ON THE
LOST IN SPACE
OFFENSIVE
Brittany Moore scores five goals over the weekend
‘Gravity’ almost lives up to the hype
PAGE 5
PAGE 8 THE MASSACHUSETTS
A free and responsible press
DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
RemembeRing evan Jones
News@DailyCollegian.com
Nev. shooting leaves 2 dead ‘Student/suspect’ kills student, teacher By Sam Stanton and Kim minugh The Sacramento Bee
JUSTIN SURGENT/COLLEGIAN
Univeristy of Massachusetts students gather on the Haigis Mall in a candlelight vigil for sophmore Evan Jones, who passed away in September.
Around 100 gather in vigil to UMass sophmore By mary reineS
A
Collegian Staff
s the sun set over the Fine Arts Center, Evan Jones’ friends and family quietly lit dozens of tea candles for his vigil on Oct. 20, the day that would have been the University of Massachusetts sophomore’s 20th birthday. About 100 people gathered on the grassy island in the Haigis Mall to honor Jones, the UMass student who was found dead in his dorm room on Sept. 7. Kappa Sigma, Jones’ fraternity, planned the service. Michael Wiseman, director of the Greek Life program at the University of
Massachusetts, compared the candles to birthday candles as he addressed the crowd. Wiseman spoke about Jones’ uplifting funeral service, and mentioned that Jones’ mother, Kristan Bagley Jones, had recalled that Jones was born three weeks early, but he still managed to weigh about nine pounds. “He came early, he came large,” Wiseman said. “He lived that way.” When it was time for Jones’ family to speak, his mother called up all of the people from Milton, his hometown, to stand with them. She stood with her husband, Don Jones, their daughter Ally and about 20 Milton residents as she spoke to the sea of UMass students. She said that her family and the Milton community appreciated the vigil. “It really means a lot to us,” she
said. She remembered the night that he died and said that he was very happy at the time. She added jokingly that he had actually called to ask for some money because he had lost his credit card. Smiles spread across the candlelit faces as listeners chuckled. Jones’s mother supposed that his epileptic condition was the cause of his death. He had to leave UMass the semester before to maintain his health. “He had a chronic disease. We thought it was under control, but it wasn’t,” she said. The cause of his death is still under ongoing investigation. Jones’s sister Ally, a senior in high school, spoke after her mother, speaksee
Serving the UMass community since 1890
JONES on page 3
SPARKS, Nev. – Students and parents described a terrifying scene Monday morning near Reno, where a young man showed up on campus at the Sparks Middle School and wounded two students, killed a teacher and then apparently shot himself. The alleged shooter was described by police as a “student/suspect” who came to the school before classes began today. “He shot a student and then a teacher tried to stop him and he shot the teacher,” Abner Lopez, father of a 13-year-old eighth-grader, told The Sacramento Bee. “The kids kind of scattered. “School was not open yet, so they ran off into the field. It’s a pretty tragic scene.” Police said the shooter “is neutralized” and was described as a “student/ suspect.” Lopez said his son, Abner Jr., first realized something was wrong when he heard the first gunshots, which apparently were directed at a student the shooter knew. “He just heard the gunshots,” Lopez said. “Then he saw the teacher telling him to calm down, to put the gun down, and that’s when he shot the teacher.” Lopez said his son was
in the teacher’s math class along with the suspected shooter. Authorities have not yet released the names of the school staff member they say was killed or the gunman, but students and local media have identified the teacher who tried to stop the shootings as Michael Landsberry, a 45-year-old eighth-grade math teacher and former Marine. A woman who answered the door at Landsberry’s home declined to speak to comment, but students have posted tributes to him online and a “Rest Easy Mr. Landsberry” page has been created on Facebook that refers to him as the “best teacher there ever was.” His class website explains his approach to teaching and offers this advice to students: “I have one classroom rule and it is very simple: Thou shall not annoy Mr. L.” Kyle Nucum, a 13-yearold student, told the Reno Gazette-Journal that he was on a basketball court with others when he heard a popping sound and saw a young man in a school uniform who was about 14 and had a gun. The young man was confronted by a teacher who was then shot, Nucum told the newspaper. “We heard a pop, like a loud pop,” he said. He said he and others ran across the street and see
SHOOTING on page 3
Shelter Sunday Obama: ‘No excuse’ for foul-ups New health care helps homeless website hits snags Annual event raises funds for the needy By marleigh FelSenStein Collegian Correspondent
On what appeared to be a quiet Sunday morning on the University of Massachusetts, something big was quietly brewing, and the town of Amherst was about to get busy. On Sunday, the non-profit organization, Amherst Friends for the Homeless, held its “Annual Shelter Sunday,” a yearly event to help the homeless of Amherst get back on their feet. Starting around 10 a.m., community volunteers of all ages gathered in the lobby of the Fine Arts Center to aid the homeless. Annual Shelter Sunday, supported this year by Craig’s Doors, which operates Craig’s Place shelter, the Amherst Survival Center and an organization called “Not Bread Alone,” began back around the fall of 1989. Jennifer Blain, the onsite coordinator for Craig’s Doors, called Shelter
Sunday a one-day canvas of Amherst that, “covers the entire town.” Each group of canvassers receives a canvas envelope, a plastic bag for money and checks and brochures. They then go all around Amherst ringing doorbells to ask for donations to help the homeless population of Amherst. Blain said that Shelter Sunday has been “incredibly successful over the last 30 years.” The event has raised upwards of $31,000 from donations. “That’s a tremendous amount of money,” Blain said. Jim Lumley, a director on the board of Craig’s Doors, said that one of the main missions of the organization is to get involved in bringing the homeless into “more permanent housing.” Lumley also said that even though Amherst is a small town, there are a lot of people that are still in need. The “main thrust is for the homeless,” said Lumley, adding that there is a “top to bottom awareness, bringing see
SHELTER on page 3
By anita Kumar and tony Pugh
McClatchy Washington Bureau
vide more comprehensive, affordable health coverage remained a success and that any problems stemmed from interest that exceeded expectations. Nearly 20 million people have visited the website, and more than half a million have successfully submitted applications. “The product is good,” the president said. “The health insurance that’s being provided is good. It’s
high quality and it’s affordable.” The federal marketplace was supposed to provide a one-stop site for users in 36 states to browse, compare and enroll in qualified health plans. But numerous software problems overwhelmed the site shortly after the enrollment period for 2014 coverage began. Some improvements have been made, but delays and
malfunctions continue. A new Washington PostABC poll released Monday found that 56 percent of Americans say the website problems are part of a broader problem with the law’s implementation, while just 40 percent see them as an isolated incident. Recent polls generally find that more people
WA S H I N G T O N – President Barack Obama said Monday that he was angry and frustrated with the failures of the federal see WEBSITE on page 3 government’s new health care website and he vowed to solve them as soon as possible. Obama said a team of America’s top private-sector tech experts was working around the clock to fix Healthcare.gov, though he and his staff declined to name the companies that are involved or to provide a deadline. “There’s no sugarcoating it,” the president said at a Rose Garden event with supporters of the health care overhaul. “It’s fair to say that nobody is more frustrated by that than I am. ... There’s no excuse for the problems, and these problems are getting fixed.” Obama, in his first extensive remarks since the botched Oct. 1 rollout of OLIVIER DOULIERY/ABACA PRESS/MCT the insurance marketplace, President Barack Obama walks to the Oval Office after speaking about the Afforable Care Act in the Rose Garden said the law that aims to pro- of the White House on Monday, October 21, 2013.
2
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY... In 1957, the United States incurred its first casualties of the Vietnam War, two years after the war began. By the end of the war in 1975, United States casualties totaled 58,220.
AROUND THE WORLD
Shooting outside Coptic church in Cairo kills 3 CAIRO — Gunmen opened fire on wedding celebrants outside a Coptic Christian church late Sunday, killing at least three people, including a young girl and the mother of the groom. About a dozen others were injured, officials and state media said. The drive-by shooting in a Cairo suburb was part of a grim pattern of attacks against the Coptic minority in the wake of the coup that toppled Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July. Some of his followers blame Christians for instigating the enormous protests that preceded his ouster. -Los Angeles Times
Passenger train bombed in Pakistan ISLAMABAD — A bomb struck a passenger train in southwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing at least seven people and wounding 10, according to police, in the latest attack to hit the violencebesieged nation. The device reportedly detonated as carriages of the Jaffar Express passed through the Nasirabad district of insurgencyplagued Baluchistan province. There was no immediate claim of responsibility, although police and analysts said they suspected Baluch rebels. -Los Angeles Times
France: NSA spying on its citizens ‘unacceptable’ LONDON - France reacted angrily Monday to a news report of mass electronic surveillance of its residents by the U.S. National Security Agency, summoning the American ambassador to explain what it called unacceptable treatment by a close ally. Based on documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, Le Monde reported that the agency’s intelligence dragnet collected 70.3 million pieces of data on French phone communications in a single month beginning in December of last year. -Los Angeles Times Distributed by MCT Information
DailyCollegian.com
Unusually quiet weekend before Halloween APD Weekend Log, Oct. 18 to 24 By Mary reines Collegian Staff
Police considered this relatively quiet weekend to be the calm before the storm. As Halloween approaches, officers are preparing for one of the rowdiest holidays of the year. Drunken students clad in costumes will take over the town next weekend to celebrate. According to police officers, it really can be a scary holiday. Friday, Oct. 18
1:33 p.m. A bear was seen
sitting across from Puffton Village at 1040 North Pleasant Street and it headed into the woods.
