To all Consider readers and followers,

Our staff would like to thank you for making Consider a part of your daily digest. We have worked tirelessly to offer you engaging content this past year, and we hope it showed.

If you wish to keep in touch with Consider over the summer, then please “like” our Facebook page since we will post interesting content their while the blog is down. Also, if you have any comments or questions regarding consider, then feel free to email us at consider@consideronline.org

Nonetheless, Consider has some exciting plans for next year:

• A revamped website design coupled with a more intuitive comments section.
• Open discussion forums centered on Consider’s magazine issues.
• Consider hosted guest speakers.

Don’t worry about getting your shit together.  Instead, worry about understanding who you are and what you want.  You will have time to get internships and jobs (trust me, you’ll have some interesting ones throughout the years), but here are some things you won’t have much time for after college:

• Aimlessly sitting in the diag until the sun finally comes out.
• Sledding in the Arb when there’s snow.
• Pregaming for football games starting at 7 AM.
• Taking classes about the history of blues music, the biology of sex, and the cultural importance of basketball.

Enjoy the moment.  If you’re always wondering how things could be better, you’ll never appreciate anything for what it is.

Take advantage of your resources.  Going to office hours may seem like a chore, but let me assure you, that professor is an expert in his or her field. They have no obligation to talk to you about Riemann sums or the collapse of the Byzantine empire, but since they’re willing to chat, listen.  Find a mentor.  Find two mentors.  Find two mentors and one professor who brews his own beer.  Befriend that professor.

Explore every inch of this campus.  Be a modern day Leif Eriksson by making first contact with the natives of North Campus.  They speak in a weird language with numbers, but they’re harmless (as far as I can tell).

Talk to anyone who looks interesting.  If a girl has silver hair and tattoos on her legs, ask her who her favorite 17^th century philosopher is.  If Mitch McGary crosses your path, ask him who his favorite 17^th century philosopher is.  If your favorite 17^th century philosopher walks by, ask him if he speaks English.  If the answer is yes, ask him on a date.

Leave no stone (or website) unturned.  There are opportunities for money and travel everywhere at our University.  If the African studies department offers a trip somewhere you want to go, check it out.  If you want to research the evolution of the taco from Mexican classic to Taco Bell monstrosity, there is probably a professor somewhere who would pay you to do that.

Play IM sports.  You may be fat, unathletic, asthmatic, and a nasty person to be around, but chances are you can find people to play soccer, basketball, or broomball with you.  Embrace being terrible.  Buy shirts with your team name on them.  Whether you’re “the Demanding Mannequins,” “the Slizz Hunters,” or “the box eaters,” I promise you that that shirt will become a prized possession.

Experiment.  With everything.  Never in your life will you be in a place where so many people find their identities, so try to find yours.  Pick up a new sport.  Pick up a new skill.  Pick up an instrument.  Pick up a joint. Experimentation leads to personal growth.  Find a girlfriend that you like, or a friend with benefits, or discover that you like being alone.  Whatever it is, do you.

Through it all, be kind.  Being a douchebag is unbecoming, and even if you become a football player or a frat star or a bookworm or a band geek, the world can always use another nice person.

By: Andrew Eckhous

Summer/Fall 2013 Television Preview

Following my preview of Summer Movies several weeks ago, in this post I’ll be highlighting some new and returning television shows coming this summer. While it’s true that the vast majority of shows go on hiatus for the summer leaving only droll reality television in their place, there are always at least a few great shows that premiere (or continue) in the summer, and some of these can fall under the radar due to their unusual air date. Ergo, I’ll be using my final blog post of the year to bring some of this interesting summer television to your attention. Before I begin, I’d also like to note that some of these shows, though airing primarily in the summer, have already aired one or two episodes already.  Without further ado, here are this summer’s hit shows to watch:

New Shows

Da Vinci’s Demons

Da Vinci’s Demons is a new historical drama series featuring, you guessed it, Leonardo Da Vinci. The show will focus on Da Vinci’s earlier years and highlight many of his lesser known inventions and exploits. Personally, I find the historical angle as well as the biographical aspects of the show fascinating. I also believe that, as a period piece and a show focused almost solely on Leonardo Da Vinci, the series has the potential to end up becoming something quite unique. Early reception has been positive, and in fact Da Vinci’s Demons has reportedly been renewed for a second season following the airing of its pilot episode this past week (the pilot is also available free online). If you’re interested in tuning in, the show airs on Fridays at 9:00 PM on Starz.

Defiance

Defiance is a new science fiction show that has the interestingly original quality of being released alongside a set of video games set within the same universe. Defiance takes place in the near future where Aliens arrive on Earth and attempted to co-exist with Humans; however, following a set of mysterious attacks on both sides, the two species are now at War. Sadly, reception has been mixed (ranging from average to mediocre), citing the show’s predictability, convoluted story, and adherence to sci-fi clichés. Nonetheless, the show has only just begun, and there’s always plenty of time for it to develop and gain its footing. Defiance airs on Mondays at 9:00 PM on SyFy.

