yaklich joined the Wolverines, he continued contact with Castleton. Now, at Michigan, the two will be reunited. “When I got to Michigan, (Castleton) built himself up to that point where he was something we needed,” Yaklich said. “We just struck up that relationship again and started right where we left off. It’s been fun following him through that process.” Castleton will compete with junior Jon Teske and redshirt sophomore Austin Davis for minutes at the center position. On the development of the underclassmen The Wolverines’ run to the title game was largely led by veterans — from Wagner to Robinson to senior guard Muhammad-Ali AbdurRahkman. But from freshman guard Jordan Poole’s buzzer-beater to propel Michigan to the Sweet
Sixteen to redshirt sophomore guard Charles Matthew earning the West Region’s Most Outstanding Player award, the underclassmen showed that the Wolverines’ future is bright. “They’ve learned from (Robinson, Wagner and AbdurRahkman),” Yaklich said. “ … It’s a pleasure seeing their growth from last year to this year. (They’re) all veterans in their own little ways. A lot of it is their approach to the game and understanding what it took to do what we did last year, and the role our seniors had in that. They want to have the same type of goal, leadership style and legacy.” On Jordan Poole Everyone remembers Poole for his buzzer-beater against Houston and his viral video set to Drake’s “In My Feelings.” But entering his sophomore year, Poole has a whole career ahead of him. With the graduation of Abdur-Rahkman, Poole will have the opportunity to step up — not just in the role of shooting guard, but aslso as one of the team’s leaders. “A lot of fans outside the stadium see the dance moves and the smiley face, but behind it is a really competitive player that comes out every day and wants to be a leader,” Yaklich said. “That is the fun part about Jordan Poole. He’s comfortable in his own skin, but he’s a leader, wants Michigan to be really good and is working to improve himself in the process. “He’s a special player.”
John Beilein’s contract extension, announced by the University on Wednesday, will see the men’s basketball coach paid $3.8 million annually. The extension, which will keep Beilein in Ann Arbor through the 2022-23 season, amounts to a raise of roughly $400,000 per season. This maintains Beilein as the second-highest-paid coach based on annual salary in the Big Ten behind Michigan State’s Tom Izzo. It comes just weeks after Beilein’s f lirtation with the Detroit Pistons — a job that ultimately went to former Toronto Raptors coach Dwane Casey. In his 11 seasons at Michigan, Beilein boasts a 248-143 record, including eight NCAA Tournament appearances. He led the Wolverines to the Final Four and National Championship Game in both 2013 and 2018, the most recent of which made an extension all but inevitable. Beilein heads into the 2018-19 campaign with 799 career wins in college basketball — starting at Erie Community College and, likely, ending in Ann Arbor. The contract, obtained by The Daily, via a Freedom of Information Act request,
establishes a $400,000 base salary for Beilein with $1.9 million in additional compensation and $1.5 million being put into a 403(b) Supplemental Defined Contribution Retirement Plan. Officially, it’s not a lifetime contract, but it is in all but name — and the Wolverines are selling it to recruits as such. Beilein will also receive $25,000 in bonuses for each NCAA game won, along with another $25,000 for an NCAA Tournament berth, a Big Ten Tournament championship or a share of the Big Ten regular season title. If Michigan wins the Big Ten outright, his bonus jumps to $50,000. Beilein’s buyout is $3 million if fired this upcoming season and drops to $2 million in 2019-20. From there, it drops by $500,000 each year until the 2022-23 season, after which Michigan can terminate Beilein’s contract without worrying about a buyout. Among other benefits: Beilein will be reimbursed for first-class airfare and will be entitled to 10 hours of private air travel within the continental United States per year. Those hours roll over for an additional year if unused. Also included are six season tickets to Michigan football games and eight such tickets to basketball games. The full contract can be found online at MichiganDaily.com KATELYN MULCAHY / DAILY
Michigan coach John Beilein signed a contract extension through 2023 season