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Ambassadors talk US-Iran relations American diplomats debate future of security in the Persian Gulf during panel discussion at Ford School KRISTINA LENN For The Daily

The Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy hosted four former U.S. ambassadors for the talk “The U.S., Iran, and Security in the Persian Gulf,” the final installment in the school’s Weiser Diplomacy Center Series, on Thursday. Michael Barr, the dean of the Ford school, stressed the importance of the “Conversations Across Differences” series in developing relationships with those of differing backgrounds. “Practicing diplomacy both abroad and here at home is essential for working through moments where differences seem insurmountable,” Barr said. The topics discussed varied from the Gulf states’ perceptions of Iran, to the effects of the power dynamics ALEX BAKER/Daily in the Gulf on the United States, to the relationship between the Ambassadors Deborah McCarthy, Gerald Feierstein, Ronald Neumann and Patrick Theros discuss the U.S., Iran and security in the Persian Gulf in Annenberg Auditorium U.S. and Iran, especially since Thursday afternoon. the U.S. has no embassy there. the diplomatic behavioral concerns while Feierstein said he holds out “Both sides gingerly are Instead, Switzerland has acted compared tactics of President Barack Trump’s approach has been hope that the two countries interested in finding a way to as mediator between the two Obama and President Donald to apply an unmanageable will be willing to have a get back to the table,” he said. countries since 1979 following Trump, pointing out that amount of pressure, which peaceful discussion in order to “Both sides recognize that a the Iranian Revolution. Panelist Gerald Feierstein, a Obama focused on specific Feirstein said has not worked. start moving forward. train wreck kills a lot of people, former ambassador to Yemen,

including the engineers.” However, Ronald E. Neumann, former ambassador to Algeria, Bahrain and Afghanistan, said he does not share Feierstein’s positive outlook. “Optimism is free, so one might as well indulge,” Neumann replied, sparking a round of laughter from the audience and the other panelists, including Feierstein. Deborah McCarthy, who served as an ambassador to Lithuania from 2013 to 2016, commented on the usefulness of sanctions, provided they are used appropriately. “Sanctions are an effective tool if you outline clearly the behavior that you want to change,” McCarthy said. “Intent is really for the behavior of the state to change.” Public Policy junior Karuna Nandkumar said she understands how important navigating those differences can be, especially considering her career ambitions in international diplomacy. See DIPLOMACY, Page 3

GOVERNMENT

Ypsilanti aims to go carbon neutral City declares efforts to fight climate change by achieving net-zero emissions by 2035, following Ann Arbor’s lead in drafting plan JULIA FANZERES Daily Staff Reporter

Ypsilanti is following Ann Arbor’s lead in drafting a plan to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2035. On Tuesday, Nov. 19, the Ypsilanti City Council decided to draft a plan on how the city could become carbon neutral in 15 years. The draft plan will be presented on March 31, approaching the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. The Ann Arbor City Council pursued a similar course in early November in an effort to respond to the climate crisis. In a Nov. 4 Ann Arbor City Council meeting, the council unanimously declared a state of emergency, passing a resolution outlining a goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030. Ann Arbor will also be revealing its draft plan for achieving carbon neutrality around Earth Day next year. Washtenaw County declared a local and global climate emergency on Sept.18. As of Wednesday night, the county allocated $30,000 in funding to hire a consultant to complete greenhouse gas inventory as part of the county’s plan to counter

climate change. These new carbon neutrality resolutions were met with cautious optimism by the current councilmembers. City officials from Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti were both wary of the ambitious nature of the plans. Ypsilanti officials voiced their concerns about the lack of resources available to Ypsilanti compared to Ann Arbor — specifically in developing a thorough carbon neutrality draft in only three and a half months. During a city council meeting on Nov. 4, Ann Arbor City Councilmember Ali Ramlawi, D-Ward 5, said he was concerned about the likelihood of the Ann Arbor actually achieving these goals. “All you’ve got is your word in this life,” Ramlawi said. “And we’re never going to hit these targets the way we are moving on these other issues.” Ramwali’s concerns about city council were not unfounded. The following city council meeting, the members debated introducing carbonneutral aspects to provisions for affordable housing. See YPSILANTI, Page 3

KEEMYA ESMAEL/Daily Artist Edel Rodriguez speaks about the inspiration of his work as part of the Penny Stamps Lecture Series in the Michigan Theater Thursday.

Penny Stamps speaker reflects on identity, cultural displacement Edel Rodroguez discusses experience as contributor to national magazines PETER HUMMER For The Daily

Hundreds of students, professors and Ann Arbor community members packed into the Michigan Theater to hear renowned artist Edel Rodriguez speak at the last “Penny Stamps Distinguished Speaker

Series” of the semester on Thursday. Rodriguez is a contributor to the New York Times and the New Yorker, and has created numerous book, magazine and film covers and posters over the years. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, director of the Penny Stamps Speaker

Series, Chrisstina Hamilton, detailed what the series is and how Rodriguez represents an artist in the field. “When it started, the idea was to bring real practitioners working out in the world in art and design so that students would be able to … learn from people who are successful practitioners

rather than just academics,” Hamilton said. “(Rodriguez) is highly successful, very well published and a highly regarded illustrator and graphic designer, and graphic design is a big pursuit of a lot of our students, as is illustration.” See ARTIST, Page 3

CAMPUS LIFE

Author examines intersection of relationships, carceral state Writer looks back on memoir describing life as romantic partner of person who is incarcerated

JENNA SITEMAN Daily Staff Reporter

Author and activist Ebony Roberts joined Ashley Lucas, former director of the Prison Creative Arts Project, to discuss Roberts’s memoir about falling in love with a man who was incarcerated, “The Love Prison Made and Unmade: My Story.” A crowd

of about 50 people attended the event at the Ann Arbor District Library on Thursday. Roberts received a doctorate in educational psychology from Michigan State University. She formed a deep bond with Shaka Senghor, who is formerly incarcerated, over the course of his last four years of incarceration of

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his 20-year sentence. They co-parent a child together, and though they are no longer together, they still work very closely in their professional relationship. Roberts started a private publishing company to help publish the books Senghor wrote while incarcerated, as well as helped with other needs that Senghor had while

incarcerated. Roberts and Lucas spoke to the audience about their history as long-time friends as well as collaborators while discussing how Roberts prepared herself for this book. Roberts said she never thought she would be writing a book, due to her primarily writing dissertations. “I never intended to write

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this book. The book was initially going to be a ‘he said, she said’ (with Shaka); Shaka is a writer, I’m a writer, and we had discussed writing a book together about our love story and how we met and fell in love.” Roberts said, “( but) after Shaka came home, we published his memoir about his life before he went to prison and his transformation

in prison, and he had spoken a little on our relationship, and it was almost like, ‘Okay, well, that’s sort of been told, we don’t need to rehash the story.’ … (Shaka said,) ‘I’ve already told the story from my perspective, I think you should still tell the story, but from your perspective.”

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News

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MONDAY: Looking at the Numbers

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WEDNESDAY: This Week in History

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FRIDAY: Behind the Story

BE HIND THE STORY Every Friday, one Daily staffer will give a behind the scenes look at one of this week’s stories. This week, LSA sophomores Barbara Collins and Ben Rosenfeld reported on community backlash surrounding a fraternity’s Larry Nassar-related banner displayed during a football game against Michigan State University. “I think it had a very big impact on the University and its students as a whole. As a student newspaper, our core priority should be to be reflecting student opinion and voices, and this was definitely something that was being talked about on campus. So, having the opportunity to share that, I think it’s a very important issue to bring to light.”

Barbara Collins, Daily Staff Reporter

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK

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When someone has been sexually assaulted, they feel a sense of powerlessness and that’s one of the big reasons why people report: to take back their power and stand up to their perpetrator. When a university allows a perpetrator to cross-examine their victim, the university is in effect allowing that perpetrator to have power over the victim again and I consider that to be cruel.”

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Student panel highlights mental health challenges while abroad Event examines obstacles to emotional wellbeing faced when studying out of country VALENTINA HOUSE For The Daily

Callie Rouse, CGIS health and safety assistant, and Annie Haroun, director of Active Minds, a student-led mental health advocacy group, hosted a panel at the Hatcher Graduate Library Thursday to discuss the effects of study abroad on mental health. Among University of Michigan students, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, academic concerns and relationships are the leading mental health concerns, the panelists said. Rouse and Haroun discussed the pressures study-abroad students face Sudokuand Syndication how they impact existing mental health conditions.