Hannibal

Hannibal is a new thriller series based on the iconic serial killer character, Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The show focuses on the titular character’s early years as a forensic psychologist as he helps solve cases with the F.B.I. while simultaneously being up to his no good murderous cannibal ways. Starring the talented and eerie Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale) as Hannibal along with Hugh Dancy and Laurence Fishborne as other members of the F.B.I. Early reception for the show has been overwhelmingly positive, with some critics going so far as to call Hannibal a masterpiece of television. I certainly plan on checking Hannibal out, and I believe that you should as well. Hannibal airs on Thursdays at 10:00 PM on NBC.

Under the Dome

Under the Dome is the summer show I’m most exciting for. Based off of a Stephen King novel, Under the Dome tells the story of residents of a small town who suddenly find themselves isolated and cut off from the rest of the world by an invisible and impenetrable barrier surrounding the town. This premise may sound a little bit strange, but it’s the talent behind the show that makes me so excited to watch Under the Dome. Under the Dome is being worked on by Stephen King himself as well as Brain K. Vaughn, a famed comic book writer whose credits also include work on the television show Lost. Vaughn and King are both favorites of mine, and the show will also star Dean Norris, known for playing Hank Schrader on Breaking Bad. Under the Dome will be premiering June 24^th on CBS and will air Mondays at 10:00 PM.

The Goodwin Games

The Goodwin Games is a new television comedy about a trio of estranged siblings who return to their home following their father’s death. Prior to death, their father altered his will to allow his children to inherit his massive fortune if they comply with his wishes, which involves them taking part in a game that will force them to reexamine and make changes in their lives. I don’t know much about The Goodwin Games, but the premise seems awfully quirky to me and, in some ways, it also seems not necessarily humorous but somewhat serious instead. Nonetheless, there’s little early reception available yet regarding the series so at this point it’s still equally likely that The Goodwin Games will be a hit or a flop. The Goodwin Games premieres on May 24^th on Fox and will air Mondays at 8:30 PM.

Returning Shows

Arrested Development

Arrested Development, the much beloved Comedy series that many believe was cancelled before its time, will be returning this summer. The series will be a Netflix original rather then premiere on any television network and will only be available on Netflix. Since the show is going to be on Netflix, every episode of the new season will actually be available to watch all at once. Arrested Development features the formerly wealthy and dysfunctional family the Bluths and their struggles following the loss of their wealth. I’m ashamed to say I haven’t watched Arrested Development, though it’s near the top of my list on shows to watch. Nonetheless, if you’re a member of the show’s devoted fanbase, or if you’re just looking for a terrific comedy, try to check out Arrested Development’s fourth season this summer. The entire season will be made available on Netflix on May 26^th.

True Blood

I’m a little ashamed (okay, maybe more than a little) to admit that I’m a fan of the show True Blood on HBO revolving around a cast of characters that includes vampires, fairies, werewolves, and many other supernatural creatures. True Blood stars Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a telepathic/fairy waitress and the supernatural occurrences that happen to her and those around her. This new season promises more heated tensions between humans and vampires and (without spoiling anything) a dramatic transformation for one of the show’s main characters, vampire Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer). Despite having been a fan of the show in the past, I’m not too excited for its return; the show has really stagnated in the last two years and I’m not sure what they’re going to do to revitalize it. Season 6 premieres June 16^th and the show will air on Sundays at 9:00 PM on HBO. 

Breaking Bad

After what seems like an eternity, Breaking Bad will finally be returning with the second half of its fifth season and the conclusion of it’s series this summer. (Spoiler Alert from here on out!) At the end of the last episode of Breaking Bad, Walt’s brother in Law and D.E.A. officer finally figured out that Walter is Heisenberg, kingpin of a crystal meth empire. With these final 8 episodes, we will see Walter’s actions come to light to those around him as he finally suffers the consequences of his actions. If the flash-forward early in Season 5 is any indication, we’ll also see Walt take on a new life in an attempt to escape the feds. Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows of all time, and its production quality, performances, and raw emotion are hard to match. The show returns on August 11^th and will air Sundays at 9:00 PM on AMC.

Other 

The Daily Show With Jon Oliver

While not technically a new or returning show, the incredibly popular Daily Show will experience a big change this summer. Host John Stewart is taking a three-month hiatus to direct his film, Rosewater, and stepping in for the famous pundit (this summer only) will be renowned Daily Show correspondent Jon Oliver. Oliver is a talented correspondent and comedian, but he has some giant shoes to fill, being the first new host to take over the Daily Show (even briefly) since Stewart stepped in 1999. Although Jon Oliver likely won’t be able to completely match the hosting talents and charm of his boss, it’ll be very interesting to see how the show fares in the hands of someone other then Stewart for once. Jon Oliver steps at a to be announced date sometime this summer and The Daily Show airs Monday-Thursday at 11:00 PM on Comedy Central.

