Bay State Show Down ‘Walking Dead’ heads into winter with a chilly “Coda”
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Thursday, December 4, 2014
Baker hands out the dough
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‘Odd Squad’ to make math fun UM alumnus’ show to air on PBS Kids By Elizabeth Kane Collegian Correspondent
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Governor-elect Charlie Baker greets University of Massachusetts junior Patrice Charlot in the Integrated Science Building. Charlot was a recipient of the Charles D. Baker II Scholarship, for which Baker chooses the recipients. Baker was at the University to tour the new science buildings on campus.
Greeno seeks to accept Dining Dollars Students want fair competition By Sarah Robertson Collegian Staff
The Greeno Sub Shop, a nonprofit, student-run collective named after its home in Greenough Hall, is petitioning to allow student dining businesses to accept Dining Dollars in an effort to better compete with University of Massachusetts Dining Services. Greeno Sub Shop is collectively run by 23 co-managers, each equally responsible for running the business. The staff votes on all decisions and self-governs through a collection of committees. The staff also shares a passion for the arts, which they dem-
“I am very enthusiastic about the approach that we are taking. I don’t want to get myself into one mindset that this is all we are going to do, because what if there is something else out there?” Garett DiStefano, director of Residential Dining onstrate during their open mic nights every Thursday. “We have events like open mic nights, art nights and dance parties,” said Adria Kelly, Greeno comanager. “We are completely revamping the image of the shop so we have a clearer identity on campus.” And one of the ways of revamping this image is changing the way students can pay for meals. The switch Greeno is petition-
ing for would allow students with meal plans that include Dining Dollars, the on-campus currency exclusive to these plans, to use them at all student businesses. Currently, most student-run businesses can only accept cash, debit or meal exchanges. The online petition has gathered 502 signatures since mid-October, just surpassing the initial goal of 500. Greeno managers started the petition to allow
their sub shop, Earthfoods Café, Sweets N’ More and the Sylvan Snack Bar to keep their businesses in sync with the evolution of campus dining. G a re t t D i S t e f a n o, Director of Residential Dining at UMass, is working with a subcommittee of students to address the changes and concerns surrounding university dining. “We are in discussion, talking with student businesses right now. They are part of this subcommittee,” DiStefano said. “To be honest, at this point in time I don’t want to get into a mix of trying to get into a discussion about the fine points of Dining Dollars and meal swipes. I want to talk about building a relasee
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Serving the UMass community since 1890
TV show writer and University of Massachusetts alumnus Tim McKeon recently created a new children’s series, with longtime friend Adam Peltzman, aimed to make learning math fun. The new live action series, “Odd Squad,” premiered on Nov. 26 on PBS Kids and features two young agents who use math to solve problems that occur in each episode. The show’s plotline, according to McKeon, is geared to make learning math fun and interactive for children between the ages of five and eight without being condescending. “One way we avoided (talking down to children) was by creating a world where kids are in charge and grown-ups are the ones with the problems,” McKeon said. “From there, Adam and I sort of stumbled on this idea about this kid-run agency that solves odd problems.” He continued, “As far as the math goes, we came up with a saying in our writers’ room – odd is the problem, math is the solution. So in every episode something odd happens and
that’s hopefully the funny part. But the odd thing is (that it is) really a sneaky way of teaching kids math.” In addition to “Odd Squad,” McKeon has worked on other children’s TV shows, most recently “Adventure Time” for Cartoon Network and “Gravity Falls” for Disney XD. He credits his experiences with Peltzman in high school as well as his time at UMass as sources of inspiration. The University, said McKeon, provided him with academic and extracurricular opportunities that led him to discover his desire to become a creator. “I didn’t know that I wanted to work in TV (in college) but I knew I wanted to be a writer for something,” McKeon said. “While I was pursuing an English degree, I also acted in plays with the UMass Theatre Guild every semester for fun. I loved that it was completely student run and it’s interesting that TV production really isn’t that different – things are just on a bigger scale, but all the roles are the same.” He added that “around junior year, I figured out I could combine those two interests and write drama. I didn’t know anyone who made a living writing plays, but I had heard of people see
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PBS
Dalila Bela, who plays Agent Olive, stars in the PBS series “Odd Squad.”
Jury says no indictment in Eric Garner chokehold death NYPD officer will not face charges By Anthony M. DeStefano Newsday
NEW YORK — A Staten Island grand jury voted not to indict an NYPD officer in the death of Eric Garner, the asthmatic, overweight man who died after cops wrestled him down with an apparent chokehold during an arrest last summer, according to a source familiar with the case. The grand jury deliberated earlier Wednesday and decided no homicide charges were warranted against Officer Daniel Pantaleo, 29, in the July 17 incident in which killed Garner during a confrontation with cops investigating allegations he sold untaxed cigarettes on the street.
Defense attorneys for Pantaleo weren’t available for comment, and Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan Jr. couldn’t be immediately reached. The grand jury proceedings are secret but apparently the panel didn’t think Pantaleo’s conduct was culpable. An attorney for Garner’s family said that relatives plan to bring a civil suit and to press federal authorities to launch an investigation. A bystander video of the incident depicted Pantaleo grabbing Garner and taking him down with what appeared to be a chokehold move as he resisted arrest. NYPD regulations prohibit police officers from using chokeholds. The video showed Garner, 43, prone on the ground repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” as
The video showed Garner, 43, prone on the ground repeatedly saying “I can’t breathe” as officers restrained him, sometimes pressing his head on to the sidewalk. The images sparked outrage and prompted NYPD Cimmissioner William Bratton to announce that all officers would undergo special training for handling physical confrontation. officers restrained him, sometimes pressing his head on to the sidewalk. The images sparked outrage and prompted NYPD Commissioner William Bratton to announce that all officers would undergo special training for handling physical confrontations. Garner’s death occurred a few weeks before the killing of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in
Ferguson, Mo., which set off days of violent protests and looting there. Last week a Missouri grand jury declined to charge Wilson, sparking looting and arson. By contrast, Garner’s death saw peaceful protests in New York City, topped by a vehicle caravan organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network across the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Staten Island, where a
rally was held. On Aug. 1, the city medical examiner determined that Garner died as a result of compression of the neck by a chokehold, as well as compression of his chest while he was being restrained by police. Officials said that Garner’s bronchial asthma condition, his obesity and high blood pressure contributed to his death. After those findings were revealed, Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch said that the neck and chest compression mentioned in the autopsy report were consistent with life-saving techniques done by emergency medical technicians and not indicative of a chokehold. In ruling Garner’s death a “homicide,” the medical examiner stoked demands
from civil rights activists such as Sharpton that criminal charges be brought. Sharpton, along with his then-attorney Sanford Rubenstein, also asked Brooklyn federal prosecutor Loretta Lynch to begin a civil rights investigation. Lynch, who is now President Barack Obama’s attorney general nominee, was noncommittal. On Aug. 19, Donovan said he would impanel a special grand jury to look into Garner’s case, and in late September grand jurors were selected to hear the evidence. Exercising his right under state law, Pantaleo, who has been stripped of his gun and shield since the incident, testified for about two hours before the grand jury on Nov. 21, according to his attorney Stuart London.
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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, December 4, 2014
THE RU N D OW N ON THIS DAY... In 1969, Black Panther Party members Mark Clark and Fred Hampton wereshot and killed during an early morning raid of their apartment by 14 Chicago police officers.