Brendan J. Wood, 18, started
of an open container, dis-
was pushed by a female who
antagonized Bazin. Wood ing arrest. He grabbed an was arrested on charges officer’s shirt when resisting of disorderly conduct and arrest. resisting arrest. Sunday, Oct. 20 Saturday, Oct. 19 3:34 a.m. A female broke 12:58 a.m. A male, 20, of into a vehicle on Boltwood Chelmsford, was caught rip- Walk and was found talkping up plants in front of the ing on her cell phone and Loose Goose Café on 1 East she appeared intoxicated. Pleasant St. He received She received a summons for a summons on vandalism breaking and entering. charges. 4:01 a.m. Cody P. Fry, 20 was 2:49 p.m. Police received a found walking along the call from 132 North Pleasant street carrying a 6-foot long St. complaining about noisy table above his head at 351 drumming across the street. Northampton Rd. He was The drummers agreed to arrested on charges of distake a break from 3 p.m. to orderly conduct and stolen property. 4 p.m.
first. She was gone by the time officers arrived.
5:40 p.m. A bear was seen video recording officers and orderly conduct and resist- asserted that she was in line running toward a store at 406 Pine Street. It became agitated after being chased by a dog and bothered by people. It was located in a far off field near 945 North Pleasant Street.
11:12 p.m. At Starbucks, 71
North Pleasant St., a male and female reported that a group of males pinched the female’s butt. The group of males denied that the incident occurred and were warned about their behavior.
11:58 p.m. Brian J. Bazin, 20, was found urinating near 93 Fearing St. He was uncooperative when approached by officers and arrested on charges of underage pos- 1:12 a.m. Roland Mack session of alcohol and mis- Robillard, 21, was arrested use of a false identification. on charges of possession
1:53 p.m. A man walked into Starbucks and bypassed a large line to get a salad. He
10:53 p.m. A window was smashed at 175 Summer St. at Apt. 16 and the apartment was found in disarray. A laptop, iPad and money were missing and police suspect forced entry through the window and screen. The break-in occurred sometime after noon and is still under investigation. Totals: Liquor law violation arrests: 3 Liquor law violation summons: 3 Noise Complaints: 13 Vehicle stops: 7 Vehicle crashes: 7 Mary Reines can be reached at mreines@umass.edu.
Attorney general SGA discusses World Series talks mass shootings, celebrations, RSOs, elevators Campus safety marijuana laws discussed at length Police, general discuss top issues By Maggie Clark Stateline.org
PHILADELPHIA – Giving police officers the tools to respond to mass shootings was the top concern for Attorney General Eric Holder in his address to the annual meeting of the International Association of Chiefs of Police here Monday. “We’ve seen in the last year, it’s almost always patrol officers who are responding to active shooters, not SWAT teams,” said Holder, referring to the mass shootings in Newtown, Conn., Aurora, Colo., and the Washington Navy Yard. Already this year, there have been 12 mass shootings, Holder told the audience of more than 1,000 state and local officers. The Department of Justice is developing guides for schools and churches to respond to active shooters and is already providing training for local officers on how to respond to such incidents. Holder also discussed the Justice Department’s new push for drug treatment for some federal drug crimes instead of mandatory minimum sentences. Saving money on incarceration will leave resources to pursue bigger cases against more serious criminals, he said. The Justice Department’s response to new state mari-
juana legalization laws, however, was loudly opposed. “We strongly disagree with the recent decision not to challenge the marijuana laws in Washington and Colorado,” said Craig T. Steckler, association president and retired chief of the Fremont, Calif., police department, to applause. The Justice Department announced in August that it would allow state marijuana legalization to go forward and advised U.S. attorneys to prosecute marijuana users or businesses only if they were involved in trafficking or giving marijuana to minors. “We are disappointed with the decision,” Steckler said. “We think we’ve opened the floodgates to people who want to fully legalize all drugs.” Holder and new FBI Director James Comey, who also spoke to the officers, warned that sequestration, the automatic across-theboard federal budget cuts that took effect earlier this year, will hurt local police agencies. “I don’t think folks understand the coming impact of sequestration on the FBI and our partnerships with state and local law enforcement,” said Comey, who noted that those partnerships were essential during the Navy Yard shooting Sept. 16, his first day in his new position. The organization also honored Newtown Police Chief Michal Kehoe during the meeting.
OCTOBER 25 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Campus Center Concourse WAYS TO SHOW YOUR LOVE: < < < < <
Show school pride and wear Maroon Write a thank you card to UMass supporters dĂŬĞ ĂĚǀĂŶƚĂŐĞ ŽĨ ƐƉĞĐŝĂů ŽīĞƌƐ ďLJ ŽƵƌ ĐĂŵƉƵƐ partners >ŝŬĞ ƵƐ ŽŶ &ĂĐĞŬͶI Love UMass dǁĞĞƚ ƵƐ ηŝ>ŽǀĞhDĂƐƐ ŵŚĞƌƐƚ
Wear UMass gear and get a hDĂƐƐ tĂƚĞƌ ŽƩůĞ ;ůŝŵŝƚĞĚ ƐƵƉƉůLJͿ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚĞ ^ Θ ^W ͘ Visit hDĂƐƐ ůƵŵŶŝ͘ĐŽŵͬŚŽŵĞĐŽŵŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ĚĞƚĂŝůƐ͘ Sponsored by the ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ ůƵŵŶŝ ƐƐŽĐŝĂƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚ WŚŝůĂŶƚŚƌŽƉLJ ŽŵŵŝƩĞĞ͘
By katrina Borofski Collegian Staff
World Series celebrations on campus as well as updates on student government’s involvement with registered student organizations on campus were among topics discussed at Monday’s Student Government Association meeting, following through on topics discussed at previous meetings. Progress has been made regarding ensuring the safety during celebrations on campus during and following the World Series baseball games. Student government representatives and the University of Massachusetts Police Department have collaborated to come up with a “tentative plan made to prevent students from gathering in an unsafe way,” according to one student senator. These organized celebrations are anticipated to take place later in the series, starting with Game 4 on Oct. 27 and any possible further games in the series. “We want to bring in an outdoor screen into the Southwest courtyard to keep students within an area to watch the game,” said one student senator who attended the World Series meeting. “UMass Dining will be providing food. We’re hoping to have a barbeque-like atmosphere.” Vice President of Student Government Emily Hajjar noted that the commencement of the WTF Campaign (What to Fix UMass?) had launched last Thursday. The campaign’s initiative is to gain
student perspectives on any issues within the University. “Once again, it’s a great way to get input from students,” said Hajjar. At Monday’s meeting, a member of the Student Cabinet also shared a presentation regarding Sobrio, a current program at UMass where students can call and receive a ride home from bars and other off campus places on the weekends. Presently, Sobrio has sixteen student drivers who work in the program, safely bringing students back to their dorms on weekend nights. Members of Sobrio are currently working to make this program into a formal RSO. Recently, they have started tabling in the campus center. Overall, those working to promote Sobrio are enthused to build up a program that offers a useful and safe option to students on campus. “I’ve had so many great conversations with students I’ve picked up that it’s become a truly fun way to spend a weekend night,” said Samya Stumo, a current Sobrio driver and junior here at the University. Also discussed at this week’s meeting was the distribution of budget under the Finance Committee. The UMass Ballroom Dancing Club and the UMass Theater Guild represent two of three RSOs that have recently requested money from the Finance Committee. “The Finance Committee has an additional $30,000 to allocate for emergency situations like this,” said President Zac Broughton, who supported giving some of the Committee’s budget to these two RSOs.