Fall 2013

Television Networks have yet to set schedules or pick up pilots for the Fall 2013 Television season. Nonetheless, I’ve picked out a few perspective shows whose premises I find particularly intriguing. These pilots are merely what appeals to my personal taste and/or shows that I think will almost certainly get picked up; because we don’t yet know which pilots will be picked up for series, the number of potential pilots for the fall that I could list here is immense. I will therefore only be talking about a couple of pilots. Note that none of these shows are technically guaranteed to air; some pilots get picked up, and some don’t. Nonetheless, it’s good fun to know what Television shows may be on the horizon if you’re looking for a new television program or just really like a show’s premise. I won’t be including returning shows for the Fall, as many shows have yet to finish their current seasons and there is little to no information on their next seasons this far in advance.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D

By a wide margin, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the show I’m most excited for come this fall. Created and run by The Avengers Director, Television legend, and all around nerd god Joss Whedon, Marvel’s new show will take place in the same universe as its many recent superhero films and feature S.H.I.E.L.D, the intelligence agency featured in many of Marvel’s films and comics. Many of the cast members aren’t incredibly well known, but the titular Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will be commanded by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), a fan favorite character from Marvel’s superhero films who, interestingly enough, died in The Avengers. Despite Coulson’s apparent death, the series actually takes place after that film, with the means of his resurrection not yet known. In any case, it’s nice to finally see Marvel branch out into live-action television, and I’m very excited to see how they may translate their big budget superheroics to the small screen.

Human

Human is a new show from Fringe director J.H. Wyman and Fringecreator and film/television juggernaut J.J. Abrams. The show is a science-fiction buddy cop drama set with the LAPD in the future where each officer is partnered with a human-like android. This is another title I’m excited about based on talent alone, with Fringe having been one of my favorite shows of all time and J.J. Abrams a director and creator whose work I very much enjoy. If you’re into science fiction, keep an eye out for Human this fall.

Dads

Dads is a new show from the infamous Seth McFarlane of recent Ted and Family Guy fame and a frequent collaborator of his, Alec Sudwin. The show is about two successful thirty-year-old men (played by Seth Green and Tommy Dewey) whose lives change dramatically when their dads unexpectedly come to live with them. While the premise isn’t completely similar to many of McFarlane’s animated shows, I would expect Dads to play out like a live action Family Guy nonetheless, given the creators behind it and its premise of an “unusual” family. I don’t think Dads will be my cup of tea, but if you enjoy McFarlane’s animated shows or you loved Ted, then this may just be the comedy for you.

Beverly Hills Cop

Yes, that Beverly Hills Cop. Eddie Murphy is looking to turn his hit film series into a television show many years after the fact, and it may just be hitting the airwaves this fall. The show will, like the films, feature Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley, but it will focus on his son, played by Brandon T. Jackson (Tropic Thunder) and be similar in tone and plot to many of the films. If you were fan of the films or of Eddie Murphy, you won’t want to miss this show, although personally I question how well the plot and world of the films is going to be able to transfer to the world of television.

By: Jason Rubenfire

When I go through pictures of me as a child, I can’t help but notice one item I am holding in many of my pictures. Attached to a string, you will see in my hand a big, bright red balloon. And I’m not really sure why. When I was in fourth grade, my teacher told my parents that it was time for me to come out of my shell. However, at the time, I only thought that turtles lived in shells, so I really had no idea what that meant. As I got older, I learned that the term meant I was shy, and it was time for me step outside of my comfort zone, meet new people, and grow up to be the outgoing person my teacher new I could be. As a child, maybe the red balloon was a sense of security for me while I was “inside my shell”. Or maybe I just really liked the color red. Or maybe I wanted to be just like Winnie the Pooh’s Christopher Robin, and carry a red balloon around just like he did. Whatever the reason, the red balloon was associated with me, and can still be seen in pictures today.

When I think of red balloons now, I am quickly reminded of innocence and childhood. They remind me of open fields, children, my little sister, and an overall feeling of freedom. It’s easy for me to see a red balloon and quickly get lost in time reminiscing about “the good old days”. What’s interesting though, is that one day I must have decided that having a balloon in my hand, or constantly thinking about red balloons was no longer important. At some point, I grew out of the phase of the constant need to hold something, hold someone’s hand, or rely on a tangible object for security. At some point, I realized that it’s okay to let go and live in the world as me. And I think it’s safe to say that whether we know it or not, we have all experienced this at some point.

Whether it was a teddy bear or a blanket or your mother’s hand, we have all had to let go of something, and step out into the world uncovered. And this is scary. Feeling vulnerable for the first time and getting used to that feeling is weird, and unknown, but we have all done it. However, one thing that I have quickly noticed is that these teddy bears and balloons have been replaced. No longer do we hold a symbol of innocence in our hands, but we hold something much more powerful. For many of us, we hold an iPhone, or at least a cell phone.