AROUND THE WORLD
World This year is on track to be the hottest on record, with rising sea surface temperatures linked to the spread of extreme weather events around the globe, the United Nations climate agency reported Wednesday. The global average air and sea temperatures for the first 10 months of 2014 were 1.03 degrees Fahrenheit over the 19611990 average used by the World Meteorological Organization as a basis for charting climate change, the Geneva-based agency reported. Los Angeles Times From war-ravaged backwaters to the world’s economic powerhouses, little progress was recorded over the last year in the fight against bribe-takers and backroom dealers, Transparency International reported in its annual corruption survey. More than two-thirds of the 175 countries and territories included in the Corruption Perceptions Index for 2014 scored below 50 on a 100-point scale. Just two, Denmark and New Zealand, ranked in the top 10 percentiles with scores of 92 and 91, respectively. North Korea and Somalia tied for last place with 8. The United States came in 17th place with a score of 74, a slight improvement over last year that put the country on the same level as Ireland, Hong Kong and Barbados. Los Angeles Times
Hong Kong HONG KONG — Before turning themselves in to authorities, they were prepared for the worst: immediate arrest, perhaps even prolonged detention. As they entered the police station, they were jeered by a band of opponents who called for them to be sent straight to jail. But the three co-founders of Hong Kong’s Occupy movement walked free Wednesday after what seemed like an innocuous administrative procedure, with police saying they would investigate. The organizers of Occupy Central With Love and Peace - pastor Chu Yiu-ming and professors Benny Tai and Chan Kinman - along with 62 other pro-democracy protesters ages 20 to 82, reported to officers by Wednesday evening and admitted to having violated the territory’s statute against unauthorized assembly. The trio have appealed to others to end the street protests. Los Angeles Times
Missing brains from 1990s found in Texas
Many came from state mental hospital
Schallert, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the Austin school, told the Los Angeles By Michael Muskal Times. Los Angeles Times “They have the brains,” The case of the missing Schallert said. “They read 100 brains in Texas has a media report of the been solved, officials said missing brains and they on Wednesday. And, no, called to say: ‘We got those brains!’” this is not a joke. The brains, miss- “I know the brains will ing from a facility at the be treated very well there,” University of Texas in Schallert said. Austin have been found The case of the missat the University of Texas ing brains began in the in San Antonio, Timothy 1990s, Schallert said, when
officials noticed that about half of 200 brains stored at the Austin school had gone absent without leave. The brains were individually stored in formaldehyde, used as a preservative. The brains, kept at the school’s Animal Resources Center in Austin, were mostly from patients at a state mental hospital and were used for research i n cl u d i n g s t u dy i n g Alzheimer’s disease. One of the brains belonged to Charles
Whitman, who climbed a tower on the Austin campus and killed 16 people in a deadly sniper attack. Whitman, a former Marine, was killed by police after his 1966 massacre. The missing brains took on a new urgency with the publication this week of a book titled “Malformed: Forgotten Brains of the Texas State Mental Hospital” by Adam Voorhes and Alex Hannaford. That prompted a spate of media stories.
“I didn’t think this would get this much interest in the media,” Schallert said. “But thanks to media reports, we now know what happened.” Still unknown is the exact whereabouts of Whitman’s brain, whether it is among the Austin collection or has been sent down the highway to San Antonio. “It’s been a very fluid situation,” Schallert said.
House votes to avoid last Head of Swiss minute increases in taxes Guard dismissed Senate to decide soon on matter By Kevin G. Hall and William Douglas
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to temporarily extend $45 billion in deductions, moving to avoid a potential tax hike that could hit people ranging from schoolteachers, families of college students and taxpayers in states without an income tax to racehorse owners and NASCAR racetrack operators. The House vote of 378-46 set the stage for a similar move in the Senate, likely next week. At best, the action would be in force for just the rest of this tax year; the provisions expire at the end of this month, and the fight would play out anew early next year. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., threw in the towel Wednesday night on his effort to push a two-year extension. The chairman for the taxwriting Ways and Means Committee suggested the short-term extension was necessary but not ideal. “Here we are at the end of 2014 retroactively putting in policies for the whole year,” said Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich. “The bill is hardly perfect but provides us with a sorely needed stopgap measure,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-N.Y. Wednesday’s vote to restore more than four dozen expired provisions sets the stage for a broader and potentially more complicated tax debate in 2015. Republicans will control both chambers of Congress and may discuss these soonto-be-expired tax provisions as part of a broader revamp of the corporate tax code. Absent agreement by Congress and the president, millions of Americans face tax increases when preparing their 2014 tax returns early next year. Some of the tax deductions that hang in the balance are: -Itemized deductions for state and local general sales taxes paid by taxpayers in seven states where they don’t have local income taxes to deduct from their federal taxable income: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, South Dakota, Texas, Washington and Wyoming.
“The bill is hardly perfect but provides us with a sorely needed stopgap measure.” Rep. Louise Slaughter D-N.Y. -A $4,000 deduction of higher education expenses for middle-income Americans. -A $250 deduction for elementary and secondary schoolteachers for school supplies. -A tax deduction for companies, farms and restaurants that donate food to charities. -The three-year tax depreciation for racehorses. -A tax write-off for the first $15 million spent on film and television production. -The seven-year depreciation for land improvements and support facilities at motor-sports complexes. Until the House and the Senate reach final accord, these tax provisions remain in play. But congressional leaders and staffers from both parties insisted that at minimum an extension covering 2014 would get done next week. President Barack Obama signaled he would sign the temporary extensions. “We are open to shortterm extensions of these provisions,” Obama said Wednesday in a meeting with members of the Business Roundtable, a business group. The president added he’d like to see some of those tax extensions codified in a broader comprehensive revamp of corporate taxes. “There is definitely a deal to be done,” Obama said. Bipartisan talks between the two chambers of Congress appeared to be moving toward a two-year deal before Thanksgiving. But the effort fell apart when Obama said he’d veto it because it would make permanent tax breaks sought by corporations while only temporarily extending similar provisions that benefit the working poor. The president repeated that linkage Wednesday to business leaders, saying he wouldn’t agree to any deal that “blows up the deficit ... or alternatively that you get tax shifting from businesses to middle-class and working families.” Later in the day, the White House expanded on its decision to scuttle last week’s tax deal.
“What the American people want is ... somebody that’s looking out for working people,” spokesman Josh Earnest said. “That’s why we weighed in so heavily on the original tax extenders proposal. And ... it’s the criteria that we’ll use to evaluate both the budget, but also, you know, future tax proposals that may be coming from Congress.” While the House action gave many taxpayers a taxhike reprieve, some saw it as a missed opportunity. “Congress should be pursuing comprehensive tax reform that would update the tax code, enhance competitiveness, grow the economy and reduce the deficit,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. “The excuse that there is not enough time rings hollow given that this deadline has been well-known for years, and this exercise of ad hoc legislating has become an embarrassing and damaging standard practice.” Others blamed Obama’s recent executive order on immigration, saying it minimized chances for any real tax action before the 2016 presidential elections. “The ability to find common ground on contentious issues in the short term has been lost by the immigration action,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “I don’t see a big deal being done with President Obama. I just don’t see anything big where you reform entitlements and clean up the tax code. ... So for the next two years it’s about incremental steps.” That’s not what American companies want to hear. In the absence of lower corporate taxes, they want certainty, particularly over expiring provisions such as tax credits for research and the ability to more quickly deduct the costs of property and equipment. “It helps encourage more investment this year, and it also helps level the playing field for the larger foreign tax” issue, said Chad Moutray, chief economist of the National Association of Manufacturers. “Hopefully as we move into next year, we’ll have a broader conversation.”
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Correction
Podcast: Walking Dead - Dec. 4, 2014 - Alex Frail and Jack Nichols recap this year in “The Walking Dead” in the Daily Collegian Arts Walking Dead podcast.
The police log published on November 25, 2014 incorrectly stated that Lorenzo CosmoTourreilles, Paolo CosmoTourreilles and Kevin Durst were arrested. They were issued a citation for a noise complaint and do not live in the Presidential Apartment.
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Pope punishes ‘obsessive rigidity’
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has dismissed the head of the Swiss Guard, the Vatican’s official newspaper said Wednesday, in a move that was interpreted by media as a reaction against “obsessive” rigidity in the security force. “The Holy Father has decided that Colonel Daniel Rudolf Anrig, Commander of the Pontifical Swiss Guard, will leave office on January 31 2015, at the end of the extension granted after the end of his five-year mandate,” L’Osservatore Romano wrote on its front page.
Anrig has been the leader of the 120-strong Swiss Guard since 2008. The Vatican did not give any further explanation, but Il Messaggero, a Rome-based daily, said that “the pope has signalled to his aides that he would have liked a less strict military corps, with a less obsessive regime compared to the one enforced by Colonel Anrig.” The Swiss Guard, known for their Renaissance-style uniforms in blue, red and yellow, said to have been inspired by Raphael’s frescoes, have looked after the pope’s security since 1506. They are required to be single, Catholic, aged 19-30, and morally irreproachable. DPA
California storm breaks records Flood, mudslide watch in effect By Joseph Serna Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A record-setting storm covering Southern California was expected to begin tapering off Wednesday after triggering dozens of evacuations and putting city crews in Ventura and Los Angeles counties on alert for potential mudslides. “Yesterday we had six straight hours of rain, it wasn’t heavy but it was consistent. Today will be more showery,” said Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. The storm that began passing over the region Tuesday was the biggest storm of the rain season that began July 1, forecasters said. The record for Dec. 2 rain was eclipsed in several locations. It rained 1.21 inches downtown, 1.14 inches in Lancaster and 2.14 inches at Santa Barbara Airport, all breaking records set in the 1960s, according to the weather service. The mountains in Los Angeles and Ventura counties saw 3.5 inches and 4.5 inches of rain, respectively. The downpour was heavy enough that 75 homes in Camarillo were placed under mandatory evacuations Tuesday while swaths
of Glendora and Azusa residents, among others, prepared to leave at a moment’s notice. “This is life up here,” Glendora resident David Jones said Tuesday. “As long as everyone is walking at the end of the day, the houses and all that stuff can be rebuilt.” Though Wednesday’s rain is expected to be more sporadic, it will be consistent enough that forecasters have kept flash flood watches in place for foothill residents, Kaplan said. The storm left Northern California sopping too. “Thus far, we’re at about 11th in the wettest one-day period in the last eight or nine years,” said forecaster Bob Benjamin of the National Weather Service’s Monterey office. “It’s likely the wettest period thus far this rain season, and quite possibly this calendar year.” The rain is the second of back-to-back storms to hit Southern California. Despite the recent wet weather, it’s relatively insignificant when it comes to relieving the state from its historic drought. “It took us three years to get in the drought, it’s going to take a lot to get out of it,” Kaplan said. “We’re going to need a lot more of these kinds of rains. The only good thing - it’ll help moisten fuels in drought-hit areas where there’s wildfires.”
