Massachusetts Daily Collegian: Sept. 10, 2013

DOYLE TIME? PAGE 8



THE PUNISHER COMES TO LIFE IN FAN FILM PAGE 5

THE QB BATTLE RESUMES

THE MASSACHUSETTS

DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

WORLD

US, Russia embrace Syria deal Proposal to avoid U.S. missle strike

By HannaH allam, mattHew scHofield, and anita Kumar

McClatchy Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON – With Congress on the verge of considering whether to authorize President Barack Obama to launch a retaliatory attack on Syria, the United States and Russia on Monday embraced a proposal that would allow Syria to avoid a U.S. missile strike by relinquishing control of its chemical weapons.

Obama called the proposal a “significant breakthrough” in an interview with ‘NBC Nightly News,” and he said on PBS’s “NewsHour” that he had discussed the plan with Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Group of 20 summit last week in Russia.

But after two weeks of pressing for the need for a U.S. strike, Obama also said he remains skeptical that Syrian President Bashar Assad would agree to the idea. If he does, Obama told ABC News, he would “absolutely” hold off on a military strike.

“This may be a first step in what potentially could be an end to terrible bloodshed and millions of refugees throughout the region that is of deep concern to us and our allies,” Obama said on “CBS Evening News.”

The diplomatic advance came as evidence mounted that Obama’s request for congressional approval for a strike remained widely unpopular, both in Congress and with the American people, despite a public push that has included impassioned presentations in recent days by Secretary of State John Kerry, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power. Informal counts found House members who said they planned to vote “no” far outnumbering those willing to say they would vote “yes,” and a new McClatchy/Marist poll of U.S. public opinion showed nearly 3–to–1 opposition among registered voters to military action.

The Senate postponed its vote on a resolution that had been scheduled for Wednesday. Democratic aides said the delay was intended to give the Russian proposal time to come together. “I don’t think we need to see how fast we can do this,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D–Nev., said Monday night. “We have to see how well we can do this.”

The sudden possibility of a diplomatic solution came as Assad launched a public relations campaign of his own, granting an interview to American television, and new information emerged that raised questions about the see

SYRIA on page 3

Serving the UMass community since 1890

News@DailyCollegian.com

New email receives mixed replies Switched server surprises students B y eleanor H arte Collegian Correspondent After weeks of email reminders and tips, the University of Massachusetts officially transitioned its undergraduate email system from UMail to Google Mail in July, a system already used by many for their personal emails. The change included a shorter email address for undergraduate students, with a domain of umass.edu as opposed to the previous student. umass.edu.

According to the UMass Office of Information Technologies in a May 1 press release, the change to Google Mail is part of a bigger initiative called Apps at UMass Amherst, “Google’s suite of collaborative tools for educational institutions.”

Undergraduate students now access their email slightly differently than before, but in return they can utilize tools created

by Google to work with other students, such as Google Calendar, Google Sites, an online websitecreation, and Google Drive, an online file storage facility where users can upload documents that can then

be accessed anywhere their Google account can be accessed..

UMass switched to the Google Mail and Apps system mainly because of storage issues, according to Christopher Misra, associate chief information officer for security at OIT. “Limited storage was one of the most frequent complaints about UMail,” Misra said. “If we had kept our old UMail system, it would have required a major upgrade which would have been expensive and time-consuming.”

Google provides over 10 gigabytes of email storage to students.

Many students have

praised UMass and OIT for changing the email, despite initial concerns that the switch would be complicated.

“I’m very happy with the change,” said Liz Muenzen, a junior psychology major. “UMail was ugly and very inconvenient. I like that I can add the school’s Gmail onto my regular Gmail account.”

“I like that it’s readily available, meaning the emails come instantly, where with UMail there was a lag,” said Richard Pho, a junior biology major.

“I like that it’s umass. see

EMAIL on page 3

Root-ing aRound foR snacks

DELIAH BARTH/COLLEGIAN

Roots Cafe, located in the newly-constructed Commonwealth Honors College Concourse, is open and serving food 24 hours a day beginning this semester.

Study finds intensive care Hampshire DC to hold treatment to be costly, futile ribbon-cutting ceremony Survival rates grim for those treated By melissa Healy Los Angeles Times

Nearly 1 in 5 patients in a hospital’s intensive care unit gets care and treatment judged by physicians in charge to be ineffective, needlessly aggressive or pointless given the patients’ dire state, a new study says.

And the financial costs of that care are steep as well, adding up to $2.6 million over three months at a single academic medical center.

The study, conducted at an unidentified academic medical system in Los Angeles, found that of 1,125 patients who spent time in the ICU during a threemonth period, 98 received treatment that their physicians perceived as “possibly futile,” and 123 received

treatment that their physicians considered futile.

Written by a group of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, the study followed patients and their physicians and surveyed the doctors daily on their view of treatments provided. That ruled out judgments of futility that were colored by a physician’s knowledge of a patient’s outcome.

The study was published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine on Monday.

In 58 percent of the 221 cases judged to be possibly futile or futile, the physician in charge believed the burdens of the treatment he or she was providing “grossly outweighed” any benefit the patient would probably get.

Just more than half deemed treatment futile because they believed it would “never reach the patient’s

goals.” In 37 percent of cases, a patient’s imminent death was cited as the basis for judging treatment provided to be futile. And in 31 percent of the cases, physicians deemed their treatment futile because they believed a patient would never survive outside a hospital’s intensive care unit.

The survival rates of those who were given treatment judged to be futile were grim: 68 percent died while still in the hospital, and 16 percent died within six months of leaving the hospital.

Identifying how often treatment judged as futile is given and adding up its cost are first steps “toward refocusing care on treatments that are more likely to benefit patients,” wrote the authors, led by UCLA pulmonologist and criticalsee

CARE on page 3

By Jaclyn Bryson Collegian Staff

The newly renovated Hampshire Dining Commons will be recognized with a grand re-opening celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony this Tuesday, hosted by the University of Massachusetts Dining Services.

The ribbon cutting will take place in the Southwest Residential Area at 6:30 p.m., with three guest chefs there to help provide food for the celebration. Chef Mai Pham of Sacramento, Calif., will be preparing South East Asian style dishes; Chef Jehangir Mehta of New York will be cooking Indian cuisine; and Chef Bruno Wehren of Orlando, Fla., will be serving meals with a Mediterranean flare.

About 3,500 students are expected to attend the grand re-opening, which

Toong added that there is no competition between the dining halls. He said in the release that Hampshire and Berkshire should complement each other. marks the end of a two year, $15.5 million project to renovate the 46,000 square foot facility, originally constructed in 1966.

Besides refurbishments, Director of Auxiliary Enterprises Ken Toong added that the goal of the refurbishment project is to make Hampshire one of the healthiest dining commons in America.

“This can be accomplished by serving minimally processed foods and more plant-based items at peak season, less red meat, more sustainable seafood and healthier oils, fats and beverages,” Toong said in a UMass press release.

The newly renovated space is expected to reduce student traffic at Berkshire Dining Commons and give the 1,500 students living in the new Commonwealth Honors College dorms more dining options.

Toong added that there is no competition between the dining halls. He said in the release that Hampshire and Berkshire should complement rather than compete with each other and strive to provide students in the Southwest Residential Area with a more varied and exciting eating experience.

Jaclyn Bryson can be reached at jbryson@umass.edu.

2

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY...

In 1973, a rally was held on the steps of the Student Union to protest the new parking system which raised parking rates for students and faculty.

AROUND THE WORLD

Egypt attacks Islamists in Sinai CAIRO – Egypt’s military raids across the Sinai Peninsula appear to be the strongest offensive in years against Islamist militant networks that authorities fear are plotting a wave of attacks against government institutions and tourist resorts.

Tanks and helicopter gunships for a third day Monday targeted Islamist fighters in desert villages that border Israel and the Gaza Strip. The army also has destroyed smuggling tunnels leading into Gaza, which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, an ally of Egypt’s deposed Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The military’s strategy is twofold: routing extremists, including foreign fighters inspired by al-Qaida, and crimping scores of tunnels that provide Hamas with fuel, weapons, cars, medicine, groceries and other goods. Cairo has accused Hamas of instigating unrest and conspiring with Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement.

The army, which has confiscated explosive belts, detonators and bombs, said it is carrying out the “biggest military operation in North Sinai to attack terrorist lairs and arrest armed jihadists and outlaws.”

The offensive intensified after a militant group in the Sinai reportedly claimed responsibility for Thursday’s car bomb assassination attempt against Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim. The minister said militants in the Sinai, mostly radicalized Bedouin tribesmen, are seeking retribution for a crackdown that has killed hundreds of Brotherhood supporters over the last month.

At least 20 suspected militants and two soldiers have been killed since Saturday. The lawless Sinai, which has received smuggled weapons, including missiles, from Libya and fighters from Saudi Arabia and other countries, has become increasingly dangerous. Dozens of police and soldiers have been killed in ambushes since the July 3 coup that toppled Morsi.

