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February 19–25, 2015 — Volume 32, Issue 17www.umasstorch.comServing the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
THE TORCH UMass D Torch
@UMassDTorch
UMD_Torch
On February 7, 2015, the College
Now/ START Program here at
the University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth welcomed back their
returning students for the class
of 2014. The Share the Dream
Banquet was held at Whites of
Westport. The room was filled
with special guests, staff, family,
friends and well-wishers.
Master of Ceremonies Erick-
son Ramos, an electrical engi-
neering student here at UMass
Dartmouth, welcomed everyone
in attendance. He kept the au-
dience entertained with jokes
throughout the night.
Following the welcome by Mr.
Ramos, there was the alumni
welcome by Jennifer Granger,
the President of the alumni as-
sociation. Then there was there
was the university welcome
from our chancellor, Dr. Divina
Grossman. Dr. Grossman shared
how proud she was of all the stu-
dents who completed the pro-
gram.
There was then the welcome
from the Director of the Col-
lege Now/START Program, Mr.
Michael Ortiz. “Tonight, we are
given an opportunity to witness
firsthand the hard work of our
students. We need to understand
that our students would not be
here and their success would
not be demonstrated without
the university’s commitment to
inclusion, equality and ensuring
opportunity.”
“Therefore,” Ortiz continued,
“we need to work just as hard as
the students to ensure that we
build a learning community that
is committed to our students, as
we want them to be committed
to this amazing University.”
“This year, we brought in 131
students. 77% (102) of them have
completed the program success-
fully, and we are working with
another 15% during this spring
semester. This leaves us with
the potential of completing this
academic year with a 92% suc-
cess rate. As the students may
say, ‘nailed it.’”
There was also the freshman
address by Ernestina Agyemang,
Edward Collins and Tiba Faraj.
Although they each have differ-
ent backgrounds, they all had
one thing in common. They all
could agree that the College
Now/START Program gave
them hope for the future.
Continued on Pg.2
Local business and political
leaders, UMass Dartmouth pro-
fessors, students, and alumni
attended an open forum last
Wednesday in the Library Grand
Reading Room to voice their
thoughts on Chancellor Gross-
man’s job performance over the
past three years.
The open forum is a part of
an ongoing review of Chancellor
Grossman by the University of
Massachusetts Board Of Trust-
ees. Normally, the board re-
views the performance of every
chancellor of the UMass system
every five years, but new chan-
cellors are evaluated after three
years on the job.
“The board policy is to do a
more involved review at the 3
year mark when we have a new
chancellor,” said UMass Trustee
and evaluation committee chair
Margaret Xifaras.
The six-member Chancellor
Grossman Evaluation Commit-
tee also includes UMass Trustee
Richard Campbell and UMass
Dartmouth Student Trustee Ja-
cob Miller, UMass Dartmouth
alum and Vice President of Bris-
tol County Savings Bank Joan
Medeiros, and former Universi-
ty of Maine Chancellor Terrence
MacTaggart.
The committee is soliciting
comments, concerns, and rec-
ommendations from a wide ar-
ray of UMass Dartmouth stake-
holders, from local community
and business leaders to profes-
sors, students, and alumni. Once
all the comments have been re-
ceived, the committee will pre-
pare a final report which will be
delivered to UMass President
Robert Caret for his final rec-
ommendation.
“We’re kind of [Caret’s] eyes
and ears,” said Xifaras.
During the open forum, sev-
eral UMass Dartmouth Law
School professors, students, and
practicing lawyers offered praise
for Chancellor Grossman’s work
with the law school. Its Justice
Bridge program, which helps
to connect recent UMass Law
graduates who have passed
the bar exam and are ready to
practice law to clients in need
of legal representation, was fre-
quently mentioned as one of the
law school’s greatest strengths.
“[The Justice Bridge program]
is transformative in the legal
world,” said attorney Elizabeth
Duffy, who spoke at the open
forum. “It’s going to put the law
school further on the map.”
UMass Dartmouth Depart-
ment of Public Safety officials
applauded Chancellor Gross-
man for her handling of the Bos-
ton Marathon bombing and in-
vestigation. The university was
placed in the national spotlight
in April 2013 when a suspect al-
leged to have been involved in
the Boston Marathon bombing
was identified as UMass Dart-
mouth student Dzhokhar Tsar-
naev, triggering a weekend-long
evacuation of the campus as
state, local, and federal officials
descended on the campus to
conduct their investigation.
“The world was focused upon
this institution,” said Captain
Timothy Sheehan of the Depart-
ment of Public Safety. “No chan-
cellor has ever had to deal with
geopolitical terrorism in her
backyard.”
Department of Public Safety
chief Colonel Emil Fioravanti
noted that Chancellor Grossman
is very involved in public safety
issues.
“She is very interested in the
overarching concepts of public
safety,” said Colonel Fioravanti.
“On the public safety side she
gets it.”