SLIDESHOW: Best Photos of the Semester - The Daily Collegian’s staff photographers’ best work of the semester. SLIDESHOW: Hands Up, Walk Out Rally - On Monday student and community members gathered to rally in response to the recent event in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Camarillo City manager observes the scene in Camarillo Springs, Calif.
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Israel’s Knesset will hold early elections on March 17 Parliament votes to dissolve body
By Batsheva Sobelman Los Angeles Times
J E RU S A L E M — Israel’s parliament voted Wednesday to dissolve and hold early elections after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired two top ministers, unraveling his governing coalition after 20 months in office. The bill to disband the Knesset passed the first of three readings and is expected to be finalized next week. Before the vote, lawmakers agreed to hold general elections on March 17, two years ahead of schedule. Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein welcomed the early date with its short campaign period, saying, “We can’t abuse the public. We mustn’t drag this out.” Netanyahu and what remains of his Cabinet will stay in office until the next government is formed. On Tuesday, he dismissed Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Finance Minister Yair Lapid, accusing them of insubordination. Four other ministers from Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid party quit in protest. In the aftermath of Tuesday’s dramatic developments, politicians sharpened their barbs, ushering in a fierce campaign. Incensed at Netanyahu’s move, Livni called the prime minister a coward hiding behind “hysterical words.” The two had clashed over a bill declaring Israel to be a Jewish state. Livni said Netanyahu cared less about the Balfour Declaration, a 1917 British statement of support for a Jewish homeland in the region, than Balfour Street, the location of the prime minister’s offi-
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cial residence. “This is what these elections are really about,” Livni said. Opposition lawmaker Zehava Galon revived a 1999 anti-Netanyahu slogan, saying: “Remember this sentence: Anyone but Bibi.” “We’ve had enough of you,” she said. “The public says yes to democracy, peace and equality. And the public knows you failed.” Minister Yuval Steinitz, a Netanyahu ally, directed his jabs at Lapid, accusing him of ruining the economy. “You were an excellent television presenter,” Steinitz quipped about the popular former anchor. “Go back to doing something you’re good at ... and leave the national economy and security to serious people.” Lapid’s response came in a televised address Wednesday in which he accused Netanyahu of being “out of touch” with the public and its economic realities. “Yesterday you stood in front of an entire nation and announced that you were dragging the country to entirely unnecessary elections which no one, except you, wants,” Lapid said. “Why? Because you are disconnected. You have no idea what it does to the citizens of Israel because you live in your aquarium.” In Israel’s parliamentary system, voters cast ballots for a political party rather than for a prime ministerial candidate. On paper, elections are not personal. In practice, however, the vote could become a referendum on Netanyahu. “He knows this election is about whether he deserves a fourth term,” wrote Yossi Verter, a columnist for Israel’s Haaretz newspaper. After enjoying strong public support during the war against Hamas militants in
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tionship with student-run businesses.” Last April, DiStefano held a town hall meeting to listen to students’ thoughts on the new meal plan options this semester. From that meeting came the idea of Dining Dollars, a dollar-for-dollar campus dining currency available to five of the eight dining plan options for students on and off campus. Dining Dollars are the university’s newest addition to on-campus dining. They replaced some plans’ Meal Exchanges, nine single-use $9.50 meal swipes, as the new way on-campus students can eat at dining locations other than dining halls. Southwest Delivery Express, Blue Wall, University Club & Restaurant, the UPub and sports concession stands also accept Dining Dollars. “I am very enthusiastic about the approach that we are taking,” DiStefano said. “I don’t want to get myself into one mindset that this is all we are going to do, because what if there is something else out there?” But some studentrun business aren’t
entirely pleased with the ch a n g e s. “ U n fo r t u n at e ly we have been struggling with business lately due to our inability to accept Dining Dollars,” Kelly said. “Because there is a large population in Central (Residential) Area that have on-campus dining plans, they can’t use them here and they purchase their meals at different options like Baby Berk and Franklin (Dining Common).” The Baby Berk food trucks occasionally park in the courtyard directly outside of Greeno, posing a threat to business as it accepts both Dining Dollars and Meal Exchanges.Greeno managers fear that meal exchanges are phasing out of UMass dining and that many students who do use them do not live on campus, nor do they frequent Greeno. Allowing student businesses to accept Dining Dollars would give more on-campus students the option to eat at and support collectives like the Greeno Sub Shop. Sarah Robertson can be reached at srobertson@umass.edu.
the Gaza Strip this summer, Netanyahu’s approval ratings have dropped sharply. But he is still seen by many as the politician best suited to serve as prime minister. Netanyahu acknowledged that he was “knowingly undertaking a personal risk” by calling early elections. Some parties, including Netanyahu’s Likud, will hold primary elections. Others are weighing alliances and mergers, with the center-left hoping to form a big bloc. A new party is set to enter the fray, and Lapid and Livni will have to decide on their next move. The likely disbanding of the Knesset is expected to delay new laws, reforms and other measures, including possibly a parliamentary probe into the Gaza war. But diplomatic affairs, including relations with the Palestinians, won’t wait. In Cairo on Saturday, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he had asked U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry to secure a commitment from Netanyahu to halt the construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and release a group of prisoners as a condition for the resumption of peace negotiations. Netanyahu’s government is not likely to agree to Abbas’ demands after losing its moderate flank. If Palestinians don’t get a response from Israel, Abbas is threatening to seek a resolution from the United Nations Security Council setting a two-year deadline for Israeli forces to withdraw from the West Bank. Abbas has also said that Palestinians would seek to join organizations such as the International Criminal Court, a move that could expose Israel as well as Palestinian militant
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making a living writing for TV and so that’s where I set my sights.” After graduating from UMass, McKeon said he went on to study screenwriting at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. After several internships and writing assistant positions for TV shows, McKeon was hired as a TV show writer for Cartoon Network after a
fellow classmate turned the position down. “My scripts were good enough by then and I got the job,” he said. “I’ve been lucky to be consistently working since”. McKeon hopes that his newest work, “Odd Squad,” will make children laugh and inspire them to want to learn more about math. “So many people –
adults and kids – say that math is boring, but I don’t think that’s true,” he said. “I think there are boring ways to talk about math. But there are also funny, action-packed, weird, character-driven ways to talk about math, which I hope is what ‘Odd Squad’ does.” Elizabeth Kane can be reached erkane@umass.edu.
Ukraine says plant now safe No danger from nucelar transformer By Victoria Butenko and Sergei L. Loiko Los Angeles Times
KIEV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities said Wednesday that a damaged transformer at a nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia, an industrial center, cut electrical power production for several days but did not pose any danger. Authorities said the problem in a power-generating unit Friday resulted in an automatic shutdown in the system and that there was no safety risk. Dozens of cities and towns in eastern and southern Ukraine were temporarily without electricity during the weekend, however, aggravating the uneasy energy situation resulting from the armed conflict between government forces and pro-Russia separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk coal-mining regions. Energ y Minister Volodymyr Demchishin said the normal level of electricity production at the plant was expected to be restored by the weekend. “Rest assured that there is no danger to the reactor,” Demchishin said during a briefing in Kiev, the capital. The root of the energy
problem facing Ukraine is the lack of coal supplied across the country from the Donbass region, now largely controlled by separatists backed by Russia, said Volodymyr Omelchenko, director of the energy programs of Razumkov Center, a Kiev-based think tank. “Since the armed conflict started in eastern Ukraine, the country has been constantly living with a serious, over 12 percent deficit of energy,” Omelchenko said in a phone interview, adding that a solution might involve resuming energy cooperation with Russia. “I know that Ukraine is negotiating purchasing coal from South Africa, the United States and Australia, but even then our seaports are currently incapable of accommodating the required volume of coal,” Omelchenko said. “We will have to make a deal with Russia.” Demchishin said negotiations were underway for Ukraine to import energy from Russia. “In the given situation, this step is necessary to balance the energy system, however complicated it could be politically,” he said. Meanwhile, residents of Ukraine’s south and east
“Rest assured that there is no danger to the reactor.” Volodymyr Demchishin, Energy Minister have expressed concern about the lack of electricity. “Now a majority of phone calls to our hotline are about the continuing power outage,” Yehor Prokopchuk, head of the Center for Odessa Residents Protection, an Odessa-based nongovernmental organization, said in a phone interview about the situation in the Ukrainian Black Sea port. “People are worried; they are asking to at least be informed about the timetable of the outage.” To save energy, Ukraine has been limiting power and hot water supplies to the rest of the country since August. Ukraine’s Crimea region, annexed by Russia in March but still dependent on Ukraine for electricity and fresh water, has seen power supplies drastically limited as a result of the problem in Zaporizhia, InterfaxUkraine reported.