It was impossible to verify the army’s account of its latest offensive. Security forces have often exaggerated their successes in the Sinai. Independent assessments are scarce. Last week, police arrested journalist Ahmed Abu Deraa, whose reports on security in the region have frequently disputed the government’s versions.

MCT

QUOTE OF T H E D AY “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whatever he is.”

C. S. Lewis

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

AMHERST POLICE LOG

Townehouse revelry highlights weekend Nothing else out of the ordinary

By Mary reines Collegian Staff

On Saturday, between 2:28 p.m. and 3:45 p.m., five police officers responded to a disturbance at Townehouse Apartments quads and arrived to clear out more than 1,000 people from the premises. Some revelers deferred to 53 Meadow St. after the police arrived. They were eventually cleared out following a disturbance complaint and a resident’s arrest at approximately 4:34 p.m.

See details of arrest below.

each received a summons at 406 N. Pleasant St. and were charged with underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

10:37 p.m. An 18-year-old male from Peabody received a summons at 53 Fearing St. and was charged with underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

10:45 p.m. Brendan M. Deady, 19, of Jamaica Plain, was arrested on Sunset Ave. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

10:46 p.m. Jason Rubenstein, 18, of Woodcliff Lake, N.J., was arrested at 111 Fearing 9:15 a.m. A 40-year-old male St. on charges of underage from Springfield received a possession of alcohol and summons at 111 Main St. and possession of an open conwas charged with breaking tainer of alcohol. and entering a vehicle and larceny under $250.

10:47 p.m. A 19-year-old male from Rutland received 1:41 p.m. A 40-year-old male a summons at 144 Fearing St. from Springfield received a and was charged with undersummons at 187 Pelham Rd. age possession of alcohol. and was charged with breaking and entering in the day- 10:54 p.m. A 19-year-old male time and larceny under $250. from Pembroke received a

Friday, Sept. 6, 2013

summons at 200 Sunset Ave. 8:26 p.m. A 20-year-old male and was charged with underfrom Pittsfield received a age possession of alcohol. summons at 50 Meadow St. and was charged with under- 11:02 p.m. An 18-year-old age possession of alcohol. male from Chelmsford 9:41 p.m. Brendan J. Gillis, 19, of Duxbury, was arrested at 990 North Pleasant St. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

received a summons at 53 Fearing St. and was charged with underage possession of alcohol.

11:04 p.m. A fight occurred on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Fearing Street.

One individual fled the scene 9:59 p.m. Cory Quinn, 20, of and an injured individual Springfield, was arrested at refused medical treatment.

156 Sunset Ave. on charges of underage possession of 11:52 p.m. A 19-year-old indialcohol. vidual from Bristow, Va., received a summons at 144 10:09 p.m. An 18-year- Fearing St. and was charged old male from Brant Rock with underage possession of received a summons at 48 alcohol.

Triangle St. and was charged with underage possession of Saturday Sept. 7, 2013 alcohol.

12:09 a.m. Two 20-year-old 10:26 p.m. A 19-year-old male males from Greenfield and from Boston and a 19-year- one 20-year-old female from old male from Marlborough Devens each received a sum-

age possession of alcohol, possession of alcohol in a motor vehicle and possession of an open container of 12:10 a.m. Nicholas J. Vogler, alcohol.

18, of Chelmsford, was arrested at 32 Fearing St. on 4:34 p.m. Tyler E. Boyle, 21, charges of underage posses- of Lowell, was arrested at sion of alcohol and posses- 53 Meadow St. on charges sion of an open container of of possession of an open container of alcohol. One alcohol.

20-year-old male from Lowell 12:45 a.m. Denis Topakov, 20, received a summons for of Dorchester, was arrested underage possession of alcoat 174 College St. on charg- hol. The Meadow Street resies of unlawful noise. Police dents; one 21-year-old male responded to a noise com- from Medford, one 23-yearplaint and found over 70 peo- old male from Marshfield, one 22-year-old male from ple at his residence.

Amherst, and one 21-year12:43 a.m. A 21-year-old male old male from Amherst, each from Watertown received received a summons for a a summons at 1040 North nuisance house.

Pleasant St. and was charged with possession of an open 10:17 p.m. Nicolas S. Lennan, 18, of Saugus, was arrested container of alcohol. at 47 Fearing St. on charges 12:57 a.m. A 21-year-old male of underage possession of from Belchertown received a alcohol and possession of an summons at 104 College St. open container of alcohol. and was charged with possession of an open container 10:41 p.m. Sophia N. Parella, 18, of Worcester, was arrestof alcohol. ed at 28 Nutting Ave. on 1:21 a.m. A 21-year-old male charges of underage posfrom Turner’s Falls received session of alcohol. Joshua a summons at 270 Lincoln H. Shlegel, 18, of Worcester, Ave. and was charged with was arrested on charges possession of an open con- of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an tainer of alcohol. open container of alcohol.

2:06 a.m. Aidan P. Killeen, 18, of Milton, was arrested 10:56 p.m. Matthew R. at 1 Sunset Ct. on charges Briden, 19, of Wexford, of underage possession of Penn., was arrested at 33 Phillips St. on charges of alcohol. underage possession of alco2:09 a.m. Jake T. Keefer, 20, hol and possession of an of Attleboro, was arrested open container of alcohol. at 111 Fearing St. on charges of underage possession of 10:58 p.m. A 19-year-old alcohol and possession of an female from Syosset, N.Y., received a summons at 53 open container of alcohol.

Fearing St. and was charged 3:06 a.m. A 23-year-old male with underage possession of from Holliston received alcohol. a summons at 50 Meadow St. Apt. 85 and was charged 11:28 p.m. An 18-year-old female from New Fairfield, with trespassing.

Conn., received a summons 1:21 p.m. A wristlet was sto- at 31 Phillips St. and was len at Club Lit on 41 Boltwood charged with underage posWalk and the burglar alleg- session of alcohol. edly attempted to use credit 11:38 p.m. Alexander K. cards fraudulently.

White, 18, of Marshfield, was 4:33 p.m. A 19-year-old male arrested at 200 Sunset Ave. from Chelmsford received a on charges of underage possummons at 53 Meadow St. session of alcohol and posand was charged with under- session of an open container mons at 1 Sunset Ct. and were charged with underage possession of alcohol.

of alcohol.

11:56 p.m. Daniel J. Dufour, 20, of Franklin, was arrested at 28 Nutting Ave. on charges of underage possession and possession of an open container of alcohol.

Sunday, Sept. 8, 2013 12:11 a.m. Jane K. Meyer, 19, of Brockton, was arrested at 32 Fearing St. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

12:12 a.m. Derek M. Meaney, 17, of Woburn, was arrested at 31 Phillips St. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

12:27 a.m. Andrew M. Campbell, 18, of Billerica, was arrested at 32 Nutting Ave. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

12:44 a.m. A 20-year-old male from Duxbury received a summons at 591 Main St. and was charged with larceny after he was allegedly found carrying an apartment complex sign.

1:00 a.m. Noah N. Jackson, 17, of Northampton, was arrested at 53 Meadow St. on charges of underage possession of alcohol and possession of an open container of alcohol.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

EMAIL

edu instead of student. umass.edu,” said Danielle Enos, a junior psychology major. “It’s shorter and easier to write out.”

“The only thing that annoys me is the name switch, because I keep forgetting when I type it in, but it’s otherwise fine,” agreed Marta Azzollini, a senior psychology major.

“I think it looks a lot better.”

Not everyone is happy with the change, however.

“Gmail is so much harder to use,” said Korie Thurlow, a junior English major. “For the first few weeks I felt like none of my emails went through.

UMail was really easy to use, and even though Gmail looks better, I don’t care about fancy. I just

CARE

SYRIA

continued from page 1

want to be able to send my emails.”

“It’s frustrating to use the mail application on the iPhone and Mac because it doesn’t let me send emails, so I had to download the Gmail app so I could send emails,” Pho said.

Despite the challenges, Misra is confident that the transition is a good one.

“As with any largescale transition, there have been some challenges making sure all students are aware of the change in their email,” he said. “We spent much effort trying to communicate actively with students to ensure a successful transition.”

Overall, Misra believes that the “partnership with Google benefits our students and the university.”

In addition to undergraduates moving over to Google Mail and Apps, OIT is also assisting faculty, staff, graduate students and retired personnel in a transition to Microsoft Exchange in a further effort to completely phase out UMail in 2014.

Faculty, staff and graduate students may elect to keep their current domain name, assigned through their respective departments, or may choose to use the umass.edu domain.

The entire campus has access to the Google Apps suite through the new system but only undergraduates have access to Google Mail.

Eleanor Harte can be reached at eharte@umass.edu.

continued from page 1

care specialist Dr. Thanh N. Huynh.

In an accompanying commentary, a pair of criticalcare doctors urged first that physicians eschew the use of the term “futile” in describing treatments unlikely to save, extend or improve a patient’s life. Noting that loved ones rarely ask for treatment that stands no chance at all of helping the patient, Massachusetts General Hospital’s Dr. Robert D. Truog and UPenn Medical Center physician Douglas B. White urged doctors to use the term “potentially inappropriate” to describe treatment they believe is unlikely to help.

