4' Monday, June 18 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com (Ti -fi **tAW A free education Monday, June 18, 2012 The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com Usher confesses to soul searchig Edited and managed by students at, the University of Michigan since 1890. 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@umich.edu JACOB AXELRAD EDITOR IN CHIEF GIACOMO BOLOGNA MANAGING EDITOR ADRIENNE ROBERTS EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely theviews of their authors. Block the.vote Strict laws make voting in Michigan difficult for some he results of this November's election will have a major impact on numerous policy decisions at the local, state and federal level. But a new set of laws passed by the Michigan House of Representa- tives threatens to deny voters the opportunity to express their views at the voting booth. The House bills are clearly deliberate attempts to pro- hibit many Michigan citizens from voting, including college students and minority groups. In such a pivotal election year, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder must veto these bills so everyone's voices can be heard without unfair and unnecessary restrictions. College courset unless, of course, An odd routine life, and for all you hun- gry learners, it may soon enter yours.. Nightfall now signals settling in and signing in - to class. A class taught by a Stanford Professor with a Stanford syl- labus, graded homework and, enrolled in a Ste learning progra enrolled anywhet I've been usingC effort by five e institutions - in( - to provide onl of charge. When Coursers in April, our Uni outstanding press were mentioned eton, Stanford, tl California, Berke versity of Penns] such as 'top-rank and "groundbrea al approach" as unveiling, and ou in the spotlight tt glow. Furtherm openness aligns] the University'sv though perhaps n tially assume. Coursera is ground. It's hard around an organi: free courses wh these same cours available at expet charging tuition f and $55,732. La institutions like do not turn on a ture into new ter rather, they are m freighters foreve of their inertia a revolutionary mo be firmly grounde statement and v lest we veer off c many areas of vision statement supports, such as economic growt. ment in Michiga or, pointedly, Ja remark that Mich viding "an uncon for the common n One of Course poses falls right following staten s are expensive - they're free. has entered my vision statement: "We nurture lifelong relationships with alumni who span the globe." Martha Pol- lack, vice provost for academic and budgetary attairs, and Scott Page, a University professor teaching a Coursera class, agreed almost exactly on the purpose of the pro- gram: away to connect with alum- ni and prospective students. MICHAEL SMALLEGAN The landscape of higher education exams. I'm not anford distance- is 1shifting. m, nor am I re this semester. Coursera, a joint lite educational All of this, however, is one spe- cluding our own cific angle. As an outsider to the ine courses free Board of Regents and the Office of the Provost, the only way to a was introduced understand the purpose and long- iversity received term strategy behind Coursera is for doing so. We through the material I have already alongside Princ- brought to your attention. I have he University of come to the conclusion that though ley and the Uni- unsigned and unstated, the real pilvania. Phrases impetus driving the University's ed universities," progression has to be our commit- king education- ment to "change, adapt and grow." ccompanied the I think the University is getting r University was involved with Coursera because acatch the warm other "elite" universities are doing ore, Coursera's it as well. It's the zeitgeist, the new beautifully with direction of change. I have no idea vision statement, what this means for the future of rot how we'd ini- education, and from what I can tell, neither does the University. breaking new In no way do I mean to dispar- to wrap my head age Coursera or the University's cation that offers involvement. In fact, I love that I en in the past am taking an Algorithm Design es have only been and Analysis class for free and asive universities enjoying high quality teaching and between $25,204 having fun with it. My utopian ide- rge, established als say this model should be the the University model for all education: self-direct- dime and ven- ed, few barriers on entry, results- ritory every day; based instead of credentials-based. sore like hulking Maybe it is the future, maybe it's r at the mercy not, but we should be aware that nd trajectory. A the landscape of higher education ve like this must is shifting under our feet. ed in our mission Down the road, will your ision statement, degree mean the same thing that ourse. There are it does now? For that matter, does the University's a degree now mean what it did 20 that Coursera years ago? With the flurry of news- , "We stimulate print that emerges every spring h and develop- dedicated to chronicling the n and beyond," gloomy climate of post-graduate mes B. Angell's job searching, you have to wonder. igan aims