Congress considers benefits for disabled Tax-free savings accounts proposed
By Lindsay Wise McClatchy Washington Bureau WASHINGTON — Jawanda Mast is a mom on a mission. Every year, the 53-yearold Mast boards a plane from her home in Olathe, Kan., to Washington, determined to persuade Congress to create tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities. Her daughter Rachel, 15, was born with Down syndrome. For more than half her daughter’s life, Mast has made her annual pilgrimage to Capitol Hill only to return home disappointed. Despite bipartisan support from 85 percent of Congress, the so-called Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, or ABLE, has stalled short of a vote in either chamber for eight years - until now. The bill passed the House of Representatives on a 40417 vote Wednesday as Mast looked on from the gallery. A Senate vote should follow soon. Still, Mast and other disability advocates worry the legislation could become another casualty of gridlock as lawmakers grapple with a long to-do list before Congress adjourns in mid-December. “I’m nervous,” Mast said. “I continue to say, ‘I’ll believe it when I see it on the president’s desk.’ “ As Mast knows from bitter experience, nothing comes easily on Capitol Hill these days, not even a bill co-sponsored by nearly 500 Republicans and
Democrats in the House and the Senate. Similar to 529 education savings plans, ABLE accounts would allow people with disabilities and their families to save up to $14,000 a year. The funds would be exempt from taxes and could only be used on behalf of the disabled person for qualified expenses such as housing, transportation, medical bills and post-secondary education. Perhaps most importantly, the money in an ABLE account wouldn’t count against the $2,000 asset limit required for an individual to qualify for federal benefits such as disability payments and Medicaid. Supporters run the ideological gamut from conservative Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann to liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Even Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell - political archenemies who almost never agree on anything - signed on as co-sponsors of the bill in March. Advocates say that the bill, if enacted, would be the most significant legislation for the disabled community since the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. “What we’ve offered is essentially a private-sector solution to a public-sector problem,” said Sara Hart Weir, interim president of the National Down Syndrome Society, a nonprofit advocacy group that has championed the ABLE Act. “People who have disabilities are penalized from saving or working because
you can only have $2,000 in assets at any given time in order to remain on benefits,” Weir said. “The ABLE Act would enable people with disabilities and their families to put money aside for disability-related expenses, but also remain on benefits and work.” The ABLE Act does have detractors, however. An analysis by the conservative Heritage Foundation published earlier this month warned that its enactment would expand the welfare state. The bill effectively eliminates all asset tests for families whose children receive disability payments through the federal Supplemental Security Income program, making it more attractive for families to get into that program and stay in it, said Robert Rector, a senior research fellow at the Heritage
Foundation. That’s because an individual’s eligibility to open an ABLE account would be contingent on meeting the SSI program’s disability standard - a standard Rector said is too broad. “Only about 9 percent of these children have Down syndrome,” he said. “Most of them don’t have any direct physical disability at all. They have a mental problem or behavioral problem.” The SSI benefits should be restricted to children with clear physical disabilities, Rector said. “This bill essentially goes in the other direction,” he said. “The upfront cost is not great, but it sets a very bad precedent, and we have a $940 billion means-tested welfare system which grew by bad precedents.”
EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/MCT
Activists leave the Canon House Office Building in Washington, D.C.
Opinion Editorial THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, December 4, 2014 “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” - Mahatma Gandhi
Editorial@DailyCollegiancom
Women still silenced in struggle for freedom Has anyone ever heard of Joan Little? For all intents and purposes, the “Black What about Latasha Harlins? I ask this struggle” was synonymous with a “man’s because we as a society are inundated with struggle.” When I speak to my mentors as to why Josh Odam these inequities existed and continue to persist, some said their colleagues devalue the images of Black male bodies as targets of experiences of Black women and women of police and vigilante terror dating back to color, claiming the issue is “too distracting” Emmett Till, James Chaney, Rodney King, or “too divisive” or because “women did not Amadou Diallo and now Michael Brown. belong on the frontline.” My question is this – when have we ever One can see those conceptions of infeacknowledged the death of a woman of riority lanced if Ferguson is examined. As color as a pivotal moment in the movement? someone who witnessed the direct actions When has a Rekia Boyd or Renisha McBride firsthand during #FergusonOctober, I can sparked a national uproar that revives the say with absolute confidence the people of conversation on police occupation and the Ferguson are not waiting for a Black man targeting of Black and Brown bodies? Think to deliver them. Many of the individuals I about that for a moment. spoke with who have taken a semester off Over the summer, I took a walking tour from school to protest and organize, walked of Harlem (it’s what good New Yorkers away from their jobs and risked arrest and do). My tour guide (who just so happened brutalization by militarized police since Aug. to be a Black man) proceeded to take us 9, were, in fact, women of color. Tef Poe and to the Apollo Theater and spoke volumes the Organization for Black Struggle (a group about Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Louis which has the University of Massachusetts Armstrong, Bill “Bojangles” Robinson and alumni in their ranks) verbally censured other male artists who graced the legendary many men who have not been as active in stage whilst seemingly glossing over “The the movements until recently. Empress of Blues,” Bessie Smith and others such as Mahalia Jackson and Billie Holiday. To tailor the situation even further, how Of course, we had to stroll down West do these gendered dynamics translate to 138th Street, affectionately known as direct action and sustainable movement “Strivers’ Row” which housed Black (male) building on our campus? Since the incidents leaders such as U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton occurred, I have had time to reflect and ask Powell Jr., brain surgeon Dr. Louis T. Wright myself whether the community would have galvanized around anti-racism if I was not and boxer Harry Wills. My tour guide told us we were going to who I was – a Black male who is active on visit the “Malcolm X Educational Center” campus. My honest answer is no. I must on West 165th Street. The correct name of say no because many articles on the topic of the building is the “Malcolm X and Dr. Betty anti-racism feature my name, my face or my Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center.” words with no mention of my sisters’ work He did not mention Columbia University or contribution to the situation. I have also sought Dr. Shabazz’s approval to recon- bore witness to the blatant disregard and struct the dilapidated Audubon Ballroom erasure of the narratives of my sisters’ as as a tribute to her and her husband. My if they serve no purpose other than as my tour guide also did not think it was worthy secretaries, proxies or substitutes. It is painto note the initial construction plans would fully clear whose bodies are protected and have included a demolition of the ballroom whose voices are respected. had Dr. Shabazz not appealed to preserve The fundamental sexism and heteronorthe auditorium where Malcolm X was assasmativity of the movement cannot be denied. sinated. In this and in every phase of the civil rights We walked past Marcus Garvey Park withmovement, our sisters play essential roles out mentioning the 1969 Harlem Cultural but are often relegated to secondary or Festival took place there only days before token positions. Without them, our moveWoodstock. Not only that, Nina Simone, ment lacks the power to enact effective the “High Priestess of Soul” and one of the most outspoken artists in the movement, social change. performed “Revolution” (one of the first As Danielle Stevens eloquently stated, records introducing the concept of revolu- when men are complacent about the viotionary struggle and self-reliance). lence against women of color, they perpetu While we received a stale and hackneyed ate an idea that the lives of Black women, lesson on Garveyism, we learned noth- femmes and girls are disposable, and that ing about Amy Jacques Garvey who, for their lives hold no value (or lesser value all intents and purposes, was Garveyism. than the male body). Dismantling oppresMost of Garvey’s critiques and analyses sive power structures that inflict violence of the race problem in the United States upon women of color absolutely depends were the intellectual property of Jacques upon each and every one of us. It is urgent Garvey. While Garvey was imprisoned, she that we centralize the livelihood and selfsuccessfully directed the Universal Negro determination of sisters in our freedom Improvement Association but never received work and continue to transform ourselves an official title within the organization due intentionally to unlearn habits that uphold to Garvey’s unwillingness to have a woman patriarchy and sexism. We must critically hold an executive leadership position. examine the ways we are complicit in misog I go off on this tangent in order to address ynist violence. As Black men, it is crucial an age-old problem – sexism and patriar- that we demonstrate solidarity in fighting chy through the various phases of the civil with our sisters because they are the first rights movement. to come to our defense when the Black male Communities of color are microcosms of society at large. Therefore, if the United body is attacked. States has issues with patriarchy, sexism As individuals committed to this fight, and misogyny (especially within the realm we must be hyperaware of the intersectof activism and social justice), said issues ing identities and ready to interrupt and are often exacerbated within the Black com- correct micro/macroaggressions when they munity. occur. We must also be ever ready to collec These inequities are often highlighted tively rise with the same level of indignation within the soundtrack of the time. The whenever a Black body is accosted because anthem for the Black Power movement precedents show our sisters’ experiences undoubtedly was James Brown’s “Say It are erased at the expense of the Black male Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” However, narrative. if one conflates the motto with the omnipres- It is our responsibility as the new ent images of Black men such as Tommie guard of the freedom struggle to ensure Smith and John Carlos with clenched fists #BlackLivesMatter does not become genderat the 1968 Olympics, Kwame Ture, H. Rap exclusive. Brown, Huey P. Newton and dozens of Black Panthers toting berets, then the message is construed as “say it loud, I’m a Black man Josh Odam is a Collegian columnist and can be reached at and I’m proud.” jodam@umass.edu.