Like an extra appendage to our body, we carry around these pieces of technology as if not having them will make us feel empty, vulnerable, and scared. Just like not having our blankets and teddy bears as kids made us feel insecure. Our phones allow us to be in contact with someone 24/7, but if we lose, misplace or forget our phone, we realize that we cannot be contacted, and we feel alone.

But why is that?

Walking through campus we are surrounded by thousands of other people, yet without our phone, our sense of security, we feel alone? Isn’t that a little bit ignorant of us? Maybe not being able to contact our friends will allow us to start up conversations with people we may not have talked to any other way. Or maybe it will allow us to focus on school work or activities without constant and distracting texts and phone calls. Either way, not having a phone for a little while may remind us of that time of innocence as a child. When our biggest fear was misplacing our object of security, and when our biggest worry was what vegetable we were going to have to choke down at dinner before we were allowed to have another chicken tender.

Sometimes, it’s sad to see that many of us have reverted back to the phase of needing a tangible object as a sense of security. We were able to grow out of childhood and feel the confidence of being ourselves; however, now we need an iPhone, constant text messages, and voice-mails to make us feel secure, happy and wanted. We have gone back in time and forced ourselves to believe that this is OK. That it is OK to need a piece of metal in our hands at all times to surf the web and talk to our friends.

And yes, while it’s good to talk to our friends, while it’s amazing that I can text my sister who is overseas and stay in contact with her, it’s not good to feel lesser when you get out of class and no one has texted you, or to feel bad about yourself that your Facebook app on your phone does not have a new notification. It was so long ago that we grew out of the phase of needing an object to give us a sense of security, so why are we reverting back?

While technology will continue to advance, and the things we see in our lifetime will be more unbelievable than we ever could have imagined, it’s going to be important to step back every now and again, and remember that we don’t need objects of security. We let the balloon loose once, we put the teddy bear in a drawer, and we put the blanket in a bag. I’m not saying to put the iPhone back into it’s box, but we need to remember that there are more valuable parts of our life than the tiny piece of metal you are probably holding right now.

By: Cheyenne Stone

(Image courtesy of sxc.hu)

As an English major suffering from a serious case of senioritis, I barely have enough words left in my brain to finish my three final papers, much less write a cohesive Consider post that readers can get anything out of. Therefore, I’ll do the next best thing and leave you all with the 13 things I would tell my freshman year self if I could. Hopefully, this will help some of you or at least give you all something to Consider.

1. Being on North Campus isn’t the worst thing in the world.
2.  Don’t hold onto high school dating relationships, but do make an effort to stay in touch with friends from home.
3. Confidence is key.
4. Explore Ann Arbor (read: Main Street restaurants) and take advantage of its opportunities.
5. Never schedule a 9am Friday class. Ever.
6. Be careful who you sign a lease with early in the year.
7. Get done with your core curriculum early on.
8. Don’t freak out about school. Enjoy the easiness of introductory classes while you can.
9. Choose the major you want, not the major your parents want.
10. Get season tickets and go to all the football games. Your football Saturday afternoon nap can wait.
11. Get involved in extracurriculars early on and always keep your resume in the back of your mind.
12. Don’t go to the bars too early. Save it for junior and senior year.
13. And last but not least, keep in mind that all the No Thai eventually catches up to you. Trust me on this.

Disclaimer: The following piece is an adapted essay written for a film class at the University of Michigan. It centers on the nature of violence in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Be warned, there are spoilers.

Director Quentin Tarantino’s films are synonymous with three overarching attributes: violence, violence, and more violence.  And upon viewing the trailer for one of his most recent films, Inglourious Basterds (2009), my expectations were set.  This movie, much like Tarantino’s Kill Bill series and Reservoir Dogs (1992), would be a consummate illustration of how make-up and special effects can vividly depict the most violent of human behaviors.  Surprisingly, when watching Inglourious Basterds, my expectations of violence lacked vindication.  I began to wonder, what is the function of violence in this movie?  Most obviously, the expectation of violence acted as an unnerving climax to each of the film’s “chapters”.  However, this inevitable violence often failed to differentiate between good and evil.  This would not have been an issue if the audience remained quiet during the film’s most heinous sequences.  Yet, the gaudy uproar from the crowd during the film’s many brutal murders illustrates something fascinating about human nature.  This essay will argue that a suspense-driven narrative style featuring both Nazi and Allied soldiers with parallel costume and behavior, serves to eliminate traditional notions of good and evil allowing Tarantino to confront audiences with their own bloodlust.