UMass Dartmouth student
and Endeavor Scholar Dorothy
Mahoney-Pacheco spoke about
Chancellor Grossman’s ability
to communicate with students
and faculty.
“She’s not someone who sits
behind closed doors,” said Ma-
honey-Pacheco.
Peter McCarthy, Executive
Director of the Fall River Boys
and Girls Club, highlighted
UMass Dartmouth students who
volunteer at his organization. He
noted that Chancellor Grossman
attends events and volunteers at
the club, and will be there this
week to help serve lunch.
“I can’t thank Grossman
enough for taking interest in our
organization,” said McCarthy.
UMass Dartmouth students,
faculty, and the general public
who were not able to attend the
open forum can submit their
reviews and feedback of Chan-
cellor Grossman’s performance
to DartmouthChancellorEvalua-
tion@umassp.edu.
MONSANTO HERO BETTER CALL SAUL NFL FREE AGENCYPAGE 4 PAGE 7 PAGE 11
Public forum hosted to review Chancellor Grossman
PHOTO COURTESY // PHOTOGRAPHICSNew chancellors are reviewed three years after starting, and then every five years.
PHOTO COURTESY // PHOTOGRAPHICS
By DOUGLAS McCULLOCH
DMCCULLOCH@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
College Now/START program officially
welcomes high school Class of 2014
By DANAILE BENNETT
DBENNETT2@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
On Saturday, February 14, 2015,
two men were killed and five
police officers were wounded
in Copenhagen, Denmark. In
a 24 hour period, the shooter
had claimed the lives of Danish
filmmaker Finn Nørgaard and
Dan Uzan, a security guard at
Copenhagen’s main Jewish syn-
agogue.
The identity of the shooter
was reported by Danish media
outlets to be Omar El-Hussein,
who had been released from jail
two weeks prior. Authorities say
that El-Hussein had a history of
assault and weapons offences.
Andrew Higgins and Melissa
Eddy of The New York Times
wrote that El-Hussein “was born
in the country he sought to ter-
rorize, into a Muslim immigrant
family.”
The Local reports that the
first shooting occurred at 3:30
p.m. during a seminar at the
Krudttønden cultural center.
The seminar, “Art, Blasphemy
and Freedom of Expression,” and
was attended by notaries such as
French ambassador to Denmark
François Zimeray.
Shortly after the El-Hussein
left the scene, Zimeray took to
Twitter to confirm that he was
alright. “Still alive in the room,”
he wrote.
Also in attendance was the
controversial artist Lars Vilks, a
Swedish artist who is known for
his 2007 drawing of the Proph-
et Muhammad as a dog. He re-
ceived several death threats af-
ter the publication of his work
– in 2009, two independent
plans to assassinate Vilks failed.
Vilks believed he was the tar-
get of the Copenhagen attacks,
telling Joe Scarborough of MSN-
BC that the attack was the most
sophisticated attempt on his life
to date. He also claimed that the
Danish police were totally un-
prepared and underequipped.
El-Hussein did not go far from
Krudttønden. Just over a mile
north of the cultural center, he
abandoned his car at a train
station. Around midnight he
crossed the synagogue where a
bar mitzvah was taking place.
The Local reports that El-Hues-
sein opened fire on Uzan with-
out warning before running
away on foot.
Continued on Pg.2
Terror attacks in
Copenhagen take two
By MATTHEW LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
News Editor

2. If you are a first year student
you are probably used to being
called a first year student since
you had orientation here at the
University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth. If you’re not famil-
iar with the term you are behind
a few years and are probably
calling the residents of the quad
freshmen. STOP! In the ‘90s the
word freshmen was revised to
first year student to eliminate
the sexism behind the term
freshmen.
How can a word be sexist?
Well, let’s look at the word and
its history. When schools were
first established all of the stu-
dents were male, and women
were oppressed and denied
an education (amongst other
things). The term freshmen lit-
erally means fresh-man, new
male student, or first year male
student.
Taking that into consider-
ation, he term was fine and po-
litically correct before women
were allowed in schools because
they were indeed all men. So
freshmen makes sense, right?
Wrong. Times have changed,
and now 49% of us here at UMa-
ss Dartmouth are not males. For
us to have been called or to be
called a freshman in our first
year of college is politically in-
correct and a little offensive to
be honest.
For women to be able to ful-
ly exercise their human rights,
gender perspectives have to be
mainstreamed in all-inclusive
urban policies. Instead use the
term first year student, or just
first year – it is a gender-neutral
term that does not offend any-
one’s sex and gets to the point.
While I have your attention
we can define gender as well.
Gender is the complex interrela-
tionship between an individual’s
sex (gender biology), one’s inter-
nal sense of self as male, female,
both or neither (gender identity),
as well as one’s outward presen-
tations and behaviors (gender
expression) related to that per-
ception, including their gender
role.
Together, the intersection of
these three dimensions produc-
es one’s authentic sense of gen-
der, both in how people experi-
ence their own gender as well as
how others perceive it. Are you
starting to get it?