American police have no decency It is becoming more and more clear that police officers in the United States are entirely irrational. Earlier this month, a white Cleveland police officer shot and killed twelve year-old African-American Tamir Rice because he was carrying a BB
Ian Hagerty
police on a high-speed chase that ended with 13 police officers firing a total of 137 shots into their Chevy Malibu. No weapons were found inside of the vehicle. Both Williams and Russell were shot over 20 times. What ever happened to shooting a tire out or disabling a vehicle? It seems to me that an officer of the law would have been much more heroic by ramming the car in chase off the road, or honestly done anything else rather than stand afar from any possible danger and shower the suspects in a hailstorm of bullets. I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen plenty of police chases on television end in a much less execution-like manner. Interesting also, is the actual reason that many of the officers involved in the chase and shooting are angry. The officers were placed on three days administrative leave and then a short period of restricted duty, usually about 45 days. These officers are upset to the point of lawsuit, because they lost work for less than a week and then had more, “boring and menial tasks,” such as desk duty during their period of restricted duty. So, typical of the police, they got upset because they were bored. After all, boredom is a pretty harsh punishment for obliterating life without regard for reason. These cops aren’t only reckless – they don’t even have a shred of conscious or self-doubt after causing the death of unarmed citizens. There is a serious problem when our police force doesn’t even blink in the consideration of the death of people they are paid to protect. It seems like they only care for their own lives. Our police officers are immoral, fearful and reckless. I don’t say racist, because they are blatantly racist. How much more obvious could it be? We need a complete overhaul of our police force in this country. Consistently they are allowed to act completely out of order and hide behind their title without any serious repercussions when they seriously screw up. It’s obvious in Ferguson with the lack of indictment for former police Officer Darren Wilson. It’s obvious in Cleveland where in the same month police officers shoot and kill an unarmed 12-yearold African-American boy and file a suit for wrongful discrimination over slight discipline after brutally killing two unarmed people. The police are supposed to put their life on the line to protect us, not cower behind their gun and badge at the first sign of danger. People are supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but apparently in the United States a gun can proudly serve as a judge and jury.
gun that resembled a real gun. Now several white and one Latino Cleveland police officer have filed a lawsuit, claiming that nonAfrican American police officers are treated more harshly than African-American officers in incidents involving deadly force. In any normal circumstance, a lawsuit of this nature would be completely ridiculous and unfounded. In the wake of Tamir Rice’s death, this suit is not only idiotic, it is sickening. Discussing the circumstance involving Rice’s death is only pointless, because police killing an unarmed twelve-year-old boy is completely unjustifiable. If anything at all, this case is just new and amazing evidence of police brutality and racism in this country. It’s almost impossible to imagine a white twelve-year-old ever being shot, regardless of circumstance. In the United States, AfricanAmerican police officers account for a little more than 10 percent of all fatal police shootings. In Cleveland, African-American police officers represent an incredibly small percentage of the present police force. The number of black Cleveland police officers is so low, that when I examined charts displaying the ratio of black to white police officers in Cleveland, it was nearly impossible sometimes to see any of the light blue representing African-American officers in different regions of Cleveland. The green representing white officers was almost exclusively all that was visible. So, this sparked my curiosity a bit further. I began to do a bit of searching online. It’s possible I wasn’t using the right key words or looking quite deeply enough, but I couldn’t even find a publicized incident of an African-American officer using deadly force in Cleveland. Considering the tiny number of African-American police officers in the city this isn’t surprising. I’d love to hear of an example of African-American officers in Cleveland using deadly force – that way we could possibly use the information as comparison and see if AfricanAmerican officers really aren’t reprimanded as seriously. Unfortunately, for the case of the officers filing suit, I couldn’t find any incidents. It is also important to examine the police shooting that sparked reprimand for a handful of officers, and thus the eventual lawsuit. Two years ago, African-Americans Ian Hagerty is a Collegian columnist and can be reached Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams led at ihagerty@umass.edu.
“We need a complete overhaul of our police force in this country. Consistently they are allowed to act completely out of order and hide behind their title without any serious repercussions when they seriously screw up.”
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Arts Living THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, December 4, 2014
“There is no spoon.” - Neo
Arts@DailyCollegian.com
TELEVISION REVIEW
Winter has come to ‘Walking Dead’ on midseason finale ‘Coda’ bids farewell to major character By Alexander Frail Collegian Staff
Editor’s Note: The following article contains spoilers for the fifth season of “The Walking Dead.” “The Walking Dead’s” fifth season, a perfect balance of slow-burn tension and riveting action, concluded its winter season as a quietly brewing maelstrom awoke. The first eight episodes have returned AMC’s apocalyptic juggernaut to rare form, seen only in glimpses since its marvelous first season. Not since its freshman year has “The Walking Dead” been so consistently frightening, surprising or compelling. Director Greg Nicotero launched the season into motion with the destruction of Terminus, while stellar writing and acting kept the tension brewing until Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and company descend upon Grady Memorial Hospital to rescue Beth (Emily Kinney) and Carol (Melissa McBride). “Coda,” a chilling midseason closer, opens as Rick
speeds after an escaping cop from the hospital. Coldly, Rick runs him over and breaks his back. Following a quick exchange, he guns down the cop and snarls, “Shut up.” If season four was about shifting toward the role of a hardened survivor, season five has been about settling into that role. Rick has become an echo of the Governor (David Morrissey), comfortable killing other humans. The escaping cop even had his hands tied when Rick murders him. It’s a move that Rick in earlier seasons would never have dreamed of. Meanwhile, Carol and Beth underwent similar adjustments. Carol has defended her harsh judgments, like putting down Karen last year to stop the spread of a virus, but seems to be showing more guilt than Rick. In “Consumed,” possibly the season’s best hour, which focused on Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol, she struggles to justify her actions to him. She knows why she must kill to survive, but at points, like after Noah (Tyler James Williams) steals their weapons, her words come out
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Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) shared one of the most powerful hours this season in “Consumed.” emptily, as if she is failing to convince even herself. “Coda” balances three narratives with aplomb. Although the scenes at the church with Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam), Michonne (Danai Gurira), and Carl (Chandler Riggs), bog down the pace of the finale, they offer some compelling moments. The writers serve Gabriel a dose of poetic justice when he finds himself trapped outside of the church that he closed on his own parishioners. The subplot ends as Abraham (the fantastic Michael Cudlitz) charges back with a fire
FILM REVIEW
truck and traps the walkers in the church. The real tension exists in Rick’s preparation to retrieve Carol and Beth through a prisoner exchange. Two of Dawn Lerner’s (Christine Woods) officers agree to lie to Dawn to pull off the trade. The handoff in the halls of Grady Memorial goes too smoothly from the start. All parties lower their weapons and exchange few words. Rick hugs Beth, while Carol limps to safety. Then Dawn demands that Noah stay in her services. The tradeoff unspools in the blink of an eye. I have
never shivered with anticipation while watching “The Walking Dead” like I did during this scene. Beth stabs Dawn for taking back Noah, and then the officer instinctively shoots her in the head. Before I had even comprehended what had happened, Daryl rushes Dawn and kills her in retaliation. Between the split alliances within the police force to an increasingly erratic Dawn, I truly couldn’t predict how the maelstrom would erupt. Dawn was unlikely to live, since she was growing paranoid and delusional, while Beth’s metastasizing apathy was a foreboding sign since episode four, “Slabtown.” Meanwhile, had Rick’s group been facing Woodbury or Terminus, the death of Beth might have resulted in a grisly gunfight. The writers spin that expectation and the groups part ways peacefully, tearfully accepting the eye-for-an-eye turn of events. Beth’s passing, while a painful conclusion, was a little too predictable. When Michonne assures Maggie (Lauren Cohan) that her sister is alive, the writers might as well have said they were going to kill Beth by the
episode’s end. Furthermore, Beth’s hardening apathy foreshadowed not the transformation into an able survivor, but into a bleak wanderer who saw no purpose in life. All signs pointed to a grim fate. Nonetheless, her death scene was incredibly powerful. The writers, despite heavy-handed foreshadowing, proved skillful in their setup of the showdown at Grady Memorial. Director Ernest Dickerson shot the standoff beautifully, while the rapid twist chilled me long after the episode ended. For five years, “The Walking Dead” has been searching for the show it wanted to be, never failing to entertain but falling just shy of transcendence. Every hour of season five has shattered that pattern. Excellent writing, compelling acting and captivating narratives dominated this year. At the beginning of this season, I wrote that the writers should shed their tired dialogue. They did that and more. “The Walking Dead” is finally the show it has always aspired to be. Alexander Frail can be reached at afrail@umass.edu.