When a patient’s loved ones do ask for treatments a physician considers futile, Truog and White urged the doctor to step up his or her communication, not to refuse or withdraw.

When a patient’s loved ones do ask for treatments a physician considers futile, Truog and White urged the doctor to step up his or her communication, not to refuse or withdraw. If the physician offers a clearer sense of a patient’s prognosis, provides more emotional support and elicits a discussion of the patient’s values, families may alter their demands, they wrote.

Truog and White also

call for more use of palliative care experts - a growing trend in medicine that focuses on a patient’s comfort rather than a cure. And when loved ones continue to insist on treatment not likely to help, physicians “should not simply acquiesce,” but rather should pursue a dispute resolution process rather than outright refuse the request, Truog and White wrote.

1:09 a.m. Jack M. Lehan, 18, of Weymouth, was arrested at 1039 North Pleasant St. on charges of underage possession of alcohol, possession of an open container of alcohol and false use of a liquor card ID. 2:13 a.m. A 20-year-old male from Falmouth received a summons at 73 Fearing St. on charges of larceny for allegedly running out of the residence with a bicycle.

Mary Reines can be reached at mreines@umass.edu.

WORLD

Violence intensifies in northern India Prime Minister calls for peace in region

By Mark Magnier Los Angeles Times

NEW DELHI – It began in the smallest of ways, when a teenage Hindu girl complained to her family that she’d been verbally harassed by a Muslim boy.

The girl’s brother and cousin allegedly responded by going to the teenage boy’s home and shooting him to death. Reacting to that, members of his family and others in the Muslim community allegedly beat to death the brother and cousin.

From that spark in late August, violence in India’s northern Uttar Pradesh state has escalated, with the death toll reaching 31 on Monday as police locked down the area and the prime minister called for calm.

A curfew has been imposed in the Muzaffarnagar district where the dispute arose, about 13,000 security officers have been deployed, and more than 100 people have been arrested on charges of inciting violence. Schools and shops were closed Monday after

hundreds of villagers reportedly fled their homes Sunday or were evacuated by police.

After the initial confrontation and violence, passions were further inflamed when a video was circulated a few days later showing two men being lynched – in fact, the video was reportedly shot in Pakistan in 2010 – leading to growing violence in neighboring villages, massive demonstrations, armed street battles and inflammatory speeches by local politicians. Police said rumors spread by mobile phones and social media made the situation worse.

“It began over a trivial issue and turned into communal violence,” said Sharat Pradhan, a Lucknow–based independent political analyst. “This is a common way of settling scores in this part of Uttar Pradesh, which is known as the ‘Wild West,’ a place where human life is almost meaningless.”

Dr. Ashok Agrawal, Muzaffarnagar’s chief medical superintendent, said his staff has performed 18 postmortems to date, with more expected once the remaining corpses are identified.

“We are waiting for the police orders to decide what

to do with the said.

Video from showed rows with shutters Muzaffarnagar

bodies,” he of a study by the Cabinet secretary’s office released the area Saturday, compared with of shops 410 for all of 2012.

Uttar Pradesh saw some drawn in as well as of the most violent religious

“This is a common way of settling scores in this part of Uttar Pradesh, which is known as the ‘Wild West,’ a place where human life is almost meaningless.”

Sharat Pradhan, political analyst empty streets patrolled by army trucks.

Violence between Muslims and Hindus has been an unfortunate feature of Indian politics since the country’s wrenching split with Pakistan in 1947, when hundreds of thousands of people from both communities were killed and millions were displaced.

The latest incidents underscore how sensitive relations remain between different ethnic and religious communities in India.

About 80 percent of India’s 1.2 billion population is Hindu, and around 13 percent is Muslim.

There have been 451 cases of communal violence so far this year in seven Indian states most prone to Hindu–Muslim violence, according to the results

the rival Bharatiya Janata Party. Samajwadi tends to rely on Muslim voters, while the BJP is strong among Hindus.

“A minor scuffle between two individuals has been blown into a riot simply because of being fueled by BJP leaders who have nothing else to bank on at a time when general elections are not far away,” Yadav said.

BJP leaders have denied fanning sectarian violence.

In a telephone call to Yadav, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pledged full federal support in stemming the bloodshed and called on the chief minister to take control of the situation and ensure that peace returned to Muzaffarnagar.

A general election is set for early next year. Uttar Pradesh is a hugely important state, and many political leaders are maneuvering for position.

“Because there’s an election around the corner, politicians try and take advantage of it,” Pradhan said. “It’s a game, a blatant political game, with ordinary people held hostage.”

–––

clashes in recent memory in 1992 after a Hindu mob leveled the 16th century Babri Mosque in Ayodhya.

The act of destruction led to weeks of rioting between Hindus and Muslims across India that reportedly left over 2,000 people dead.

Several politicians who’ve tried to reach Muzaffarnagar – located about 80 miles north of New Delhi – in recent days have been blocked by police who said their presence threatened to spark more tension.

Indian political parties, which frequently stir up religious, ethnic and caste differences to win votes, blamed each other for the violence.

Akhilesh Yadav, the (Tanvi Sharma in the New chief minister of Uttar Delhi bureau contributed to Pradesh and a leader of the this report.)

Samajwadi Party, blamed

Hampshire Dining Grand Re-Opening

Join the Celebration!

Tuesday, September 10 5–9 pm

Official Ribbon Cutting: 6:30 pm

Five Guest Chefs · Giveaways · Music Healthy & Sustainable Cuisine

umassdining.com facebook.com/UMassDining

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

3

continued from page 1

U.S. version of a chemical weapons attack Aug. 21 in suburbs east of Damascus.

Speaking to interviewer Charlie Rose, Assad denied using chemical weapons and warned that if the U.S. struck Syria, “you should expect everything,” apparently referring not only to potential retaliation from Syrian forces, but also to fallout from his allies Iran and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Obama said repeatedly that Assad does not have a “credible means to threaten the United States,” but he acknowledged that his allies, including Iran and Hezbollah, could engage in terrorist strikes against the U.S. In Germany, the newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported over the weekend that the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence agency told legislators that an intelligence gathering ship, the Oker, had intercepted communications in which Assad repeatedly rejected field requests to use chemical weapons.

The newspaper, which is Germany’s largest Sunday publication, said that legislators were told that German intelligence officials had concluded that Assad was not behind the Aug. 21 attack.

A Syrian opposition group, the Damascus Center for Human Rights, also issued a report that provided yet another count of the dead in the Ghouta area east of Damascus, saying that while it believed more than 1,600 people had died, it could confirm the deaths of only 678 people, far fewer than the U.S. claim that 1,429 people, including 426 children, had died. The Damascus Center said that 106 children and 157 women were among the deaths it had confirmed.

Obama, who is scheduled to speak to the nation in a televised address Tuesday, said on “NewsHour” that he and Putin had been talking about the proposal for Assad to surrender control of his chemical weapons “for quite some time.”

“I did discuss this with President Putin,” Obama said on Fox News. “This is something that is not new.

I’ve been discussing this with President Putin for some time now.”

The development, however, seemed to catch much of Washington unawares after Russia seized on what appeared to be an off–the–cuff suggestion from Kerry that a surrender to international control of Syrian chemical weapons would be enough to halt a U.S. strike. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov quickly raised the idea with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who was in Moscow.

Muallem said he welcomed the idea and would seek Assad’s approval. He said he expected a quick, positive response, though none had been announced

by Monday night.

There were no further details on how such an undertaking could happen, especially the logistics of getting international inspectors to sites or transporting highly sensitive materials in the midst of a civil war that’s raged for more than two years.

The Obama administration spent much of the afternoon backpedaling on Kerry’s remarks – insisting they were rhetorical and not intended as an offer – but by that time the Russians, the Syrians,

the British and some members of Congress had welcomed the plan as a detour on the U.S. march toward action.

By the end of the day, the Russian proposal had surfaced in Obama’s six network TV interviews, briefings at the White House and the State Department, and at a White House appearance by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was speaking.

White House spokesman Jay Carney made no mention of Obama’s previous conversations with Putin. He said the reason that Russia had made the proposal is because of the “intense pressure” on Assad by the United States. He added that the administration would continue building support in Congress for a limited U.S. strike.

“We would not be having this conversation ... if it weren’t for the fact that there is the credible threat of U.S. military action in response to their use of those weapons,” he said.

The twist of events began at a news conference in London, where Kerry said a strike could be avoided if the Assad regime turned over “every single bit” of its chemical arsenal to international authorities by the end of the week.

By the time the State Department clarified that Kerry’s remarks were intended only as rhetoric about a highly improbable scenario, Moscow already had pounced on the opening.

Moscow’s maneuvering to turn Kerry’s ad libs into a potential diplomatic breakthrough only added another obstacle to Obama’s task of selling Congress and the public on an unpopular, ill– defined strike.

As of Monday, the Obama administration had provided classified briefings to 185 lawmakers. Others have attended unclassified briefings or one–on–one meetings.

