2 - Tuesday, March 17, 2009 MONDAY: TUESDAY: WEDNESDAY: In Other Ivory Towers Campus Characters Explained THURSDAY: FRIDAY: Before You Were Here Photos of the Week The king of sing-along While most students may go to Good Time Charley's on 1140 S. Uni- versity Ave. to loosen up after a hard day of classes or to have a wild night after a long week, Ann Arbor resi- dent Tim Smith goes to Charley's for one reason only - to experience the Tuesday night karaoke. Smith, a Jackson, Mich. native, has been singing at Charley's on the bar's Tuesday karaoke nights for about eight months. He moved to Ann Arbor in July to be closer to his girlfriend. Smith, 49, was part of a band in high school and said that music has always been an integral part of his life. A member of three local bands in Grand Rapids for about a decade during the '90s, Smith was lead sing- er for both Nervous Habit and Exit and later a guest singer with Tril- ogy. Smith eventually became a kara- oke host in Livonia. Now the new business develop- ment manager for Yarema Die & Engineering, a metal and industrial supply company based in Troy, Mich., Smith first started hosting karaoke in the early '90s to keep himself busy at night. He eventually developed a pas- sion for the spirited performances. "One week you see someone get up to sing a song for the first time and within a few weeks they are singing five songs and you can heartheir voic- es develop," Smith wrote in an e-mail interview. "It really is a lot of fun to watch and sing." Smith said he enjoys Charley's because of its fun and lively atmo- sphere. "Good Time Charley's is a great, clean place for people to come sing and hang with the college kids," he said. "It gets crazy, but not out of con- trol, great food, and the sound system is good." Smith said he's drawn to karaoke because every night is a new experi- ence with the new faces and voices who grace the bar with their stage presences.. "The whole thing about karaoke is to get people who sing in their show- ers and in their cars to get out and sing," he said. "Every night at karaoke is justunique. It's pretty much always fun. You get a lot of fresh people to sing all the time." Smith, who prefers karaoke to other forms of nightly entertainment, said music is a feeling that allows people to express themselves and be more in touch with their emotions. "Music itself is a mood-changing type of media," he said. "You can be in a bad mood, and listen to a song you grew up with - doesn't matter howold you are - itjust changesyour mood." Ifyou're ever at Charley's on aTues- day night and you hear some Journey lyrics blaring from the speakers, stay and have a listen - Smith might be singing "Don't stop believin'." - NICOLE ABER The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1327 www.michigandaily.com GARY GRACA ELAINA BUGLI Editor is Chief Business Manager 734-647-3336 734-764-0558 graca@michigandaily.com bugli@michigandaily.com CONTACT INFORMATION Newsroom oftceehours:Sun.-Thurs. a.m.-2a.m. 734-763-24s9 News Tips newso@michigandaity.com Corrections corrections@michigandaily.com Letters to the Editor tothedaily@michigandaily.com Photography Department photo@michigandaily.com Arts Section arts@michigandaily.com Editorial Page opinion@michigandaily.com Sports Section sports@michigandaily.com Display Sales display@michigandaily.com Classified Sales classiied@michigandaily.com onlinelSales onlineads@michigandaily.com Finance finance@michigandaily.con EDITORIAL STAFF Courtney Ratkowiak ManagingEditor ratkowiak@michigandaily.com lacob Smilovitz Managing News Editor smilovitz@michigandaily.com SENI O EWS EDITORS: Jillian Berman, Trevor Calera, Caitlin Schneider, LindyStvn ASSISTANT NEWS EDITORS: Matt Aaronson, Benjamin S. 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Additional copiesmaybepickedupatthetaily'sofficefor$2.Subscriptionsforfallandwinterterm (SeptemberthroughAprl)via U.S.emaiare$200.Year-roundsubscriptions(Fall,Winter,Springand Summer issuesare $22.Subscriptionsmust be prepaid.The MichiganDailyis a member of The Associated Pressand The AssociatedCollegiatePress. DAVID MERIAN/C Tim Smith, who moved to Ann Arbor last year, has. become a regular at Charley's Tuesday karaoke nights CRIME NOTES CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES DPS in pursuit Window busted, Free film on Lecture on the of parking thief purse stolen family genetics misconceptions WHERE: CVC Parking M-85 WHEN: Sunday at about 7:30 p.m. WHAT: A parking device was used by University employees to access free parking during a