FILM
‘Dear White People’ fails Marvel reaches for the future Phase Three to follow its own message MCU’s could hit overload
Film’s portrayal of racism is misguided By Troy Kowalchuk
Collegian Correspondent
The film “Dear White People” has been raved about by many as the film to discuss and expose racism. It is a film intended to educate white people about racism and the micro-aggressions many people of color experience, offering a new kind of voice that Hollywood has historically repressed. However, this new film that is supposed to deal with racism, does not. The film is riddled with black stereotypes and isn’t afraid of showing it. One of the posters for the film features the four leading black characters with their respective tropes written beneath them. The characters are Samantha White as “Rebel,” Lionel Higgins as “Token,” Troy Fairbanks as “Poster Child” and Coco Conners as “Diva.” In the film, the characters fall not so much into their advertised labels but into longstanding black tropes that offer nothing progressive or new to the film industry. Coco, the self-hating darkskinned girl who wants nothing to do with her own race, changes her own appearance to conform to the white gaze and Eurocentric standards of beauty. By creating this character, the film suggests that hating your own race and wanting nothing to do with it is okay, and that disassociating oneself with black culture is something one should want to do to become successful. Coco also provides the film’s sex appeal. The film heavily sexualizes Coco – in every scene she is solely wearing tight or revealing clothing. Her sexualized character is tied to her dark skin. The best example of this is when Troy has sex with her towards the second half of the film, but leaves her soon after since he sees her as a sexual object.
Troy Fairbanks is presented as upper class, out of touch with his race and a political leader who is doing whatever he can to fulfill his father’s wishes. His class does not save him, since his character conforms to stereotypes commonly attached to young, black men. Throughout “Dear White People,” two of the leading black male characters and Coco use marijuana. There are three entire scenes dedicated to Troy’s smoking of marijuana. Meanwhile, the white characters partake in similar illegal activities, but the film portrays it casually. On the other hand, Troy’s character is tied to drug use and his smoking suggests that he has a problem. Samantha White, the leading protagonist, embodies the most common trope – the “tragic mulatto.” She is torn between two worlds – whiteness, represented by her love interest and white savior Gabe, and blackness, represented by the Black Student Union, but specifically her other love interest Reggie. By illustrating this choice, the film makes the audience believe that what Sam was doing for the beginning of the film, trying to expose racism, was an attempt to conform to her own blackness. Her dilemma of feeling like she has to choose is a result of an American society that insists on racial classification as a primary means of identification and is so entrenched in a binary system of racial classification that you cannot be both black and white at the same time. A character that actually breaks the trope is Lionel Higgins. He is a nerdy, awkward, gay and black character that is an insightful dynamic character. However, the way he is treated in the film says otherwise. Lionel feels that he doesn’t fit in with the black characters, that he isn’t black enough and that he’s too different to fit in with the white kids because he is too black
and gay. Additionally, Lionel’s sexuality is manipulated by white characters, and is only used to help make the movie seem more progressive. What’s worse is that every scene involving intimacy that he is in feels forced, and it is not consensual, which is uncomforting. By creating these stereotypes in the homosexual scenes, it falls into even more stereotypes that gay people are easily manipulated as shown by Lionel being manipulated, especially as those who manipulated Lionel use people for personal gain. Straight, gay and white people use him to either fit the black mold or the gay mold. While Lionel Higgins’ character is progressive, the ways he is abused are not and label those around him as more stereotypes. The film is not successful in dealing with racism. The way it discusses racism does nothing to prevent it. There is only one scene that is very symbolic in unmasking racism. Multiple races reveal the racism towards the end of the film at the racist-themed party. Yet by the end of the film it still does nothing to really teach white people about race or help to be that new film pushing the envelope in educating white people on race. “Dear White People” has great dialogue, amazing acting and beautiful cinematography. It is a well-produced film that should be praised for the work that was put into it. However, the film’s biggest issue is that many viewers will expect it to educate them on race when it does not. This film offers education on racism that depends on black stereotypes to make the white audience more comfortable and keeps white people uneducated and ignorant on race issues. Troy Kowalchuk can be reached at tkowalchuk@umass.edu.
By: Eli Fine Collegian Staff
Editor’s Note: The following article is the part two of a two-part feature on the phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In late Oct 2014, Marvel Cinematic Universe announced the titles and release dates of all the movies in its upcoming Phase Three. They have scheduled nine movies between now and 2019, and that’s not including Phase Two movies “Avengers: Age of Ultron” or “Ant Man,” both of which have yet to be released. For the most part, it seems like the MCU will be sticking to its brand, not straying much from the content that it has become comfortable with. On the other hand, they have made a few choices that allow for the possibility that they might be stepping ever so slightly out of their comfort zone. The first Phase Three movie on the docket is the Captain America followup, “Captain America: Civil War,” scheduled for May 6, 2016. The concept of the civil war, an internal struggle within the Avengers, is compelling, all the more so because Marvel has revealed that Robert Downey Jr., always a welcome presence, will be appearing as Tony Stark/Iron Man. Anthony Mackie will be returning as Falcon, an intriguing character introduced in the second Captain America movie, and Chadwick Boseman will make his debut as Black Panther. What is most exciting for this movie, however, is the recently announced casting of Daniel Brühl as the movie’s alleged primary villain. Brühl, who may be recognizable from “Inglorious Basterds,” is a terrific actor with great, intimidating screen presence, and I’m looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table in “Civil War.”
“Doctor Strange,” is scheduled for Nov. 4, 2016. There have been many rumors circulating the Internet regarding who will portray Doctor Strange. Some of the names Marvel allegedly considered are interesting actors whom you might not expect to see in a Marvel movie, like Joaquin Phoenix and Jared Leto. Unfortunately though, the most recent rumor is not very confidence-inspiring. Apparently, the studio is considering Benedict Cumberbatch for the part. While admittedly an interesting actor, Cumberbatch is exactly the sort of person I would expect Marvel to cast here. He’s done the whole mysterious-and-brilliant thing many times, and he doesn’t seem to have very much range. His work in “Sherlock” is only slightly different than his work in “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” for example. Regardless of how good he is at what he does, there’s very little chance he would bring anything new to the MCU. July 28, 2017 will see the release of “Thor: Ragnarok.” During the big Phase Three announcement, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said that this movie will “take Thor to another level of his own franchise,” and that it will “impact everything to come afterwards.” The first two movies in this series were so dreadful that the third installment doesn’t really matter. The world that Marvel has built around Thor, especially Thor’s home planet of Asgard, is a boring CGI landscape. They’ve filled the Thor movies with boring, generic characters on the sides of both good and evil. I couldn’t be looking forward to “Thor: Ragnarok” any less. Over the years, Marvel has faced a substantial amount of deserved criticism regarding their lack of diversity. They hope to remedy this with two upcoming Phase Three movies. “Black Panther” will be released on Nov 3, 2017, with Chadwick Boseman starring as the MCU’s first
African-American superhero. Boseman, who has recently shown his range in movies like “42” and “Get On Up,” could be a solid addition to the MCU’s roster. “Captain Marvel,” the MCU’s first female-led film, is scheduled for July 6, 2018. Since the announcement, there has been much speculation over Marvel’s casting of Captain Marvel. The one name that I’ve seen mentioned and think is a great idea is Natalie Dormer (“Game of Thrones”). Her unique energy sets her apart from the actresses I would expect Marvel to be considering for the role. Following the recent studio trend of arbitrarily breaking tent pole movies into two parts, “Avengers: Infinity War” has been split in two. Part One will be released on May 4, 2018, and Part Two on May 3, 2019. Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of “Captain America: Winter Soldier” are rumored to be directing. The Russos are veteran sitcom director and producers, and they helped to make the second “Captain America” film a marked improvement over its predecessor. They didn’t, however, demonstrate any particular style of direction that would indicate them to be the right people to take on a massive project like this. Hopefully Marvel will go in a different direction here. It will be interesting to see if Marvel movies will still be doing so extraordinarily well at the box office come 2019. With all of these movies, plus the myriad of other superhero movies scheduled by Warner Brothers and Fox, the general public might have hit a superhero overload by then. Regardless, this is an interesting batch of films. While some, like “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Doctor Strange” might fall into the same traps of their Marvel predecessors, many of the others are promising, or intriguing at the very least. Eli Fine can be reached at elazarfine@ umass.edu.