Understanding the audience’s own violent nature, Tarantino is able to create a unique form of suspense.  Under the traditional model of suspense, a filmmaker is encouraged to present a situation in which something bad will happen knowing that the audience is powerless to alter the outcome.  In “Chapter 1” of Inglourious Basterds, Tarantino virtually mimics this paradigm.  Interestingly, throughout the rest of his film, Tarantino adopts a slightly altered model for driving suspense.  Take “Chapter Two” for instance.  Upon capturing three German soldiers, Lt. Aldo Raine, leader of the “Basterds”, questions the commanding officer regarding the whereabouts of a German patrol team on the road ahead.  When the officer respectfully refuses to disclose any information that would “put German lives at risk”, Raine summons the infamous “Bear Jew”.  The following shot reverse shot sequences between the German commanding officer and a dark alcove, where the alleged “Bear Jew” hides, builds tremendous anticipation of the violence that will ensue.  In fact, these sequences last an entire minute and a half before the audiences violent fantasies play out gruesomely on screen.  Unlike the traditional model of building suspense, Tarantino believes that his audience revels in dreams of violence and enjoys seeing their fantasies play out on-screen.

The final “chapter” of Inglourious Basterds illustrates this idea consummately as the anticipation of violence is at its peak in the film.  But before analyzing the film’s ending, it is worth noting the way in which Inglourious Basterds was marketed.  Both the trailer and promotional posters for this film focused heavily on the Basterds and their mission to “kill Nazi’s”.  As a result, moviegoers (including myself) attended theaters expecting to see exactly that.  However, when all was said and done, the Nazi-killing scenes only accounted for a small fraction of the movie.  All those long scenes, filled with mostly nothing but dialogue, created enormous tension among audiences who anticipated the violence that the movie promised them.  This tension became most evident at the end of “Chapter Five” in which a cinema full of Nazi Leaders is burned to the ground.  The audience reacted to this spectacle excitedly and even a bit mockingly.  Yet from a metaphysical standpoint, the audience of Inglourious Basterds is merely watching itself.  At first, the audience watches a cinema full of supposedly bad people cheering and howling at images of soldiers being killed.  Next, the audience is watching an entire cinema full of people being burned to the ground and relishing every minute of it.  Thus, moviegoers are engaged in the same behavior as the Nazis a few minutes before.  And if the characters on-screen were bad people, then what does that make the audience of Inglourious Basterds?

Now some may argue that retributive justice is appropriate when considering Nazi leaders in World War II.  However, based on the information presented in Inglourious Basterds, the dichotomy of good and evil characters is blurred.  Even though American audiences carry predispositions in favor of the Allied soldiers, the behavior and costume of both German and American soldiers throughout the film parallel each other.  For instance, the plot of “Chapter One” centers on Colonel Hans Landa’s inquisition for Jews in French farm country.  During Landa’s conversation with local farmer Perrier LaPadite, the colonel delves into a revolting analogy he has developed for Jews.  While the specifics are not worth mentioning, the general message is that the colonel does not know why he hates Jews, he just does.  Based on the information presented in this scene, Colonel Landa seems to fit the role of villain.  Nonetheless, “Chapter Two” presents the audience with the supposed good guys lead by none other than Aldo Raine.  Yet, nothing that Raine says or does suggests that he is any nobler than Landa.  In fact, his stated ambitions seem even more malicious than Landa’s.  As Raine explains, his goal is to do “one thing and one thing only: kill Nazis.”  Furthermore, he stresses that his fellow soldiers be “cruel to the Germans, and through cruelty [the Nazis] will know who we are.  And they will find evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us.”  And if that wasn’t enough, Raine goes on to demand “one-hundred Nazi scalps!”  In only the first few scenes of Inglourious Basterds, the lines between good and bad are clearly obfuscated.

As the film progresses, the line between good and bad only grows more obscure.  Following Raine’s rallying cry illustrated above, the Basterds go on to brutally murder and scalp a patrol of German soldiers.  And as mentioned before, the Basterd named “The Bear Jew” beats an admirable German commanding officer to death without a glimpse of hesitation.  Upon completion of this bludgeoning, “The Bear Jew” shouts like a maniac “Teddy fucking Williams knocks it out of the park! Fenway Park is on its feet for Teddy! Fucking ball game!”  Clearly the Basterds have disregarded notions of justice in favor of a more amusing standpoint towards the World War II conflict – treating it like a game.  However, the line between good and bad becomes ultimately blurred during “Chapter 4” where the Basterds adopt a Nazi uniform and feign German allegiance.  Whether or not Tarantino actively decided to break the visual dichotomy between Basterd and Nazi, I do not know.  However, the effect on the viewer is powerful.  Not only does the film portray the supposed good guys as more malevolent than the Nazis, it slowly transforms them into indistinguishable counterparts.

With the traditional notions of good and evil completely jumbled, one must wonder what makes Inglourious Basterds so entertaining.  As illustrated a bit earlier, Tarantino is able to create suspense in this film by drawing upon the audience’s anticipation of violence.  Furthermore, the viewer feels and acts as though the actions of the Basterds are justified despite the heinous behavior exhibited by the group.  Thus, Inglourious Basterds suggests that an audience’s lust for blood clouds its ability to objectively asses the morality of a circumstance.  One could take this notion a step further and argue that this characteristic of human nature may be the key driver of war.  As ancient theory suggests, “war is human nature in the raw, stripped of the façade of contrived civility behind which we normally hide.  The taste for killing is written in our genes.”[1]  Watching Inglourious Basterds in a theater proves that even a group of innocent moviegoers will revel in violent fantasies.  This suggests that in order to understand the frequent nature of war, humans need to first look inward.