Both RSOs were promised money in the past year and did not receive it, and it has prompted them to put repeated requests in this year. The Ballroom Dancing Club is looking for funding to help pay the coaches who teach their large club of over 120 dancers. The Theater Guild is hoping for support from the Finance Committee in helping to cover royalties for shows, as well as to costumes, sets and renting spaces. The SGA voted to allocate the budget for both RSOs at Monday’s meeting. One other significant topic brought up at this week’s meeting was the current status of elevators throughout campus. “Lots of elevators are not up to date or have expired inspection placards,” said one student senator. “They are required to file for re-inspection.” Acquiring a new inspection placard on elevators is a long process with three different phases, taking up to 90 days for each phase. In the Kennedy Tower in Southwest, one elevator’s inspection sticker expired in July of 2012. This means that by the time this elevator receives its inspection placard, it will be nearly two years out-of-date. In Southwest alone, there are at least 20 elevators. Across the entire campus, many more, a majority of which have expired inspection placards. This poses a serious safety issue that requires attention. Due to lack of time, this topic was tabled and senators anticipate discussing the issue further at a later meeting. Katrina Borofski can be reached at kborofski@umass.edu.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
JONES
SHELTER
continued from page 1
ing about a time when she came with Jones to UMass in February. It was her birthday, so he bought her a UMass lanyard, which is now her keychain, and a pack of Sour Patch Kids candy. She smiled between her tears as she recalled the story. Jones’s father spoke last and expressed his appreciation for the UMass community. “I know he was excited to be back here,” he said. “Kristan and I attended UMass too.” Wiseman directed the crowd in singing “Amazing Grace” towards the end of the ceremony. Many of the attendees were part of UMass Greek life, standing together in large groups and proudly wearing their letters. According to Jake Vitrofsky, president of Kappa Sigma, members
WEBSITE
of at least three sororities and four fraternities were in attendance. Vitrofsky, along with Wiseman, directed the service, and he said that Jones exemplified the fraternity’s values. He recited the fraternity’s creed as evidence. He said that Jones was “a man of honor and courage … One who walks in the light of God.” Taylor Marrs, a member of Kappa Sigma, said that he had met Jones his freshman year. “He was always happy,” Marrs said. “He made a difference in my life. I’m really glad I got to know him.” The service lasted about an hour and ended at the Newman Center with drinks and cookies. Members of Kappa Sigma greeted attendees warmly. Mary Reines can be reached at mreines@umass.edu.
continued from page 1
home to those who have no home.” Approximately 300 canvassers showed up to Shelter Sunday, including a large amount of college students, many of whom are involved in Greek life on campus. Michael Weisman, director of Fraternities and Sororities at UMass, is on the board of Friends for the Homeless and is in charge of many student activities. Lumley photographed each team as they headed out to their zones and each fraternity or sorority team gets a copy of their picture for publicity purposes. Each group of canvassers, about three or four volunteers per group, is required to watch a training video before being sent out to cover their “zones.” They follow a specific formula for how to ask for donations, so as to make sure that each group is maintaining proper protocol. If a resident is not home, the
canvassers leave a brochure about the organizations so that they can be aware of what is happening and how they can help. The main sponsors of this event were “Bueno Y Sano,” who provided gift cards for each of the canvassers, and Florence Savings Bank, who is a large monetary donator. Interested parties can still donate to the organization online through www. sheltersunday.org, or can contact any involved groups through their Facebook page, specifically “Shelter Sunday Amherst,” according to Blain. Other towns have similar programs, but none of them have programs exactly like Amherst’s Shelter Sunday. Lumley, in closing, thanked “those that have participated and donated to help those in need.” Marleigh Felsenstein can be reached at mfelsenstein@umass.edu.
continued from page 1
oppose the law than support it. Consumers have until March 31 to sign up for coverage. The administration doesn’t expect to extend the deadline, but it appeared to open the door Monday to the possibility that those who were trying to purchase insurance and had problems with the website might be exempted from the law’s penalty for remaining uninsured. Under current rules, people who buy marketplace coverage after Feb. 15 could be subject to fines under the individual mandate - which requires most Americans to have insurance or pay a penalty - because their enrollment may not begin in time
to meet the deadline. The administration is considering new rules that would allow marketplace coverage purchased after Feb. 15 to be eligible under the mandate. “The law is clear that if you do not have access to affordable health insurance, you will not be forced to pay a penalty,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said. Republicans’ insistence that the health care makeover be delayed or defunded led to the partial shutdown of the federal government, but the bill that reopened the government last week after 16 days included no substantive changes to the program. Republicans criticized the White House event. “If the president is frustrated by the mounting failures of his health care law, it wasn’t apparent today,” said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. “Americans are looking for accountability, but what the president offered today was little more than self-congratulation.” Obama was introduced by Janice Baker, the first person to sign up for insurance through the marketplaces in Delaware. Even she had had problems. “Like many consumers out there, it took me a number of frustrating attempts before I could apply for and select my plan,” she said. “I kept trying because I needed access to the new health
SHOOTING
care options.” Over the weekend, the administration updated the website to make it more user-friendly. Instead of the homepage greeting of “apply now,” it gives users links to “apply online” or “apply by phone” at 800-318-2596. Wait times are averaging less than a minute, Obama said, and individuals can fully enroll by phone in about 25 minutes, or families in 45 minutes. After numerous complaints from users, the homepage now allows users to compare the costs of health plans in their areas without opening individual accounts. The administration was reluctant to allow this when the website launched because the plan prices don’t reflect what people would pay after federal subsidies are included for people with low- and moderate incomes. The page now says, “See plans and prices in your area.” In addition, the new design alerts viewers, “IMPORTANT NOTE: The prices shown on this tool don’t reflect the lower costs you may qualify for based on household size and income.” Christopher Rasmussen, a policy analyst at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology, said allowing people to compare plans without providing personal information should make the site easier to navigate. “Putting that requirement at the back end relieves that front-door logjam, so I think that’s a good move on their part,” he said. The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee had wanted Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to testify Thursday about the rollout, but she declined because she’ll be out of the state. She’s expected to testify next week.
continued from page 1
took shelter in a woman’s home. A woman who identified herself as Kyle Nucum’s aunt told the Bee that her nephew was safe and at home but in shock over what he saw and not ready to discuss it. Sparks police and school officials said at an 11 a.m. press briefing that the incident was tragic but isolated. Washoe County School District Police Chief Mike Mieras said two students were taken to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno. The medical center said it received both patients at 7:45 a.m. and that their conditions had improved from the initial assessment that both were critically wounded. As of 11:20 a.m., the medical center said, one victim was listed as being in serious condition and the other in fair condition. Mieras said the two dead at the school were “a staff member at the school (and) the other deceased at this point in time appears to be a student/suspect.” Sparks Mayor Geno Martini said “our hearts go out to all those who have been affected.” “I want to reiterate again that the city itself is very safe, that this is just an isolated incident,” he said. “I don’t believe this is any kind of a spree that’s going to go on.”
Barbara Clark, president of the Washoe County School District board, said student and staff safety is paramount and that counselors are being brought in to help. “I want to say how tragic this is and how saddened we are,” Clark said. School was canceled and students were being reunited with parents at Sparks High School, with counselors being brought in to assist them. Lopez said he was heartened by the rapid response of law enforcement and the school district and that he expected his son to take advantage of the counseling services. “We want to thank God for our kids and the families, and at the same time also thank the authorities and the school district for the work they did,” he said. “Unfortunately, none of us are prepared for something like this.” The shooting prompted statements of concern from Nevada officials, including Gov. Brian Sandoval, who said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the horrific shooting at Sparks Middle School this morning. “My administration is receiving regular updates and the Nevada Highway Patrol is assisting at the scene,” he added.
