0 8B - The Michigan Daily - Weekend Nagzine - Thursday, February 20, 2003 ARI PAUL - 1 FOUGHT THE LAW The Michigan Daily - Weekend Magazine - 'Old School' powered by trio of stars Be all that we'll let you be By Luke Smith Daily Arts Writer e're in a budget crisis all right, and the affects are hard to bear. The Pentagon is t rying to cut corners anywhere it can with its meager hundred-billion (or trillion, I can't remember) dollar budget. Due to the setbacks, the military can only afford advertising space for recruiting commercials late at night and only on very obscure channels. Being the night owl that I am, I saw the latest one, which apparently everyone else has missed. Though it's hard to find, it is the most truthful commercial you will ever see on tele- vision. To spare you from having to drink coffee at three in the morning to catch it on the Animal Channel, I'll just rely it in the space below: Camera shot of children filing through a dilapi- dated, inner-city school building. Voiceover of infantryman: Because I grew up poor, and the government doesn't fund education, I never had a chance to learn job skills. Voiceover of Recruiter: But now, the United States will fund that training for the underprivileged, for the small price of risking your life and waiving certain constitutional rights. Camera shot of Infantryman marching into Iraq._. Infantryman: This war is going to give me everything I need to succeed in the world of white, upper-class privilege. Recruiter: In the War on Iraq, recruits will learn valuable skills like childcare ... Camera shot of a mass of parentless and homeless Iraq children being rounded up by American troops. Infantryman: Thousands of others like me who have been denied opportunities are getting the chance our families and we have been hoping for, as long as we follow Washington's orders, no matter how ridiculous. Recruiter: In today's military you can become one of the 77,000 who will fill the body bags the Pentagon ordered this month, or some of the thou- sands of others that will sustain permanent physical injury, lose limbs and suffer shell shock. Infantryman: And though I may die by gun shot, grenade blast, chemical weapons or the intense heat of the Iraqi sun, and I'm still not quite sure why we're going there, at least I'll know that I did some- thing good for somebody back home. Camera shot of Dick Cheney shaking hands with Chevron executives. Recruiter: Join the military. Fight the War in Iraq. Be the only thing we'll let you be. I do not want to be mistaken. I do not have a sweeping disrespect for people in the military. I have friends from high school who decided to join the military and I have friends in ROTC and I do not question their intelligence or their integrity involving their profession. However, there is a serious problem with military recruiting, and this war is going to make it so much worse. It used to perplex me why conservatives were so intent on installing policies that ensure a large frac- tion of the population live in poverty, denied of any prospect of upward mobility. What is so wrong with people getting an equal education? What is so wrong everyone having the financial freedom to determine one's own destiny? Well, it would be a big inconvenience for the war makers. An affirmative action activist once pointed out that in most minority Detroit public schools, "you may not have enough text books, but you can be assured that your Junior ROTC uniform will be cleaned and ironed." If everyone did have access to educa- tion, then the military would not be as popular an option for those of enlistment age. Denying education to a vast sector of the population while seducing them with decent pay and job skills is a sure fire way to guarantee that there will be enough fresh blood to oil the war machine. That is why the controlling party of Congress fears as much as a dime going to public education, while it has no problem sending billions (or trillions, again my memo- ry is bad) to the military. This is why the fight for fair education is so hard, because fair education robs the government of its ability to dominate the rest of the world. But let's say we do win. What if we defeat the voucher system and under-funded schools get the money they need? What if we win the affirmative action case? What if we integrate the education system? If this victory happens, then the government will have to do one of two things. One, it will get used to the idea that it can't go around bul- lying the rest of the world, acting as the late comedian and philosopher Bill Hicks put it, "like Jack Palance in the movie Shane, throw- ing the pistol at the sheepherder's feet"). Not likely. So maybe there will be universal con- scription to maintain a large military. But then the president and all the other politicians will be less willing to go to war when its their kids that go off to die and not those of some lowly factory worker. Education reform will stop war. -Ari Paul can be reached at aspaul@umich.edu. LOS ANGELES - The stars of Dreamworks' "Old School" (Luke Wilson, Will Farrell and Vince Vaughn) look hung over as they face the eager press. And they should, considering the new movie they have come to pitch is a college comedy with a demographic rang- ing between 18 and 30 years of age - ideal ages for heavy partying. The film has Mitch Wilson) going through a miserable break-up, Frank's (Farrell) entrapment