The president will meet with Senate Republicans Tuesday at the Capitol before a prime–time address on television.

Obama said he knows he faces an uphill battle in persuading Americans to support the strikes. He said on PBS that he does not think he will convince the overwhelming majority of the American people that he should take action.

Even members of his own family are “suspicious” of military intervention, he said. But, Obama said, he believes he can make a “very strong case” to the nation.

In his interviews Monday, Obama made it clear that he recognizes that congressional authorization is by no means assured. “I wouldn’t say I’m confident,” he said on NBC. Obama declined to say whether he would use force in Syria without congressional approval.

“I think it’s fair to say that I haven’t decided,” he told NBC. “I am taking this vote in Congress and what the American people are saying very seriously.

I knew by bringing this to Congress that there was a risk that the American people, you know, just could not arrive at a consensus around even a limited strike. Because if you ask somebody, you know, I read polls like everybody else.”

Lawmakers, some of whom are opposed to the strikes, hailed the Russian proposal, which could be just the lifeline they needed from the dilemma of either supporting the administration’s strike plans or siding with constituents who’ve repeatedly rejected U.S. intervention in Syria.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D–Ill., said he saluted any diplomatic “effort to resolve this in a verifiable way and do it with dispatch.”

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D–Calif., chairman of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, said she would welcome Syria’s transfer of its chemical weapons to international monitors for destruction, to prevent a military strike.

“I believe that Russia can be most effective in encouraging the Syrian president to stop any use of chemical weapons and place all his chemical munitions, as well as storage facilities, under United Nations control until they can be destroyed.”

Some lawmakers were skeptical.

“How would you know how many chemical weapons they turn over?” said Rep. Lynn Westmorlend, R–Ga., a member of the House Select Intelligence Committee.

“This is another ad lib statement someone gave in a speech.

It’s just a real cluster right now.”

Opinion Editorial

Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

“Women who seek to be equal to men lack ambition.” - Timothy Leary

Editorial@DailyCollegiancom

F I L M I N T E RV I E W

Offensive law allows rapists to obtain parental rights Massachusetts is often pate in family court and foltouted as one of the most lib- low that court’s orders until eral and progressive states H.T.’s child comes of age. One order required that Melendez Hannah Sparks pay $110 a week in child support, which, he argued, gave in the nation, and for good him a right to see that child. reason. Famously blue, the He offered to withdraw his Commonwealth is a national visitation request if the court leader in health care, educa- freed him from making paytion and energy efficiency. It ments. was one of the first states to H.T. asked the judge to legalize gay marriage and, on order him to pay criminal resthe whole, it’s not a terrible titution instead of child supplace to be a woman. port, which would eliminate Unlike women, in, the need to face him in famsay, Texas, women in ily court. In response to the Massachusetts don’t have judge’s refusal, H.T. filed a to worry about their state complaint against the state, government going on a cru- asking to be freed from any sade against our reproduc- ongoing legal interactions tive rights. Birth control is with Melendez. easy (and, depending on your It’s pretty disturbing that insurance, relatively cheap this law has gone all but or even free) to procure and unmentioned and unnoticed, there are world-class health- especially given recent politicare facilities located around cal discussion about birth the state to keep women, preg- control, abortion and repronant or not, healthy. And, if ductive rights. That a rapist a woman chooses to undergo can sue for parental rights an abortion, she’ll face few and, even worse, possibly be obstacles to obtaining a safe granted those rights is patentone.

It may sound rosy, but a recent complaint filed against the state has highlighted an insane law on the books in Massachusetts and 30 other states. A young woman identified only as H.T. is suing the Commonwealth for forcing her into “a court- ly absurd and should be writordered 16-year unwanted ten right out of our legal code.

And this isn’t a once-inrelationship with her attackoccurrence. er,” a man named Jamie a-blue-moon Though Todd Akin (of “legitiMelendez.

And why would the state mate rape” fame) may believe do such a thing? Because H.T. otherwise, about 5 percent of became pregnant as a result female rape victims of reproof the rape, and in those 31 ductive age become pregnant states, rapists who impreg- as a result, adding up to over nate their victims can sue for 32,000 pregnancies a year. visitation or custodial rights Approximately a third of those women carry the child of the child.

As if being raped and to term.

Many politicians who impregnated (and, in H.T.’s case, undergoing that trauma are otherwise against aborat age 14) isn’t bad enough, the tion understand the need for courts can impose yet another exceptions in cases of rape or violation on you: unwanted incest, as carrying a baby conencounters with your attack- ceived in such a way would be er, who may also want to take a harrowing experience for your child from you. an adult woman, let alone a Melendez pled guilty in teenager. But some staunch2011 and was sentenced to 16 ly anti-abortion ideologues years of probation, as a condi- believe that abortion isn’t an tion of which he must partici- option even in those cases.

Richard Mourdock, onetime Indiana GOP Senate candidate, said in a 2012 debate that “life is that gift from God, even when life begins in that horrible situation of rape. It is something that God intended to happen.”

Needless to say, he lost.

So if you’re a woman impregnated by your rapist, you’re in an incredibly difficult position. Either you undergo an abortion so you don’t have to bear your rapist’s child (but face conservative wrath), or you carry the baby to term, like H.T., and hope your attacker doesn’t want custody once it’s born.

There are legal ways to get a rapist’s parental rights waived: 13 of the 19 states with laws on the subject require proof of the rapist’s conviction before waiving his parental rights. But many victims never report their rapes in fear of retaliation, so that solution clearly doesn’t work.

Rape survivors are shamed and further victimized by society enough as it is. The legal system is often incredibly unsympathetic to them, sometimes even blaming them for their own assaults.

Those women and girls unlucky enough to become pregnant through rape yet brave enough to carry the baby to term deserve, at the very least, to have control over their actions and bodies from that point forward.

Being forced to interact with the creeps who raped them is not how that happens.

The best solution in this case is to write provisions that will keep legal messes like H.T.’s from happening in the first place. According to the complaint, “no Massachusetts law forbids the enforcement of visitation rights by a biological father who causes a child’s birth through the crime of rape.”

So then, Massachusetts, you bastion of progress, let’s forbid it.

As if being raped … isn’t bad enough, the courts can impose yet another violation on you: unwanted encounters with your attacker, who may also want to take your child from you.

Hannah Sparks is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at hsparks@ umass.edu.

Business Manager - Omer Sander Distribution Manager - Henry Liu Advertising Manager - Andrew Carr

OPINION & EDITORIAL Op/Ed Editor - Hannah Sparks

Arts Editor - Gabe Scarbrough

Sports Editor - Nick Canelas

NEWS ASSISTANTS

O p /E d ASSISTANTS

ARTS ASSISTANTS

SPORTS ASSISTANTS

Jaclyn Bryson Aviva Luttrell Mary Reines Conor Snell

Zac Bears Jillian Correira Makai McClintock Brandon Sides

Emily Brightman Søren Hough Jake Reed Tommy Verdone

Mark Chiarelli Cameron McDonough Patrick Strohecker

News Editor - Patrick Hoff

ARTS & LIVING

SPORTS

FILM

the movie trailer

Fans respond to Hollywood schlock

Marketing teams clash with creativity

By Søren HougH Collegian Staff

VMA’s demeaning display Many people probably expected the MTV Video Music Awards to be loud,

Elise Martorano flashy, raunchy and generally tasteless. But what ensued during Miley Cyrus and Robin Thicke’s joint performance on Aug. 25 exceeded these expectations, proving to be a borderline-pornographic display of flagrant racism and misogyny.

For those of you who (fortunately) missed the performance, here’s a recap: Cyrus emerged from a giant teddy bear, strutted about the stage making horrendous faces (in a style that she probably hoped made her look “hood”), crudely slapped the rear ends of her black backup dancers and even took a couple of breaks to dance ineptly. After her song, Robin Thicke strolled onstage in a Beetlejuice-esque suit for his performance of “Blurred Lines” and reveled in the sexual glory of the song while Cyrus implied – without much imagination involved – some pretty suggestive acts.

Of course, these majorly problematic themes were (generally) overlooked by most of the audience. Instead, the overwhelming majority of confusion regarding Miley Cyrus’ performance of her song “We Can’t Stop” seemed to focus on the incongruous electric teddy bears in the background and the blatantly sexual acts she simulated not 10 feet from the audience. What was right under the audience’s nose, invisible to most in the storm of “slut-shaming,” was the fact that Cyrus and Thicke’s performance accentuated and perpetuated deep-rooted, discrimination-enabling stigmas under the guise of art.

Cyrus, who has recently mentioned in no uncertain terms that she wants her music to sound more “hood,” is the face of white privilege.

Surrounding herself with black dancers, she first hopes to prove that she is associated with black culture as a way of legitimizing herself as an artist. Second, she implies that she is separate from black culture – black without being black. In her article “Brown Body, White Wonderland,” Tressie McMillan Cottom of Slate.com emphasizes Cyrus’ ability to pull this off: “She is

playing a type of black female body as a joke to challenge her audience’s perceptions of herself, while leaving their perceptions of black women’s bodies firmly intact. It’s a dance between performing sexual freedom and maintaining a hierarchy of female bodies from which white women benefit materially.”