Managing News Editors news@michigandaily.com Senior News Editors: Sayali Amin, Rachel Cunningham, Remy Farkas, Leah Graham, Amara Shaikh Assistant News Editors: Barbara Collins, Julia Fanzeres, Claire Hao, Alex Harring, Angelina Little, Madeline McLaughlin, Ben Rosenfeld, Emma Stein, Zayna Syed, Liat Weinstein

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handle your mental health, it team and counseling on site. Senior Sports Editors: Anna Marcus, Aria Gerson, Ben Katz, Mark Calcagno, Theo Mackie, Tien Le “For me, the biggest resource may be a new environment, but Assistant Sports Editors: Bailey Johnson, Bennett Bramson, Connor Brennan, there’s still new challenges that I used was friends,” Haroun Jacob Kopnick, Jorge Cazares, Rian Ratnavale said. “Although it can be really come with that environment.” ARYA NAIDU and VERITY STURM Haroun emphasized the tough to ultimately confide Managing Arts Editors arts@michigandaily.com importance of studying the in people because you’re in a Senior Arts Editors: Clara Scott, Emma Chang, Cassandra Mansuetti, Sam attitudes toward mental health totally different environment, Della Fera, Trina Pal Arts Beat Editors: John Decker, Sayan Ghosh, Mike Watkins, Ally Owens, in different countries before I think it’s really important Stephen Satarino, Izzy Hasslund, Margaret Sheridan going there. She elaborated to note that everyone’s in the that, in her own experience same place as you.” ROSEANNE CHAO and JACK SILBERMAN Managing Design Editors design@michigandaily.com Rouse introduced a number abroad in Prague, mental health Senior Design Editor: Sherry Chen was not openly discussed in of panelists to speak on their conversation, and she wished experiences abroad. ALEXIS RANKIN and ALEC COHEN LSA student Graysen she had known that prior. Managing Photo Editors photo@michigandaily.com who studied “Just because (a) particular Colpaert, Senior Photo Editors: Alexandria Pompei, Natalie Stephens, Alice Liu, Allison Engkvist, Danyel Tharakan country doesn’t talk about abroad with Global Course Assistant Photo Editors: Miles Macklin, Keemya Esmael, Madeline Hinkley, mental health, that doesn’t Connections in Japan, said she Ryan McLoughlin mean that it’s not important felt a little unprepared going and that you should be hiding into her program, but she ANDREA PÉREZ BALDERRAMA Statement Editor statement@michigandaily.com it,” Rouse said. “It’s all about utilized the resources available Deputy Editors: Matthew Harmon, Shannon Ors realizing that people are and had a good experience overall. going through similar things http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ SILAS LEE and EMILY STILLMAN “I didn’t realize what to you, and you shouldn’t be Managing Copy Editors copydesk@michigandaily.com afraid to practice mental impact study abroad has on Senior Copy Editors: Dominick Sokotoff, Olivia Sedlacek, Reece Meyhoefer health even though you’re your mental health,” Colpaert CASEY TIN and HASSAAN ALI WATTOO said. “But there are resources abroad.” Managing Online Editors webteam@michigandaily.com Rouse also stressed the available there for you to use, Senior Web Developers: Jonathon Liu, Abha Panda, Ryan Siu, David Talbot, Samantha Cohen importance of scheduling and that was a big part of medications beforehand, getting through it for me, and ELI SIDER HARDespecially since different it was ultimately a really good Managing Video Editor video@michigandaily.com Senior Video Editors: Ryan O’Connor, Joseph Sim countries have varying experience, and I wouldn’t laws pertaining to which trade it for the world.” NA’KIA CHANNEY and CARLY RYAN Michigan in Color Editors michiganincolor@michigandaily.com Haroun said one of the drugs are allowed there. Senior Michigan in Color Editors: Lorna Brown, Samuel So, Ana Maria Therefore, she said it’s challenges she faced abroad Sanchez-Castillo, Efe Osagie, Danyel Tharakan important to get enough was the pressure to make a Assistant Michigan in Color Editors: Harnoor Singh, Nada Eldawy, Maya doses prior, as well as routine for herself that fit Mokh everything she to talk to a therapist or absolutely CATHERINE NOUHAN physician about a mental wanted to explore in Europe. Managing Podcast Editor health plan to prepare for She said social media worsened MADALASA CHAUDHARI and HANNAH MESKIN Managing Social Media Editors challenges that may arise the pressure she felt because Senior Social Media Editor: Allie Phillips she found herself comparing abroad. Rouse then addressed herself to her friends. “Although social media how one can prepare for study abroad. She shows that everyone is happy, MOLLY WU Creative Director mentioned that managing that’s really not the case,” ZELJKO KOSPIC RYAN KELLY said. “Everyone’s one’s expectations is Haroun Special Projects Manager Sales Manager one way of making sure having ups and downs abroad, ANITA MICHAUD ROBERT WAGMAN stresses are handled especially your friends, and it’s Brand Manager Marketing Consulting Manager properly when things don’t just the fact that your friends aren’t the ones that are talking go as well as anticipated. Haroun cited different about those hard times while The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during resources that students they’re abroad.” the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is can and should access, © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. available free of charge to all readers. 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“Students are dealing with things like different laws, languages, diets, cultural norms, social expectations, living situations, that they’re new and unfamiliar with and these can be stressors for people,” Rouse said. Rouse also noted there is an ideal surrounding study abroad, which can be misinterpreted as a “magic cure” for people with mental health. While study abroad may help, Rouse said people still have the same mentalities abroad they do at home. It takes time and effort to adjust to new environments, according to Rouse. “You don’t leave yourself at home,” Rouse said. “It’s important to be really mindful about how you’re going to

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DownTown Hall examines issues facing pedestrians across city Meeting at Ann Arbor District Library seeks to make urban hubs more accessible IULIA DOBRIN

Daily Staff Reporter

Ann Arbor resident Jessica A.S. Letaw, a board member of the Downtown Development Authority, hosted a “DownTown Hall” at the Ann Arbor District Library Wednesday night. Letaw said she took it upon herself to host DownTown Hall meetings to try to make the DDA’s technical work in downtown Ann Arbor more accessible to the general public. Letaw hosts this event twice a month to provide an opportunity for city residents to have a conversation about current events and changes going on in downtown Ann Arbor. “A healthy downtown informs a healthy city,” Letaw said. “I wanted to make sure that anybody who wanted to have access to be able to ask questions of somebody who is doing this work.” The Ann Arbor DDA, created in 1982, strives to “undertake public improvements that have the greatest impact in strengthening the downtown area and attracting new private investments.” Letaw kept to this theme during the meeting by covering the DDA’s 2018 State of the Downtown report, which covered statistics about different aspects of downtown Ann Arbor such as people-

MEMOIR From Page 1 LSA senior Ethan Szlezinger told The Daily Roberts’ book and her perspective really drew him in. “I was surprised by the specific details that somebody who’s in that situation could only know,” Szlezinger said. “For example, when she was talking about the carpools and the transportation to get to the prisons (for visitations), that’s something that somebody outside of the prison system doesn’t know about and would just never consider.” Lucas noted the perspective that Roberts’s memoir adds to the rhetoric around fighting back against the prison industrial complex. “You can get a sense from reading about her that she is a woman of remarkable fortitude, and resourcefulness — that she has strong principles and is brave enough to take a stand against the prison industrial complex, which severely diminishes all of our lives, whether we know it or not,” Lucas said. While Roberts accompanied Senghor on his tour promoting his book “Writing My Wrongs: Life, Death, and Redemption in an American Prison,” she said people kept asking her for her side of the story and were urging her to write about her experience as his partner. She said she was nervous to write a memoir because it was an unfamiliar format, as it was one that asked for a lot of emotional transparency. “At that point, it was almost as if, you know, the universe was pushing me to tell the story because it needed to be told, that there were people who needed to hear my story and who could get something out of it,” Roberts said. Senghor and Roberts began a deeply committed relationship that involved hundreds of letters, expensive phone calls and visitations that required a sometimes eight- to 10-hour drive. Roberts said she found support from online forums, and she spoke to how this allowed her to feel less isolated during these years. In terms of

friendly streets, employment, investment and growth. “A lot of times, when we think about downtown, especially as a parking authority, we think of it as a place for cars,” Letaw said. “But in reality, a city is a place for people.” Letaw explained the division between responsibilities that the city of Ann Arbor and the DDA share. While the city of Ann Arbor is in charge of road right-of-way, such as street maintenance and signals, the DDA is responsible for pedestrian right-of-way, Letaw said. In maintaining this, the DDA uses tax-increment financing (TIF) to create a right-of-way for people that is welcoming and easy to use. Currently, the DDA is working on improving safety in the city for bicyclists. “Nobody is going to take their kid on Plymouth (Road),” Letaw said. “Nobody is going to take their kid on Washtenaw. Nobody is going to take their kid on Jackson, they’d be insane if they did. But what if they weren’t?” One of the DDA’s most recent developments was implementing the first protected two-way bike lane installed on William Street. Their decision to place it here was based on an accident review of all collisions and conf licts in downtown over the