No? Well, let’s take a look at
some of our policies. Here at
UMass Dartmouth we have a
Statement on Gender Discrimi-
nation that can be found under
our policy page on the universi-
ty website, and it goes like this:
The University of Massachu-
setts Dartmouth is committed to
ensuring equality and avoiding
gender discrimination; there-
fore, it is the university policy to
avoid in all university publica-
tions and communications, the
use of language that perpetuates
gender bias. University employ-
ees are encouraged to use gen-
der-neutral language. In select-
ing textbooks and readings of
the very highest quality, faculty
are urged to select those that are
free of gender bias.
We are not alone in this com-
mitment to being more gen-
der-neutral. Other universities
practice inclusion, as well as
states! Washington, Florida,
North Carolina, Illinois, Cali-
fornia, Hawaii, Maryland, New
York, Rhode Island, Vermont
and Utah are trying to be gender
inclusive as well.
Now, how could you know
this in 2015 when you’re still re-
ceiving surveys and e-mails ref-
erencing first year students as
freshmen? Well, speak up!
It is our job as members of
this community to keep each
other on our toes. Education is
power, and now you are empow-
ered. Stop using the F word, get
others to stop and continue to
make UMass Dartmouth an in-
clusive environment.
Agyemang said: “I joined Bot-
tom Line, which is a nonprofit
organization that helps students
apply to college. They told me
about the College Now Program.
I applied to the program with
the hope of pursuing a nursing
degree. College Now offered me
an opportunity to pursue my
dream of becoming a nurse. The
decision to attend UMass Dart-
mouth College Now Program is
one of the best decisions I made
about college”.
According to Edward Col-
lins, he applied to two schools,
Bridgewater State University
and the College Now Program
at UMass Dartmouth. He then
decided to attend UMASS Dart-
mouth after talking with both
schools.
He later stated that, “I re-
member making phone calls
with Michael Ortiz and Anne
Boisvert, while still deployed,
trying to get the ball rolling
on my application along with
scheduling test dates and inter-
view times. I want to personally
thank them for all of their help
because without their patience
and understanding I would not
be standing in front of you to-
night”.
“This program has provided
me with a unique opportunity
of pursing an education in the
nursing field. I am grateful be-
cause my high school grades and
SAT scores would not have met
the Nursing School’s standards
through direct application.”
“In my short time here at
UMass Dartmouth,” Edwards
continued, “I have come to the
realization that the staff of Col-
lege Now really does care about
the success of their students.
And because of that I am proud
to be a part of the College Now
family.”
The banquet was filled with
laughter and applause as the
College Now/START Program
presented the students with
their certificate of completion.
For fall 2015, the department has
received over 600 applications
for 125 seats.
Tiba later said that, “I am glad
to be a member of the College
Now Program”. In the words
of fellow College Now/START
Program senior, Jordan Mc-
Donald, “Once a College Now
student, always a College Now
student”.
The University of Massachu-
setts in Amherst has decided to
ban Iranian graduate students
from studying in certain science
and engineering subjects at their
school.
The policy was put into place
in a document on the UMass
Amherst website on February
6 in regard to the 2012 United
States government mandate, the
“Iran Threat Reduction and Syr-
ia Human Rights Act of 2012.”
This mandate prevents Iranian
students from studying in Amer-
ica if they would like to study
in nuclear fields, which would
prevent the Iranian government
from developing nuclear weap-
ons.
According to UMass’s afore-
mentioned document, though,
“the University has determined
that these sanctions pose a sig-
nificant challenge to our ability
to provide a full program of ed-
ucation and research for Iranian
students in certain disciplines
and programs.”
The Department of Homeland
Security investigates claims for
visas, so potentially risky stu-
dents are generally weeded out
by the government.
Oklahoma legislation has vot-
ed to ban Advanced Placement
United States History cours-
es. Representative Dan Fisher
suggests that AP U.S. history
courses teach “what is bad about
America.”
Oklahoma legislators also vot-
ed down Common Core in Au-
gust and were punished by the
U.S. Department of Education
by having their funding from No
Child Left Behind taken away.
College Board, the private
company responsible for AP
tests, has also been under fire
for the AP U.S. history course
from other states, including
Texas and Georgia. Oklahoma
legislators are saying that if Col-
lege Board does not change the
curriculum, they will pull their
funding of the test.
Judge Andrew S. Hanen from
Texas ruled to challenge Pres-
ident Obama’s immigration ex-
ecutive actions just a day before
“hundreds of thousands of un-
documented immigrants were to
begin applying for work permits
and legal protection,” according
to the New York Times.
The president had taken his
right of executive action due to a
refusal of the largely Republican
Congress to allow his bill to be
funded. Democrats also will not
back down, saying that they will
continue to push for funding the
Department of Homeland Secu-
rity.
Hanen’s injunction brought
the bill to a standstill on Mon-
day, saying that the president
did not give the states enough
notice.
