Wednesday; July 9, 1997 - The Michiga D ais=5
NOTABLE QUOTABLE
"We had (a) tragic loss of life ... Mother
Nature needs to be treated seriously."
- Gov. John Engler; on the large storms that struck Southeast Michigan last week
SETTERS T TH E E :ion
Miller's views
on jazz are
darrogant'
TO THE DAILY:
James Miller's review of the
Frog Island Festival ("Frog
Island Festival offers jazz,
zydeco, fun in the sun,' 7/2/97)
would have been much better
without the arrogance. Making
fun of older people is not a
good idea. Bitching about tri-
fles is rather pointless. But the
st part of the article was the
aMor's attempt at a qualitative
analysis of Charlie Gabriel's
New Orleans Jazz Band.
Somehow, he gave the impres-
sion that this ensemble was
inept and poorly schooled in
the traditions of Crescent City
Jazz. How Miller arrived at this
conclusion mystifies me -
perhaps he wants everyone to
sold like a phonograph record
or a textbook example.
I was irritated by Miller's
attitude in general, but when he
started slandering the Gabriel
band, it made me firious. The
organization which he whined
about so carelessly is one of the
best traditional jazz bands cur-
rently operating in our corner of
the continent.
s a professional radio
dcaster of this very type of
music, I am insulted by what he
wrote and hope that he will
think carefully about what he
writes when he is reviewing
other peoples' music. Jazz has
had a difficult enough time get-
ting taken seriously in this soci-
ety over the last 100 years. It
doesn't need your distorted
descriptions to c
ture. Miller shot
thing meaningfu
himself to reviev
bands from Seat
THEO
UN
Review
too pOE
TO THE DAILY:
I just finish(
Shih's glowing
Air." ("Cage, M
talize action ge
hit 'Con Air,"''
think that I saw
This derivative
barely pass at F
prices and show
titled "ClicheA
its producers m
a little of the p(
"The Rock" in
this stinker.
loud the pic- utation and/or status in inter-
ald say some- collegiate sports.
A or confine An offer by an athlete to
wing garage compensate the University for
tle. any financial losses attributable
to intentional misconduct (as
IDORE GRENIER recent reports indicate Marcus
IVERSITY STAFF Camby has offered to the
University of Massachusetts)
would be a step in the right
was direction. However, any such
"voluntary" action by an ath-
;itive lete would be grossly inade-
quate to remedy the damage
inflicted on the reputations of
ed reading Julia the team members, the coach,
review of "Con the University and the Big Ten
lalkovich revi- Conference. Further, the finan-
nre in runaway cial losses to the University
6/18/97) 1 don't and the conference far exceed
the same film. the sums that may be required
film would to be payed to the NCAA as a
ox Village result of any such misconduct.
Id have been If it is determined that any
kir." I think that student-athlete is guilty of this
lust have sniffed type of misconduct, the
oison gas from University has an obligation to
order to make state residents as well as faculty,
staff, students, alumni and bene-
factors to seek compensation
JOEL PARRIOTT for all present and future losses
RACKtIAM attributable to the misconduct.
On a final note, we hope
that any student athlete who
St take chooses so disgrace the
University by committing
On intentional violations of athlet-
ic rules or NCAA regulations
ns is subject to immediate suspen-
sion or expulsion. One would
: presume that athletic scholar-
we strongly ship contracts contain a provi-
rsity to take sion for penalties of this sort.
Fourth ofJuly celebrations, Upper Peninsula-style
F illed with memories of egg tosses, street and reminiscing about old times, a group of old
dances, riding our crepe-paper covered bicy- friends begins to congregate. My old classmate
cles in the parade and going to the annual PTO "Gyver" acts like we never left high school and
Chicken Barbecue, my friend Michele and I begins to badger me about my supposed "knee-jerk
embarked on the 10-hour journey home to Dollar liberal" antics. Michele tells him I voted
Bay, Mich., to celebrate Independence Day. We Libertarian in the last election and who knows, I
pulled into the metropolis of Houghton (five may soon be joining a militia. Gyver defensively
miles from our small town) at 11:00 screams atus, "What's wrong with the
p.m., after 10 long hours of practicing militia?" Oh, the charm of a small town.
our Yooper accents: "Yah, look at dat," Despite a skydiving accident, the night
dermometer dere, fordy-seven degrees, proved worthwhile.
shoulda packed da flannels, eh?" It Waking up on the Fourth to the smell of
seemed like months since our Yooper barbecued chicken, I prepare myself for
blood experienced the thrill of cold, another day of Yooper festivities. Michele
crisp air. We rolled down the windows, and I carefully stake out a spot to watch
breathed in the fresh air and prepared the parade, making sure we're close
ourselves for two fun-filled days of a enough to small children so we can collect
good ole' small-town Fourth of July. the misfired candy, or wrestle the kids for
The night before the Fourth, Michele KRISTIN a few Tootsie Rolls. In accordance with
and I decided to partake in Dollar Bay's AROLA tradition, the parade starts late, yet we still
opening ceremonies, which consist of a At NGI IN enjoy watching the local high school
street dance, sky divers and an un-offi- lING FANS bands and the "floats," which are really
cial repeal on the open-container law. somebody's truck with a sign advertising a
Main Street (consisting of Partanen's Bar, Richie's business, with kids throwing candy.