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
3
Al-Qaida group running on ransom Money coming from the West By Ken Dilanian Tribune Washington Bureau WASHINGTON – Dominik Neubauer stared into the camera, the steel barrel of an assault rifle pointed at his head. A Yemeni “tribe” had taken him hostage, the 26-year-old Austrian student said in English, a tear rolling down his left cheek. If they aren’t paid a ransom, he continued, “they will kill me seven days after this video is published.” In May, three months after the video appeared on YouTube, Neubauer was freed along with a Finnish couple who had also been kidnapped near an Arabic language school in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital. Multimillion-dollar ransoms were paid for their release, Yemeni and Western officials said. The three were seized not by a tribe but by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the officials said - the group that has been trying for years to blow up U.S. airliners and overthrow the Western-backed government in Yemen. The ransoms went into the group’s coffers, according to the officials. Over the last two years, AQAP, as Western officials refer to the group, has extorted $20 million in ransom money, according to an estimate by Alistair Burt, who until this month was the top British diplomatic official for the Middle East. If those payments continue, “AQAP’s attack capability in Yemen and against its friends and neighbors will only strengthen,” he said at a recent diplomatic meeting in New York. Kidnapping has become the group’s single largest source of funds, U.S. and European officials say. Much of the money comes with the complicity of Western governments that have rebuffed British and American exhortations not to pay ransoms, the officials allege. The governments of Finland and Austria said they did not provide ransom money to terrorists. But two Western officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid publicly criticizing allied governments, said that those denials are for public consumption and that the size of the ransoms shows government involvement. The al-Qaida affiliate’s leader, Naser Abdel-Karim Wahishi, boasted of the money his organization brings in through kidnappings in a May 2012 letter to leaders of an allied group in North Africa. The document was found by Associated Press reporters in Mali. “Kidnapping hostages is an easy spoil, which I may describe as a profitable trade and a precious treasure,” the letter said. “Thanks to Allah, most of the battle costs, if not all, were paid from through the spoils,” the letter said, adding that “almost half the spoils came from hostages.” Ransom money helped fund the group’s 2011 effort to seize and hold towns in southern Yemen, U.S. and European officials say. The money went to pay militants and the families of the dead and also to provide social services and infrastructure, the officials said. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula turned to kidnapping in part because of successful Western efforts to crack down on its traditional funding sources, including money transfers from wealthy Persian Gulf Arabs, U.S. intelligence officials say. In a speech last year to the
Ransom money helped fund the group’s 2011 effort to seize and hold towns in southern Yemen... The money went to pay militants and the families of the dead and also to provide social services and infrastructure. think tank Chatham House in London, David Cohen, the top U.S. Treasury official in charge of disrupting the finances of terrorist groups, acknowledged the “gutwrenching dilemma” faced by governments that know payment of a few million dollars could save the life of a citizen. “We acknowledge this dilemma - this tragic choice,” he said, “but believe that so many lives are at risk of terrorist violence around the globe that the equation tips decidedly in favor of a ‘no concessions’ policy.” “What you are doing is fueling the group,” said a senior Western diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly. “AQAP, with its ability to bring down aircraft - it’s incredibly dangerous to start funding that.” The better course, the official said, is to attempt a military rescue or work with the Yemeni government to find tribal allies who can help negotiate a hostage’s release. The official acknowledged that in some cases that course can lead to hostages being killed. The problem exists beyond Yemen. The Yemeni group modeled its kidnapping operations after the lucrative practices of al-Qaida affiliates in North Africa and Nigeria, the official said. In June, the Group of 8 - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the U.S. - issued a statement saying its members “unequivocally reject the payment of ransoms to terrorists.” If that policy holds up, it would mark a notable shift for some nations. In 2010, the French government arranged for $17 million to be paid to free French hostages seized at a uranium mine in Niger, Vicki Huddleston, the U.S. ambassador to Mali from 2002 to 2005, said in a television interview in February. The next year, France secured the freedom of three French hostages seized in Yemen by paying a ransom to al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, the first major kidnapping ransom netted by the group, the Western official said. Two Yemenis with knowledge of the case - one a source close to the militant group, the other a tribal figure who has negotiated kidnapping ransoms - said the sum was $9 million. French President Francois Hollande has taken a tougher line than his predecessor and refused to pay ransom money, the Western official said. Four French hostages have been held for more than two years in northern Niger. A French Embassy spokesman said France does not pay terrorists. U.S. and British officials believe that American and British citizens are less likely to be kidnapped than other Westerners because it’s known that their governments won’t pay ransoms or bow to other demands and may instead attempt a military rescue, officials said. Special correspondent Shuaib Almosawa in Yemen contributed to this report.
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
“When the president does it that means it is not illegal.” -Ronald Reagan
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Editorial@DailyCollegiancom
Sleep-deprived high school Preservation of landscape students deserve a break is key to unearthing history Did you do the math? We all remember the absolutely draining sense There is physically not of exhaustion experienced enough hours in the day every single morning of for students to devote the appropriate amount of Elise Martorano time to all of these commitments. And we’ve left high school. The jarring out arguably the most vital alarm would go off at 5:35 factor in the development a.m. We’d drag ourselves of a teenager: sleep. According to the out of bed, the sun not even risen yet. We’d dress slop- National Sleep Foundation, pily and brush our teeth, teens need about 9.25 hours staring zombie-like at our of sleep per night, but less harrowed reflection in than 15 percent gets even the mirror, taking note of 8.5 hours. And what are our pale complexion and the effects of sleep deprithe dark circles under our vation? A list by the NSF eyes. We’d skip breakfast includes: “(Limiting) your and stumble out the door in ability to learn, listen, contime to catch the bus at 6:15 centrate and solve proba.m. We’d arrive at school, lems,” “aggressive or inapzoned out and bedraggled, propriate behavior,” overand sit through seven eating that leads to weight hours of classes, fighting gain and heightened susceptibility to illness. These our drooping eyelids. At the end of the day, effects can be detrimenwe’d once again board the tal to a student’s success bus, tromp home and begin in high school, leading to the six to seven hours of declined health, motivation homework due the next day. and achievement. The amount and severity Many of us even had after school commitments, caus- of the negative side effects ing us to get home four to caused by sleep-deprivafive hours later. And then tion seem to indicate that we’d fall asleep, only to be the level of activity and reawaken by that nerve- amount of work that stuwracking alarm after just dents are forced to engage a few hours of rest. in are, contrary to adult Five days of the week for roughly 35 weeks of the year, during the four years of high school, students are subjected to the vicious cycle of intense sleep deprivation. Students in high school face many competing stressors that exacerbate sleep loss. They attend school for six to seven hours a day, belief, harmful rather than each hour filled by a dif- beneficial. In Maria Popova’s artiferent class. Every single night, teachers in each cle “Sleep and the Teenage one of these classes assign Brain,” she summarizes homework due for the next conclusions by prominent day. Most of this homework researchers and theorists involves extensive reading, about sleep and teenagers. note taking and problem She paraphrases portions of a book written by chrosolving. Additionally, many stu- nobiologist Till Roenneberg dents are pressured by by saying, “Teenagers have their parents and their already endured years of inflicted school to take upper-lev- institutionally el, intensive honors or sleep deprivation by the Advanced Placement class- time they get to college: es because these courses there is a tragic disconwill better prepare them nect between teens’ circafor college and make them dian givens and our social better admissions candi- expectations of them.” She also quotes dates. More intensive classDavid K. Randall’s book es mean more homework. Students are also pres- “Dreamland: Adventures sured to engage in after in the Strange Science of school activities such as Sleep,” in which he makes sports, speech and debate, a case for adult ignorance volunteering, theater or being a driving factor in other clubs. These activi- sleep deprivation in teenties, according to the adult agers. He refers to “biolinfluences in the lives of ogy’s cruel joke” being high school students, make that teenagers do not start kids well-rounded and releasing melatonin until more attractive to colleges. around 11 p.m., meanBut they are also time-con- ing that they do not stop suming and could take up releasing it until “well to six hours every day after past sunrise.” Therefore, school. Of course, teenag- asking a student to wake ers are also encouraged to up as early as high school apply for part-time jobs, students do is contrary to which means students are their very biology. Randall potentially given four to six says, “Because of the shift hour shifts up to five days a in their circadian rhythm, week. asking a teenager to per-
form well in a classroom during the early morning is like asking him or her to fly across the country and instantly adjust to the new time zone – and then do the same thing every night, for four years.” Randall’s metaphor illustrates the gross unfairness of typical school days for teenagers. Because they are being forced to operate in opposition to their biological needs, they become sleep-deprived, which causes them to suffer academically, emotionally, physically and socially. So what can we do about teenage sleep deprivation? I think that, although it may sound naive, the simplest solution would be for adults (parents, teachers, etc.) to acknowledge the facts that teenagers need sleep to develop and function in a healthy and successful way and the pressures that they place on their children and students prevent sleep. In his book, Randall describes an experiment that took place in the mid 1990s in Minnesota, where a high school board decided to have school open roughly an hour later than usual. Although parents argued that this would take away from time spent on after school activities and homework, and believed that it would provoke students to (ironically) sleep less, the experiment worked exactly as predicted. After a year, students did get more sleep, and the direct results were that more came to school feeling energetic and ready to learn. Fewer students reported feeling depressed, the school saw fewer fights and dropouts and afterschool participation did not suffer. Most significantly, the average SAT score for the school’s top 10 percent of students rose from 1288 to 1500 out of 1600 possible points. The significance of these results is indisputable. B e t we e n starting school later in the day and encouraging teenagers to create stress-free, manageable schedules, adults can help their children to better succeed in high school. Because teenagers need the proper amount of sleep in order to be creative, involved and enthusiastic, parents and teachers should be altering the stressors that they place on their children and students and be actively conscientious about their health.
