2B - Thursday, February 4, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com 2B - Thursday, February 4, 2010 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom FOOD BENNY'S FAMILY DINING While they may only be medium-sized, the pancakes at Benny's Family Dining still have a homemade taste and a low price that makes them excellent fare for hungover college students and families alike. One also can't ignore that they're served in an environment in which the clientele won't be phased by patrons in pajamas. That has to count for something. ANGELO'S There's a reason Angelo's is so popular The pancakes melt into a buttery, syrupy ambrosia in your mouth. Be sure to pause between each bite to truly savor the expe- rience. They may not be the cheapest, but the short stack is well priced and filling enough to get you through to the next meal. But really, can you attach a dollar value to heaven on Earth? WARS NORTHSIDE GRILL Some people use gratuitous amounts of syrup to cover up the bland taste of pan- cakes. That mapley liquid isn't necessary at Northside Grill, where the oat bran pancakes are offered with the option of blueberries or apples to saturate the sponginess. If you prefer the sweet sen- sation of cinnamon in a densely flavored flapjack, Northside is for you. PANCAKES FRANK'S RESTAURANT Howhard is it to make a good pancake? A few scoops of Bisquick, a cup or two of milk, some eggs, oil. Apparently Frank's never read the box, because the pancakes just suck. It could be the overwhelming stench of processed batter, or the imme- diate rush to the toilet after eating them. Either way, syrup. and butter can't make their pancakes the least bit manageable. AND THE WINNER IS: ANGELO'S CAMPUS CLASH LAST WEEK'S RESULTS: Brandon Graham pumps up the arena crowd as the Delta Upsilon House stands still, being a house. Graham rushes the house, breaking the wooden beams with a massive candy cane. The house just stands there. Graham busts through the walls send woodchips flying into the air. The house bursts into flames, but it's too late. Graham steps over the burning rubble to victory. WINNER: BRANDON GRAHAM THIS WEEK'S FIGHT: 'J THE MARKLEY PHILIP STRIPPERS . 3 ANLON ARMED WITH: ARMED WITH: STDs, poles and a huge His new provost job and wad of dollar bills. the accordion of death VOTE ONLINE AT MICHIGANDAILY.COM/SECTION/ARTS The Daily Arts weekly show "Accost'd" continues with more belligerent entertainment action. To find out what movie characters the people of the 'U' want to date, watch the - aggressively amorous episode at michigandaily.com/section/arts. Weekend Freebies Because boredom doesn't end when your cash flow does Thursday, February 4 Adam Haslett Fiction Reading Hear an NY Times Bestseller. Helmut Stern, 5p.m. 4 Friday, February 5 Speed Dating Opposite- and same-gender dating, hosted by Bi-Lateral. League, 5-8 p.m. University Symphony Band, Great, student-performed ausic. Hill, i p.m. Saturday, February 6 Saturday Morning Physich' Science on Saturday? Get out! 170 Dennison, 10:30 a.m. Sunday, February 7 Polish Film Series Free documentary screening. Helmut Stern, 6 p.m. - WHAT'S NEW ON THE DAILY ARTS BLOG . We've been Blindsided: Listen to oar new audiocast as Daily staffers chime it on this year's Oscar nominations, offeringtheir snarky witticisms on this year's nominees for Best Picture. . "Lost" in the chaos: Jamie Block offers his take on the season six premiere of "Lost," and some of the Daily's other Losties join in. Many of us were mildly disap- pointed. Were you? Let us know. " Jersey Shore" 2. This time, it's personal: The rumors were true. The "Jersey Shore" cast has signed on for a new season in an undisclosed location. We're rootingfor the Sahara, or possibly the Alaskan tundra. 'U' symposium views photography through two conflicting lenses Artists of differing backgrounds meet to discuss the medium By ADDIE SHRODES Daily Arts Writer For contemporary photogra- phers, the Information Age creates an ocean of images that prompts a sea of questions. But one query floats atop the waves: What does it mean to be an image-maker in a world of countless images? "So much of my time is spent wading through this giant pool of photographs, and I feel over- whelmed by them," said profession- al photographer Alec Soth. "I know a lot of professional photographers who feel the same way." The two-part History of Art Symposium "Contemporary Strate- gies in Documentary Photography" presents three diverse speakers who address the shifts in documen- tary photography, as well as its his- torical context. History of Art Professors Mat- thew Biro and Alexander Potts spent a year planning the sympo- sium, and they specifically chose photographers who represent the two divisions of photography: fine art and documentary. Soth, who spoke during the sym- posium's first day, Jan. 30, personi- fies the fine art spectrum, which is increasingly influenced by a docu- mentary tradition "interested in defining and influencing society," Biro said. Allan Sekula, a professional pho- tographer and prominent theoreti- cian who will speak on Saturday, epitomizes a documentarian. Femi- Ben Huh FOUNDER OF ICANHASCHEEZBURGER.COM & FAILBLOGORO Frida February 5 -8:30 PM Ann Arbor DistrictlibraryI343 S. Fifth Ave. Ben will talk about being an Internet content connoisseur and how he got started as the leader of a media empire. He founded his company, Pet Holding, Inc., in 2007 and grew it a orginto one of the largest blog networks in the world in less than two years. For more information: aaidLorg or 3214555 nist art historian Sally Stein, also scheduled to speak on Saturday, helps define a historical context. And the division of genres has a definite historical basis. "Throughout photography's his- tory, it has been pulled between two poles," Biro said. "On the one hand, the photograph as a docu- ment of a particu- lar person, event,H piece of architec- History of Ar ture, moment Part I: "CO in time; on the Sbat other hand, the photograph as DocumentaryI a work of art, Saturdaya the expression S of a photogra- Helmut Stern pher's objective vision." However, the digital era has altered the relationship between documentary and fine art pho- tography. "There's a big crisis," Biro said. "I have a friend who worked as a documentary photographer and the work has just dried up - it's I r at really shifted. People who want to use photography in the way tradi-@ tional documentary photographers did, to give you a picture of a partic- ular situation or a particular world, are often working as fine artists." This mode that is both documen- tary and artistic - and the question of where strict documentary pho- tography is going - are topics Biro Symposium hopes the sympo- ntemporary sium will address, *eS In and Soth agrees the discourse is Photography" important. "It's essential t1:30 p.m. to talk about new Auditorium rules for photog- raphy because everything has been turned upside down," he said. Both Sekula and Soth have pub- lished books of photography. But according to Potts and Biro, Seku- la is engaged in capturing pho- tographs that enter the political realm with text that establishes a See SYMPOSIUM, Page 4B 9