last five years, which labeled this street as an area of high vulnerability. City Councilmember Kathy Griswold, D-Ward 2, who has been a longtime advocate of pedestrian safety, was also in attendance. She stated Ann Arbor could begin improving pedestrian safety with three distinct steps. “We need to hire a senior engineer with ‘Vision Zero’ expertise. Vision Zero is a proven process for reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries,” Griswold said. Number two, would be the need to cap all of our crosswalks lit with positive, contrast lighting. We’re working on that. That’s quite expensive, but we’re not there yet. And number three, we need a state crosswalk law so that everyone knows what that law is.” Ann Arbor resident Rich Chang, who attended the meeting, is the CEO of Ann Arbor tech company NewFoundry. Chang is also a part of seven committees around town, including the board of directors for United Way of Washtenaw County and the chair of the executive committee for the Ann Arbor/ Ypsilanti Regional Chamber. As someone involved in multiple committees around town, Chang said he hopes more residents will take the

initiative to become informed about their city. “I feel like more and more people are not willing to take the time to become more informed and ask questions,” Chang said. “Critical thinking, to me, is one of the biggest challenges. I think if we all did better at critical thinking and having dialogue … I think people will not have as much of a ‘knee-jerk’ reaction.” Letaw also spoke about her hopes for DDA’s future expansion, including taking on solid waste management problems and implementing art projects similar to those in downtown Detroit. One example she spoke of was The Belt, an art alley unveiled in Detroit in 2014. She also talked about the DDA’s goals for their charter renewal in 2033. At that time, they hope to become leaders in making downtown Ann Arbor more equitably accessible and available for people using all modes of transportation. “It’s hard to know when it comes to politics, or even any kind of public work. It’s hard to know if your work makes a difference,” Letaw said. “But when work that you do builds up to a protected bike lane or more bike parking or whatever it is, it feels really gratifying.” Julia Fanzeres contributed reporting.

the letters they exchanged, Roberts explained how detailed and eloquent the two made their letters and how this contributed to the way their relationship functioned. “Our letters were extremely long in detail, and tight, most of them — and I mean eight to 10 pages, sometimes longer. And so, we got to know each other in ways that we don’t

father was incarcerated during her childhood and how engaging with loved ones through the carceral system can put a strain on families. Lucas asked Roberts about her own experiences in this realm, and Roberts admitted not taking very good care of herself during the years in which she focused only on Senghor. Within this dynamic,

that he wants to do. And there were times when I was so depressed that I didn’t leave the house… I just kind of built a little cocoon around myself.” Roberts said she knows that he is her soulmate, though the two are no longer in a romantic relationship. “I do believe that we are soulmates, and soulmates come into our lives to shake things up, right?” Roberts said. “You think of the soulmate story as the fairy tale, and you’re going to ride off into the sunset, and you’re going to have all this bliss, but in fact, it’s the opposite, because your soulmate is usually your mirror, and in many ways, Shaka was my mirror, and a lot of his trauma mirrored my trauma but in different ways.” Engineering junior Shimonti Sengupta, event coordinator of the Prison Birth Project, attended the talk. She said she really enjoyed hearing about what it was like having a loved one return home, from Roberts’ perspective. “Listening to her talk about what it was like for her to prepare, and for families to prepare, for incarcerated individuals to come back, I think is really interesting,” Sengupta said. Roberts said she works to combat the stereotype of being the “insecure woman” that is the perfect candidate to fall in love with a person who is incarcerated. Lucas asked her to share how she did so, and Roberts responded that she hopes that readers enter the book with an open mind. “There are some people who feel like, ‘She had all these insecurities, and he fed her all these beautiful words, and she fell for it, hook, line and sinker,’” Roberts said. “People are going to walk away from the book with different opinions. Sometimes people walk into any situation already with their mind made, so they read it, and it only confirms what they already believe. But then sometimes you can read something with an open mind, and it can actually change your mind and makes you think about things differently.”

Any relationship, and that relationship, with power dynamics, aren’t bound because he was solely dependent on me for a lot of things. I took that responsibility seriously, and I spent a lot of days not taking care of myself as well as I needed to, but it was because I felt like he needed me, needed the support to do the things that he wants to do. And there were times when I was so depressed that I didn’t leave the house… I just kind of built a little cocoon around myself.

typically get to know each other because — especially now with social media, email, text messaging, really anything quick,” Roberts said. “We’re not even on the phone as much as we used to be, so the letters were an integral part of getting to know each other and our intimate thoughts and being able to really share.” Roberts said one year their calls cost $3,000. Lucas shared her personal involvement in the carceral system, discussing how her

Roberts said she often found herself spending all of her time on Sengor’s work, which led to a decline in her own wellbeing. “Any relationship, and that relationship, with power dynamics, aren’t bound because he was solely dependent on me for a lot of things,” Roberts said. “I took that responsibility seriously, and I spent a lot of days not taking care of myself as well as I needed to, but it was because I felt like he needed me, needed the support to do the things

Friday, November 22, 2019 — 3

ARTIST From Page 2 The lecture began with a 15-minute film that detailed Rodrig uez’s immigration to the United States, his upbringing in the United States, his Cuban heritage and how these factors have informed and inspired his art over the years. At the age of nine, Rodrig uez immigrated to the United States as a part of the Mariel boatlift — a mass immigration in 1980 of Cubans who departed from Mariel Harbor for the United States — and grew up in Miami, Florida. He then attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. Rodrig uez said his struggles earlier on in his life defined what kind of artist he was, and that he has overcome those struggles. “When I was in college, I was always told you have to pick a focus,” Rodrig uez said. “What are you? Are you a painter? Are you a designer? Are you an illustrator? What are you? … And you’re always pressured to choose a decision about who you are … and for the past 25 years, I’ve done everything.” In recent years, Rodrig uez has gained fame and notoriety for his politically charged magazine covers, specifically the covers for TIME and Der Spiegel. Covers depicting Donald Trump’s face melting, or Donald Trump holding the head of the Statue of Liberty in one hand and a knife in another have drawn widespread media coverage and international attention. He spoke about the inf luence he has seen his covers have on the general public. “I’ve done probably about 150 magazine covers,” Rodrig uez said. “The first time I noticed a magazine cover could have a lot of impact was when I did this cover for Communication Arts. … It became a very big cover worldwide and started a lot of discussions. … People in Cuba used to

put it in a paper bag and pass it around because they could not show it in public.” He then talked about his controversial covers portraying Donald Trump and why he decided to take such a strong political stance in 2016. “What I saw in Trump as a candidate was, from what I had experienced in Cuba and the type of lang uage Fidel Castro had used … these were the same things that Trump was saying as a candidate, and it freaked me out,” Rodrig uez said. “Both of these covers ended up every where.” The depictions of Trump that Rodrig uez created have been seen at political rallies and protests all over the United States, from New York City to Denver to San Francisco. He has been covered by CNN, MSNBC, and was even dubbed “Trump’s most hated artist.” While these covers have given Rodrig uez attention, not all of it has been positive. He showed the audience pictures of hate messages he had received on Instagram “This g uy asked me if I was illegal, and I’ve been here for almost 40 years,” Rodrig uez said. “And I’ve never been asked this question … I get direct emails, threats, all sorts of things.” Throughout the lecture, Rodrig uez was interrupted by laughter, cheering or a mixture of both despite the grave nature of many of his subjects. As it ended, the auditorium broke out into raucous applause. Art & Design junior Gwen McCartney related to Rodrig uez’s relaxed approach to his artistic endeavors, even when dealing with heav y topics. “In my art, I don’t like to take myself too seriously,” McCartney said. “I think with his work, I found that he had very serious subjects, but I felt like he was kind of nonchalant about the stuff he did … which I really appreciate.”

“When I was in college, I was always told you have to pick a focus,” Rodriguez said. “What are you? Are you a painter? Are you a designer? Are you an illustrator?”

DIPLOMACY From Page 1 “I had the opportunity to spend last summer interning at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City,” Nandkumar said. “Learning about other cultures, other people and the politics of other countries has always been something that’s really interesting to me. I’m focusing in the Ford School in diplomacy and international security

YPSILANTI From Page 1 This resolution was rejected 6-5, with Councilmembers Jeff Hayner, D-Ward 1; Anne Bannister, D-Ward 1; Jane Lumm, I-Ward 2; Jack Eaton, D-Ward 4; and Nelson supporting it. LSA senior Dim Mang is involved with the Climate Action Movement and said she worries the city

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Opinion

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FROM THE DAILY

On Nike’s hypocritical misogyny

arlier this year, six-time USA outdoor running champion Alysia Montaño spoke out against Nike’s penalization of pregnant female athletes. The story launched what continues to be an ongoing discussion on Nike and its maltreatment of women athletes by reducing or even ceasing their pay during pregnancy and postpartum recovery. In early November, World Junior Champion Mary Cain appeared in a New York Times op-ed where she accused Nike’s Oregon Project and her former coach, Alberto Salazar, of carrying out physically and emotionally abusive training regimens, leading her to develop osteoporosis and intentions to self-harm.