prohibited time, University Police reported. There are no suspects, but the incident is under investigation. Black iPod from parked car WHERE: Matthaei Botanical Gardens WHEN: Sunday at about 3:45 p.m. WHAT: A purse valued at $100 was stolen from a parked vehicle, University Police reported. The vehicle was entered by breaking the rear passenger window. swiped from the Unattended bag Dud dt taken from Grad WHAT: The documentary on "In the Family," will be shown. The film follows fam- ilies dealingwith cancer and other genetic risks. A discus- sion will follow the film. WHO: UMHS Comprehen- sive Cancer Center Commu- nity Outreach Office. WHEN: Tonight at 6:30 p.m. WHERE: 242 South FifthAve. Art exhibition on sports WHAT: Oil on canvas paint- ings and lithographs by artist Jeff Joseph will be on display. His work covers a range of subjects dealing with sports. WHO: University of Michi- gan Health System WHEN: Today from 8a.m. to 8 p.m WHERE: University Hos- pital, Main Corridor, West Floor 2. of child birth WHAT: A lecture on the cul- tural, social and legal issues that have influenced modern obstetrical practices in the United States. WHO: Institute for Research on Women and Gender WHEN: Today from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. WHERE: Lane Hall, Room 2239 CORRECTIONS * A news article in yester- day's edition of the Daily (MSA presidential candi- dates to square off in debate tonight.) incorrectly reported the date of the event. The MSA debate occurred yester- day in the Palmer Commons Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. . Please report any error in the Daily to correc- tions@michigandaily.com.. A New Jersey man stopped his Toyota Camry in the passing lane of a Philadel- phia highway yesterday and stripped out of his clothes, on the side of the road, the Phila- delphia Daily News reported. The nude man jogged about a mile down the highway before police responded. Last Wednesday Presi- dent Barack Obama announced he would appoint Gil EKerlikowske as the nation's new "drug czar." >FOR MORE, SEE OPINION, PAGE 4 A Canadian health com- pany has developed a sys- tem similar to an ATM to dispense prescription drugs, the United Press International reported. The machines will dispense 340 different kinds of widely prescribed drugs and require a pharmacist to verify the machine's choice. WHERE: Duderstadt Building WHEN: Wednesday at about 3:45 p.m. WHAT: An unattended black iPod valued at $300 was stolen from the computer station on the second floor of the library, University Police reported. There are no suspects. WHERE: Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library WHEN: Sunday at about 8:15 p.m. WHAT: An unattended bag with a wallet was stolen from the cubicle area of the library between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., University Police reported. There are no suspects. WANT TO WORK FOR DAILY MULTIMEDIA? E-MAIL DAVAZAD@UMICH.EDU Obama vows to block 1 $165m in AIG bonuses a IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR SUMMER HOUSING PIN NYC, STP YOU R GOOGLING. Just click on www.studenthousing.org/looking., You'll find clean, modern, safe, affordable summer housing. It's just that simple. QU ALITY ST UDENT L iiNG www.studenthousing.org/looking 800.297.4694 President angry over AIGs "recklessness and greed" WASHINGTON (AP) - Joining a wave of public anger, President Barack Obama blistered insur- ance giant AIG for "recklessness and greed" yesterday and pledged to try to block it from handing its executives $165 million in bonus- es after taking billions in federal bailout money. "How do they justify this out- rage to the taxpayers who are keeping the company afloat?" Obama asked. "This isn't just a matter of dollars and cents. It's about our fundamental values." Obama aggressively joined other officials in criticizing American International Group, the company that is fast becom- ing the poster boy for Americans' bailout blues even as it protests that the bonuses were required by employee contracts. The bonuses could contribute to a backlash against Washing- ton that would make it tougher for Obama to ask Congress for more bailout help - and jeopar- dize other parts of the recovery agenda that is dominating the start of his presidency. Thus, the president and his top aides were working hard to distance them- selves from the insurer's conduct, to contain possible political dam- age and to try to bolster public confidence in his administration's handling of the broader economic rescue effort. David Axelrod, senior