Cyrus’ offense lies far deeper than her use of larger, black dancers.

Throughout her performance at the VMAs, Cyrus strutted between the dancers, touched them inappropriately and

his song includes lines such as, “You’re an animal, baby, it’s in your nature / Just let me liberate you,” “I hate these blurred lines” and “I know you want it.” Not to mention the music video, which features Robin Thicke and his two backup singers in some pretty classy suits, grabbing and caressing three all but naked women.

The fact that Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” is apparently a joke (meaning to ridicule the music industry’s habit of taking advantage of women) is hilarious in and of itself. In her article, “A Feminist Takedown of Robin Thicke, And Anyone Who Thinks There’s Anything ‘Blurry’ About Sexism,” Elizabeth Plank of PolicyMic.com explains that “sexism can’t be ironic because we’re not over it. It’s still massively prevalent. Men still benefit from it, women are still hindered by it.”

This point is obvious, given the fact that Thicke has been overall praised and glamorized, especially in his performance at the VMAs, while Cyrus received enormous amounts of ridicule and generally disgusted responses from audience members.

Thicke sings a chauvinistic, borderline rape-rationalizing song and Cyrus simulates some sexual acts.

Now for the insane double standard: Thicke walks away with his reputation unscathed and perhaps even improved in the light of Cyrus’ display.

Meanwhile Cyrus is seen as repulsive, not for her racism, but for her display of sexual maturity. Granted her actions onstage were inappropriate and downright pornographic, but her desperate attempt to shake herself of her wholesome Disney Channel persona is the very last issue that should be her undoing.

Overall, the spectacle witnessed at the VMAs was culturally and socially irresponsible, insulting, degrading and an undeniable reinforcer of some very serious issues that our culture claims to have overcome. In the wise words of Hadley Freeman, “Cyrus’s approach to cultural appropriation is as sophisticated as Robin Thicke’s view of female sexuality.”

What was right under the audience’s nose … was the fact that Cyrus and Thicke’s performance accentuated and perpetuated deeprooted, discrimination-enabling stigmas under the guise of art.

then gave them an expression that seemed to imply that the dancers were cooperative in her objectification of their bodies. McMillan Cottom explains how this increases Cyrus’ street-cred in the eyes of the audience: “Playing the desirability of black female bodies as a wink-wink joke is a way of lifting up (black women’s) deviant sexuality without lifting up black women as equally desirable to white women.”

In her performance of “We Can’t Stop,” Cyrus uses black women as accessories – they are there for her entertainment, to make her look cooler and more attractive. She appropriates and disrespects black culture through her exaggerated impersonation of a “gangster” demeanor, her use of the culturally black dance move “twerking” and her presumptuous, ringleader-esque association with black women in the wake of her treatment toward them.

She takes black culture away from black people, putting herself in the spotlight and reducing an entire culture to a “hood” persona, fit only to dance vaguely in her shadow.

Perhaps even less commented on than Cyrus’s racism (in favor of her lewd display of sexuality) was the delicious irony of the lack of criticism on Robin Thicke’s part. Thicke performed his hit song “Blurred Lines,” a funky trip into the land of misogyny and the apparent confusion that some people have over the issue of con- Elise Martorano is a Collegian sent. Along with some other columnist and can be reached at pretty violently sexual lyrics, emartora@umass.edu.

GRAPHICS

Production Manager - Gabe Scarbrough Special Issues Manager - James Desjardin Advertising Production - Molly Couto Comics Editor - Tracy Krug

EDITOR IN CHIEF - Stephen Hewitt MANAGING EDITOR - Malea Ritz MANAGING EDITOR/DAILYCOLLEGIAN.COM - Maria Uminski

NEWS

Arts@DailyCollegian.com

Video game stars tackle The Punisher short The allure of

t h e m a s s a c h u s e t t s D a i ly C o l l e g i a n BUSINESS

“Are you the farmer?” - Withnail from “Withnail & I”

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

PHOTOGRAPHY

Photo Editor - Evan Sahagian Photo Editor - Justin Surgent

PHOTO ASSISTANTS Cade Belisle Shaina Mishkin

MULTIMEDIA & WEB

News Producer - Chelsie Field Sports Producer - Jesse Mayfield Arts Producer - Shaina Mishkin Op/Ed Producer - Zac Bears

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian is published Monday through Thursday during the University of Massachusetts calendar semester. The Collegian is independently funded, operating on advertising revenue. Founded in 1890, the paper began as Aggie Life, became the College Signal in 1901, the Weekly Collegian in 1914 and the Tri–Weekly Collegian in 1956. Published daily from 1967 to 2013, The Collegian has been broadsheet since January 1994. For advertising rates and information, call 413-545-3500.

PRODUCTION CREW on staff for this issue NIGHT EDITOR - Nick Canelas COPY EDITOR - Patrick Hoff WEB PRODUCTION MANAGER - Jesse Mayfield NEWS DESK EDITOR - Conor Snell O p /E d DESK EDITOR - Jillian Correira ARTS DESK EDITOR - Sören Hough SPORTS DESK EDITOR - Mark Chiarelli COMICS DESK EDITOR - Tracy Krug

“He is constant like the Northern Star. He is like the Grim Reaper. He is the angel of death.”

These are the epithets a small group of cosplayers, actors and choreographers use to describe Frank Castle, the Marvel antihero known to fans as The Punisher. Castle has had a rocky history on the big screen, but this group of Canadian fans hope to finally do the character justice with their new fan film, “The Punisher: No Mercy.”

The idea for “No Mercy” began with Shawn Baichoo, a motion capture artist and voice actor for Ubisoft Montreal. After designing a cosplay of The Punisher based on artist Tim Bradhseet’s iconic design, Baichoo began to wonder if it would be possible to bring the character to life.

But the real fuel for “No Mercy” came from what Baichoo refers to as “nerd rage.”

“Me and my friends often spend an inordinate amount of time trashing (comic book) films and wondering, ‘Why did they have to change the origin?’ or ‘Why did they have to give him a love interest? Or give this guy a sidekick?’” Baichoo said.

He argues that, “comic books shouldn’t be tough to do.”

“Why can’t they just stick to the comic? Everything is in there,” he insists.

Baichoo’s background in stage combat helped him approach “No Mercy” from a unique angle. Working with Amber Goldfarb, motion capture and voice actor for Aveline de Grandpré in “Assassin’s Creed: Liberation,” he decided to start with the final combat sequence in the film and work backward.

“We just figured we want to shoot guns, and I want to fight someone,” Baichoo said.

“We started choreographing before we even had a script,” said Goldfarb, who co-stars in the film as Marvel

By Cory Willey Collegian Correspondent

Shawn Baichoo writes. produces and co-stars in The Punisher: No Mercy” heroine Elektra.

Once the idea had gained some traction, Baichoo found Jason Ambrus, a filmmaker whose recent work includes the sci-fi short film “Imprint.”

After a brief discussion, the two instantly found a creative spark.

“The words almost got in the way of getting to know (Baichoo),” Ambrus recalls.

“There was just something there. I said, ‘I think you should let me direct this film.’

And to my shock, he said, ‘OK.’” Ambrus was excited to have the opportunity to direct a film like “No Mercy.” He said that his expertise is in making low-budget films look like their better-financed counterparts.

“I believe there’s a place between Hollywood and independent film, where you can merge the best qualities of both,” he said.

He points to high quality fan films like “Portal: No Escape” as his biggest inspiration for “No Mercy.”

Relating this back to Baichoo’s “nerd rage,” he notes that audiences often complain that movie adaptations don’t live up their expectations. But Ambrus feels that angry Internet comments and heated late night conversations are hollow.

He calls “No Mercy” a

“physical response” to that discontent, and he believes it represents a paradigm shift in the industry.

“I have a very strong belief in new independent cinema,” Ambrus said. “I have a very strong belief in what this new technology is doing for democratizing an art form that has been held hostage for almost half a century.”

He added, “If you fancy yourself a filmmaker, this is the time to vote with your camera.”

And with the help of Goldfarb and Ambrus, Baichoo is voting loud and clear.

Having produced “No Mercy,” he made this challenge to the major Hollywood studios: “What the f*** is your excuse? I’m just some guy with some friends and I can do better than that. You have millions of dollars – what is your excuse?”

In translating The Punisher to the screen, Baichoo, Ambrus and cowriter Davila Leblanc cite the work of comic book author Garth Ennis. While the film does not directly follow any Ennis story lines, the filmmakers felt that his approach to Frank Castle was the most true to the core of character.

“The Punisher is so simple that people have trouble understanding how simple

PHOTO COURTESY OF KOMBAT KREW FILMS

he is,” Ambrus said. To work around that conceit, “(Ennis) tells the story through the supporting characters, through the people in the city who are affected by his uncompromising, boogeyman character.”