Market and a post office) is blocked off and a local After the Dollar Bay parade we decide to get in
band plays covers of everything from "Kokomo" to the car and venture 30 miles to an even smaller
"Rock 'n' Roll All Night." Walking up to the busy town called Gay, for the 16th annual Gay Parade.
street we immediately spot the Dollar Bay regulars Once again the open-container rule seems to be
- the people who have never left and never will, ignored as men in Oakley sunglasses and
"Guttee," the son of Richie (as in Richie's Market) Marlboro T-shirts stumble around the entrance to
is still standing in front of the store sweeping, the Gay Bar, which is selling hats and sweatshirts
"Zhaust" - named for the smell of exhaust that he reading "Go straight to the Gay Bar." As we
wears like cologne (snowmobile or four-wheeler, watch the bizarre parade of locals who put
depending on the season) - is still wearing his together a float or a costume, a man in a shower
Skoal hat, and CBR (Chicken Baby Raper), a scary cap, a tutu, a cape and a sign reading "Stupor
old man who spends his time staring at people and Man" strolls by. At this point in our vacation I
hitchhiking, is still, well, staring. realize that the Fourth of July in the U.P. may not
Stumbling through the crowd of mall-hair and be about celebrating our freedom, or commemo-
Pabst Blue Ribbon, we run into a Dollar Hill High rating the signing of the Declaration of
School alumnus, "Critter," who offers us some Independence, but it sure is a good time.
beer. Sipping on a bottle of Miller Genuine Draft - E-mail Kristin Arola at aolak@umich.edu.
Extremists and the 'world's infinite variety'
O ur society is really pretty goofy at times. over the state capital. "I pledge allegiance to the
For instance, take higher education - how Flag of the United Nations, huh, I don't think so,"
do we prepare our young people for entering the were his exact words. Yeah, Larry, avoidance of
real world on their own? Answer: We send them international conflict, famine and disaster relief
to an idealistic institution that bears little resem- really trouble me too. Damn that United Nations,
blance to the post-graduation world. It makes damn it straight to hell. To me it seems absolutely
absolutely no sense and I have no idea if it works, ludicrous, but to Larry this was a big infringement
but it certainly grows on you. on the sovereignty of the Wolverine state.
I love the University. In simplest Larry fits what previously I might
terms, my area of comfort radiates from have dismissed as a caricature of the
the center of the Diag (before they start- extreme right-wing, white male. I am
ed cutting down the trees, of course). I " anot talking about the pasty-white
guess I just like a town where people College Republicans, but people who
aren't embarrassed to say they support- are really fed up with the "system" and
ed Walter Mondale. I mean, "We are are looking for a massive change.
going to tax you back to the Stone Age" I mean, for God's sake, Larry gets
was a very catchy campaign slogan. I most of his news from the Ted Nugent
like a city where you are more likely to Morning Show and true to his breed, he
park on the golf course than you are to PAUL mimics the rock 'n' roll Republican's
play on it and where more people own SERILLA hatred of the "liberal establishment."
Frisbees than tennis rackets. Tack on the I A In a nutshell, Larry's insecure yapping,
largest chapter of the Hillary Rodham WARsA.= ER need to be noticed, and disaffected angry
Clinton fan club in the world and I think white male routine basically fits the typ-
you have one bitchin' enclave for the liberal in all ical shot-up-a-post-office mold. He echoes the
of us (well, me at least). somewhat warped libertarian ethos of personal
The touchy-feely-hippy-trippy-liberal slant on freedoms, ownership of guns and no taxes; I guess
life isn't the only brand in town, but I am per- it shouldn't surprise me that he is a freelancer in
fectly happy looking at the world through Ann his field. It does surprise me that so much of what
Arbor-colored glasses. But, once in a while he believes surrounds the phrases "don't tell me
everyone needs a little we all need a little jolt to what to do" and "leave me alone" when nobody
spark us out of our comfort zone, something to really cares what he does and what he really wants
remind us that the world is filled with infinite is for people to pay attention to him.
variety which some people hate. I guess in that way Larry has succeeded, I
I got my little jolt the other day from a co-work- noticed him. I now question if there are more
er at a suburban Detroit company. Larry, or self-styled patriots out there, when before I
"Scary Larry" as he ironically calls himself, is a would have chalked the phenomenon to a few
fairly harmless but annoying guy. He talks rces- wackos exploited by the evening news in the
santly, but nobody really listens, so he acts kind wake of the Oklahoma City bombing.
of macho and smooth and just keeps talking. I said earlier that the world is filled with infinite
In the first five minutes I knew him he told me variety. I think I am closer to understanding that.
about the recent atrocity of a U.N. flag being raised - E-mail Paul Serilla atpserilla@umich.edu.
'U' mu
action
violatio
TO THE DAILY
As alumni,
urge the Unive
legal action ag
-athlete whose
conduct for fin
causes the Uni
any injury to it
ainst any student
intentional mis-
ancial gain
versity to suffer
s academic rep-
J. MICHAEL SOBKOWSKI-
DOYLE
MARY SOBKOWSKI-DOYLE
UNIVERSITY ALUMNI
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