in a miserable wedding and Beanie (Vaughn) looking for something to distract him from his own marriage. That distractive something - is a fraternity. Under Beanie's leadership the three men endeavor to launch a fraternity, beginning with "Mitcha- palooza," a king-sized party devoted to Mitch's freedom from marriage - the success of this party is the impe- tus for the formation of the fraternity. But the film isn't strictly grounded in the humor of its predecessors (films like "Animal House"). In fact, the cast recognizes director Todd Phillips desire to insert drama into what is oth- erwise -- simply a comedy. "I definitely think that's what this movie brings (that's) a little different than what you think you're going to see," Farrell said. "It's kind of what attracted the three of us to the mate- rial in the first place. There was a little more behind the characters than just going from one funny scene to the other." Luke Wilson breathes the same life into his reality as he does in the film. Like his character, Mitch, Wilson appears fatigued and worn out. His answers slip and slide out of his mouth, through the remains of a drawl acquired while growing up in Texas. "I liked the fact that Mitch is just a low-level office guy," Wilson said. "That just seems like a tough thing to do, (to) just work in the middle of a company for your entire life." Will Farrell's Frank the Tank is a reformed, and now repressed, party animal. His candor is what one expects coming from a sketch show like "Saturday Night Live." While Farrell bares all in "Old School," his fellow cast members didn't seem up for the task of streaking. Vaughn quipped, "There's not enough booze in this hotel," when asked what it would take to get him to streak. Wilson pointed out Farrell's use of an acting coach "from Kentucky, Jim Beam" in order to prepare for the scene. With the over-the-top antics includ- ing aqua-lube wrestling, streaking and tying cement cinderblocks to pledges' testicles and subsequently launching the blocks off a rooftop, one would expect that the set's atmos- phere would get sticky-icky-icky. The stars of "Old School" pointed at quite the opposite. "We kept having this phrase like, 'Let's shoot this movie '70s style. Come on, it's us three, let's have fun,"' Wilson said. "We got caught up in how well-behaved we were all the time. Really we were, and we never did manage to go '70s style but that was our mantra throughout the whole movie. 'Let's get '70s style.' But we never really did do it." Which isn't to say that the set was lifeless, "We had a lot of fun and were always joking around with each other," said Vince Vaughn. "We call ourselves 'The Wolfpack' because we always turn on each other and make fun of each other. It was never safe who was getting picked on because five minutes later we would turn on someone else." "Will called one of my movies 'Legally Bland,"' chirped Wilson. Neither actor disclosed which film Farrell cracked-wise at. UNIVERSITY of PENNSYLVANIA SPRING BREAK Continued from Page 3B Because skin is the largest organ in the body and the most openly exposed to sunlight, it is both an extreme- ly common place for cancers to develop and one of the hardest to diagnose. Many burns appear in places one cannot easily see, such as the ears, the back and the backs of the legs. Even palms and feet are possible sites for cancers to arise. Melanoma cancer, which affects how skin-coloring cells grow and divide, is frequently the most severe form of the disease. Though it causes only 4 percent of cancer cases, it results in about 79 percent of skin can- cer deaths. Fair-skinned individuals are usually at the most risk for skin cancers, although it is still likely for anyone to get the disease. Gary McMullen, an information specialist with the American Cancer Society, explained, "It is especially important for people in Northern climates going to temper- ate climates to be careful. Going from a colder climate to such a warm one can cause a serious burn." Despite the extensive damage possible from overex- posure to the sun, there are several methods to reduce the possibility of cancer. The ACS has adopted the slo- gan of "Slip, Slop, Slap," meaning slip on a shirt, slop on the sunscreen and slap on a hat. While most students don't relish the idea of layers in warm weather, sunscreens, preferably SPF 30 or above, sunhats and a little extra clothing can protect the body from harmful UV rays. McMullen warned, "There is a direct correlation between sun exposure and all forms of skin cancer. We [at the ACS] encourage people to talk to their own doc- tors as well about what their personal risk factors are." Spring Break is a great time to get away from the pres- sures of college life. With some added consideration and caution, the fiesta will end without any regrets. internship opportunity Be a Display Advertising Account Executive for The Michigan Daily Spring/Summer or Fall/Winter 03/04 e Si -I -.I %"./ %.-/JL S SLeeP. - Ben Franklin Summer Session I May 20-june 27 Summer Session I1 June 30-August 8 12 Week Evening Session May 19-August 8 Top-Five University Comprehensive Range of Courses Small Classes, Big City wow SC9REKEEPERS THURSDAY NIGHTS S $ .Killians &Coors Light Pitchers 9 -10 pm $1.50 A NA10-close $2.50 $1 Long Islands 27 Taps! Full Menu! SI I I ll Check Out Our Weekend Specials! 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