This drive for authenticity carries over to the design and portrayal of Elektra. Baichoo and Goldfarb stated that the costume and look of the character of both The Punisher and Elektra were born out of practicality. They know clothes are feasible in handto-hand combat; for them, that meant no ultra-revealing slips or high heels.

Goldfarb says, “We wanted to portray a very honest, practical, grounded assassin version of Elektra. When she’s hired to do a job, she gets it done.”

And because she’s wearing an outfit that a human can actually fight in, Goldfarb stresses that “she will kick your ass.”

“The Punisher: No Mercy” is an entirely nonprofit endeavor on the part of the filmmakers, and was entirely paid for via the “No Mercy” Indiegogo campaign.

It will premiere at Montréal Comiccon on Sept. 14, 2013, shortly before its wide release on the Internet.

Søren Hough can be reached at shhough@umass.edu

few trailers leading up to their release that promised a much funnier experience than was actually provided.

Comedies are in no way the lone offenders, though.

Other films, like “Battle: Los Angeles,” “Green Lantern” and “Pacific Rim” all gave us a similar kind of trailer, throwing out big name stars and/or directors coupled with huge CGI-ridden action set-pieces put to pounding music, convincing us that the final product would blow us away. And while “Pacific Rim” was moderately entertaining, none of those films amounted to more than a disappointment.

Though many trailers result in similar disappointment, there are also many that exploit the formula perfectly.

A great example of this is the marketing of “The Dark Knight,” which could easily have slipped under the radar in the wake of its underrated predecessor. Regardless, the advertising campaign showed just enough of the plot and the film’s stars that much of the movie remained a mystery.

This sparked intrigue in moviegoers everywhere and lead to a box office hit.

When it comes to movie trailers, less is generally more. Audiences never want to see too much of the film before actually watching it.

Otherwise, what’s the point?

If you feel as though you know too much, there’s nothing drawing you in. Audiences want a small glimpse at a larger picture. This is a thin line to walk.

For the marketing team, the focus has to be on getting people as excited as possible for their film. Therefore, the responsibility falls on the viewers to see trailers for what they really are: advertisements for a product. In this way, moviegoers can make more informed decisions when we visit the theater and hopefully avoid traps put in place by clever marketing teams.

In this era of entertainment, film marketing can be almost as important as the content of the work itself. So many movies clamor for the top spot at the box office every weekend that many may fail simply because they didn’t create enough buzz to draw a significant audience. A film’s trailer is arguably the most important marketing tool available, as it often acts as a concise visual synopsis for the audience.

We all make those snap judgments when we see trailers at the theater. We think, “Oh, that looks good!” or “That looks like garbage,” deciding whether that two minute clip was enough to convince us to spend ten dollars and two hours at the cinema.

This is what makes a trailer so vital to the success of a movie, especially for non-franchise or standalone films. They need to be equal parts entertaining and informative, geared towards a target audience, yet not so focused that they alienate other potential viewers. It is a delicate balance that can make all the difference at the box office.

As members of the audience, we have power over the success of a film. Film studios and marketing companies know they need to fill the seats and will do anything within their ability to do so. The biggest flaw in this formula is that the marketing department for the film handles what goes into the trailer. Their sole concern is to grab your attention and get you excited enough to see their movie. This can lead to misleading ads and trailers that will usually take the best parts of a film, pluck them out of continuity, and throw them all together.

Comedies are arguably the worst offenders. Films such as “Your Highness” and “Grown Ups” in particular come to Cory Willey can be reached at cjwilmind. Both were given quite a ley@umass.edu

FILM

Vulgarity of comedy reflects value

By DeniSe o’Brien

Collegian Correspondent

Long ago, I made the conscious decision to never, under any circumstance, watch a modern-day comedy with my mother in the room. If I can’t bear the thought of her presence during a romantic Disney Channel scene, I certainly won’t plan a family night around a copy of “Pineapple Express.” Indeed, it seems the movie industry is currently tailored for a culture that is enthralled by raunchy, unfiltered vulgarity.

But is Hollywood approaching the line between comedy and poor taste, or have they already crossed it? Does our society’s infatuation with the profane have a negative impact on the quality of films being produced for the public?

Or is it merely a reflection of a more socially educated people finding humor in the things we now know to be unacceptable?

Film did not always use this tactic to elicit laughs, nor did they have to. Comedians used an enormous variety of goodnatured humor, distinct from

the offensive. Look at Charlie Chaplin’s silent film career, for example. Primarily in the 1920s and 30s, Chaplin became a comedy icon with his physically humorous character, “The Tramp.” Even more recently, after audio graced the filmmaking process, films like “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” used silly wit, clever wordplay and men pretending to be horses to generate humor.

Many of the popular films of the past ten years, however, seem to have the intent of one-upping each other in outrageousness. “Superbad” (2007), “Stepbrothers” (2008), and, most recently, “This is the End” (2013), won over the hearts of critics and audiences everywhere by making light of the grotesque. Littered with sexual innuendo, drug references, crude language and overt racist and sexist jokes, to watch these movies in a social vacuum would not give the observer a flattering view of our culture.

But perhaps this phase is just a cinematic experiment that we will grow from before

moving on. This is supported by the fact that largely the same actors continue to play most of these roles, and they won’t be around forever.

Jonah Hill, James Franco, Seth Rogen, Michael Cera and Will Ferrell comprise a shortlist of actors who have turned this sub-genre into an empire.

Moreover, none of these actors’ talents end at tactless comedy. They have all proven their abilities playing a wide range of other characters. Franco played a lovestruck British warrior in the 2006 drama “Tristan & Isolde,” Rogen showcased his soft side when he suffered from a failed marriage in “Take this Waltz,” and so on.

Another promising thought is that blue humor doesn’t rule the entire market. There are plenty of subtler comedies made for audiences that prefer more wholesome entertainment for their Saturday night viewing pleasure. Actors like Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Will Smith, Tina Fey and many others frequently appear in movies that are both smart and refined. “Elf,” “Napoleon

Dynamite,” “Date Night” and “Identity Thief” are among many recent films that do not call upon obscenity to entertain. Or, at least, they do in tasteful doses.

But why do audiences find vulgarity so amusing in the first place? Today’s society puts considerable emphasis on the acceptance of people of all backgrounds. Improved civil rights for people of varying race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, health, education and social class are at a historical best, and continue to progress even further. Positive messages of equality are being preached from schools, companies and cities everywhere.

Additionally, places that have yet to reach this understanding are almost always subject to ferocious backlash from vocal people fighting for this equality.

I wonder if people have become so acquainted with the idea of equality that hearing someone say otherwise creates a shocking, uncomfortable thrill. It is as if audiences are laughing out of disbelief at how bold the joke was, more

PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

The cast of “This Is The End” is filled with comedy regulars. so than the joke itself. With so much significance placed on political correctness, it is human nature to be entertained by someone who completely disregards societal norms. In a larger context, this vulgar comedy might actually be serving as an ironic selfreflection of modern social values.

Although I would still rather not watch “Anchorman” with my mom, that doesn’t mean there is no value to be

found in lowbrow humor.

Like any period in film, this age of impropriety will likely be replaced. But comedy will always push boundaries and blur the lines on what is acceptable, and that’s a good thing. Because when it stops, so will the laughs.

Until then, relax and let yourself enjoy a few good fart jokes.

Denise O’Brien can be reached at dmobrien@student.umass.edu

6

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Comics

DailyCollegian.com

WE WANT YOUR COMICS! Put your comics in front of thousands of readers.

Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.com

If it isn’t on cassette, I don’t want it

d inOsaUr C OmiCs

B y r yan n Orth

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

DailyCollegian.com

QUARTERBACKS professionalism with which he handles such disappointing circumstances. “(Wegzyn) handles stuff pretty well,” Molnar said in his postgame press conference after Saturday’s game. “He’s a resilient young man. He’s extremely competitive. Any time you change the quarterback it feels like you’re putting the blame on him, but that’s not what I wanted to do, but we definitely needed a spark. …

“I just felt that with us not showing enough offensively – the gap between the two is so thin right now – A.J. deserved the chance to go in there. The team just needed a boost and I was trying to find one.”

Wegzyn said after practice on Monday he’s not sure whether or not he’ll be starting Saturday, but he embraces the competition be between him and Doyle, whom he considers a close friend, “That’s what you expect being in a college program, there’s gonna

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

FLYERS

continued from page 8

be competition no matter what position, what place you’re playing at there’s gonna be competition for every spot,” Wegzyn said.

“Quarterbacks just the one where there can only be one guy out there at a time.”

While Wegzyn has certainly struggled this season, Doyle hasn’t been much better in his place.

He’s completed just 12 of his 24 pass attempts this season for 101 yards and a touchdown. He also had trouble against the Black Bears’ defense, especially with the deep ball. Doyle overthrew multiple targets in single coverage throughout the half of play and failed to notice open targets of countless occasions, including a wideopen Bedell for a screen that would’ve likely been a UMass first down.