...Although it may sound naive, the simplest solution would be for adults ... to acknowledge the facts that teenagers need sleep to develop and function in a healthy and successful way and the pressures that they place on their children and students prevent sleep.
Over the past week, NBC news. Glenn Taylor, Dylan Taylor Why all the anger? News and Dave Hill have gotten media loves to pick up on fifteen minutes of fame people doing stupid things, and today’s YouTube videos Eamon McCarthy-Earls have given them plenty of fresh material. The former that they will never forget. Scout leaders’ silly behavThe three men, former Boy ior in the video is easy to Scout troop leaders in Utah, lampoon. As a geologist, it recently made international is hard not to be saddened news when a video of the by their actions. However, men toppling a boulder in felony charges and death Utah’s Goblin Valley State threats are an extreme overPark went viral. The troop reaction and the continued leaders pushed the boulder attention given to the story from its perch onto a mound is surprising. At most, the of soil and then proceeded Utah State Parks departto strike poses and high-five each other. Hill announced on the video, “We have now modified Goblin Valley.” Since the video was posted, the three men have made news as far away as ment should issue a fine to Europe and Japan and have all three men for damage to even received death threats. the park’s landscape. Many people would probGoblin Valley is a unique landscape, resembling the ably agree that historical surface of Mars, formed sites and unique environfrom 170 million-year-old ments such as the Amazon sandstone. Over millions rainforest should be preof years, water has eroded served for the ages, but most of the sandstone lay- what about unique geologic ers, leaving behind mush- features or landscapes? Throughout the U.S., the room-shaped pinnacles that can stand more than National Park Service and a dozen feet tall. The for- state agencies already promer Scout leaders violated tect many of these features – the Utah National Parks Yosemite, the Devil’s Tower Council’s “Leave No Trace” and the Grand Canyon to policy by knocking over the name a few. Geologic feaboulder and may face charg- tures are usually the last es. The men defended their things people think of preactions by pointing out that serving. They are often the boulder (which weighs given short shrift, erased or as much as a medium altered by activities such as sized car) was precariously mining, dam building and perched alongside a busy even off-roading. Many of these sites give trail and could have easily rolled onto passing hikers. us geological and environ“We did something right mental insights as signifithe wrong way,” Taylor told cant as ancient forests or
the Library of Congress. The Grand Canyon area, for instance, preserves much of the history of life on Earth in its stony layers. It is literally possible to start at the bottom of the canyon and hike through the Earth’s past, passing early sea life such as sponges and shellfish, fossilized leaves from early forests, tracks from the time of the dinosaurs and even the remains of giant sloths that roamed the West during the last ice age. The layers also contain evidence of environmental changes as beaches and reefs switched to dunes and back again. These natural archives are invaluable records of our planet’s past and our own biological origins that offer hints for the future. Even locations that are less spectacular than the Grand Canyon often contain stunning discoveries. In 2008, scientists unearthed a fossil of the world’s oldest flying insect behind a strip mall in Attleboro. Even minor ponds and swamps can give us information that will help us to understand and fight climate change. Although we will always have a big impact on the landscapes around us, we can try to limit the damage we do. We can take the lesson of three Utah Scout leaders to heart and start to think about geologic features and landscapes as special places in their own right.
Many of these sites give us geological and environmental insights as significant as ancient forests or the Library of Congress.
Eamon McCarthy-Earls is a Collegian contributor and can be reached at ecmccart@umass.edu.
Elise Martorano is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at emartora@ umass.edu.
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
Business Manager - Omer Sander Distribution Manager - Henry Liu Advertising Manager - Andrew Carr
NEWS
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
Thomas Barnes Jillian Corriera Maral Margossian Brandon Sides
Emily Brightman Søren Hough Jake Reed Tommy Verdone
Mark Chiarelli Cameron McDonough Patrick Strohecker
News Editor - Patrick Hoff
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
ARTS & LIVING
SPORTS
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 - Soren Hough SPORTS DESK EDITOR - Mark Chiarelli COMICS DESK EDITOR - Tracy Krug
GRAPHICS DESK EDITOR - Gabe Scarbrough
Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
“Am I a lion? I don’t think of myself as a lion.” - Jubal Early from “Firefly”
FILM REVIEW
FILM REVIEW
‘Gravity’ never reaches its potential Cuarón attached to his old ways By søren hough Collegian Staff
A woman, short-haired and weightless, folds her body up in relief. Light pours in through a nearby window, and as she floats gently in the sunlight, at once the image of a fetus in utero is evoked. The frame lingers here. She recovers her breath and then, her energy restored, she swims through the air. Alfonso Cuarón, along with his brother, Jonás, have crafted what may be the most technologically impressive film in history with “Gravity.” When James Cameron himself has nothing but praise for your cinematic achievements, you know you’ve made waves. And yet, in spite of its impressive spectacle, moments like the scene described above keep this tale of astronauts lost in space disappointingly moored to Earth. I am happy to count Cuarón among my favorite directors. His views on filmmaking have always seemed entirely in sync with my own, from directorial ideology to aesthetic taste. I love his appreciation for the long take, as well as his gritty perspective on humanity. These elements are palpable in everything from “The Prisoner of Azkaban” to “Children of Men,” and indeed extend to his latest effort. As with any master of
film, I expected and found nothing less than technical perfection in “Gravity.” The sound design alone is worthy of an Academy Award, as Cuarón contrasts the silence of space with the very human noises of heavy breathing and nervous humming. Likewise, no visual detail is left unattended. Thinking about the film now, this may be the first movie I’ve seen where it was truly difficult to tell where the sets ended and the computer-generated effects began. No, the faults in “Gravity” do not lie with its presentation. Instead, it is Cuarón’s own idiosyncrasies that eventually fail his space epic. His now-signature long take is the best example of this. In “Children of Men,” a seminal piece of science fiction cinema, Cuarón indulges his affection for the long take sparingly. This culminates in a scene towards the end of the film that gains much of its tension from the director’s unique camerawork. For “Gravity,” Cuarón seems to have misunderstood the weight of such moments. While the first scene is approximately 13 minutes of uncut footage, serving as a beautiful introduction to the story and characters, the long take becomes a forced crutch in later sequences. Cuarón misses that this trick really only works once, diminishing in return with each subsequent use. Eventually, this predilection becomes more of a ponderous quirk than a powerful tool, drawing attention
By Cory Willey Collegian Staff
IMAGE COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES
Sandra Bullock gives a compelling performance in ‘Gravity.’ to itself in a way that does not benefit the movie’s tone or message. When Sandra Bullock hovers by the window posed like a prenatal infant, Cuarón fixes the camera on her for far too long. He seems to shove the metaphor in the face of the audience, all pretense of subtlety lost. Issues like this unfortunately take away from the stars of “Gravity.” Bullock gives an incredible performance as Dr. Ryan Stone, a specialist assigned to a space mission alongside seasoned astronaut Matt Kowalski (George Clooney). Clooney does his usual calm, collected and charming thing here, but Bullock really stood out to me. I’m not always her biggest fan, but the way she brings Dr. Stone to life is beautifully nuanced. Her physical presence is graceful and measured, making her helplessness in space that much more impactful. As a character she is instantly relatable and entirely
human, reacting as a real person would to the catastrophe around her. Umbilical cords are a recurring motif in “Gravity.” Attaching characters to one another, these tethers flow openly in the black of space. They dangle about in perpetual connection, yanking the astronauts toward and away from each other with force. These cords represent an unwillingness to let go; to sever them is to free oneself and accept the present. In fact, it is perhaps Cuarón’s most important theme in “Gravity.” It is therefore ironic that the director seems so entrenched in what has worked in the past. Had he let go, weighing anchor and embracing the medium more liberally, he might have made a masterpiece. For now, “Gravity” remains lamentably stuck in the mire of its own talented creator. Søren Hough can be reached at shhough@umass.edu.