at pro- Regardless of what it means for nmon education the future, Coursera exists. nan." Talk about it, try it out and lis- a's stated pur- ten to the sounds of flux. in line with the sent from our Michael Smallegan can be reached at smallmic@umich.edu. New album climaxes into Usher-uncharted territory ByKAYLA UPADHYAYA SeniorArts Editor The release of pop-soul phenom Usher's newest album comes at a time when pop music is largely struggling to hold on to any sense * of craftsmanship and genuine- Looking 4 ness. And with f his last album, Raymond v. Ray- Usher mond, Usher wholly bought RCA into these fads, releasing some of his most trite and unimpressive singles. With Looking 4 Myself he transforms the trends, bends and twists them to make them his own. And the end product is nothingshort of masterful. But Usher isn't really looking for himself - he knows who he is and that's why he's a lasting megastar in a genre where so many have their brief, fiery moment in the spotlight before flickering and fading. His music has always been honest, and Looking 4 Myself is no exception. In fact, it's his most emotionally lay- ered album since the sensational Confessions. But the album is not without its missteps, and Usher still throws on a few auto-tuned, Top-40- esque tracks to guarantee radio playability. The album's first two tracks, "Can't Stop Won't Stop" and "Scream," make absolutely no pre- tensions, the former opening oh-so- daftly with "Hey, what's up, this is a jam / Turn it up," and the latter featuring a too-familiar beat. When will Usher learn that a song with- out his sweet, lilting falsetto is like a sugarless cake? The bonus tracks similarly lack musical or emotional depth: The intriguing classical vio- lin sampling in "I.F.U" is overshad- owed by forced "Birthday Cake"-y robo-claps. The supporting cast Usher employs speaks to the eccentric- ity of influences at play on Looking 4 Myself In "Twisted," he teams up with The Neptunes to create a stripped-down funk jam that blends a throwback, swinging beat with early '00s soul, similar to the likes of Gnarls Barkley. To create an instant pop-house dance hit, he turns to Swedish House Mafia and their crisp, layered synth sounds. Perhaps most bizarrely is his part- nership with Empire of the Sun's Luke Steele on the smooth titular track, "Looking 4 Myself," that spectacularly imbues Usher's soul sounds with a bouncing, electro- rock guitar line. Alive and effortless, the lead sin- gle, "Climax," remains the albums most skillful endeavor. The Dip- lo-helmed power-ballad features delicate, ever-crescendoing synths sprinkled amongst a brew of per- fectly timed percussive sounds. Usher's vocals are huge and vulner- able all at once, as he wails around a trilling string arrangement from composer Nico Muhly. It might just be one of the best breakup songs of all time. Usher similarly shows off his pipes on "Dive," a lulling and under- stated anthem that reaches Marvin Gaye levels of vocal variation. And there's "I Care For U," which opens with a warbling bass and hollow percussion suggesting another lackluster club banger. But the song unfolds into a beautiful electro-soul slow jam with verses reminiscent of Prince. Usher calls the genre of Look- ing 4 Myself "revolutionary pop" and considering the way the album culminates so many influences into a cohesive sound that highlights the multi-platinum, multi-Gram- my-winning artist's finest skills, he might just earn such an enter- prising claim. The album has the crossover and sex appeal of Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/Love- Sounds, but whereas J.T. focused a bit too much on bending the genre, leaving the lyrics underthought and gooey, Usher experiments and still maintains an endearing level of sincerity with his verses. He doesn't redefine himself, because he doesn't need to. Instead, he sug- gests that big-pop doesn't necessar- ily need to follow the crass Top-40 template and the genre isn't com- pletely isolated from musical and emotional breadth. Mediocre variation of Rock' musical If Gov. Snyder signs the eight- bill House package, Michigan voters would have to "present photo identification when apply- ing for an absentee ballot in their first election or sign an affidavit," the Associated Press reports. The House bills would also require third-party voter registration groups - including registration groups affiliated with universi- ties - to "register and receive training." House Republicans argue that these bills would make voting more secure in the state of Michigan. Under the Higher Education Act, universities have a legal obligation to help their students register to vote. For example, the Voice Your Vote group here at the University works to "encourag(e) student voter participation" under a "non-partisan" label. Many University students will be voting for the first time this fall, and some won't know the proper registration process or other voting logistics. The House bills would make these groups receive training from Michi- gan's Secretary of State as well as submit completed voter reg- istration forms within two busi- ness days in the last week of