According to Yahoo News, a
law professor at the University
of Nevada in Las Vegas, Michael
Kagan, commented, “It’s a very
procedural point – that he did
this too quickly.”
Despite the cease-fire signed
by Ukrainian forces and militant
rebel forces in Minsk, Belarus
last week, intense fighting has
been continuing in Debalseve, a
transportation hub strategic for
either side.
Ukrainian forces, command-
ed by President Petro Poroshen-
ko, retreated from the town yes-
terday, losing an important asset
but keeping the separatists from
gaining prisoners for bargaining
chips.
Netherlands’ Mars One,
whose mission is to send people
up to the red planet by 2024, has
narrowed its hundreds of thou-
sands of candidates down to just
a hundred.
The hundred will be pared
down to the first four people
that will go up to Mars in only
a couple years – and will never
come back to Earth. The list of
100 includes people interested in
the science aspects of living on
Mars as well as adventurers who
would like to be remembered.
Testing with isolation and
team-building will occur in the
next few years, and then Mars
One will choose 24 people: six
teams of four. Every two years,
Mars One plans to send up one
more team.
Dawn, a spacecraft heading
into the asteroid belt, has taken
the clearest images yet of Ce-
res, a dwarf planet in the aster-
oid belt. The image may display
huge patches of ice on the small,
cold planet, and scientists hope
to find clues about the solar
system’s early beginnings when
Dawn begins orbiting Ceres.
EDITOR: MATT LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 2
V. 32, ISSUE 17NEWS
World news brief
SGA Update: Stop using the F-Word
College
Now/START
Continued from Pg. 1
Police spent the rest of the
night staking out in the Nørre-
bro neighborhood, according to
The Local. El-Hussein arrived
at the police trap around 5 a.m.
He died after opening fire on
the police, who shot back. An
article by four BuzzFeed News
reporters says that the five offi-
cers injured in the operation are
expected to recover.
The attack came just over
a month after those in Par-
is, where a police officer and
11 journalists and artists from
the satirical newspaper Charlie
Hebdo were killed by Chérif and
Saïd Kouachi. The attack, an act
of rebellion against the journal’s
publishing of depictions of the
Prophet Muhammad, resulted in
one of France’s largest political
rallies in history.
Parallel to the Charlie Hebdo
attack was a hostage situation in
a kosher supermarket in Paris’s
20th arrondissement. Amedy
Coulibay, who had befriended
the Kouachi brothers in prison,
killed four of his nineteen Jew-
ish hostages before being killed
by police in a raid.
The people of Copenhagen
have not seen such acts of terror
in decades. Higgins and Eddy of
The New York Times recount-
ed the history of terror in Den-
mark, noting that there has not
been an attack like this since the
‘80s, “when left-wing extrem-
ists killed a police officer in the
capital and still-unidentified ex-
tremists planted bombs near a
Copenhagen synagogue and the
offices of an American airline.”
World leaders have expressed
their sympathy and support of
Denmark. On Monday night the
White House National Security
Twitter account (@NSCPress)
posted messages expressing
President Obama’s solidarity
with Denmark. Obama plans on
holding a summit on Counter-
ing Violent Extremism with
Danish Prime Minister Thorn-
ing-Schmidt.
Israeli President Benjamin
Netanyahu has called the Jew-
ish people of Denmark and Eu-
rope on the whole to immigrate
to Israel. A spokesperson for the
Jewish Community in Denmark,
Jeppe Juhl, responded to Net-
anyahu’s offer in a statement to
Agence France-Presse, saying
“we understand his concern for
our well-being, and we value his
concern but we are Danish and
we’re staying in Denmark. If we
move to Israel it’s for other rea-
sons.”
Terror Attack in Denmark
Continued from Pg. 1
PHOTO COURTESY // SWEETHOMEPOLITICS.COM
PHOTO COURTESY // PHOTOGRAPHICS
PHOTO COURTESY // WIKIMEDIA
Flowers placed outside Krudttønden in memory of the victims.
By MABEL TEJADA
MTEJADA@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer
By AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Edior-in-Chief

3. PAGE 3
V. 32, ISSUE 17NEWS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Amanda Butcher
MANAGING EDITOR
Molly Hillis
HEAD DESIGN EDITOR
Joseph Tavares
NEWS EDITOR
Matt Litchfield
OPINIONS EDITOR
Pamela Garnett
A&E EDITOR
T.J. Sprague
SPORTS EDITOR
Mark Ogle
STAFF WRITERS
Mackenzie Benjamin
Danaile S. Bennett
Steve Ciotti
Jacob Condo
Kassandra Edouard
Justin McKinney
Brett McLeod
Douglas McCulloch
Leah O’Keefe
Alyssa Steen
ASSISTANT DESIGN
EDITORS
Honey Apale
Liana DePillo
James Ferguson
ADVERTISING MANAGER
Kevin Cutler
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Nicholas Leverone
DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANTS
Saulo Gomes
Deasia Gresham
Jessica Flowers
Kaylie Leite
Eduard Trirog
ADVISOR
Chris Laib
The UMass Dartmouth Torch
is the student-run university
newspaper. The Torch is
published every Thursday
during the academic year.