As one of the most powerful brands of our generation, Nike is more than just a sports apparel company: Its catchy “Just Do It” slogan has inspired generations of athletes to train with confidence and determination. Nike’s advertisements also depend on influencers and athletes who tout motivational messages that promote athletic excellence and social change. For example, professional tennis player Serena Williams’s “Dream Crazier” advertisement delivers a compelling narrative for women’s empowerment and showcases her “unconstrained grit and determination.” When Williams announced her pregnancy, Nike benefitted from this unending grit through a series of ad campaigns that promoted her as a symbol of said grit and physical health. The story fits perfectly with Nike’s identity as a progressive and woman-empowering company. At the exact same time, however, the company continued to abandon support of other less well-known athletes also preparing to have a baby. Kara Goucher, an Olympian referenced in The New York Times op-ed, suffered from chronic hip injuries after running the Boston Marathon just seven months after having her son. Goucher also told The New York Times she suffered severe emotional trauma after trying to balance the needs of her severely-ill newborn with the need to continue running so she could earn money. These stressors — both physical and emotional — were born from Nike’s threat to revoke her financial security should she stop training. This covert exploitation contradicts Nike’s public narrative, revealing that campaigns such as Williams’s

solely exist to boost sales rather than to truly support women. This is disgustingly ironic and represents a greater structural problem for maternal care in the sports apparel industry, which sidelines women to use them only as branding tools. Cutting pay for women in any profession because of pregnancy is a restrictive violation of bodily autonomy. In fact, the freedom “to found a family” is 16th on the United Nations’s Declaration of Human Rights, and Nike’s contracts are a clear strike against this right. Aside from Nike’s exploitative marketing practices, the abuse of female athletes appears to be rooted in an extreme imbalance among the bureaucracies and staffs that are meant to support female athletes. This is fairly apparent in the company’s decision-making hierarchy: The four executives who negotiate contracts for track and field athletes — including paid leave for pregnant female athletes — are all men. This system means that no one with firsthand experience of pregnancy or postpartum has the opportunity to fight for these women’s rights when it comes to Nike’s contract negotiation. In particular, runner Mary Cain’s powerful op-ed in The New York Times has cast light on the darker side of Nike’s Oregon Project. Cain described how her former coach Albert Salazar pushed her into a system of restrictive eating and unhealthy training, resulting in her missing her period for three years and serious injuries, such as broken bones. Both Goucher and former Oregon Project coach Steve Magness have corroborated Cain’s

claim that Salazar also publicly berated female athletes for their weight for years. When Cain told her coaches she had begun to cut herself after being told her fivepound weight gain worsened her athletic performance, they offered no help or support. Former Nike female athletes have also claimed their coaches did not include a nutritionist or a licensed sports psychologist to support the athletes’ demanding physical regimen. Given this evidence, we should be hesitant to accept Nike’s reversal of its policy on pregnant athletes as a resolution to the entire issue. Nike’s continual maltreatment of female athletes still facilitates emotional and physical abuse at the hands of a predominantly male coaching staff who have no ability to empathize with their trainees. In an emailed response to The Times, Salazar said he “denied many of Mary’s claims and said he had supported her health and welfare.” This contradiction feels unrealistic given the plethora of female athletes and other coaches who have both corroborated Cain’s stories and included their own tales of maltreatment and abuse. Nike’s hypocritical exploitation of its female athletes is emblematic of the misogynistic culture surrounding women in sports. Despite coming under fire for its controversial practices, Nike has not yet come up with a better treatment for its female athletes. However, rather than investigating and compensating directly involved athletes, Nike should center its solution around the abhorrent culture that produced such unethical practices and abusive coaches like Salazar.

FROM THE OPINION DESK

Psi U, respect survivors of sexual assault

n anticipation of the Michigan-Michigan State football game this past Saturday, the Phi chapter of the Psi Upsilon fraternity at the University of Michigan hung a bed sheet from its house’s window bearing the phrase “You can’t touch us @ LarryNassar”, a reference to the former MSU physician currently serving multiple sentences in prison for first-degree sexual misconduct and possession of child pornography. Photos of the bed sheet quickly made rounds on social media, rightfully attracting negative attention from U-M and Michigan State students alike. This was seconded by those publicly affiliated with the Nassar case, including gymnast Simone Biles. As the Editorial Page Editors and Senior Editors of The Michigan Daily Opinion section, we condemn Psi U’s behavior on Saturday and urge the fraternity to publicly acknowledge this and apologize for its actions.

Larry Nassar was convicted of molesting at least 265 young women and girls, mostly athletes, from multiple schools and teams. There is no overstating the trauma that he caused. Poking fun at this situation and portraying the tragedy as MSU-specific shows a lack of compassion for survivors of sexual assault and a lack of understanding for the long-lasting and far-reaching consequences of Nassar’s crimes. The website for U-M’s chapter of Psi Upsilon states the fraternity “nurtures development of mature decision-making, individual responsibility and moral leadership,” and that its members are “guided by principles of responsibility, civility and courtesy.” Using sexual assault as a punchline is not a civil or mature decision. If Psi U really wants to champion itself as a pillar of maturity, responsibility and moral leadership, then it must publicly acknowledge its actions and work to rectify its faults.

Fraternity and Sorority Life staff have already contacted the fraternity and say that Psi U has plans to internally address the behavior, which is a step in the right direction. We also want to acknowledge the community members who took the time to file complaints against the fraternity for speaking up about the insensitive banner. However, there has been no public word from the chapter, including anything on their Facebook or website, that even mentions the Saturday controversy. Pursuing corrective action against those responsible is a start, but the rest of the University needs to know that jokes about sexual assault are not acceptable in our community, even when directed at our sports rivals. Author’s note: This piece reflects the opinions of the Editorial Page Editors and the Senior Opinion Editors of The Michigan Daily, not the Editorial Board.

The eerie fate of Voyager 2

n November 2018, NASA’s Voyager 2 space probe became the second object launched from Earth to exit the outer boundary of the solar system — about 11 billion miles away — and enter the realm of interstellar space. Its twin craft, Voyager 1, was the first, crossing the barrier in 2012. Since their launches in 1977, the spacecrafts have taken beautiful f ly-by images of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, along with their moons. New papers published in Nature Astronomy look into the differing properties of the environments inside and outside of our solar system. The findings confirm that our solar system has a clearly defined boundary — the heliopause. Beyond the heliopause there is a sharp drop in solar wind particles, and high-energ y galactic cosmic rays, which originate from galactic systems in interstellar space, dominate. Both Voyager crafts will eventually exhaust the power necessary for them to collect data and transmit it back to Earth, likely in the next decade. However, they will continue traveling through the cosmos, fueled by inertia. They will speed through space that we currently only know about through data from instrumentation on Earth, inhabiting the heavens that have stirred our imaginations for as long as we’ve looked up at the night sky. The Voyager probes are equally amazing and unsettling, expanding our understanding of outer space while presenting a unique perspective on life, death and fate. NASA initiated The Voyager Program project during the Space Race frenzy, an outgrowth of the Cold War that led to tremendous technological advances and an increased curiosity in the universe beyond our Earth. The Voyager probes are the

perfect examples of humans’ insatiable quest for increased knowledge. With every new bit of daily information on the interstellar magnetic field, the boundaries of our human knowledge are pushed outward. The insights gleaned from the Voyager Program may not be closely relevant to the health and social issues that immediately affect our daily lives, but it is amazing to see humans using what we already know to create new ways to learn even more about this universe.

These objects were never given life to begin with and therefore will never die But there will be a time when Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 no longer contribute to the expansion of our knowledge. Voyager 1 is already using backup thrusters to keep its antennae pointed toward Earth, and NASA predicts its instrumentation, and that of Voyager 2, will lose all instrument function by about 2025. After that, they will face the same fate as the Pioneer probes. Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 were launched in the early 1970s and were the first spacecraft to encounter Jupiter and Saturn, respectively; they no longer have any communication with Earth. Pioneer 11 has already escaped the solar system, and Pioneer 10 is predicted to follow suit. I view the moment a probe stops functioning as the moment of “death” of the probe. What was once a silent explorer cutting through vast

space will succumb to its entropy and serve no further purpose. Unlike the terrestrial death of a biological being or a technological work, however, there is no rest for the probes that die. NASA believes that Voyager 2 may continue to zip through the cosmos eternally, traveling billions upon billions of miles for as long as the existence of time itself. The universe naturally creates countless objects that will forever remain f lying through space. These objects were never given life to begin with and therefore will never die. Others, such as stars, eventually undergo end-oflife processes that see them quietly fade away or become something different from what they originally were. The Voyager probes, in contrast, were created by humans from materials provided by the universe. They were built with missions and survived to fulfill them, but their deaths lack closure because they will continue to wander the darkness indefinitely, existing without purpose. What is defeating about the impending deaths of Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 is that we will know of their death the moment it occurs, but we will not be able to examine what failed mechanically, and we will not be able to celebrate and retire them. This column is not a knock on the Voyager Program or to the aspirations of those who wish to explore the unknown. It is rather a musing on the fates of objects, including the Voyager 2 space probe, that may join some of the first human-made creations to have no limits on how far and how long they travel. When Voyager 2 completely ceases to function, it will indeed become nothing but a voyager – traveling, and nothing else. Dipra Debnath can be reached at dipra@umich.edu.