‘Macbeth’ misses the mark By yoshi MakishiMa Collegian Correspondent
“Macbeth” is being shown at Amherst Cinema through National Theater Live, a service that streams taped plays performed by London’s National Theater to the United States. Though the recordings lack the immediacy and exhilarating unpredictability of a live show, the NT Live broadcasts allow these amazing performances to reach a much wider audience and may encourage more people to head to a local theater company to see the real thing. NT Live is celebrating its 50th anniversary of broadcasting through radio and film this year. They’re screening many past favorites – such as Nick Dear’s “Frankenstein” and Alan Bennet’s “The Habit of Art” – along with this year’s most popular shows. Whether or not “Macbeth” can hold its own against these theatrical masterpieces is debatable. “Macbeth,” co-directed by Kenneth Branagh and Rob Ashford, is hardly “a tale told by an idiot,” but it is full of “sound and fury” that ultimately don’t add up to much. In spite of a gritty, cinema-realistic production and two big names heading the cast (Branagh also stars as Macbeth, with Kingston as his Lady), miscalculated performances and a stubborn adherence to old-school traditionalism haunt this edition of the play. Branagh and Ashford
have staged Shakespeare’s tale of murderous ambition in a deconsecrated church in Manchester. Ashford explains that the choice of location was meant to bring out the initial decency of the Macbeths. “These people were good before they made this choice,” he said in an interview for the NT Live screening. Indeed, the Macbeths in this production are not cackling, mustache-twisting villains, a trap many actors playing these roles have fallen into. But at the same time, the audience doesn’t get to see much of the Macbeths’ original “goodness,” either. There simply isn’t time. Branagh and Kingston have infused their characters with a frantic, nervous energy. Branagh’s early soliloquies are anxious, hastily-muttered personal pep talks, while Kingston jumps around the stage like a jittery schoolgirl. Driven by blind ambition, they speed through every scene with a vigorous but not always coherent urgency. It’s exhausting and greatly decreases the impact of the tragedy. The audience doesn’t have enough time to empathize with the characters to care what happens to them. Branagh also proves to be a problematic Macbeth. The play’s titular character is a seasoned soldier, whose eloquence and graciousness initially wins him the admiration of the other characters and the audience alike. But Branagh’s Macbeth is a nervous, indecisive man. He has to talk himself into taking every action and remains uncertain up to the moment
‘Prisoners’ tells a moving tale of loss Crime drama is an arresting experience
B R OA D C A S T T H E A T E R R E V I E W
Branagh creates a theatrical misfire
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
of his execution. Even while carrying out the murder of King Duncan, a savage crime that usually happens offstage but here is enacted before the audience, this Macbeth doesn’t quite have his heart in it. And as a King, Branagh is extremely unconvincing. He barks orders with false bravado, until, when he’s finally left alone, he curls up into the fetal position and hides underneath his cloak. His Macbeth has more in common with the petulant prince Hamlet than with the doughty Scottish warrior. Though the performances may not be exactly what Shakespeare would have imagined, the production design is quite loyal to the playwright’s vision. With the advent of elaborately detailed, thoroughly researched historical movies, audiences have come to expect a higher degree of realism from their entertainment. “Macbeth” certainly doesn’t disappoint in that department. The show begins with a rain-soaked battle scene to rival anything you’ve seen in the movies. Swords clash. Fake blood oozes. The men are in kilts, while the women wear long dresses that drag in the dirt floor that serves as the stage. The production is immersive, even for those of us watching it on a screen in the States. The traditionalist approach demonstrates an admirable loyalty to the material, but doesn’t always benefit the storytelling. Most of the characters are men, and have been wrapped up in layers of tartan, with beards hiding their faces. Under all
that, it becomes hard to tell who’s who. The use of traditional English broadswords and shields is also a problematic choice. They’re too bulky to use in the small, intimate space Branagh and Ashford have selected. A few times, audience members ducked to avoid sword swipes that, though still a safe distance away, were a little too close for comfort. However, not every aspect is entirely traditional. Some of the strongest parts of Branagh and Ashford’s “Macbeth” are the modern touches, including a rousing percussion-heavy score by Patrick Doyle and 21st century pyrotechnics for the three witches. In one scene, the church altar bursts into flames to become a satanic ritual bonfire – a striking, distinctly contemporary piece of symbolism. Other elements, like the variety of regional accents spoke in the production, are often rather confusing, but not enough to distract from the more consistent parts of the production. Branagh and Ashford have created a decent piece of theater, but when one is working with material as well-known as “Macbeth,” for which a long and excellent tradition of productions exists, the bar is going to be much higher. This rendition will be coming to Broadway next June, so American audiences will soon be able to judge for themselves. Still, they might do better to just go out and rent a copy of Branagh’s Henry V instead. Yoshi Makishima can be reached at emakishi@smith.edu.
break free at any moment. While Villeneuve and Guzikowski have created two strong protagonists in Dover and Loki, they seem to mishandle many of the secondary characters. In particular, Dover’s wife and son feel somewhat one-dimensional for a film that runs a little over two and a half hours. His wife simply mopes around in a drugged-up state for the majority of the film and his son is reduced to the role of her watchdog per Dover’s orders. This doesn’t detract in any significant way from the film, as Dover and Loki’s characters are so well fleshed-out. However, it would have been interesting to see more involvement from those so closely connected to the case. Although the film regularly jumps from character to character, the tone of the film remains constant. From the moment the girls are taken to the final scene, there is a consistent feeling of foreboding and despair that never ceases to ramp up. The more time that passes after the kidnapping, the more desperate the search becomes and the more hopeless it all seems. Villeneuve heightens this depressing tone with the backdrop of suburban Pennsylvania in late November. The increasingly violent and desperate scenes occur beneath grey snow and rain filled skies, the macabre pale-yellow of streetlights and the green-grey tinge of fluorescent lights. Villeneuve and Guzikowski don’t intend to let any happiness permeate this film’s gaunt personality, creating the perfect conditions for this dark and violent crime drama to truly resonate with its audience. Mixed in with these morose feelings are scenes which depict truly gruesome violence. Unlike many modern films, however, it never feels gratuitous. Villeneuve depicts these moments in a way that doesn’t glorify their content, but rather causes the audience to dread their inevitability. This, coupled with the grave nature of the plot, gives “Prisoners” a sense of humanity that will leave you feeling drained by the time the credits roll. Vi l l e n e u ve and Guzikowski deliver an emotionally visceral experience by empathetically portraying violence against a bleak urban backdrop. Jackman and Gyllenhaal strengthen the heightened sense of realism with terrifically delivered performances. In combination, “Prisoners” is an excellent crime drama that will resonate with you long after you leave the theater.
Imagine the person you love most in the world. Now imagine they’ve disappeared without a trace. They’re out of your reach and you’re seemingly powerless to bring them back. The police have a suspect but they don’t have the evidence to hold them for long and they’re going to walk. So what do you do? Do you sit at home and wait for that dreadful call from the police, or do you take matters into your own hands? This question is the base upon which “Prisoners” is built. Director Denis Villeneuve and writer Aaron Guzikowski create a harsh, cold world and fill it with relatable characters, giving this thriller an emotional weight that is hard to find in others in the genre. Paired with a mystery that at first seems simple, but quickly becomes a tangled mess of dead-ends and riddles, and “Prisoners” makes for a compelling cinematic experience. The film starts in familiar territory for a crimedrama. A kidnapping occurs that may be linked to others that suggest a similar killer MO and the police proceed to investigate. What sets “Prisoners” apart is its changing perspectives and the differing experiences it brings with it. The story periodically switches back and forth between the point-of-view of Jake Gyllenhaal’s Detective Loki and Hugh Jackman’s Keller Dover. Dover’s daughter and her friend have gone missing, and when evidence turns up that points to a kidnapping, he transforms from a protective father into a savage and desperate man who will stop at nothing to bring back his daughter. Jackman is all-in here. While we’ve certainly seen him play angry before in his portrayal of The Wolverine, it’s never been backed up with such emotion and pain. Whether he’s shouting at the people who get in his way or mercilessly beating a suspect, it always feels like it’s coming from a place of genuine concern and fear. Gyllenhaal’s Loki is an excellent parallel to Dover, as he too progressively becomes more and more frustrated with the increasingly complicated case. While Dover is able to operate on his own terms, Loki must remain under the constraint of the law and his superiors. Gyllenhaal balances the character’s calm demeanor and rage-filled actions expertly, giving him an aura akin to a chained Cory Willey can be reached at cjwilanimal, threatening to ley@umass.edu.
6
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Comics
DailyCollegian.com
WE WANT YOUR COMICS! Put your comics in front of thousands of readers. Questions? Comments? Email us: comics@dailycollegian.com
I do things sometimes
D inosaur C omiCs
P oorly D rawn l ines
B y r yan n orth
B y r eza F arazmanD
Tracy’s Mantras
aquarius
HOROSCOPES Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Give ’em the ole razzle dazzle.
pisces
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
leo
Jul. 23 - aug. 22
Having a banana is better than having no banana.
virgo
aug. 23 - Sept. 22
It’s time to tear off the metaphysical band– aid.