The Torch’s Editorial Board
is comprised of the Editor-in-
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The Editorial Board is
responsible for all content
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The opinion pieces are
defined as editorials written
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“Letters to the Editor” are
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Any articles printed under
the “Editorial” header are
edited by the Opinion section
editor, Pamela Garnett.
Both pieces from the Opinion
section and “Letters to the
Editor” are subject to editing
for space and clarity. The
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The Torch Staff About The Torch
EDITOR: MATT LITCHFIELD
MLITCHFIELD1@UMASSD.EDU
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BE IN DEMAND.
According to CNN.com on Mon-
day, February 16th the Egyptian
military carried out a bombing
raid against an ISIS branch in
Libya.
The raid was in response to
a video released Sunday which
showed ISIS terrorists behead-
ing handcuffed Egyptian Chris-
tians. There were 21 hostages
in total and all are believed to
be dead, even though the vid-
eo only showed about a dozen
of their deaths. The hostages
were kidnapped on two separate
occasions, one in December and
the other in January.
The video includes an En-
glish-speaking jihadi who threat-
ens both Europe and Egypt.
According to CNN.com he
states, “The sea you have hidden
Sheikh Osama bin Laden’s body
in, we sear to Allah, we will mix
it with your blood.”
Egypt’s bombing target was
an ISIS stronghold located in
Derna, a port city on the eastern
coast of Libya with a population
of over 100,000.
According to CNN.com
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi stated his country “re-
serves the right of retaliation
and with the methods and tim-
ing it sees fit for retribution for
those murderers and criminals
who are without the slightest
humanity.”
However, according to The
New York Times, Egypt is cur-
rently vulnerable to a counter
attack due to the nation’s wide
desert-covered borders which is
shared with Libya.
Washington Institute re-
searcher Aaron Y. Zelin spoke
with The New York Times about
the bombings. He explained if
any citizens were harmed in
the bombings than they may
be more likely to fight against
Egypt. Zelin says the attacks
might be an opportunity for
ISIS and Libyan citizens to unite
under a common enemy.
“They see it as proof that God
is on their side, that even as all
these forces arrayed against us,
we are ‘remaining and expand-
ing,’ as their saying goes,” Zelin
added. “This is red meat for
their base of supporters.”
The ISIS supporters cur-
rently hold control over Derna.
“There’s been a real radical
Islamist presence in Libya for
some time,” said Lt. Col. Rick
Francona of the U.S. Air Force
to CNN.com. “What’s worrying
is now they are self-identifying
with ISIS.”
A group affiliated with ISIS
and Egypt’s military were fight-
ing throughout the month of
January in the Sinai Peninsula.
At least 36 people were injured
in the attacks from last month,
including some civilians.
The New York Times stat-
ed the United States and allies
attempt to negotiate with many
Libyan factions to bring govern-
ment to the nation. However, on
Wednesday, February 11th Pres-
ident Obama formally made a
request to Congress to authorize
military force against ISIS.
“Now, make no mistake, this
is a difficult mission and it will
remain difficult for some,” said
Obama in a press conference
according to CNN.com. “Our
coalition is on the offensive,
ISIL is on the defensive and ISIL
is going to lose.”
However this does not mean
that troops will be deployed to
Libya.
“I am convinced that the U.S.
should not get back into another
ground war in the Middle East –
it’s not in our national security
interest and not necessary for us
to defeat ISIL,” said the Presi-
dent.
Egyptian military carries out bombing raid
By T.J. SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
A&E Editor
PHOTO COURTESY // NEWSWEEK

4. A couple nights ago, I was
watching TLC with my
roommates, trying to figure out
what I wanted to write about this
week, and a commercial came
on.
It was a cute commercial with
families and food. There was a
glimpse of a little boy surrounded
by his family, blowing out a
bunch of birthday candles, a
family dinner, and then a picnic
outside (I was glaring jealously
at the green grass.) Someone was
chomping on a red pepper, there
were a lot of colorful, organic-
looking vegetables.
And then I saw the sponsor of
the advertisement: Monsanto.
Let me tell you a little bit
about Monsanto. Their website
says, “Monsanto is a sustainable
agriculture company. We deliver
agricultural products that
support farmers all around the
world.”
“Sustainable agriculture
company” is a link, so I clicked it.
I wanted to see what Monsanto
said before making my own
conclusions.
Under the header “Seeds,”
“We use plant breeding and
biotechnology to create seeds
that grow into stronger, more
resilient crops that require fewer
resources.”
There were other headers, but
the most interesting statement
to me was “Vegetables:”
“We combine traditional
plant breeding with modern
techniques to produce vegetable
seeds that help farmers better
withstand nature’s challenges.”