CHERYN HONG | COLUMN

North Koreans need our attention

he Democratic People’s Republic of Korea receives news coverage quite often due to infamous dictator Kim Jong Un and his run-ins with the United States in regard to nuclear weaponry. While this creates certain awareness of the country and sheds light on a notorious leader, much of the reporting on North Korea falls short and glosses over the actual experiences of the approximately 25 million citizens living in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. Within that 25 million may also exist the family my grandmother was separated from when the two Koreas split. The history between North and South Korea and its division at the 38th parallel is a recent product of the intervention of the Soviet Union and the United States during the Cold War. What most people don’t realize is that when the Korean War ended in 1953, there were many families separated by the division, and it is unknown today how many relatives have been lost to either side of the heavily militarized borders. There have been some reunions for families, but North Korea commonly uses these reconciliations as bargaining tactics, and due to limitations, most South Koreans who have been separated pass away before they can reunite with lost family members. Due to news coverage, North Korea has become a constant talking piece of a poisonous, authoritarian regime. The Kim family is known internationally for their nuclear weapon threats and has become a joke for the absurdity of how much power they believe they hold. However, many news outlets overlook the North Korean defectors and people stuck under the hold of this authoritarian regime. Because of politics, the stories of Koreans have been underrepresented, and North Korean refugees have been grossly overlooked. Because of North Korea’s strict regime and distrust of other countries, the information about

what goes on inside the country is limited. But nonprofits such as Liberty in North Korea have helped us understand that North Koreans have many restrictions imposed by the government that include no freedom of movement, speech, information or religion. Furthermore, there are horrifying violations of human rights in North Korea like chronic food shortages, since most of the food grown in the country goes toward the military. North Koreans also suffer from political prison camps, public executions and collective punishment. According to the U.S. Department of State, between 80,000 and 120,000 North Koreans are in prison and brutal physical labor camps. Prisoners face torture and beatings, and women are especially predisposed to trafficking and coercion. Punishments are also intergenerational, as the 1972 law of “three generations of punishment” states that if one person is convicted of a crime, their immediate family may also be convicted, along with their next two generations. The North Korean defectors who choose to escape have an arduous journey ahead, as they aren’t able to simply cross over the border to South Korea due to its heavy militarization. They often have to escape through China, where the government has an agreement with North Korea to bring back any defectors they discover. People who return to North Korea after escaping are at risk of forced labor, forced abortions and interrogation. There are currently programs and activists who help North Koreans at checkpoints — that have even built an underground railroad to bring them to freedom. In the first week of November, the University of Michigan’s chapter of Liberty in North Korea held an event where two North Korean defectors, Jeongyol Ri and Ilhyeok Kim, came to share their stories and spread awareness about North Korean people. They both want to use

their first-hand experiences to educate the world about the people behind the authoritarian regime and how to properly rectify the country. “For the South Korean government, they have been talking about the ‘peace’ for the longest time, but nothing has been solved,” Kim told me in Korean. “Likewise, for the United States, they always talk about denuclearization, but there have been no improvements in the human rights violations that have occurred. Thus, I feel it is more efficient to focus on the North Korean people.” The United States often focuses on the politics with North Korea and denuclearization talks, but we need to listen to the stories of defectors who are able to give us knowledge about the lives of North Koreans. “As always, the North Korean regime lies. The regime is really scared of showing the reality of North Korea. To show the world the reality, it’s important North Koreans share their stories,” Ri said to me in Korean. While the efforts in denuclearizing and attempting to negotiate with Kim Jong Un are important, the results have been stagnant. The main issue is that we are politicizing a country over the welfare of millions of people, who are suffering due to a lack of liberty. We take certain freedoms for granted, especially in the United States, and by turning our focus to people over politics, the results could be the proper form of peace we are constantly striving for with North Korea. With the resources and finite amount of information we have on the country, we need to utilize the scarce knowledge efficiently and for the correct purpose. If you would like to contribute to Liberty in North Korea, a non-profit with proceeds that go toward liberating North Korean defectors, please donate at libertyinnorthkorea.org. Cheryn Hong can be reached at cherynh@umich.edu.

Arts

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, November 22, 2019 — 5

ALBUM REVIEW

ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN

FKA’s masterpiece My senior goodbye to ‘Star Wars’

revolve around her struggles with reciprocity and misunderstandings: Daily Arts Writer a similar gradual decay of truth that led to Mary Magdalene’s promiscuous Avant-garde British singer FKA reputation leads to disintegration and Twigs returned with her first project in heartache for FKA Twigs: “I didn’t know four years on Friday, Nov. 8. The highly- you were lonely / If you’d have just told anticipated Magdalene is a glimpse into me, I’d be home with you.” In spite of the overall strength of the the distorted interiority of FKA Twigs, a masterful depiction of the connection project, certain tracks manage to stand out even in comparison to the rest of the between pain and beauty. The release of Magdalene comes a few album: “fallen alien” is a stunning, acerbic years on the heels of a well-publicized reflection upon a failing relationship featuring breakup some of the with former most creative vampire production Robert on the Pattinson project, and and about “cellophane” a year after is an aching FKA Twigs ballad draped revealed that in detuned, icy she suffers piano. from fibroid The tumors. In fact, production the struggle of is handled by dealing with an eclectic the pain of collection heartbreak of eminent and physical artists, afflictions YOUNG TURKS RECORDINGS LTD. / YOUTUBE including the while under the public gaze is discussed in a few likes of Skrillex, Oneohtrix Point Never places across the album (most notably and Jack Antonoff (as well as FKA Twigs “thousand eyes” and “cellophane”). The herself). Perhaps the guest producer with emotions on display are so intimate and the most evident influence on the overall imbued with jagged resonance that at sound of the record is Nicolas Jaar, whose times it feels wrong, almost intrusive, creative sound design and use of empty to be listening to the album, as though space is fundamental to the cold, glitchy you’re reading pages out of someone’s emotional resonance of the project. In my experience as a music critic, I post-breakup diary. The album’s title refers to Mary have found it much easier to discuss bad albums than Magdalene, good albums. a devoted This is not follower of because I enjoy Jesus who has being cruel or developed a derisive (quite widespread, FKA Twigs the opposite) inaccurate Young Turks but because reputation as I am lazy. a repentant Bad albums prostitute due tend to be to centuries of ecclesiastical confusion. She is bad in similar and identifiable ways, representative of both the vitriol with whereas good albums tend to be, by their which the sexuality of women is treated nature, idiosyncratic and very difficult by Western institutions as well as how to describe or dissect in a way that feels information and communication can sufficient. The emotions conveyed by be corrupted through compounding an excellent project such as Magdalene misunderstandings. Both of these are impossible to convert back to mere connotations play a role on Magdalene. language. The album’s exploration of FKA Twigs certainly does not shy away internal disjunction and its relation from sexual themes (e.g. her references to anxiety, fatigue and love is deeply to masturbation on “daybed”), and many impressive, and I hope you enjoy it as of the songs about romantic relationships much as I do. JONAH MENDELSON

