_______________________________________________1 ! r* The Michigan Daily - lekend, etc. Magazipe Asday October 21,,1999 " WEBSITE OF THE WEEK www.fool.com One of the best (and most frequented) money-related sites on the Web is the Motley Fool. The website focuses on helping people learn how to save and invest, get out of debt, plan their retirement, and even build and track their investment portfolio. The message boards on the Motley Fool are always populated and filled with interesting and informative discussion. The MyFool section allows registered users to view their preferred stock and market indexes in real-tim. FoolMart is, the shopping section of fool.com, allowing viewers to get shirts, hats and even pick up copies of books on investment savvy. Fool.com is packed with features, including a per- sonal finance area, which instructs viewers on the specifics of handling taxes, job hunting and insurance. Don't let the name fool you, with more than five years of experience, these jesters know their stuff. Little plastic slice heav ~SReSn enal tdnt October 2 I st Featured Restaurant freebles, e adaches The Michigan Dry--W ekend, tt violations of cinematic decency in a melange of zanycategories. 1400 Chem. Bldg. 7 p.m. Free. Avant Garde Cinema Various directors have their work assembled in this Projectorhead presentation. MLB 4. 8 p.m. Free. Stop Making Sense See Thurs. 9:15 & 11:15 P.m. The Road Warrior (1981) Mel Gibson's second interpretation of Mad Max, the modern cinema's dopest postapocalyptic character. State Theater, State & E. Liberty. 12 am. $3. MUSIC Dr. Feelgood No, they're not CrOe, but they want to be. Harpo's, Detroit. 7 p.m. Price TBA. 313-824-1700. James Taylor See Thurs. 8:30 p.m. Kid Rock Yes, he'll bring the midget along, too. Palace of Auburn Hills, 8 p.m. $22.50 248-377-0100. My Life With the Thrill Kill Cult Techno dance grooves abound. St. Andrew's Hall, Detroit. 9 p.m. $15. 313-961-MELT. Taproot With special guest Factor 81. Blind Pig, 208 S. First. 10 p.m. $5. 996- 8555. THEATER Three Days of Rain See Thursday. 8 p.m. 813: American Fiction See Thursday. 8 p.m. --------------- Sunday CAMPUS CINEMA Antz See Sat. 10 & 11 a.m. Springheeled Jack & the Pilfers. St. Andrew's Hall, Detroit. 7 p.m. $10 313- 961-MELT. James Taylor See Thurs. 7 p.m. Doc Watson Another bluegrass legend. The Ark, 313 S. Main. 7, 9 p.m. $25. 761- 1451. THEATER Three Days of Rain See Thursday. 8 p.m. 813: American Fiction See Thursday. 8 p.m. ALTERNATIVES Maudy Benz Author reads from her lat- est, "Oh, Jackie." Barnes & Noble, 3245 Washtenaw. 2 p.m. Free. Docent Tour See Thursday. 2 p.m. Tea Ceremony The Museum of Art hosts its monthly Japanese tea ceremony with a flute concert beforehand. 3 p.m. Museum of Art. Free. --.-------.------ - Monday CAMPUS CINEMA The Limey See Fri. 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. MUSIC Acoustic Open Mic Embarrass yourself in front of people you don't know. Tap Room, 201 W. Michigan. 9:30 p.m. Free. 482-5320. A LTERNA TI VES y w By Alana Steingold For the Daily "Free movie passes...free T- shirts... free phone cards..." These are just some of the perks offered to students who pass by Ulrich's, the Union Bookstore or any other area that draws steady student traffic. Credit card companies hope that, by giving away free gifts, they will entice students into agreeing to apply for a credit card, whether it be Visa, MasterCard, Disco\ er, or American Express. What is the reason for this push on plastic throughout campus, and why target college students ? Students are often drawn in by the fact that they could use a new CD holder or a phone card with 15 min- utes of free calls, but do they realize what they are really getting them- selves into? One student said that she "already had a credit card but really wanted the free movie pass." First- year LSA student Samantha Lander stopped to fill out an application. When asked why she completed the application, she explained she "had time before class." Many of the tents and tables set up to advertise various credit cards are promotional events put up by local marketing firms that farm their ser- vices out to credit card companies. It seems as though they will use any method imaginable to get students to