Just like every other U of M student, it pains me to recall the end of Michigan’s crushing loss to Louisville in the National Championship. Expectations for our basketball team had never been higher after blowing out South Dakota State and VCU in the first two rounds, riding the thrilling comeback and shot of the year for an overtime win against Kansas, and dominant wins against tough Florida and Syracuse teams. By the time we faced Louisville, our team seemed invincible, which made the hard-fought loss especially devastating.

I don’t want to spend any more time analyzing how or why we lost. It happened and life moves on. Instead, I would like to focus on the morale of the Wolverines after the loss. It is hardly uncommon to see emotional breakdowns in college basketball. Many of these players are 18 years old and, unlike the pros, they don’t have the experience of handling losses in the national spotlight. While the Wolverines could have justifiably cried, sulked, or shoved their hands in their faces, our team stood strong after the loss. They didn’t blame the loss on anything except for being outplayed by the Louisville squad. If you want to see for yourself, watch the postgame interviews of the starting lineup and Coach Beilein. What’s most impressive is their lack of criticism of the referees (aside from a minor comment by Mitch), whose attention to fouls and goaltending was selective at best. This maturity exhibited by the Michigan team is more than can be said about the group of friends I watched with.

The integrity of the team surely contributed to their positive morale after the loss. However, I think the strange sequence of their season played an even bigger role and is the reason why I remain an optimistic fan. In case any readers got too swept up in March Madness to recall the course of the Wolverines’ season, I will provide a brief reminder: We began the season living up to our #4 pre-season ranking with 16 straight victories. Then, we began to play ranked teams and things got a whole lot tougher. We proceeded to go 9-7 for the remainder of the season with a notable blowout loss to Michigan State, fall-apart loss to Indiana, and appalling loss to Penn State. Though they still went over .500 for this part of the season, tournament expectations significantly decreased. If they couldn’t match up against ranked teams, how on Earth would they thrive in the tournament? But the Wolverines once again changed public opinion when March Madness began. Though our gameplay didn’t change, we began to play with a heightened purpose and intensity, started knocking down the same shots we missed earlier in the season, and most importantly, Mitch McGary finally showed up.

This unexpected revival of the team is precisely why it is difficult for both the Wolverines and their fans to be disappointed for losing the championship. No one expected us to make it that far in the tournament and in that sense, we “shocked the world.” So call me an optimist, but the way I see it there’s still a lot to celebrate about Michigan’s season and even more to celebrate about our potential next year.

By: Robbie Linden

(Photo courtesy of Annarbor.com)

Upon matriculating to the venerated beatnik establishment known as the University of Michigan, you are unlikely to encounter many conservatives, as Ann Arbor has a strict quota in place.  However, during those rare (and distressing) meetings with young neocons, tea partiers, libertarians, and any other exotic species, one must know how to avoid the classic (un)friendly banter that usually occurs…which brings me to my first tip:

1.   Be ridiculous, stubborn, and a bit of a prick.

I can’t tell you how many times I have been in this conversation:

Conservative: You pussy bleeding heart liberals are all idiots.  How can you possibly agree with _________!?!

Me: Well, I can understand why you disagree with me, but here is my rationale.  I believe that—

Conservative: Shut up, you’re wrong

Me: But you haven’t even heard what I have to say!

Conservative: Don’t need to commie.  Hope you have fun chilling in Russia with Joe Stalin you anti-American jerk

After a while, I tired of attempting to haplessly debate, and adopted the tactics of my foes.  Now, instead of walking away angry, I turn everything into an elementary school shouting match.  Call me a commie?  You’re a fascist that wants nothing short of a Big Brother government.  Republicans hate puppies!  John Boehner wets his bed!

Without fail, I always catch my conservative sparring partner off guard.  If you want to walk away from a political argument victorious, you need to be Joe Wilson, of “YOU LIE!” fame, willing to make a fool of yourself just to get a rise out of your idiot friend who, for some reason, doesn’t understand how dumb he is, but you hang out with him anyway since he’s got a VIP pass to Skeeps.

2.   Lie.  A lot.

A lot of people pull out statistics during debates.  Inexperienced and trusting debaters too often fall for this trick.  Even if the statistic is correct (which it rarely is), it’s easy to fire an equally significant statistic right back.

Conservative: Obamacare will cost this country a bajillion dollars according to the United States Chamber of Commerce, how can you even claim that it is a good idea!?!

Me: Well, according to the JRE, the US economy will grow at a rate of 7.6%/yr over the next decade if we implement the healthcare plan, not to mention the fact that every American family will be given free massages for a year!