It’s not much information to
go by, but a history of Monsanto
goes back to 1901, when John
Francis Queeny founded the
company to produce food
additives. It’s a biotech company:
biotechnology means that they
use biological systems to solve
problems and create products.
The company started
manufacturing DDT in 1944, a
product that was banned in the
United States in 1972. It used to
be a pesticide, but it probably
causes cancer, damages the liver
and reproductive system, and it
may damage the nervous system
for a short time, according to
the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA.)
They also produced Agent
Orange for use against Vietnam.
They produced some of the
first LED lights, and they were
the first scientists to create
genetically engineered crops.
Now, they are one of the largest
seed companies.
These foods are not organic.
They are genetically engineered.
That is only my first problem
with Monsanto.
Now, why would I have a
problem with Monsanto?
Okay, maybe that’s a little
strong. I don’t have a problem
with Monsanto, per se. I just
have a problem with the lack
of information provided to the
public.
OneofthecropsthatMonsanto
is arguably best known for today
is “Roundup Ready” corn. To
explain that, I’ll need a little
more time.
Roundup is a pesticide used
to kill and prevent weeds – a
pesticide made with glyphosate
by Monsanto. According to the
EPA, glyphosate is one of the
most widely used pesticides,
and if ingested, may cause lung
congestion and an increased
breathing rate at low levels,
as well as kidney damage and
reproductive damage at higher
levels.
Glyphosate is biodegradable,
so that’s pretty good compared
to other herbicides.
Roundup Ready corn is corn
that resists glyphosate: this corn
crop can be doused in Roundup,
and it will not die. All the weeds
around it will die, but the corn
will not, allowing for supposedly
higher yields.
In a recently finished forty-
year study, though, by an
independent research group,
the herbicide resistant group
did just as well. Non-genetically
manufactured (GM) crops
produced a yield just as good
as the Roundup Ready crops in
forty years.
The other thing that these
Roundup Ready crops have
caused is a new species of weeds
that can also resist Roundup.
These superweeds are very
difficult to kill, and they’re really
strong.
That’s not where the story
ends. Monsanto has a patent on
these seeds as well, which means
that if you use Monsanto seeds,
you’re stuck using Monsanto
seeds all the time. You can’t save
the seeds from this year’s crop:
you have to buy a new set of
seeds every year.
What happens to biodiversity,
then? Broccoli was made by
mistake when kale pollinated
with some cauliflower ancestor,
and ever since farming existed,
farmers have been taking the
best plants and breeding them
together to make even better
crops for next year.
Not for people that buy
Monsanto. They have to use the
same seeds every year. We are
eating the same corn as they’ve
been producing for years. It’s not
changing, not getting better or
worse, but there’s no biodiversity.
Let me put it this way: the
cheetah population has declined
so much that they are technically
all breeding with their family.
This causes less genetic diversity,
which means that if one cheetah
is susceptible to a disease, it’s
probable that the rest are as well.
They are genetically similar.
They get sick easier; weird
mutations happen.
This was the same problem
with nobility in earlier centuries.
They would marry and have
children with cousins, which
caused genetic similarity and
weird diseases.
Now think of corn that way. It’s
all genetically similar because
any mutations that could have
happened in a few generations
are stopped because farmers
have to buy the same exact seeds
every year.
Oh, but that isn’t the only
problem. When farmers that
don’t use the GM seeds, they
have to be careful that their crops
don’t pollinate with neighboring
farmers’ GM crops.
According to MIT, there was
a case of a farmer that grew his
own canola but was sued by
Monsanto because his seeds
had been contaminated with
some Roundup Ready genes of
a neighboring farmer’s crops.
Contamination has become a
problem because of patent laws.
I’m not saying I don’t like
genetic engineering. I love
genetic engineering. It’s so cool
that scientists might be able to
save Florida oranges from certain
death from a virus spread by
little bugs by inserting spinach
genes into the orange trees.
But when you’re making
people think your food is
organic, eliminating biodiversity,
and suing farmers…that’s where I
have my problem.
EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 4
V. 32, ISSUE 17OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
A wise man once said that a
heroin addict has no friends or
family, just an addiction.
It’s become common
knowledge in recent years that
addiction to heroin is by far the
most crippling type of substance
abuse and yet we see rising
numbers in the use of the drug in
Eastern Massachusetts.
It seems to me that everywhere
you look this drug is popping
up. I grew up in the small town
of Pembroke, MA. Its total
population is only 22,000 with a
median income of $88,000.
It’s the stereotypical small
American town that most people
dream of moving to. However, in
less than three months over the
summer the town saw six lethal
overdoses and countless non-
lethal ones.
It’s not just my small town
either as I have said it’s a state-
wide issue, in the first four
months of 2014 Massachusetts
saw 185 deaths from heroin over-
doses.
In the most recent figures on
year-long opiate related deaths it
showed 642 deaths in 2011. This
figure has almost doubled from
the year 2000. It’s also worth
noting that the number shown,
642, includes prescription opiate
overdoses.