Sleeping is for the weak.
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
When in trouble or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
Pierogi is the highest level of heaven.
Naps will make me a healthier, happier, functional, me.
Boogie it out.
sagittarius
nOv. 22 - Dec. 21
Ice cream every day all the time.
No matter how much I cry about not being David Bowie, it won’t make me David Bowie.
cancer
capricorn
Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
The more people listen to me the more they want to be my friend.
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
You are too fabulous and great to not be you.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
ROW I N G
UMass excels at the Charles Rowing competes among world’s best By Matthew ZackMan Collegian Correspondent
The Massachusetts rowing team had the unique opportunity to race in the Head of the Charles Regatta this past weekend in Boston, competing in the world’s largest two-day race which hosts over 9,000 competitors and more than 300,000 fans. The Minutewomen had five boats race in both days of the regatta and had much better results in this year’s race than last year, according to UMass coach Jim Dietz. This year, the lightweight fours boat comprised of coxswain Emily Hajjar, Allanah Rubi-Mooney, Nicole JuulHindsgaul Emily Mann and Taryn Wilson finished in second place with a time of 19:59:851. That was over 10 seconds better than last year’s time of 20:10:281, which put them in seventh place. “I had a sense that [they] were our fastest boat,” Dietz said of the lightweight fours. “Those that trained during the summer were the ones that were success-
ful this weekend.” The validity Dietz’s previous statement also was evident as the club eight boat finished eighth out of a field of 29. However, the boat was merely “tenths of a second out of fifth place,” said Dietz, who made it clear that unchangeable variables such as the course being “very serpentine, having seven bridges and being stuck behind slower boats” prevented the club eight boat from finishing even higher. The Minutewomen also had rowers in the Championship Fours race, which is made up of the nation’s top rowers from US Rowing, Brown University and Canadian rowing powerhouse Wester n University. Despite the UMass’ championship four boat finishing last, Dietz noted that he was proud of his girls because “you want to see that your athletes are coming out and racing.” He believes that the experience that the Head of the Charles will make “next season fabulous for them.” The final two boats that raced for the Minutewomen were the championship single and double. In the single was Claudia Caballero Larco. Larco finished 23th overall after being plagued
by two buoy penalties that cost her 15 seconds near the Newell Boathouse. Had Larco finished the race without being penalized, she would have likely finished 20th. This year was the first year that UMass had a boat entered in the championship double race. Laura St. Pierre and Marika Kopp finished 17th out of a field of 20 and posted a final time of 20:05:854. Dietz was satisfied with the way his team performed this weekend despite going up against some of the “top talent in the world,” he said. Dietz said that most Atlantic 10 teams only have one entry in the Head of the Charles, but UMass has five, which he said made for a “very valuable experience.” “Seeing the A-10 competing this early in the year was invaluable,” Dietz said. The Minutewomen will travel to the Head of the Fish Regatta in Saratoga, N.Y., on Saturday as they look to use their momentum from the Head of the Charles to be successful in New York. Matthew Zackman can be reached at mzackman@umass.edu.
MOORE
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
7
continued from page 8
MARIA UMINSKI/COLLEGIAN
Brittany Moore’s offensive outburst comes after spending three years as a defender. She now plays striker. corner.” As good as Moore has been on offense, she just scored her first collegiate goal this season, which came in a 1-1 tie against New Hampshire on Sept. 9. This isn’t a result of scoring troubles in her first three seasons, however; This is just the first year she has been in the forward position in her soccer career. “Brittany, first of all, has had a tremendous attitude this year,” Matz said.
“Brit came in to us as a defender and has been a defender her whole career and we moved her up at striker this year kind of out of necessity.” In this first year of playing on the offensive side of the ball, Moore started out well, scoring a few goals in the beginning of the season, but never had any eye-opening performances. This recent outbreak will definitely help the team for the rest of the season, and Matz
describes it to be simply a “senior moment.” “I told the seniors, ‘you guys have four games left in your career, if you want to make it five we have to start winning some games’,” Matz said. “Brit really took that to heart. I think she has gotten away from the things that were making her so successful early on, but these last two or three games she’s been awesome.” Tom Mulherin can be reached at tmulheri@umass.edu.
FOOTBALL
Kickoffs becoming rare as NFL aims to reduce injuries By Brian Biggane The Palm Beach Post
DAVIE, Fla. _ When the NFL moved kickoffs from the 30- to the 35-yard line in 2011, New England coach Bill Belichick said his understanding was that the ultimate goal was to phase them out of the game. Three years into the change, the league is on that path. Statistics indicate that this will be the first season in which there will be fewer kick returns than touchbacks _ and the number of returns is down drastically. In 2010, under the old rule, more than 80 percent of kickoffs were returned. That percentage dropped to around 53 percent in 2011 and ‘12. So far this year, the
total is under 38 percent, although that figure is likely to rise as cold weather limits how far kicks carry. Teeing the ball up at the 35-yard line makes it far easier for kickers to boom the ball into the end zone and discourage returns. That is the goal of the NFL, which has grown more concerned about safety of players and sees the kick return as one of the game’s most dangerous plays. Dolphins reserve cornerback R.J. Stanford, who plays on the kick coverage and return teams, said he can understand Commissioner Roger Goodell’s concerns about kickoffs. “You see more concussions, because you’re able to blind-side (guys),” Stanford said. “On (special)
HOCKEY
Leonard verbally commits to UMass
Amherst native to stay close to home B y n ick c anelas Collegian Staff
The Massachusetts hockey team has added some local blood to its recruiting class. Amherst’s John Leonard, a sophomore forward at Cathedral High School in Springfield, announced via Twitter on Monday that he has verbally committed to UMass. “I have made my decision to play college hockey at UMass Amherst. I could not have done this without the support from my family and friends,” Leonard said on his Twitter account, @JohnnyLeonard24. For Leonard, whose father, John, worked as a UMass men’s basketball assistant coach under Steve Lappas, joining the Minutemen was a dream come true. “It’s always been a dream of mine to play there, and I’ve been going to the games ever since I was a little kid,” Leonard told MassLive.com. “I love the atmosphere there, the fans are great, and (UMass
“I could not have done this without the support from my family and friends.” UMass commit John Leonard coach John Micheletto) gave me a great opportunity.” Leonard drew interest from other schools, but there was no doubt in his mind that UMass was where he wanted to be. “UMass was always my number one choice,” he told MassLive. “I just always wanted to go there.” Leonard scored 15 goals and had nine assists as a freshman last season, good for second on the team, to help lead the Panthers to the 2013 Super Eight tournament. Leonard will likely join the Minutemen’s 2016 freshman class that already includes Alex DeBrincat and Jake McCarthy. Nick Canelas can be reached at ncanelas@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @NickCanelas.
teams there’s more chance of blind-side hits because you’re able to come across the field and hit somebody.” Despite safety issues, Dolphins return specialist Marcus Thigpen thinks the rule change stinks. “I don’t like it at all, but it’s out of my control,” he said. Thigpen has taken a knee on 19 of 29 kickoffs, meaning he’s run out only 34.5 percent, despite the fact that special teams coach Darren Rizzi has given him the green light every time. “Every opportunity I have, I try to bring it out, even if I’m 8, 9 (yards) deep,” Thigpen said. “Coach doesn’t have a problem with that; if we make the right blocks and get the right read we can still make something happen.”