apply. Even when a repesenatire is not present, there are signs, such as the one in front of the Lnion Bookstore reading, 'Pride for Michigan ... Alumni Association of the University of Michigan ... No Annual Fee"And. the gimmick'? If you apply. you can have your very own credit card with a full-color picture of the Big House on it. One question for which thire is no clear answer is why credit cards appeal to students, e en additonal cards for those who already have them.. How often, for instance, are credit cards used by the average stu- dent ? Lander, for example, said she only had one credit card that she used mainly for books and emergencies. and perhaps clothes, though very rarely. When asked if she was going to use the credit card that she just applied for, she responded, "maybe. but probably not." The unenclosed area between Ulrich's bookstore and the Engineering Arch is a popular stomp- ing ground for the credit card compa- nies. However, the majority of stu- dents pass by without hesitation, and few even give the table a second look. In addition to offering free gifts. (sometimes three gifts just for sign- ing up), other incentives such as reduced airfare for spring break are shouted at students. As students con- tinue to walk by. vendors repeat that all they (students) haxe to do is apply, and get a free gift --- in fact. if stu- dents don't want the card when it arrives, they can simply cut it up. Remember. "No annual fee or oblig- ation." This might seem like shoddy busi- ness sense, but once they're holding it in their hands. few interviewed stu- dents actually cut up the credit card. It is often the case for them to hold on to it, "in case of emergency. Unfortunately. if that emergency turns into "just this one time," even that can turn into x- ell. I don't use it all the time, and the spiral of excus- es continues. And this is here the credit card companies do indeed flex their prof- itabilitv-fom pople .ho cannot pay their bills on tme> Bv charging interest and late tees. te credit card companies are able to make up al the money they spend cix inc away gifts with plenty to spare Most people. including students here at the University. get much more than a free gift by applying for a credit card. They are also getting a gift that keeps on gix ing - bills to pay on time, annual fees, interest rates and more. And who would sus- pect that one little, tiny piece of plas- tic could ever do so much? courtesy of Universal Pictures Nia Long and Taye Diggs' know how to set the mood in "The Best Mar." Stop Making Sense See Thurs. 5 p.m. Edge of Seventeen See Thurs. 7 p.m. Sugartown (1999) Alison Anders's latest quirky romp goes behind the scenes of the not-quite-big-time music business. Featuring several pop musicnhas-beens, including Duran Duran's John Taylor. Michigan Theater, 603 E. Liberty. 9:15 p.M. The Limey See Fri. 4:30, 6:30 & 8:30 p. m. MUSIC Michigan Chamber Players Faculty string players explore works by the ground- breaking modern composer Arnold Schoenberg. 4 p.m. Rackham Auditorium. Free. Poetry Reading Ed Morin and Kathleen Ripley Leo read their poetry and conduct Pietasters With special guest an open mic shindig. Guild House, 802 In the ingeniously titled" her range by taking on a r Monroe. 8:30 p.m. Free. Tuesda CAMPUS CINEMA Edge of Seventeen See Thu The Limey See Fri. 7:30 & Sugartown See Sun. 9:15 l MUSIC Blind Pig Showcase Night Locz don't suck. Possibly. Blind Pig 10 p.m. Free. 996-8555. ALTERNATIVES Dr. Barbara Luke Local auth new book,"When You're Exi Triplets or Quads." Borders Arborland, 3527 Washtenaw. Sharan Newman Author reac copies of her latest historica Difficult Saint." Aunt Agath Fourth. 7 p.m. Free. wednes CAMPUS CINEMA Faust (1960) An abridgec restoration of the Goethe by way of Gustaf Grundge Michigan Theater, 603 E. $5.50. The Limey See Fri. 7:30 8 Sugartown See Sun. 9:45 MUSIC Ben Harper and the innocent rock with a funky groove. Hi N. University. 7:30 p.m. $20 Mike Watt An electric perfoi House, Pontiac.8 p,.m. $12. Open Mic Acoustic & Electri doesn't it? Tap Room, 201'V p.m. Free. 482-5320. courtesy of Warner Brothers Matthew Perry and Oliver Platt make a cute couple in "Three to Tango" while learning not to wait until the last minute to CRISP.