That number also brings us
to what I believe is the leading
cause to this rampant heroin
problem: the medical industry
and their handing out of highly
addicting opiate pain-killers like
candy.
These pills contain opiates,
which are the ingredient in
heroin that gets the user high
and addicted. The problem is
once these people run out of
prescription refills on their
pain-killers they go looking for
them on the streets and find
that the prices of these pills are
astronomical.
Most cannot afford them.
That is why we see people
turning to heroin, it contains the
opiate which the users are very
addicted to and it’s cheaper. The
problem though, is that heroin is
far more dangerous and far more
addictive.
I find this entire sequence
of events to be disgusting, the
medical industry is feeding
people pills that they know are
very addictive and can often lead
to heroin use.
I have seen it first-hand, after
I had knee surgery last winter I
refused any type of pain killers
as I wanted no part in opiate
based pills; however my doctor
hounded me saying I needed
them and I eventually just gave
in and said fine.
I was prescribed 30 OxyContin
with one refill and I didn’t touch
a single pill, my knee hurt a
little but not enough to risk drug
dependency. The point I am
making with this story is that
the medical industry is pushing
these pills.
I was seventeen when I got that
prescription, and that’s probably
the worst part this story, a doctor
wanted to give a minor some of
the most intense pain-killers in
the world even after the minor
refused. Frankly, this is a system
set to get people addicted to
drugs, I could have used 60
opiate pills if I had chosen to,
and 60 pills is more than enough
to get addicted.
The only solution to this
problem is to take the use of
opiate pain killers out of the
medical industry. Obviously it
will take time and money to find
an appropriate solution, but it
seems very much worth it.
Heroin destroys lives and
the medical industries handing
out of opiate drugs seems to
be the likely cause of this. I
realize for the time in between
finding a replacement drug and
when these opiates are taken
off the shelf will leave many
people without a potent form of
painkiller, however it seems to
me that being in pain for a short
time is well worth doing away
with the lifetime of pain that can
be cause by heroin addiction.
Along with the removal of
OxyContin and other opiates as
legal painkillers. Drug education
needs to be a staple in schools
state-wide. I don’t care if taxes
are increased to support this
movement, it’s worth it to keep
people safe from the horrors of
addiction.
If people know what can
happen if you do drugs, they
will not turn to them. If you
show a person from a young
age what happens to drug users,
specifically heroin, they won’t
ever try it. My grandfather was
a Massachusetts State Police
Officer and from a young age
he showed me what drugs can
do to and how they can turn
normal people into anything
but a normal person, from how
they look to how they conduct
themselves.
After seeing and hearing
about the effects of drugs such
as heroin it made me not want to
do them as I knew how damaging
they are. A little knowledge goes
a long way and that little bit of
knowledge that kids take away
from drug education courses
could be the bit of knowledge
that causes a person to say no in
the future.
Something needs to be done
swiftly to counteract this heroin
problem in Massachusetts. It’s
ruining thousands of lives and
it’s a problem that with effort can
combated and stopped. If people
wake up and realize that we can
work together to fight these
medical companies and further
educate children and teens on
the horrors of drug use, we will
see a rapid drop in the use of
heroin and opiates.
Heroin has cast a shadow
over Massachusetts
By JUSTIN McKINNEY
JMCKINNEY@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
With Valentine’s Day recently
past and couples getting last
minute gifts for their significant
other, I couldn’t help but feel the
love in the air.
However, on the other hand I
sometimes wonder why it may
take the killing of a person by
a once dearly loved spouse to
realize that intimate partner
violence does exist and there
are multiple steps that we as
individuals can take to help
prevent this.
Intimate partner violence
can be described as sexual,
physical or psychological harm
by a current or former spouse. It
occurs when one partner turns
his or her anger out on the other
one. Intimate partner violence
is sometimes manifested in
emotional abuse such as name
calling, yelling, swearing or
verbal insults.
It may also show up in the
form of physical abuse such as
choking, kicking, slapping or
pushing. Another form of this
behavior is sometimes sexual
such as forcing sexual relations
or other sexual activity.
According to the Assault
Survivors Advocacy Program
(ASAP), there may be early
warning signs of a potential
abusive personality such as
jealousy, controlling behavior,
isolation, verbal abuse and
cruelty to animals or children.
On the afternoon of February
18, 2009 Barbara Sheehan shot
her husband, Ray Sheehan
eleven times killing him on the
bathroom floor in the house
that they both shared with their
two grown children. Barbara
was a victim of Intimate Partner
Violence and instead of her
seeking help when the abusing
side of her then husband started
emerging, she stuck around and
ended up killing him when the
fear of her husband killing her
became too unreal to live with.
I believe that the cycle of this
abusive behavior in a person like
this will never change and one
should seek help as soon as signs
of abuse starts to get permanent.