MAGDALENE

IAN HARRIS

Daily Entertainment Columnist

Since I began writing this column, I have mainly used it to express my views on things that I love or facets of the entertainment industry that have left me grumbling for one reason or another. Many of those articles have mentioned “Star Wars” in some capacity. I like “Star Wars” a lot. I always have. Over the past year or so I have tried hard to branch into different parts of the entertainment industry, writing about Spotify, podcasts and the Chinese marketplace just to name a few. It’s been a long time since I went back to the old “Star Wars” well. But in a few short weeks “The Rise of Skywalker” will be released in theaters, ostensibly a final conclusion to the story that began a long time ago in a decade far far away, and I would be remiss if I didn’t get my two cents in before all is said and done. I’ve argued time and time again in these pages that the ending of a story is what defines its meaning. The curious thing about “Star Wars” is that it has already ended. Twice. In 1983, “Return of the Jedi” brought the original trilogy to a conclusion that left audiences thinking “Star Wars” was about the redemptive power of love and the relationship between a father and a son. In 2005, “Revenge of the Sith” brought the prequels to a close and in doing so redefined the then six-part saga as the tragedy of Anakin Skywalker. Now “The Rise of Skywalker” will seek to put its own stamp on the story George Lucas told and, in turn, must justify the Disney trilogy’s entire existence. It feels like a lifetime ago that Disney first bought Lucas film and announced that there was to be more “Star Wars” and yet, as it so often goes, it also seems as if the years in between have gone by much too quickly. When “The Force Awakens” was released, I was a senior in high school. I actually got into Michigan the same day the film came out. Driving back from the movie theater, I pulled into the park by Barton Pond, loaded Wolverine Access on my friends phone and heard the news. My time at Michigan will forever be linked with the time these movies came out. Now the last movie in the trilogy is coming, and as the future of “Star Wars” once again becomes uncertain, so too has my own. Unlike senior year of high school, I don’t know exactly where I’m going to be next year. I don’t know what kind of job I will have or who I will be living with. But I know I’m glad that I took the journey. Glad that I’ve had the experiences I’ve had at Michigan, that I got to see what it was like for your team to go to the Final Four while you were in school and what it was like to anticipate a “Star Wars” movie. The anticipation of

these movies cannot be discounted; If nothing else, I have deeply enjoyed the experience of wondering what was to come. The number of conversations I had after “The Force Awakens” about Rey’s parentage and what Luke was up to were among the best times I can remember as a fan of “Star Wars.” So what do I expect to see out of the final movie? I expect it to be exciting, fun, maybe a little bit sad. After “The Last Jedi” I’ve learned to let go of what I want these films to be, and just take them or leave them for what they are. That’s not to say that I’ve come around to thinking that “The Last Jedi” is a good “Star Wars” movie (some things can never be redeemed), but it means that I will not enter this new movie with the expectation that anything in particular happen at all. That’s not what I’m here for anymore. For me at least, it’s no longer just about the movie itself. It’s the lead up to it, the weekly re-watching of all the movies in my student house, the intense discussion right after we leave the theater, the thrill of seeing a movie with a huge crowd on opening night, that communal viewing experience we so rarely get in this age of Netflix and Disney+. It’s not just about going to see the movie, it’s about the people you see it with. The best stories were meant to be shared with others. No matter what I think of the Disney “Star Wars” movies, I will be forever grateful for the opportunity they gave me and so many people I love to have a meaningful theater experience together. I have cherished each and every opening night. And so as we approach this final chapter of the Skywalker Saga I think not just about how this chapter of my favorite film series will come to a close, but how this chapter of my own life will soon come to a close as well. So many people have asked me what I’m planning to do next year. It’s a good question; after all, I have many friends from the film department who graduated last year who still don’t know what to do. But that question does not interest me. Not right this moment. Not when Michigan still has a final shot at Ohio State. Not when I have two papers due in the next two days. Not when I can still get that experience of seeing new yellow text roll across the screen to booming John Williams music for the first time. Not when there are still old classmates to reconnect with, parties to hold, study spaces to uncover, stories to tell, adventures yet to be had. Not when I only have six more months of living in a home with six of my best friends. The question that interests me is not “what are you going to do next year,” but rather, “what are you doing right now?” To that I simply answer the same way C3PO did in the final trailer for the final “Star Wars.” I’m taking one last look at my friends.

My time at Michigan will forever be linked with the times these movies came out. Now the last movie in the trilogy is coming and as the future of “Star Wars” once again becomes uncertain, so too has my own.

BOOK REVIEW

The enigmatic organization of reminiscence in ‘Arias’ ANDREW PLUTA Daily Arts Writer

Reading Sharon Olds’s “Arias” is quite the adventure, albeit an adventure for which Olds does not provide a map. “Arias” refers to the alphabetized collection of poems depicting anything from emotionally-draining memories of hardships Olds has incurred in her 76 years to obscure tangents that seem to be the product of a wandering brain late at night. Olds’s balance of vivid description alongside eyeSharon Olds catching but Knopf not pretentious literary Oct. 15, 2019 experimentation helps the majority of her poems shine in their own right. Unfortunately, Olds’s presentation of her poems often falls f lat. As a result of the poems that pack in around them, the more exceptional poems often don’t reach their potential. Since these poems, or arias, are alphabetized, they have a thematic consistency emulating the composition of a thoroughly shuff led deck of cards. Olds is no novice author; this was a deliberate decision with calculated effects. The reader wears a hyperactive mood ring as they progress from one poem to the next, often amplif ying the emotional impact of each poem as it varies so heavily from the last. When this technique works, it exemplifies the evocative power of literature. Olds eloquently executes this transition in the few pages between “Mortal Aria” and “Object Permanence Aria.” One moment, Olds is depicting the heart wrenching final stages of her late partner’s battle with cancer, the simultaneous planning for his death and longing for his youth that she experienced in the days leading up to his passing. Olds’s recollection of her partner’s youth prepares the reader for the more innocent portrayal of Olds herself as a young child in the subsequent aria, where Olds describes the moment in which she understands that her mother still exists when she exits the room — that her mother’s being doesn’t orbit her own. A chronological organization of these poems would not have granted “Object Permanence Aria” the same magnitude of innocence, as the poem’s tone may have been diluted by that of similar recollections of early childhood. But this desired effect does not always materialize. In fact,

Arias

getting through certain portions of the collection can be outright frustrating. In one poem, Olds ref lects on her relationship with her father and considers the various forms in which love may manifest itself. Then, without warning, Olds depicts an eerily realistic scene — one of a toilet f lushing after a bowel movement. Although she relates this scene to the upbringing of her children and perhaps uses it as a metaphor for a turn for the worse in her later years, its inclusion and lingering takes the sting out of the more emotion-ridden poem preceding it. This is a recurring theme among the arias. At times, Olds wholly exits the territory of vividness and enters that of the jarringly explicit. While a reader aspires to hear the unadulterated version of a poet’s mind and vision, few aspire to read “the gathers and folds of the asshole” in the same sentence as “like a child at a petting zoo.” Moments like these ref lect the hiccups in consistency that hold Olds back from an immaculate work. Olds’s attempts to push the limits of poetic norms are valiant; innovation would never happen without experimentation. But Olds’s edgier instances of experimentation simply do not work. While tangents and comic relief can be refreshing, at times their inclusion seems poorly deliberated, serving to derail a previously well-worked narrative instead of contributing to it. By removing overt, inter-poem relatability, Olds actually

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supplies an additional layer of realism — her structure begins to ref lect the curious organization of the human psyche. Everyone has obscure memories that, no matter how aged or insignificant, do not fade. The human brain is not a pristine filing cabinet of memories organized by date or theme. There is rarely a rhyme or reason to reminisce. One could only imagine this effect amplif ying as one’s inventory of memories expands over nearly eight decades. Olds’s spontaneous and thematically inconsistent recollection of events sacrifices an even f low between poems to obtain an authentic and unfiltered glimpse into her mind. But without access to Olds’s mind, “Arias” requires multiple readings to offer more than just this glimpse.

By removing overt, inter-poem relatability, Olds actually supplies an additional layer of realism — her structure begins to reflect the curious organization of the human psyche.