adviser to Obama, said in an interview with The Associated Press that there was no question that the bonuses and the public's anger over them could run many things off the rail. "People are angry because they've seen exhibit after exhibit of irresponsibility and people walking away with money in their pockets," he said. "It's undermined the discussion that we have to have." Obama had scheduled a speech yesterday to announce new help for recession-pounded small busi- nesses. But first, he said, he had a few words to say about AIG. He lost his voice at one point and ad- libbed, "Excuse me, I'm choked up with anger here." It was just a light aside, but he meant the sternness of his remarks to come through. "This is a corporation that finds itself in financial distress due to recklessness and greed," Obama declared. He said he had directed Trea- sury Secretary Timothy Geithner to "pursue every legal avenue to block these bonuses and make the American taxpayer whole." Later, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the adminis- tration would modify the terms of a pending $30 billion bailout installment for AIG to at least recoup the $165 million the bonuses represent. That wouldn't rescind the bonuses, just require AIG to account for them differ- ently. Axelrod called the bonuses "spectacularly tone-deaf." He said the administration hopedthetoughtalk wouldresultin voluntary action on the part of AIG and its bonus recipients, although that remains an open question. "All we can do is administer this thing going forward," he said. A call to AIG's corporate head- quarters in New York seeking comment was not returned imme- diately late yesterday. On a separate track, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said yesterday he would issue subpoenas for information on the bonuses after AIG missed his deadline for providing details. Cuomo said his office would investigate whether the employ- ees were involved in AIG's near- collapse and whether the $165 million in bonus payments were fraudulent under state law. AIG spokeswoman Christina Pretto told The Associated Press, "We are in contact with the attor- ney general and will of course respond to his request." One reason that the AIG bonus giveaway is such a compelling story " and a politically troubling one for Obama if not neutralized - is that it offers a simple story line that appears to sum up ways in which the federal bailouts have gone awry. "This is just the kind of issue that galvanizes public outrage," said Paul C. Light, professor of public service at New York Uni- versity. "It's always the tangible- stuff, the things that ordinary Americans can relate to." Bailout steps for AIG totaling over $170 billion since September have effectively left the federal government with an 80 percent stake in the faltering insurance giant. Obama's comments came on the same day a new poll showed slippage in his approval rating. The poll by the Pew Research Center showed it dropped from 64 percent in February to 59 per- cent this month amid divisions of opinions over his economic pro- posals and what the pollsters said was a growing perception that the president is listening more to his party's liberals than to its moder- ates. Still, those surveyed. gener- ally gave the president favorable marks for doing as much ashe can to try to fix the economy, and few blame him for making the econo- my worse. Andrew Kohut, Pew's director, said in an interview that people are most angry with banks and companies but there's also "push- back against Washington gener- ally. And, of course, the buck stops with Barack Obama these days." Obama's sharp words contin- ued an insistent administration drumbeat over the past few days designed to pressure the bonus recipients to forgo them. Thus far, American International Group officials have refused to rescind the payments. In a letter to Geithner over the weekend, the government- appointed chief executive of AIG, Edward Liddy, said the bonuses were legally binding obligations and the firm's "hands are tied." Still, pressure was building on that issue - and on the government to rework ith AIG bailout to make sure the company repays as much of the $170 billion as possible. So far, the company has been honoring its contracts with U.S. and foreign banks, paying out more than $90 billion in econom- ic bailout funds to big banks and others. The government agreed to uphold those contracts when it seized control of AIG in Septem- ber, contendingthat failure would bring even worse global economic problems. J