“I could have done a lot better,” Doyle said after the game. “I didn’t complete all my passes, I didn’t make all the right protection checks and obviously I only put up

continued from page 8

TAYLOR C. SNOW/COLLEGIAN FILE PHOTO

Mike Wegzyn (above) was removed from Saturday’s loss to Maine at halftime and is in danger of losing the starting job. seven points on the board when I was out there. There is a lot I can improve upon.”

Molnar sees little difference between the two quarterbacks and expects it to be a decision that may take some time this week.

“I’ve been around both

guys a long time now,” Molnar said. “They’re both very equal at the end of the day from a productivity standpoint. Neither one is significantly better than the other. Very few scrimmages that we’ve had where one has been significantly bet-

ter than the other.

“At the end of the day it’s going to be more of a gutfeeling and we’ll see where we go.”

Nick Canelas can be reached at ncanelas@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NickCanelas.

FOOTBALL

Buffalo blown out by No. 23 Baylor BGSU tops KSU in only MAC game

around this season as they host Football Championship Subdivision opponent Stony Brook in its home opener on Saturday.

By andrew Cyr

Eastern Michigan falls to PSU

The Buffalo football team traveled to Waco, Texas, this weekend in hopes of playing spoiler against 23rd-ranked Baylor.

It wasn’t happening.

The Bulls (0-2) were torched by a red-hot Baylor offense, which put up a school-record 781 yards in a 70-13 rout on Saturday.

Bears (2-0) running back Lache Seastrunk broke another school record after compiling his sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game.

Seastrunk ran for 150 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns, all of which came in the first half of the game.

Quarterback Bryce Petty also had a big day for the Bears, going 13-for-16 for 338 yards and two touchdowns. Nine different Baylor players recorded at least one reception, led

by Tevin Reese (130 receiving yards) and Antwan Goodley (124).

All 13 of Buffalo’s points came in the first quarter. However, it was outscored 42-0 the rest of the game.

The Bulls’ offense struggled all game as they ran for just 83 yards and went 6-for-19 on third down.

Buffalo will try to turn things

Eastern Michigan fell 45-7 to national powerhouse Penn State this weekend despite getting off to a hot start.

Eastern Michigan (1-1, 0-1 MidAmerican Conference) had momentum early against the Nittany Lions after taking a 7-0 lead towards the end of the first quarter. Eagles linebacker Hunter Matt forced an early Penn State fumble, creating a turnover on a designed blitz play, which he took 11 yards for a touchdown to put Eastern Michigan on the board.

From there it was all Nittany Lions.

In just his second career start, Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg calmly guided a potent offense. In front of 92,000 fans at Beaver Stadium, the young quarterback threw for 311 yards and a touchdown.

Although the Nittany Lions got off to a slow start, they finished with 574 yards of total offense, including 25 first downs.

The road doesn’t get much brighter for Eastern Michigan, as it travels to Rutgers next week in its final non-conference game of the season.

Collegian Correspondent

Up

and

O Ut

B y J eremy K aye

Minty Fresh. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh.

7

MCT

Bowling Green defender Ryland Ward (left) separates Kent State running back Trayion Durham from the ball during a first-quarter pass play on Saturday.

BGSU tops Kent State

Kent State clearly missed star running back Dri Archer, who Bowling Green beat fellow conran for 1,429 yards last year, who ference opponent Kent State 41-22 this weekend in the only game fea- missed the game after suffering an ankle injury earlier in the week. turing two MAC teams.

Falcons (2-0, 1-0 MAC) quar- The Golden Flashes were forced to terback Matt Johnson threw for a find other answers on the ground as career-high 357 yards and two touch- quarterback Colin Reardon lead the downs in an impressive display of team with 12 carries despite scampering for only 58 yards. offense.

Both teams face tough oppnents Despite having only a 24-22 lead at the half, Bowling Green out- next week as Bowling Green faces scored the Golden Flashes (1-1, 0-1 Indiana on the road while Kent State MAC) 17-0 in the second half. The travels to Baton Rouge to take on No. game was in hand midway through 8 Louisiana State. the third quarter when Johnson hit Ryan Burbrink in stride for a Andrew Cyr can be reached at arcyr@umass. edu and followed on Twitter @Andrew_Cyr. 92-yard touchdown completion.

give Dayton the win in the tournament’s championship game. The Flyers (3-0) picked up their first shutout of the year.

The Bison outshot Dayton 12-10, but only got three of its shots onto Flyers keeper Chris Froschauer. Dayton had the better quality chances, landing eight of its 10 attempts on net.

Keller opened the scoring just five minutes into the game, giving the Flyers a lead they would never relinquish. He provided an insurance strike in the 56th minute to make it 2-0.

F lyers defender Christopher Lenning was named tournament Most Valuable Player.

Dayton s next game is Friday against Western Illinois in the Missouri State Tournament.

Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu.

OFFENSE continued from page 8

stitute and keep up that high level of pressure and high level of skill is really great to see,” Tagliente said.

With the season in the early stages, the Minutewomen have already played five freshmen in every game, including Izzie Delario and Charlotte Verelst, who have started every game. In terms of whether or not the offensive approach has changed over the past year, Tagliente sees little difference.

“I wouldn’t say we changed our style a ton, although we do have different personnel, so we’re just trying to get better at our approach,” Tagliente said. “It’s almost like it’s a five-step process to achieve something we’re trying to do, and we’ve really been on steps one and two for the past two years, so I feel this year we’ve been able to improve and get to steps three and four of the process.”

With two tough games coming up this weekend against Syracuse and Ohio State in New York, UMass hopes to maintain this success on the offense and make sure they do not let off the gas pedal.

“I think we’re generating a lot of opportunities and counterattacks, but I still think we need to increase the production of what we’re getting in the circle,” Tagliente said. “We are generating a lot of shots, but we need to capitalize more on our counterattack opportunities.”

Jason Kates can be reached at jkates@umass. edu.

TENNIS

Nadal fends off Djokovic to win US Open Claims 13th career Grand Slam title aquarius

HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18

The fact that all the tagged photos of you on Facebook are photobombs says a lot about your gorgeous personality.

pisces

Feb. 19 - Mar. 20

leo

By John Jeansonne Newsday

Jul. 23 - aug. 22

It’s really not that abnormal to eat an ear of corn for a snack. Why not? It’s super portable.

virgo

aug. 23 - Sept. 22

While slightly melted ice cream is a beautiful thing endearingly called soft serve, ice cream soup is just physical disappointment in a cup.

A soft boiled egg also makes a good one hundred calorie to–go snack! Impress your friends!

aries

Mar. 21 - apr. 19

libra

Sept. 23 - Oct. 22

taurus

apr. 20 - May. 20

scorpio

Oct. 23 - nOv. 21

gemini

May. 21 - Jun. 21

If you didn’t buy your Halloween decorations, candy and costume, like, yesterday, you are way behind.

If you aren’t wearing your cheeseburger, you didn’t enjoy your cheeseburger

College is finding yourself alone in your dorm at 3 a.m. on a Wednesday, eating spoonfuls of peanut butter, with every single light on.

An evening with Yanni sounds like quite the evening to me.

sagittarius

nOv. 22 - Dec. 21

Antonio’s is now accepting UMass debit, meaning you can live in blissful ignorance over your bank account.

Human Centipede on ice might be the most gruesomely terrifying grotesque greatest thing ever to feast your eyes upon. Wanna go???

cancer

capricorn

Jun. 22 - Jul. 22

Just move all of the money you have in your bank’s “Pizza Account” and transfer it directly on to your UCard. It’ll be more useful there.

Dec. 22 - Jan. 19

Try catching all your fruit flies in a jar and then spray them with glow–paint.

NEW YORK – Another estimable opponent of the highest ranking, another major-tournament championship test, another dare to put his chronically troublesome knees through two weeks of hard-court punishment merely served as accelerant for Rafael Nadal.

The man is on fire. With his 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic in Monday night’s U.S. Open championship match, Nadal won his second Grand Slam event and 10th of 13 tournaments entered this year. He ran his 2013 match won-lost record to 60-3, 22-0 on hard courts, once considered his least kindly surface.

“This is probably the most emotional one in my career,” Nadal said. “I felt like I did everything right to have my chance here. You play one match against one

of the best players, No. 1 in the world, so I know I have to be almost perfect to win.”

In claiming his latest Big Door Prize of tennis, Nadal had to trade punches with Djokovic - winner of this year’s Australian Open and champion in five of the previous 11 majors - for more than three hours. A single point late in the second set required a dizzying, exhausting 54 shots.

Djokovic hit 46 winners to Nadal’s 27. Nadal won the trade-off on unforced errors, making only 20 compared with Djokovic’s 53, though it could be argued that many of the unforced errors by both men felt forced by the other’s persistence in their countless rallies of attrition.

It was not until late in the fourth set that Djokovic began to crack, and only after Nadal barely extricated himself from a possible two-sets-to-one deficit. After splitting the first two sets, Nadal was facing a triple break point at 4-4, 0-40.

“Novak was playing amazing,” Nadal said, “and

when Novak plays that level, I’m not sure if anybody can stop him. I know that it was really important to stay only one break behind.”