I have no idea what the JRE is.  I literally fabricated every word of that sentence (except for the massage part, I read that on MoveOn). If you act confident though, dumb people will believe you.  And believe me, most people you encounter are dumb.

3.   Invoke names and incidents that Republicans have conveniently tried to erase from the collective memory.

Examples:

If I don’t vote conservative will Dick Cheney shoot me in the face?

I was in an airport bathroom the other day, and some dude kept knocking his shoes into me, then I realized it was just Larry Craig’s wide stance!

Todd Akin told me that all vaginas are magic and that they can disarm a robber, is that true?

4.   The Finisher

Did Barack Obama fly to Pakistan, grab Osama by the beard, recite a witty quip (something like “ready or not, here I come!”) and then pop a cap in his ass?  I’m no journalist, but that’s just the way I heard it happened.  Either way, simply shout “Obama found Osama,” turn around, walk away.  And just like that, you have won an argument with a conservative (at least in your own head).

By Andrew Eckhous

Wow. I knew from what I’d heard about the film that Spring Breakers wasn’t the film that it appears to be, but I was still in no way prepared for what I would see. Spring Breakers isn’t a masterpiece by any means, but the film is absolutely not the cheap scantily clad exploitative film it appears to be on its surface. Behind all the excessive sex and violence that runs rampant in Spring Breakers, there actually lies a surreal, hypnotizing, and even disturbing film that nonetheless falls just short of its aspirations.

Spring Breakers is the story of four college girls (played by Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Rachel Korine (wife of the film’s director!), and Ashley Benson) and their spring break trip in St. Petersburg, Florida, which they finance by robbing a local restaurant and all of its patrons. Once they make it to Florida, the group drinks, smokes, snorts, and screws to their heart’s content and eventually they find themselves in trouble with the police. If this sounds like a predictable story, or one that you’ve heard before, you’re not alone; but Spring Breakers is so much more than that.

What at first seems to be a story of debauchery or a cautionary tale instead turns into a dark and at times almost horrifying tale of moral transformation, as the girls carelessly and cheerfully involve themselves deeper and deeper in the depths of the city’s crime and violence with no wake-up call in sight. Far from being a National Lampoon-esque “booze and babes” cash-in, Spring Breakers is actually a film that has more in common with the likes of Natural Born Killers and Scarface.

The film’s decisive turning point is when the girls meet James Franco’s character, “Alien”. Franco, a “love him or hate him” sort of actor, is nearly unrecognizable and immerses himself completely in the character; it’s hard to believe this is the same man I was praising for his performance as the Wizard of Oz in my review of Oz: The Great and Powerful.  Alien takes the girls in and begins to involve them in his crime ring and the local gang war against his former best friend, played by Gucci Mane. At this point, Faith (Selena Gomez), a Christian girl who had already been somewhat uncomfortable with her friends, wises up and actually leaves the group, no doubt pleasing those worried about her current Disney star image. At this point, one would without a doubt be worried about how Alien may exploit the girls, but in a wise and unusual move, the film doesn’t go this route.

In an absurdly bizarre yet effective scene, the film demonstrates that the girls are using Alien as much he’s using them; they like the world he’s gotten them into, and they have no plans of leaving it. What’s more, Alien, far from being some sort of Pimp, actually shows genuine affection for the girls, and vice versa; somehow, it doesn’t feel creepy and at times their relationship even feels sweet.

While the story of Spring Breakers does take some unusual turns, what really makes the film good and at all worthwhile is the terrific editing and cinematography; once again, I’m sure it sounds bizarre to be reading that type of praise about a movie called Spring Breakers, but it’s the truth. The world of Spring Breakers feels as hypnotic and seductive as the lifestyle that the girls find themselves in. It’s a world of neon signs, dimly lit hotel rooms, and virtually limitless amounts of partying; rarely in Spring Breakers will you see the light of day. Somehow, the film’s editing succeeds in turning this into an alluring and mesmerizing experience. The editing, which sometimes cuts quickly between scenes, settings, or events, can be dizzying, but in a good way. Often, watching the film feels dream-like, or, perhaps more relevantly to the film’s events, like a drug trip. Most importantly, it feels unique; many filmmakers don’t put enough effort to make these parts of their movies shine, as they’re not always something consciously noticed by the general public.

The music of Spring Breakers also deserves mention as it goes a long way to create the hypnotic atmosphere for that I mentioned earlier. The score is full of foreboding and at times almost sad music that, when contrasted with the parties and other vulgarities of the film, creates a contradictory yet highly effective juxtaposition. In terms of popular music, I’ve never seen a more appropriate use of Skrillex on film then what Spring Breakers does with his music, and later, in one of my favorite scenes of the film, a kitschy Britney Spears pop hit is somehow turned into a simultaneously humorous and horrifying lamentation on how far the girls have fallen in a dizzying montage towards the film’s end. Overall, the music of the film works very well in tandem with the cinematography to create the tone and style that the film is going for.