Arts

6 — Friday, November 22, 2019

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

FILM REVIEW

COMMUNITY CULTURE NOTEBOOK

‘Last Christmas’ isn’t good Musicality on the internet

as if they’re on the rocks and somehow, through some Christmas magic, they reconnect to sing a Yugoslavian Senior Arts Editor folk song. The film treats Kate’s sister in a similar manner: It becomes clear that she has been hiding Halloween has come and gone, and Thanksgiving her sexuality from her parents for years, and, despite is on the horizon. And with Thanksgiving comes being an obvious way to connect with an audience, the the holiday movie season, specifically the Hallmark relationship is pushed to the side to focus on the flimsy Christmas movie season. The thing about Hallmark relationship between Tom and Kate. Even the random movies is that they lean into the fact that they’re policewomen have a more interesting connection than the title couple. Hallmark movies Some might — actors who argue that the two kind-of-sort-of aren’t meant to look like that one have chemistry, big A-list star and a that it’s all part of plot that’s far from the story’s grand Oscar-worthy but Universal Pictures plan to help Kate still comforting. find herself. But These aren’t bad Ann Arbor 20 + IMAX that doesn’t mean things, they’re just the two characters what to expect need to seem like from a Hallmark complete strangers Christmas movie. throughout the In the end, it doesn’t really matter if they’re good because more whole movie. Though they eventually pour their often than not they’re only playing in the background hearts out to each other, the emotional connection of a fun holiday cookie baking party. And “Last seems seemingly out of left field. There was little to no Christmas,” Universal’s newest Christmas movie, is context for the friendship, let alone the relationship. exactly that, but with none of the Hallmark Christmas At least with Hallmark movies, even if the actual situation seems charm. unrealistic, Starring the characters Emilia Clarke spend (“Me Before significant You”) as Kate periods of and Henry time together Golding fighting over (“Crazy Rich the future of Asians”) as a small-town Tom, “Last bookstore. Christmas” A holiday follows the film isn’t pair as Kate complete falls in love without a with the aloof cynical title and seemingly character perfect Tom. finally A classic series realizing that of meet-cutes whatever populates material gain the first 20 they’re chasing minutes of the film, UNIVERSAL PICTURES / YOUTUBE isn’t worth it if they miss highlighting Kate’s whiny self-centered nature, while Golding the joys of life. They’re imbued with the magic of the continues to play the typical debonair, two- Christmas spirit and “Last Christmas” is no different. dimensional hunk. Emma Thompson (“Love In the span of two hours, Kate transforms from a Actually”) stars as Kate’s mother and Michelle Yeoh lackluster Christmas cynic into the giving, generous (“Crazy Rich Asians”) as her boss. Tragically, though, spirit we all have inside. She realizes that the trauma the two mother figures in Kate’s life never interact from her heart condition the year previous, a plot point until the final scene of the movie, where they’re simply that is hardly explored, isn’t worth torturing her boss or her family over. She becomes a picture-perfect in the same room. The movie had the potential to be similar to “Love daughter, friend and employee. Obviously, the holidays are a stressful time for Actually” with its large cast of stars and intertwining storylines. But instead, “Last Christmas” focuses on everyone — family is visiting, hams are in the oven the budding relationship between Clarke and Golding. and I’m still in the process of convincing my parents And though the two are cute, there is none of that to let me sit at the kids’ table to avoid small talk about tension that comes with falling in love during a two- my future. The only real constants during these week period because of pressure from the constant supposedly cheery winter months are the endearing attention of friends and family. The relationships that qualities of romantic Christmas movies, and if you actually show potential for a movie are cast off to the don’t make the time to see “Last Christmas,” there’s side, like Kate’s parents. From the beginning, it seems always next year. EMMA CHANG

Last Christmas

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Release Date: Friday, Novemver 22, 2019

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

HELP WANTED

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

ACROSS 1 New England’s only National Park 7 Eponymous explorer of Australia 13 Pressure sensors attached to buoys are parts of their warning systems 15 Recorded, in a way 16 Colbert et al.? 18 Useful thing 19 Additionally 20 Coastal raptor 21 Something to file 22 Frond source 23 With 53-Down, maxim 25 Ob-__ 26 Jacket fabric 27 First name in a 2010s first family 29 Part of a candlemaker’s design process? 31 Subarctic forest 33 Hawke of “Boyhood” 34 Outdoor wedding guests on a steamy day? 38 “Over the Rainbow” composer 39 Bowling venue 40 PD alert 43 Understand 44 Oil equipment 45 “Because Freedom Can’t Protect Itself” org. 46 Meditation goal 49 Keurig Dr Pepper brand 50 1954 Honorary Award for 35-Down 51 What a hiker might do after a nap on the trail? 54 December decor 55 Gift with tracks 56 Absinthe herb 57 Chocolates, e.g.

DOWN 1 “You’ve heard this from me before ... ” 2 Replaces a dancer 3 Adams with negatives 4 Bonkers 5 “Here’s a thought,” briefly 6 Reef diver’s need 7 Sock part 8 Prince Harry’s aunt 9 Ado 10 Early Mississippi flag symbol 11 Farthest-fromthe-sun orbital point 12 Monarch catcher 13 Country music sound 14 Unexcitable 17 Marseille man 22 Pie-topping nut 24 Newscaster Rather 26 Invitation to eat 27 Daydreaming Walter

28 Wan 29 Bic’s __-Out 30 First known asteroid 31 Car manual topic 32 Like the seats in an SRO performance 34 Funny one 35 She never went to 50-Across ceremonies 36 Flexible

37 North African capital 40 Confront boldly 41 China pieces 42 Pop 45 Together 47 Corned beef order 48 Tiny insect 50 “Hamilton” award 51 Scrabble-like app, briefly 52 Puckish org.? 53 See 23-Across

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE:

11/22/19

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ZOE PHILLIPS Daily Arts Writer

Last Tuesday I found myself laying in bed when I should have been making myself a proper dinner. My thumb had settled into the routine up-down motion that all Instagram users know too well. Images of dancers and clips of dances f loated by as ref lections in my glasses as I glazed over in a bored stupor. Each post seemed more cliché or downright stupid than the last, and I found myself teetering on the familiar consideration of quitting Instagram for good when my thumb hit one final video: a clip of a dance set to “All These Things That I’ve Done” by The Killers. The post came from dancer/choreographer Nicholas Palmquist and was captioned with a plug for his upcoming class at Steps on Broadway, a famous New York City dance studio. Though well filmed, the clip is more of a rehearsal than a performance — the dancers wear leggings and T-shirts and stand inside a studio lined with bags and water bottles. The purple light coming in from the windows tells me that it was filmed in the evening, most likely at the end of another average day for the lives of everyone involved. The dance, however, feels very much above average. Palmquist’s choreography uses the section of The Killers’s song that layers a fast drum beat underneath the slow repetition of the words “I got soul but I’m not a soldier.” For a choreographer, this poses a question: Which rhythm should I follow? Palmquist somehow melds both. Dancers bounce their shoulders quickly and then whip their upper bodies in slow motion. They move through intricate jumps only to stop and luxuriate through the air in relaxed power poses. It’s a brilliant mix of tension. Most of all, I’m captivated by one dancer, specifically the woman in the front. Though Palmquist tagged everyone in the clip, I don’t feel comfortable making assumptions

about which handle is hers. Perhaps the mystery becomes part of my intrigue. From beginning to end, she dances with a joy that builds in both ferocity and subtlety. She starts by whipping her head to the front to make eye contact with the camera and then breaks into a sly smile as she dips her head backward. Her entire chest and neck open as her upper body releases. It’s a vulnerable position, but her command over the space makes it powerful at the same time. As the music and choreography build, so does this woman’s fierce combination of strength and grace. The steps increase in size and sinuosity, but her musicality does not waver. The entire time, she stares down the front of the room with a beautiful intensity that only makes me want to keep watching. By the end, all the dancers break into their own informal jumping as if all those structured steps have finally bubbled over into pure, intense bliss. The front dancer lifts her palms to the sky and tips her head back as if she’s a girl in a made-for-television romcom and she’s dancing in the rain. The first time that I found it, I watched the whole clip four times back-to-back. I saved it to my Instagram archive and watched it again the next day. The day after that I linked it in my story because I couldn’t get enough of it. This weekend, I watched it some more. Today, I started to think about the serendipitous events that allowed me to come across the video at all. I don’t remember any of the other content that f loated by my eyes in the time I spent scrolling last Tuesday. I only remember a sense of gray frustration over how mundane everything online was, and the specificities of that time are gone forever. Despite this, I am left with the innate sense that time must not be equal, as this oneminute dance easily makes up for an hour lost somewhere else. Palmquist’s dancers’ fiercely joyful attack to musicality is enough to keep me on Instagram, wondering where my scrolling will take me next.

COMMUNITY CULTURE REVIEW

The push and pull of ‘Loch na hEala,’ or ‘Swan Lake’ ALIX CURNOW Daily Arts Writer

There is an inherent ebb and f low of life. When you are not being pushed or pulled, you are stagnant. Apathetically waiting as the world yawns by. It is within art that we can fulfill our craving for the thrill of life’s ebbs and f lows. Whether they are joyful or sorrowful, there is no doubt that experiencing them is far more exciting than standing still. Irish company Teac Damsa’s “Swan Lake/ Loch na hEala” exemplifies an extreme push and pull in performance. Choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan’s masterfully reimagines Tchaikovsky’s ballet — directly contrasting childlike elation with terrified isolation, his iteration of “Swan Lake” is a uniquely aesthetic dance and theatrical performance rich with Irish history and folklore. The only similarity between Keegan-Dolan’s and Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” is the presence of the titular animal. In Keegan-Dolan’s iteration, a chronically depressed man walks to a lake with a shotgun that his mother bought him for his birthday. The man appears ready to commit suicide when he encounters and falls madly in love with a wild swan that is equally as broken as he is. The piece opens with the narrator of the story, naked except for a pair of white underwear, tied to a cement block. As the actor begins to bleat in an animalistic nature, it becomes clear that the man is not a man but a goat. The goat begrudgingly circles the cement block and, as the lights go down, is surrounded by three dancing men. He bleats in fear until, under the pressure of the men, he takes human form and begins to tell the saddening tale. The actor who plays the narrator also plays a corrupt politician, a priest and, at one point, a radio. The theme of humans embodying animals does not end in the overture. It is soon revealed that a priest has turned four dancing women into swans as a form of punishment, since they were vocal about his raping of one of them. When this was revealed, the overture made more sense to me. Perhaps this man turned himself into a goat as punishment for raping the swan woman. Perhaps all of these