He hit a forehand winner, outlasted Djokovic in a 21-stroke point, cracked a 125 mile-per-hour ace - his first and only one of the match - and chased Djokovic into the corner to set up an overhead winner for a 5-4 lead.

“Disappointing,” Djokovic said. “I felt like, in the first four, five games of the set, I was the one dictating the play. He started playing really good. I didn’t do anything wrong on those few points, but he didn’t make a mistake. Next thing you know, all of a sudden, it’s two sets to one for him.”

Then, having hijacked Djo kovic’s golden opportunity, Nadal immediately produced his own service break to close out the set.

And burned Djoko vic again in the second game of the fourth set with another service break.

Only minutes later, Nadal was rolling on the court in a

combination of celebration and relief.

It was the 37th career duel between the best that Spain and Serbia has to offer the sport - a men’s record since the dawning of open tennis in 1968. The two played for 4 hours, 37 minutes before Nadal prevailed in this year’s French Open semifinal and for 5:53 before Djokovic won the 2012 Australian Open final.

Nadal called their confrontations “special, and when you have the chance to win against the most difficult players, it’s true that the victory is more special.

Most important is to win the tournament, not the opponent.”

By claiming his 13th career major-tournament title, Nadal trails only Roger Federer (17) and Pete Sampras (14) in Grand Slam trophies - even as he seems to be getting better.

“Thirteen Grand Slams for a guy who is 27 years old is incredible,” said Djokovic, himself 26 with six major championships. A conflagration of excellence.

MCT

Rafael Nadal (above) beat Novak Djokovic in four sets to win his second U.S. Open and 13th career Grand Slam on Monday in New York.

THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Sports@DailyCollegian.com

@MDC_SPORTS

FOOTBALL

STARTING FROM SQUARE ONE

Broadnax’s status still uncertain Blanchflower listed as day-to-day By cameroN mcDoNough Collegian Staff

MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN

A.J. Doyle (above) worked with the first-string starters in Monday’s practice, opening up a quarterback competition between him and Mike Wegzyn, who started Saturday vs. Maine.

A.J. Doyle, Mike Wegzyn resume quarterback competition

By Nick caNelas Collegian Staff

Two weeks ago, the possibility of Mike Wegzyn not starting for the Massachusetts football team as soon as Week 3 seemed unthinkable.

Wegzyn was UMass coach Charley Molnar’s clear No. 1 after making significant strides in spring practice and training camp and the progress appeared noticeable to all involved with the offense.

How quickly things change.

Two games into the 2013 season and the Minutemen’s quarterback competition between Wegzyn and second-stringer A.J. Doyle appears to be wide open for the first time since the end of last

Saturday when the Minutemen take on Kansas State.

However, Molnar wouldn’t give either player the advantage in terms of practice performance. “(Wegzyn) has had so many reps over the course of spring and Charley Molnar, UMass coach summer, (Doyle) got a few more (Monday),” Molnar said. “We’ll season. watch the film and then balance Molnar has said before that he them out over the course of each plans to play Doyle in every game drill.” despite not being named startMolnar said in Saturday’s poster. But Saturday’s move to bring game press conference that his him in to start the second half of decision won’t come down to who UMass’ 24-14 loss to Maine was performs better in 7-on-7 drills in much different, and Molnar made practice, but “who’s more comthat perfectly clear in practice fortable with the game plan (and) Doyle worked with the start- who’s more consistent.” ers in practice on Monday for the Wegzyn certainly hasn’t lived first time this season, and may be up to the billing so far this season. in line for his first start of 2013 on The sophomore has completed

“We’ll watch the film and then balance them out over the course of each drill.”

MEN’S SOCCER

just 45.8 percent of his passes and has thrown two interceptions to one touchdown in his two starts.

In two quarters of play on Saturday, he completed just 13 of his 25 passes for 139 yards and a touchdown. His longest completion came on a screen pass that Stacey Bedell took 47 yards down the field.

Wegzyn has appeared rattled under pressure and seems to have trouble making decisions when his first read isn’t open.

As a result, he either sits in the pocket for too long or tries to force throws that aren’t there.

Wegzyn was forced to face the music earlier than expected on Saturday, Molnar admires the see

QUARTERBACKS on page 7

Monday’s injury report was a mixed bag for the Massachusetts football team.

Senior tight end Rob Blanchflower was designated as day-to-day and his status for Saturday’s game against Kansas State appears to be a game-time decision. Blanchflower hasn’t played in the Minutemen’s first two games with a pair undisclosed injuries, according to UMass coach Charley Molnar.

Jordan Broadnax missed UMass’ first two games as well with a knee injury and did not practice on Monday. UMass hasn’t provided an official designation on Broadnax’s injury status.

Shakur Nesmith, who also missed Saturday’s contest with a right arm injury he suffered in the season opener at Wisconsin, was also missing from practice on Monday.

UMass did receive a bit of good news on the injury front, though.

Blanchflower’s replacement, graduate student tight end Ricardo Miller, was back at practice after missing Saturday’s game against Maine.

UMass is expected to provide further injury information regarding the Minutemen on Thursday.

Cameron McDonough can be reached at cameronm@umass.edu.

For UMass football updates and news as it breaks, follow our beat writers on Twitter: @Cam_McDonough @NickCanelas For coverage of all UMass sports teams, follow us on Twitter @MDC_Sports and like us on Facebook at Daily Collegian Sports.

FIELD HOCKEY

VCU stuns UMD, jumps UMass putting together to No. 17 in rankings team effort offensively SLU prevails over NIU in 2OT

rally. Goals by Jake Pace and Chris Odoi-Atsem gave the Terrapins (1-21) an early 2-0 lead, with Patrick Mullins assisting By ross gieNieczko on both plays. Maryland Collegian Correspondent did not record a shot in The Vi r g i n i a the final 15 minutes.VCU Commonwealth men’s soc- jumped to No. 17 in the cer team rallied in dramatic national rankings after a fashion late Sunday night, strong week and stay on stunning No. 13 Maryland the road Friday against fifth-ranked Akron at 7 on its own turf, 3-2. p.m.

The Rams (1-1-1), who Saint Louis trailed 2-0 with just under stays unbeaten 20 minutes to play, staged a furious comeback and Junior forward Kingsley scored three times in the Bryce broke a scoreless tie final 13 minutes of the in double overtime to give game.

No. 14 Saint Louis a 1-0 vicJose Manel converted a tory over Northern Illinois penalty kick in the 78th on Sunday. The lengthy minute to cut the VCU contest which featured 28 deficit to 2-1. One minute fouls, 13 corners and four later, Kharlton Belmar tied bookings (one red), ended the game 2-2. In the 87th in the 105th minute when minute, the comeback was Bryce was set up in the box completed when Devon by junior Robert Kristo Fisher struck to put the and senior Alex Sweetin.

Rams ahead for the first The Billikens improved time all night. to 3-0 on the season.

VCU goalkeeper Andrew SLU was in control for Wells made eight saves to most of the game, firing give the Rams chance to off 24 shots and landing

seven on goal. The Huskies (1-3) mustered 11 shots with only one reaching St. Louis goalkeeper Nick Shackelford.

Despite the advantage in shots, the game stayed level, as the Billikens could not solve Northern Illinois goalie Andrew Glaeser until early in the second extra period.

Robert Kristo came off the bench to lead the charge for the SLU attack, launching a team-high nine shots including three on goal. For the Huskies, it was Sean Totsch who registered the only shot on goal.

The Billikens return to action Wednesday with a road match up against Evansville.

Flyers win Classic Dayton took home the 2013 Dayton Flyer Classic with a 2-0 shutout of Lipscomb on Sunday.

Senior Abe Keller provided all the offense for the Flyers, scoring twice to see

FLYERS on page 7

By JasoN kates Collegian Staff

Despite losing several leading scorers from last year to graduation, the Massachusetts field hockey team hasn’t lost a beat offensively.

UMass has tallied 18 goals on 88 shots through the first five games of the season, 59 of which have been on goal.

Sophomore Brooke Sabia has led the Minutewomen (5-0) this season with seven goals so far. UMass is averaging 3.6 goals per game while allowing just one per game defensively.

UMass coach Carla Tagliente has attributed this great start not just to the recent performances of Sabia, but to efforts of the entire team.

“I think it’s a very collective effort and not just one line in particular,” Tagliente said.

“Getting second and third shots has been key for us and we are improving on a lot of our opportunities as well as getting a lot more shots than we usually do.”

ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN

Brooke Sabia (left) and Hannah Prince figure to lead a talented, deep Minutewoman offensive attack.

There has certainly been no shortage of shots for Tagliente’s squad, which is averaging 17.6 shots a game.

She believes the pressure her defense has put on other teams has led to better chances for her offense.

“It’s definitely a joint effort starting with all of our defensive pressing on the other teams, which has caused us to generate more turnovers and

get more chances in the offensive zone,” Tagliente said.

Another key component for this UMass offense has been the considerable amount of depth that is on the bench, which has benefited the Minutewomen greatly in close games.

“There isn’t much of a drop off in talent when going to the bench, so being able to subsee

OFFENSE on page 7