the voter registration period, which would greatly hinder the ability for third-party voter registration groups to help students with the voting process. The bills also are very likely to be politically motivated. College students and minority groups usually vote for Democrats in elections, so the Republican-led House would naturally want to reduce the number of potential Democratic votes in a close elec- tion. This tactic is unacceptable since the right to vote is undeni- ably guaranteed by the Consti- tution. House Republicans also claim that 1,000 dead people voted in Michigan between 2008 and 2011. This is a false notion, as they were "clerical errors," according to Michigan's Secre- tary of State Office. It's clear that voter fraud is not the problem here, and Republicans are grasp- ing at straws to-try to determine who votes and who doesn't. There is no reason the gov- ernment should be intervening to further diminish voter turn- out as only 40 to 60 percent of American citizens vote in nation- al elections. Strict voter ID laws shouldn't be established to turn even more Americans away from the polls each year. Instead, the government should be working to increase voter turnout, so that as many American citizens as pos- sible can vote and become part of our nation's future. Gov. Snyder needs to veto this unjust bill in order to ensure that as all Michigan citizens over 18 have the ability to vote come November and have an impor- tant say in our nation's future. Moreover, the governor's veto is imperative, as it could potentially deter many minorities and col- lege students from voting in the future. By NOAH COHEN nor is the script lacking in feel- For theDaily good moments and laughs, but the romantic leads, Boneta and Hough "Rock of Ages" spams the audi- have no gravity individually, and ence with exactly the '80s glam approximately average chemis- metal atmosphere to be expected try. The two resemble airbrushed from a movie shadows of Patrick Swayze and adaptation of * Christina Aguilera. Tom Cruise, the eponymous meanwhile, resembles Tom Cruise. Broadway musi- ROCk of Surprisingly, Russell Brand saves cal, but some-Ag the day with his wide-eyed, Johnny thing is lost in Depp-ish hilarity and a genuine translation from At Quality16 investment in the Rock Culture that theater to silver and Rave feels hollowly represented else- screen. Or maybe where in the film. Brand, along with the material upon Warner Bros. an oddly-coiffed Alec Baldwin, pro- which the movie vide a fun emotional backdrop for is based was never gritty or sincere the main conflicts. to begin with. The story follows Sherrie (Juli- anne Hough), just a small town '80s hair too flat; girl, tryingto make it big in a lonely world (Los Angeles). An aspiring singer, she begins looking for a day e o h z z. job. She meets Drew (Diego Boneta) at a bar, and after some romantic interludes, he gets her a job. The The center stage plot arc regard- quintessential misunderstanding ing the Mayor and his wife was that ensues between the couple not a part of the original Musi- leads to angst and ultimately, a clas- cal, and those who have seen the sic reconciliation. A variety of sub- musical will note the absence of a plots play out in the background cute romantic sub-plot. Addition- as Hough dances her way through ally, the movie opts never to break heartbreak. the fourth wall and speak to the The cast is not lacking in talent audience, which is something the original musical did constantly via Lonny (Brand). The music is pleasant, even if'80s music is not your thing. It's difficult to resist the upbeat tenor of the hit classics, and there are no sour voices in the batch, not even Tom Cruise, whose high tenor is an odd plus to his performance. The movie aims for the camp of "Glee" tuned to the dusky glam- our of Adele, and the end result could have been much worse. Par- ticularly, there is a nicely produced mashup of"We BuiltThis City" (the 1985 hit by Starship) and "We're Not Gonna Take It" (the 1984 hit by Twisted Sister). Despite the flamboyantly unseri- ous tone of the movie, its relentless sexiness disqualifies it as a family movie, and possibly as a date movie, depending on your date. The super- fluity of sex is also responsible for broadcasting the shortcomings of the leads, whose out-of-place inno- cence doesn't lend itself to engaging encounters and contrasts uncom- fortablywiththe sexualease, which the majority of the movie propa- gates. Mileage may vary with "Rock of Ages" depending on the audi- ence's history with the music and the original musical, but even if one hates the music, the bestbits of the movie are the quirks. Taken as a whole, the film is amusing but not compelling. I Try our NEW specialty salad! Made fresh daily with: Romaine Lettuce, Dried Cranberries, Gorgonzola Cheese, and Walnuts Special with this coupon: $3 (regular $5.69) Limit One offer per customer with coupon. Cannot be combined with any other offer BAGLS Valid at Barry Bagels Ann Arbor location ONLY BAGELS, Barry Bagels westgate Shopping Center 2515 Jackson Ave. Ann Arbor, Mi 48103 (734>u662-2435 www.barrybagels.com L Expires: July 1, 2012