Given all this praise, you may be wondering why I said the film falls short of its aspirations. Well, despite being a very unique visual experience, the core of Spring Breakers remains its story, and, despite some intriguing and unexpected turns, the story of Spring Breakers just isn’t up to the quality of its technical elements. You may have noticed that I’ve only named the characters of James Franco and Selena Gomez thus far; this is because, with Selena Gomez as the exception, the girls who serve as the film’s main characters are utterly devoid of individual personality. I literally cannot remember the names of the other three girls, and I was only able to remember the name of Selena Gomez’s character because it is brought up so prominently in the film at one point. Characters should drive a film’s plot, not the other way around, and the girls of Spring Breakers just feel like tools of the plot rather than real people. There’s virtually nothing divulged about their back-stories (Selena Gomez’s character, is once again, the exception) and I felt they could be replaced by literally anyone else. Additionally, some of their actions in the film are also, on occasion, incredibly bizarre and unexplained. At times, I found myself wondering just how or why any young girl would make some of the decisions they do. It’s true that it’s part of the film’s intentions to make the girls seem like not the brightest bulbs in the bunch, but at times their vapid and thoughtless nature goes beyond even my suspension of disbelief.

SPOILER WARNING

Most troubling is the film’s ending, which, while a valid endgame to the girls’ transformation within the film, seems infeasible and bizarre. I very much expected that one of the girls would die, and instead, Alien is the one cut down, and I watched two girls who had never fired a real gun before thoughtlessly and effortlessly murder an entire gang including its leader. I can buy that the girls would rob and even terrorize people for their own aims or amusement, but their jump to murder without a moment’s hesitation seemed very off to me. Overall, the transformation of the girls from “dime-a-dozen” college girls to ruthless criminals is the story’s main focus, and this transformation just wasn’t convincing for me.

Spring Breakers isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely something new and original. It’s not without it’s flaws, and there’s certainly many people who will only see the sex and violence side of the film and not some of the more subtle nuances that make the film great. Nonetheless, I recommend that you go out and watch Spring Breakers. Love it or hate it, I promise you won’t be bored with (or prepared for!) what you see.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

By: Jason Rubenfire

I’m sure you have accidentally forgotten your paper for class on your desk, or you have forgotten to do a homework assignment. Yet, many teachers don’t accept late work, so you end up taking a zero for the assignment. With so few assignments that count for a grade, a zero can be a huge set back in your overall score in the class.

Yes, I understand that schools and universities are trying to prepare us for “the real world”, and they are trying to teach us that getting a project to your boss late isn’t going to slide, or being lazy at your job isn’t going to cut it. I understand that we have to learn how to be responsible adults. However, last time I checked, the group of responsible adults still falls under the same category of human; and humans make mistakes. I’m sure there isn’t one CEO out there who can honestly say that they haven’t messed up or done something that wasn’t the best reflection of themselves. As college students, remembering every assignment along with remembering when we have to be at a meeting or practice, and then trying to figure out when to eat and breathe can sometimes be a little stressful. So forgetting to print a paper can be understandable! However, we are held to a high standard for most of our lives. A standard of perfection.

Ever since a young age, so much is expected of us. Look a certain way, act a certain way, talk to the right people, make the right friends, get good grades, get into college, make sure you have enough leadership positions, make your bed, don’t get sick. All the while being asked an insane amount of questions that we are expected to have the perfect answer to. “What are you majoring in?” “What do you want to do with your life after school?” “Any boyfriends?” “How is your GPA?”

We are expected to look perfect, act perfect, obtain perfect grades, and be an all around superstar. With all of this kind of stimulation and pressure, why do teachers, professors, and adults in general not understand that sometimes one of these many things can slip our mind?

I understand that in order to be professional we can only allow ourselves a minimal amount of slip-ups; and this is reasonable. Forgetting to do something very often isn’t professional, and shows that someone lacks the traits of responsibility and reliability, both of which are necessary to move up in a profession or in any context of a successful life. However, forgetting something every once in a while should not be the difference between an A and a C in a class, or the opportunity to obtain a leadership role.

In the words of Hannah Montana, “Nobody’s perfect, I’ve gotta work it, again and again ‘till I get it right.” And maybe this should be the motto. Accepting that we aren’t perfect is a good first step, but it is still important that we work to be the best people we can be, and realize that sometimes we have to play the game, and do what is expected of us; this includes doing our best to make a minimal amount of mistakes. Writing things down as well as setting reminders in our phones and even maybe putting sticky notes on our mirrors are great ways to remind ourselves of assignments, lunch meetings, dates, deadlines, etc.

And if you still forget, or you still make a mistake, well apologize for your lack of perfection, and try harder next time. But don’t sweat it. While you forgot to print your paper, your favorite actor just forgot his last line. And I would bet anything he laughed it off and moved on. So try doing the same, and do your best to not sweat the small stuff. I can almost guarantee you have enough to worry about as it is.

By: Cheyenne Stone

(Photo courtesy of bottled_void under a creative commons license)