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THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, December 4, 2014
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you next year nerds!!!
D inosaur C omics
B y R yan N orth
Get behind me, Santa!
N ice C lean F ight
B y S ean C lark
HOROSCOPES aquarius
Jan. 20 - Feb. 18
Last Christmas I gave you my heart, so this year you better be okay with my spleen.
pisces
Feb. 19 - Mar. 20
leo
Jul. 23 - Aug. 22
I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, so white that no new light can enter. So white you pine for the blackness of night.
virgo
Aug. 23 - Sept. 22
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Or at least most of the way.
No one needs “a little” Christmas. Everyone, however, does “want” a big Christmas, so big your eyes melt and you get the bends.
aries
Mar. 21 - Apr. 19
libra
Sept. 23 - Oct. 22
taurus
Apr. 20 - May. 20
scorpio
Oct. 23 - Nov. 21
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining. Like really bright. Like, can I get my sunglasses, please?
It’s amazing that Wendy’s hasn’t copyrighted Frosty the Snowman for their own holiday dessert marketing sales.
gemini
May. 21 - Jun. 21
sagittarius
And hear those sleigh bells ring-a-ling, ting ting ting-a-ling, clang clang clang-a-lang, scream scream scream...
Model your life after Rudolph: As long as it’s foggy, you’re useful.
Nov. 22 - Dec. 21
Silver bells? Who needs that? Stainless steel How do you even wrap up two front teeth to is so much easier to polish. They are good for give to someone? Is a jewelry box okay? Do werewolves though. you tie a ribbon around them?
cancer
Jun. 22 - Jul. 22
capricorn
Dec. 22 - Jan. 19
Add “Auld Lang Syne” to your playlist to turn Santa’s coming tonight tonight! any raging holiday party into a straight funeral Santa’s coming tonight tonight! procession.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
DailyCollegian.com
OUTSIDE SHOTS Minutewomen had to play in the second half. After breaking Harvard’s press with ease in the first period, the Crimson forced UMass to a halfcourt offense for the rest of the game, which is when the offense struggled. Harvard outscored the Minutewomen 42-30 in the second half. “We loved to be pressed,” Dawley said. “When they took the press off, and it
RESERVES well with the team’s tough down low presence, but is still able to run the floor, which has been a key part of the team’s success so far this season. “The kid (Mulligan) comes in, put in crunch time, put her in a tough situation and she’s defending Temi (Fagbenle) who’s a phenomenal basketball player. I think she did a great job on her and then pours in 10 points for us, gets key offensive rebounds for us and just plays with a lot of guts,” Dawley said after the Harvard game. “I see Maggie developing into someone who is going to play more and more the more we run motion, because she’s a big with guard skills. I think she’s just getting better everyday.” With a lot of the focus this season on the Minutemen’s leading scor-
FIGHTING IRISH
continued from page 8
“As frustrating as it is to lose a game, I walked away from it encouraged in a lot of areas.” Sharon Dawley UMass coach was more of a half-court battle, that’s when we got static in our offense. If that’s what we need to fix to be a better team, than we just need to make the half-court function like a
fast-break.” UMass returns to action on Saturday when it hosts American University. Tom Mulherin can be reached at tmulheri@umass.edu.
continued from page 8
By Vince Ellis
Detroit Free Press
SHANNON BRODERICK/COLLEGIAN
UMass dropped to 3-4 on the season after falling to the Crimson on Wed. er, Pierre-Louis, and the do-it-all Timbilla, the team is slowly finding solace at the end of their bench. With the continuation of impressive play also comes increased moral, something that UMass has failed to achieve in recent years.
Although the Minutewomen are 3-4 in the first seven games, their bench will be a pivotal piece moving forward as conference play approaches. Frank Corna can be reached at fcorona@umass.edu
Ravens, Dolphins battle for wildcard By Ross Gienieczko Collegian Staff
Thursday Night: Chicago Bears (+3.5) vs. Dallas Cowboys
Chicago
23,
Miami Dolphins (-2.5) vs. Baltimore Ravens What a crushing defeat for the Ravens last week. They had a chance to be half a game out of the division lead in the AFC north, and in seconds had that turn into a spot on the outside looking at the wild-card standings. The Dolphins are also 7-5, and this game will have huge implications in the wild-card race. I like the Ravens running game against a Miami front seven that was exposed by the Jets on Monday night, and I like Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh over Ryan Tannehill and Joe Philbin.
The pick: Baltimore 26, Miami 14
Saturday night.” This weekend, the Minutemen should have good chances to get their power play going. The Irish rank eighth in the conference in penalty killing percentage at .825, and they’ve had to kill 63 penalties this season, second most in the conference. Vatrano will need to become a bigger part of their success on the power play as he leads the team in with 15 on the man advantage, but so far has just a single goal and assist this season for the unit. The power play needs to be a positive factor this
weekend, when four crucial points are on the line against Notre Dame. “They’re points,”
really
Vatrano
big said.
“These two games are big for us. They can lead us to a stronger second half of season.” Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at Mullins Center Friday night. Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
Celtics snap five-game skid
‘Gienie’ in a bottle: Pick’em
The pick: Dallas 17
continued from page 8
NBA
NFL
Both teams are coming off unimpressive showings on Thanksgiving, and this is one of the tougher games on the slate this weekend. Dallas is the obvious choice, and I can’t see any way the Bears can slow down playmakers Demarco Murray or Dez Bryant. But Chicago is an underdog at home and Soldier Field is supposed to be frosty, with temperatures expected to dip into the 20s. Combine that with the Cowboys quest to finish 8-8 every season, and I’ve somehow talked myself into the Bears tonight.
against Quinnipiac. The power play has been a reoccurring issue for the Minutemen this season. After converting at a rate of .220 last season, their percentage has dropped even lower to a measly .135 this season. Micheletto said that the unit needs improvement if UMass hopes to start finding more success offensively. “The power play needs to be more effective than it was (against Quinnipiac),” Micheletto said. “If we can get that going … it can put other teams back on their heels more than they were
7
Thursday, December 4, 2014
MCT
The Miami Dolphins are 7-5 this season and are in sixth place in the AFC
Washington (+3) vs. St. Louis Rams
also needs this win to keep their playoff hopes in good standing, and when they At this point, Washington is just a terrible foot- are motivated, they are easball team. Meanwhile, ily good enough to roll over the Rams are quietly 4-3 the Raiders. in their last seven games with wins against Seattle, The pick: San Francisco 30, San Francisco and Denver. They are a much tougher Oakland 7 football team, and I can’t see them rolling over just San Diego Chargers because they’re on the road. Besides, their 5-7 (+3.5) vs. New England record leaves them with Patriots an outside chance to make the playoffs, making this The Patriots are 36-4 a must-win for St. Louis. I’ll take the Rams even after a loss since 2003. San with a frisky Colt McCoy Diego is nowhere near the starting at quarterback for quality of team Green Bay Washington. is. I’ll take Tom Brady and The pick: St. Louis 28, Bill Belichick, and think New England will have a Washington 17. strong bounce-back perOakland Raiders (+8) formance. Rob Gronkowski vs. San Francisco runs wild, and the Patriots 49ers walk all over another AFC Poor, poor Oakland. pseudo-contender. They were taken out to the woodshed last week by the Rams, and are facing a 49ers team that is surely angry after a bad Thanksgiving loss to their arch-rival, the Seattle Seahawks. San Francisco
The pick: New England 42, San Diego 14 Ross Gienieczko can be reached at rgieniec@umass.edu and followed on Twitter @RossGien.