SWEEP
It hasn’t happened very often lately. Through Week 5 Miami’s best field position after a kickoff was its own 30, which happened twice against Indianapolis. Thigpen has gotten past the 20 only four times, while being stopped short of it five times. Until last Sunday against Baltimore, Miami’s kickcoverage team hadn’t allowed an opponent to get past the 20 in seven tries, but Belle Glade native Deonte Thompson changed that. He had returns of 47 and 35 yards and totaled 128 yards on four returns. Miami’s Rishard Matthews, a second-year receiver who is in his first year covering kickoffs after being a returner at Nevada, took the blame for Thompson’s 47-yarder up
the left sideline. “I’m the last guy on the right side, so I’m supposed to contain him, but I got caught inside and he got outside me,” Matthews said. One of the reasons Miami kept rookie kicker Caleb Sturgis and cut veteran Dan Carpenter is that Sturgis appears to have a stronger leg. Opponents have returned 11 of Sturgis’ 25 kickoffs (44 percent). Last year, opponents returned 35 of Carpenter’s 68 kickoffs (51.5 percent). Although the kickoff is often now nothing but a formality, most special-teamers want to preserve it for obvious reasons. “For a lot of us, that’s our chance to get on the field,” Matthews said. “It’s part of the game. That’s how some guys make a liv-
ing.” “Of course it would disappoint me,” Sturgis added. “That would mean I’m out there for less than half the plays I am now, so your value would go down. But I know that nowadays safety is the most important thing.” Defensive lineman Jared Odrick said he expects kickoffs to be out of the league within 10 years. But if that happens, Stanford said, they’ll be missed by both players and fans. “It’s one of those things that’s overlooked by a lot of people, but it can be a game-changer in a lot of ways,” he said. “Especially dealing with field position. Stopping the guy at the 10 or even 20 is huge compared to letting him get out to the 40.
be,” Yarworth said. “I’m going to try to jack them up to that level in our next meet.” Yarworth will get this chance when the men and women return to the pool in two weeks, when they
host back-to-back dual meets against Binghamton on Friday, Nov. 1, and Saturday, Nov. 2.
continued from page 8
his 100-yard leg. His performance helped his relay team, consisting of Wiktor Karpinski, John Conway and Troy Nichols, win first place with a time of 3:10.86. Looking forward, Yarworth said that help-
ing the fifteen freshmen on the team become more “focused and mentally prepared” will help the team improve. “I think (the freshmen) have to realize how intense college competition can
Anthony Chiusano can be reached at achiusano@umass.edu and can be followed on Twitter @a_chiusano24.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Sports@DailyCollegian.com
@MDC_SPORTS
WOMEN’S SOCCER
SWIMMING AND DIVING
UM comes up empty at Army
BRINGING ‘MOORE’
Both teams fall as season progresses
CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN
Brittany Moore (above) scored five goals over the weekend, including a hat trick in a 3-1 victory against Rhode Island. Moore leads the team in scoring.
Brittany Moore provides pivotal offense By tom mulherin Collegian Staff
Before the weekend started, the Massachusetts women’s soccer team had scored a season total of 15 goals in 14 games, with senior forward Brittany Moore and junior midfielder Alyssa D’Arcy tied as leading scorers with three goals apiece. Things have changed. In a 3-1 win and a 3-2 loss over the weekend, Moore emerged as the leading scorer, scoring all five of the team’s goals. Moore’s season total of eight goals accounts for 40 percent of the team’s total scoring. The numbers alone should speak volumes of what Moore means to the struggling Minutewomen’s
“She has a great shot, she has the ability to cross, there’s the fact that she tracks back and plays good defense, and she’s good in the air. She has a lot of tangibles that make her a good player.” UMass coach Ed Matz (6-8-2, 2-3-1 A-10) offense. However, UMass Ed Matz knows Moore’s impact reaches beyond regular statistics. “Her speed makes it so difficult to mark her,” Matz said. “She has a great shot, she has the ability to cross, there’s the fact that she tracks back and plays good defense, and she’s good in the air. She has a lot of the tangibles that make her a good player.” Matz believes that Moore actually needs to be more involved in the offense in order for the team to make
a run at the Atlantic-10 Tournament. “I met with Brit this week just to go over some film and I implored her,” Matz said after Friday’s win, a game in which Moore notched her first career hat-trick. “I said, ‘You know Brit, you need to take three-to-five shots a game for us to have a run in these last games and have a chance to get into the A-10 (Tournament).’ “She has a tremendous shot, but sometimes she doesn’t shoot. I told her (she) needs to be more self-
ish and needs to shoot.” Despite the talks she had with Matz on getting shots off, Moore said after her hat trick that she almost didn’t shoot, especially on her first goal which gave UMass the first lead of the game. “On the first (goal), I actually had a horrible angle off to the side, but Ed keeps yelling at me for not shooting,” Moore said. “I just shot it, even though I didn’t want to, and it ended up going in on the other see
MOORE on page 7
also continued to shine on the diving board, as Michaela Butler followed up her record performance against Boston University By Anthony ChiusAno last Saturday by once again Collegian Staff sweeping the one-meter The Massachusetts and three-meter dives. Aside from Butler, swimming and diving R a ch el Dushman, teams left West Point, N.Y., without a win on Saturday, Mikhaila Eckhardt and as the men’s and women’s Julia Jagannath also conteams both lost to Army tributed points for UMass in the second dual meet of in diving events. the season. Koppel shines in loss Despite falling short, UMass’ men’s team (0-2) 163-137, the women’s team once again saw encourag- was left in search of its ing performances from first win after the Black Meriza Werenski, Katie Knights defeated it by a Arnott and Zoe Judd in the score of 197-97. Although the day ended pool. in a loss, UMass coach Werenski, a freshman, contributed three first- Russ Yarworth stayed posiplace finishes for the day, tive and said he continues improving her total to to see improvement from five wins in her short col- his squad. “I am excited about legiate career. She timed well in the 500-yard free- where we are headed,” said. “The style (5:01.34), 1000-yard Yarworth freestyle (10:16.77) and the results haven’t shown in 200-yard individual medley our dual meets yet, but we’re a championship(2:05.19). “She is fun to watch oriented program and that race,” UMass coach Bob means being ready for Newcomb said. “I just like the end of the year. And everything that she brings that’s what we’re working to the program.” towards.” Arnott swept the breastOne of the few bright stroke events for the sec- spots for the Minutemen ond straight meet, winning on Saturday was sophothe 100-yard and 200-yard more diver Josh Koppel, races, with respective who improved to 4-0 for times of 1:06.65 and 2:24.65. the season. He finished in Judd was victorious in first place for one-meter the 100-yard freestyle for and three-meter diving, the second straight meet collecting 18 points for the and she narrowly missed day. finishing first in the 200- “He’s been working hard yard freestyle. Instead the to continue to improve,” junior was forced to settle Yarworth said, “and it’s for second place. certainly starting so show “Zoe and Katie have up in his results.” had great starts to their In addition to Koppel, seasons, and I think the Yarworth said that he was best starts they have had particularly impressed in their three years here,” with Brian Stile’s perNewcomb said of the formance in the 400-yard juniors. “They are defi- freestyle relay, which the nitely leaders for the team sophomore recorded the by example and by what fastest individual time in they’re doing in the water.” The Minutewomen (1-1) see SWEEP on page 7
FIELD HOCKEY
Suter sparks UMass as postseason play nears
Sophomore excels on penalty corners By JAson KAtes Collegian Staff
It all started for sophomore midfielder Renee Suter on Oct. 6 in a non-conference game against in-state rival Boston University. With the No. 10 Massachusetts field hockey team trailing 1-0 in the second half, Suter stepped up and smashed two penalty corner goals to give her team the 2-1 lead, and eventually the win. Suter, who has started 12 out of 16 games this season, now has five goals in the last four games and hopes to extend this offensive display well into Atlantic-10 play. “It’s really exciting to be given the opportunity to shoot on penalty corners, but collectively as a team we’ve been doing really well on penalty corners this year so that is always a goal of ours,” Suter said. For Suter and the rest of the Minutewomen (12-4, 3-0 A-10), they know how important it is to continue to perform well offensively if they want to find conference success and go far in the NCAA Tournament.
“She’s definitely added another dimension for us in terms of giving us another look, and we’ve said it all year we have a lot of depth at every position” UMass coach Carla Tagliente “We know that we need to do well in the A-10’s to keep our season going, so we need to take this opportunity to figure out what works for us and what doesn’t, and learn from our mistakes so we are at our very best heading into NCAA’s,” Suter said. UMass coach Carla Tagliente is happy with the emergence of Suter, and believes she’s a versatile weapon to mix into the offensive game plan. “She’s definitely added another dimension for us in terms of giving us another look, and we’ve said it all year that we have a lot of depth at every position, especially with hitters and drivers,” Tagliente said. “Renee is blessed with one of the best corner shots I have ever seen, and we’ve got a number of people who can hit the ball quite well, so we are grateful to have the opportunity to rotate them, and she is just taking advantage of her opportunities.”
The timeliness of Suter’s goals has also stood out to Tagliente. Along with her two goals against BU, Suter also came up with a pair of key goals and an assist the following game at Saint Louis on Oct. 12 and capitalized again on one of her four shot attempts Friday against La Salle. All three of those games resulted in UMass wins. “We talk a lot about what we want our conversion percentage on attack corners to be, and I think we are just a hair above 20 percent, Tagliente said, “so if we can get our set pieces at about that percentage then we are doing pretty well.” In terms of moving forward, Suter said there is always something to improve on, whether it be individually or as a team, and that the team tactics are always changing from game-to-game. Jason Kates can be reached at jkates@umass.edu.
ROBERT RIGO/COLLEGIAN
Renee Suter (above) has five goals in the last four games and is becoming a viable option on penalty corners.