dancers are viciously fighting to be free from a hellish world they either brought upon themselves or had thrust upon them. Throughout the performance, I discovered that witnessing humans embody animals on stage is oddly satisfying. At their core humans are animalistic, yet we must suppress these instincts in order to be functioning members of society. It is through physical movement that these instincts are best released, and Keegan-Dolan seemed to have a firm grasp of that concept. Because of the saddening nature of the piece, the performance could have remained one-note. However, Keegan-Dolan found childlike joy just as well as he encapsulated the evil in this story. In a moment of brilliant choreography at the end of the show, the dancers begin to toss light feathers around like snow. Their feet moving among the mass of feathers on the ground served for an aesthetically pleasing end. Each dancer simultaneously kicked up a puff of feathers with one swift motion, seeming to wake from the hellscape that they had lived in during the show. In the last fifteen minutes, they were granted the freedom to live in pure ecstasy. Skillfully using the white feathers as a way to shed light onto the darkness, the audience themselves were brought into the enjoyment of the moment. The feathers were tossed onto the front row and audience and performers alike relaxed into a state of what can simply be described as joy. The joyful metaphor continued on even into the bows. As the audience applauded the performers for their work, the dancers took their time soaking it all in, coming out for not just a second round of bows but a third. I was completely elated in this last 15 minutes, although I struggled to justify its connection to the rest of the piece. Eventually, I decided it was about finding joy in the terrible, yet this is widely open for interpretation. In fact, the entire performance could have been a different story for each viewer. What was a goat to me may have been just a man on a rope to another. I had trouble labeling this piece as either dance or theatre because, to me, it was both. The endless possibilities this work provides the audience make it special. It does not give its audience answers. Instead, it poses questions.

Because of the saddening nature of the piece, the performance could have remained one-note. However, Keegan-Dolan found childlike joy just as well as he encapsulated the evil in this story.

Sports

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

Friday, November 22, 2019 — 7

What to watch for: Michigan battles Indiana THEO MACKIE Daily Sports Editor

All week, Michigan’s players and coaches have been asked whether Saturday’s trip to 7-3 Indiana constitutes a trap game. And all week, the response has been resounding: The Hoosiers are too good for that. The logic backs it up — Indiana nearly won at Penn State last weekend and ranks 14th nationally in passing yards per game. On paper, it’s the Wolverines’ fourth or fifthtoughest game of the season to date, depending on your opinion of Iowa. And yet, there’s an irresistible inclination to look at what lies ahead, toward the looming elephant in the room that visits Ann Arbor eight days from now. It’s an understandable inclination in any season, when Michigan’s matchup with Ohio State is circled on calendars years in advance. That’s especially true this year, when that matchup is the Wolverines’ one remaining chance to define their season as a success. So, no matter what Michigan says, this week will always be viewed through a unique lens: How does it affect the Ohio State game? With that in mind, The Daily breaks down what to watch for as the Wolverines attempt to answer the questions they face before the Buckeyes come to town. Shea building on momentum A month ago, the resounding dialogue surrounding Shea Patterson’s season was to write it off as a failure. In nearly every statistical category, he had regressed from a stellar 2018 as he appeared uncomfortable in Josh Gattis’ pro-spread, readbased offense. Late in the first half against Penn State five weeks ago, Patterson hit his nadir, sulking off the field after a hideous screen-pass interception as the

Nittany Lions surrounded him in celebration. Since then, he’s done a 180, offering a masterclass in how to run Gattis’ offense. Over the Wolverines last three games, he’s completed 43 of 67 passes for 635 yards, seven touchdowns and zero interceptions, peaking with a career-high 384 yards against Michigan State last weekend. Even against the reeling Spartans, that game offered a glimpse of Patterson’s dynamic potential — the type of performance Michigan will need in order to overcome 15 years’ worth of demons against Ohio State a week from now. In the present, it’s also the type of performance that will ensure the Wolverines don’t have any trouble with Indiana. The Hoosiers are passing for over 300 yards per game this year — a mark Patterson hadn’t hit in his Michigan career before Saturday. A repeat of the mediocre performances that marred the beginning of Patterson’s season could leave Michigan struggling to catch up, introducing much more prescient questions than what comes a week from now. How Michigan defends a high-octane, pass-first offense Speaking of Indiana’s passing attack, this weekend will pit the Wolverines’ defense against an offensive style that they haven’t faced all season. That in itself will provide a unique challenge for Don Brown’s defense, but it also carries larger implications. The Hoosiers’ pro-spread, one-back offense offers a watered-down version of Ohio State’s offense that torched Michigan for 62 points a year ago. That game brought the type of large-scale questions that have rarely faced Brown in his time at Michigan. They centered on the Buckeyes’ use of crossing patterns, getting their talented

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Howard, ‘M’ ready for Houston Baptist JACOB KOPNICK Daily Sports Writer

NATALIE STEPHENS/Daily

Senior quarterback Shea Patterson had his best game at Michigan last week.

receiving corps in space against Brown’s man defense. This year, Brown has responded with more zone defense than he’s ever used, countering the mesh concepts that teams like Iowa and Michigan State have used in their attempts to replicate Ohio State’s success. Saturday, though, will be the most stern test of the Wolverines’ zone defense, against one of the few pass-first offenses the Big Ten has to offer. How Michigan responds will dictate expectations against the Buckeyes a week from now. Can Ronnie Bell get in the end zone? Okay, so maybe this one doesn’t affect Michigan’s chances against Ohio State. It’s still fun to think about — something to watch for if the Wolverines break out to an early lead on Saturday and erase any doubt over the game’s outcome. Bell has been among Michigan’s brightest offensive stars this season, with his 67.8 yards per game the most from a Wolverines’ receiver since Jeremy Gallon’s 105.6 in 2013. It has been a revelation from Bell, who caught just

eight passes a year ago, but has flourished in Gattis’ offense. And yet, he still hasn’t found the end zone. It’s become a running joke among the Wolverines, with players chiding Bell each time he returns to the sidelines after coming up a few familiar yards short. Breaking his streak against the Buckeyes would surely be more satisfying, but with just two games to play, Bell will take any touchdown he can get. Prediction When Vegas’ opening line set Michigan as 7-point favorites, the natural reaction was surprise. This is a matchup the Wolverines are annually favored in by 20 points and one they haven’t lost since 1987. And yet, it was also fair, with the Hoosiers having pushed Penn State to the brink in State College last week. Since then, the line has opened up to 10, a reflection of Michigan’s brand name and current form. Despite Indiana’s offensive prowess, that form should be too much for the Hoosiers to overcome, even if it’s far less comfortable than the Wolverines would like. Michigan, 31-24

Who cares about a lateNovember game against Houston Baptist? What even is Houston Baptist? Hopefully, by the end of this, you’ll have both of these questions answered. Even in the supposed “throwaway” segments of the schedule, great games and lessons be found. Last year, the Houston Baptist men’s basketball team walked into Winston-Salem, N.C. and left with a shocking victory over Wake Forest. It was one of the earlyseason upsets that rocks the college basketball world and does wonders for one lucky mid-major program. This year, early indicators suggest it was Evansville’s wild victory over then-No. 1 Kentucky. All of that is to say that the Huskies have set a precedent for upsetting major programs in early tune-up games that are supposed to serve as automatic wins before power conference opponents hit the bulk of their season. Houston Baptist has already squandered an opportunity at such an upset just last week after falling to No. 12 Texas Tech, 103-74, last week. The Huskies are not looking to make the same mistake twice. In order to pull off the improbable, Houston Baptist is going to have to rely heavily on the efficiency of its up-tempo offense which runs through junior guard Ian DuBose and senior guard Jalon Gates. DuBose — an instrumental part of the Huskies’ win over the Demon Deacons last year — is averaging 16.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, building off a season that saw him finish on the second team all-

Southerland Conference. In one way or another, the surprising early season wins have an additional factor fueling the team to what may feel like a predestined outcome. Last year against Wake Forest, it came from the environment. DuBose and many of his teammates hail from the tobacco state and wanted to put on a show for their friends and families who drove up to attend. “The environment was great,” DuBose told The Daily. “It raised our level of play. We were making shots, defending well, and everything was just clicking. I think that really helped us win. And I think just being at home.” In the absence of such factors, it may be difficult to envision Houston Baptist pulling out a win in Crisler Center, but a willing opponent can never be written off in college basketball. Beyond that programdefining win, DuBose has experience going up against some of the best competition in the country — especially at point guard. Two seasons prior, both DuBose and Gates faced off against Michigan State’s now-All-American point guard Cassius Winston. While that game was a 40-point blowout, DuBose and Gates were the only ones who seemed capable of generating any offense, scoring 10 and 17 points, respectively. The test now will be to see if the backcourt duo can replicate this action against senior guard Zavier Simpson — an astute player known for his lock-down defensive prowess.