BOSTON — Back-to-back triples from Jared Sullinger and Jeff Green at the start of overtime allowed the Boston Celtics to pull away from the Detroit Pistons Wednesday night. With the 109-102 loss, the Pistons’ losing streak grows to 10–the franchise’s worst skid since March 2013. The Pistons trailed by 12 late in regulation, but were able to force overtime behind the play of Greg Monroe, who finished with 29 points and seven rebounds. But Sullinger started overtime with a 3-pointer and Green followed with another 36 seconds later, the Pistons were well on their way to another loss. Green finished with 32 points and Sullinger had 14. Kelly Olynyk came off
the Celtics bench to score 20. The victory allowed the Celtics (5-11) to snap a fivegame losing streak. It was Andre Drummond’s first monster game of the season as he finished with 27 points, 14 rebounds, five blocked shots and four steals. The Pistons (3-16) trailed by 12 late, but were able to mount a comeback behind Monroe, who scored 11 points in a row at one point. Monroe’s jump hook with 52 seconds narrowed the deficit to 86-84. After a Celtics turnover, Drummond was able to get one free throw to pull to within one. After two Evan Turner free throws gave the Celtics an 88-85 lead with 19 seconds left, Caron Butler drained a triple from the wing with 14.1 seconds left to force overtime. Drummond swatted a
potential game-winning runner from Green. The Pistons trailed 18-8 early, but an 8-0 run fueled by Monroe allowed the Pistons to narrow the deficit. They eventually took a 23-21 lead into the second quarter behind a dominant 11 points and six rebounds from Drummond. Monroe chipped in six points on 4-for-4 shooting from the line. The offense (what else is new) stagnated after the Pistons took a 35-31 lead at the 6 minute mark of the second quarter. They missed eight straight shot while the Celtics surged with an 11-0 run over the next 5 minutes. But Kentavious CaldwellPope (15 points) nailed a triple with the clock winding down. And after a Drummond lay-up and Kyle Singler triple, the Pistons took a 43-42 lead into the break.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DAILY COLLEGIAN
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Sports@DailyCollegian.com
@MDC_SPORTS
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Harvard hits 10 3-points in win
CRIMSON HOT
UMass couldn’t cut that lead to a one-possession game from that point forward. However they kept the game close until By Tom Mulherin Harvard went up nine with Collegian Staff 4:22 remaining in the game. Just three days from “It was an up-tempo pulling off an incredible game, a physical game, comeback win over Central probably a great game to Florida, the Massachusetts watch,” head coach Sharon Dawley said. “I thought women’s basketit was really ball team couldn’t spark that same Harvard 75 good basketball.” magic when trailing Harvard late UMass 62 E n t e r i n g the battle in it 75-62 loss on between two Wednesday night, marking its first loss at M a s s a c h u s e t t s - b a s e d teams, UMass was sitting at home this season. The Minutewomen (3-4) a .500 mark, looking for its were able to keep up with first winning record after Harvard throughout the seven games since the 2009first half of the game, 2010 season. Despite losing entering the intermis- the intrastate matchup to sion with just a one-point fall one game below the deficit. The Crimson took neutral threshold, Dawley advantage of its exception- seemed to only take posial three-point game in the tives from the loss. second half however, con- “As frustrating as it is to verting three 3-pointers – lose a game, I walked away two from Ali Curtis and the from it encouraged in a lot other form Erin McDonnell of areas,” she said. “(This – to expand their lead to is) a much different team 48-38 just three-minutes, than last year. It’s a come59 seconds into the half. back team, it’s a deep team.
I think we do a great job sticking together. (We do) a great job defensively.” A big part of the loss can be credited to a poor shooting night from the field – especially in the second half – as the team converted just 23-of-63 shots for a 36 percent shooting percentage. Senior forward Kim Pierre-Louis led the team with 19 points on the night, but struggled to stay consistent by shooting just 6-18 from the floor, which set the pace for the rest of the team. “I honestly think the game was lost today because we missed too many shots,” Dawley said. “I think we had a lot of great opportunities. If we can replay that game and grab five or six of those bunnies or free throws, we’re having a different conversation right now.” As the game started to wane to its final minutes, Pierre-Louis was showing some signs of frustration with each missed shot she had. After playing a big role in the offense throughout the entire season, she
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
Cierra Dillard (15) drives to the basket in UMass’ 75-62 loss to Harvard on Wednesday night. credited her frustrations to the pressure she felt to score points in an effort to try to spark a comeback. With time running out, she said that she started to get “overly frustrated,” and she “couldn’t hold onto the ball,” because of that.
Since Pierre-Louis is normally an offensive force however, Dawley discards any significance to the struggling performance. “Kim missed a lot of shots, and the beauty of it is that it probably won’t happen again,” she said.
“Kim doesn’t miss. She got them all out today, so it won’t happen again.” One of the larger contributing factors to the loss can instead be seen through the style of offense the see
OUTSIDE SHOTS on page 7
HOCKEY
UM takes on Notre Dame
Irish visit Amherst “League points are as important on Oct. 10 for first time in HE when we played Boston University at home By Ross Gienieczko Collegian Staff
JUDITH GIBSON-OKUNIEFF/COLLEGIAN
Maggie Mulligan (00) scored a career-high 10 points on Wednesday night against Harvard.
UMass bench proving to be key role in early success Mulligan scores 10 points in loss By Frank Corona Collegian Staff
As quickly as critics were to write off the Massachusetts women’s basketball team at the beginning of the season, pegging them as the 14th seed in the Atlantic 10 conference out of as many teams, they are just as quick to realize that this team is not the same one that took the court last season. “This is a much different team than last year,” head coach Sharon Dawley said. “It’s a comeback team, it’s a deep team. We do a great job sticking together and we do a great job defensively.” Despite falling 75-62 against fellow in-state opponent Harvard on Wednesday, Dawley was quick to praise her bench, and has been doing so quite often this season. Although the game was another loss for the Minutewomen, a certain facet of the game opened up a lot of eyes to those who were watching.
“I like coming off the bench better because I cans ee everything that’s going on and see what I have to do if we’re down.” Amber Dillion UMass guard With a new defensive philosophy, and a faster rate of play being the highlights of this past offseason’s modifications, the bench’s play has been the most pleasant surprise of this season success story. In seven games, UMass has had the same starters in every game – Leah McDerment, Cierra Dillard, Rashida Timbilla, Kim Pierre-Louis and Kymber Hill. With a consistent lineup comes the need for a consistent and reliable bench to balance out the attack. After coming off of a career-high, 11-point game in their come-from-behind victory against Central Florida on Sunday night, redshirt junior Amber Dillon and the rest of the bench kept the Minutewomen in the game against Harvard. “To me, I like coming off the bench better because I can see everything that’s going on and see what I have to do if we’re down,”
Dillon said. “(Dillon) is a starter, but some people have the personality where they like to watch the game a little,” Dawley said. “She’s doing great watching the game and then going in making a difference.” Another veteran leader that UMass leans on coming off of the bench has been senior Emily Mital, who is currently fourth on the team with 5.6 points per game this season. Mital started all 31games for the Minutewomen last season and has adjusted nicely to her role off the bench. With UMass struggling at times from the free throw line, Mital’s been the most consistent shooter at 81.8 percent. F reshman Ma g gie Mulligan had a breakout game on Wednesday, finishing with 10 points and added three rebounds to the mix. Standing at 6-foot-2, Mulligan’s size has meshed see
RESERVES on page 7
It’s been a tough stretch of games for the Massachusetts hockey team in the daunting task that is the regular season in the Hockey East. This weekend, the gauntlet continues, when Notre Dame visits Amherst for a two-game series with the Minutemen at Mullins Center. The Irish (6-8-2, 2-2-2 Hockey East) enter the weekend on a serious skid. The last time Notre Dame won was on Nov. 14, a 3-2 overtime win against Merrimack. Since the thriller against the Warriors, the Irish are 1-6-2 in their last nine games. The Minutemen (4-9, 1-7 HE) are dealing with similar issues. They’re just 2-7 in their last nine games, including an 0-6 mark in conference play during that stretch. UMass has already played eight of their 21 Hockey East games, and the remaining
as they are in the first week of December.” John Micheletto UMass coach
conference points available only grow more valuable with each upcoming game. “League points are as important on Oct. 10 when we played Boston University at home as they are here in the first week of December,” said UMass coach John Micheletto.” You can’t get them back, and it’s hard to make them up if you don’t take advantage of them when they come.” With just one win in Hockey East, the Minutemen are tied for last with New Hampshire. Notre Dame, with two wins and two ties, is tied for sixth with Boston College. UMass enters the game led offensively by sophomore forward Frank Vatrano. After struggling to start the season, Vatrano has recorded nine points in as many games, and his five goals are tied
for the team lead. “You have to have your best game every night,” Vatrano said. “You can’t take any nights off.” The last meeting between these two teams was last season in South Bend, Indiana. The weekend series resulted in a split, each team winning one game apiece. Vatrano’s current linemates – sophomores Ray Pigozzi and Steven Iacobellis – combined for six points over the weekend series last season. Pigozzi and Iacobellis have been some of the best producers for the Minutemen offensively, but overall the team has struggled to put the puck in the back of the net all season long. In their last four games, UMass has only scored six goals, and were just 1-7 on the power play Saturday night see
FIGHTING IRISH on page 7
CADE BELISLE/COLLEGIAN
Forward Keith Burchett (3) carries the puck up the ice in UMass’ 3-1 to Quinnipiac on Nov. 29