I believe that some part of us
tries to make a bad relationship
work because we do not see a
way out or because we do not
want to upset our partner by
trying to leave. Truth is, once
these abusive patterns start to
surface they will probably never
ever go away and one spouse
may end up hurting the other, or
even worse, killing them.
Once a person is dead, there
may be no use in claiming self-
defense because the other
person can no longer speak their
side of the story and you might
end up going to prison because
you chose to save your life over
your lover.
Women ages 20 to 24 are
at greatest risk of becoming
victims of domestic violence.
More than four million women
experience physical assault and
rape by their partners and one
in three female homicide victims
are murdered by their current or
former partner every year.
More than three million
children witness domestic
violence in their homes every
year. Children who live in homes
where there is domestic violence
also suffer abuse or neglect
at high rates (30% to 60%).
Children exposed to domestic
violence at home are more
likely to have health problems,
including becoming sick more
often, having frequent headaches
or stomachaches, and being
more tired and lethargic.
Children are more likely to
intervene when they witness
severe violence against a parent
– which can place a child at great
risk for injury or even death
according to the safe horizon.org
page which talks about general
statistics and domestic violence.
Without help, girls who
witness domestic violence are
more vulnerable to abuse as
teens and adults. Boys who
witness domestic violence are far
more likely to become abusers of
their partners and/or children
as adults, thus continuing the
cycle of violence in the next
generation.
Intimate partner or domestic
violence also has effects on the
economy. Domestic violence
costs more than $37 billion a year
in law enforcement involvement,
legal work, and medical and
mental health treatment.
With all that said, there are
simple ways to speak out and
put a stop to intimate partner or
domestic violence. When there
is sign that may be parallel with
this type of behavior one should
seek help before it gets too
serious. Speak up, speak out, get
the law enforcement involved
and leave the situation before it
is too late.
When love turns into
violence
By DANAILE S. BENNETT
DBENNET2@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer By AMANDA BUTCHER
ABUTCHER@UMASSD.EDU
Editor-in-chief
Organic or not?

5. I am so sick of snow.
Not only am I sick of
snow, I’m sick of people
being total jerks about the
fact that mother nature is
being well, kind of a jerk.
Conditions are
dangerous, patience is
low and some local cities
(looking in New Bedford’s
general direction) aren’t
doing a terribly good job
with disaster management.
I get it, everyone’s wicked
pissed.
That said, there’s just no
needtostealparkingspaces
you didn’t shovel out, cut
people off on slippery
roads and otherwise be
rude. We are all suffering.
We are all tired of running
noses, leaking roofs and
cancellations. If I hear the
phrase “parking ban” one
more time, I’m going to
collapse into hysterics.
The key to surviving
this horrendous, record-
breaking winter is to be
good to your fellow frozen,
miserable citizen. Now is
not the time to turn on one
another, because we very
likely might see more feet
of snow and frankly, I can’t
bear the thought of what
that is going to do to the
general public’s psyche!
Some people are doing
miserable winter right.
The New Bedford Guide
has been sharing as many
positive stories as they can
find on Facebook, from
an entire street banding
together to “plow” their
street when city plows
never showed up to
countless caring souls
shoveling out elderly
and disable neighbors.
Most neighborhoods are
clearing snow from their
fire hydrants.
What if we all made
a collective effort to
give a little back to our
community during these
trying months? One New
Bedford family built a
snowman holding a “we
surrender!” sign and I’ll
be that half an hour of
play brought smiles to
hundreds of faces over the
last week or so. Things like
that really matter.
Another great way to
treat yourself and help
your community is by
patronizing some local
businesses affected by the
parking bans and unending
snowfall. If you’ve yet to
really savor the shopping
and dining in downtown
New Bedford, you are truly
missing out.
ThefoodatNoProblemo,
Destination Soups, The
Green Bean and Brick are
all incredible. The beer
offerings, for those of us
over 21, at The Pour Farm
are so plentiful you may
want to plan to take a taxi
home ahead of time.
Gallery X is having an
all-ages show this Saturday
featuring Eaten (grindcore
from Worcester, MA), War
Emblem from PA, and
local legends, Gaskill for
an $8.00 cover at 5:00pm.
If you’re over 21 you can
walk down the street to No
Problemo after that and
catch Blind Mice and Holy
Hands for $5.00.
Wicked Weezy hosts
karaoke shows around
FairhavenandNewBedford
and has had to cancel her
shows for weeks. Sing
some songs to your stir-
crazy friends on Friday
nights at the Fairhaven
American Legion on Main
Street after 9:00pm.
If you really want a good
karma boost, volunteer
some time clearing snow
or at a local emergency
shelter. New Bedford’s
emergency shelters are
always seeking donations
and volunteers on nights
when the temperature
drops.
I know everything
outside really sucks right
now. This winter has been
like something out of a
Game of Thrones episode,
and we are all longing for
better days. Those days
will come, until then,
shovel your neighbor’s
walk and spread a little
metaphorical sunshine.
See you later, RadioShack.
We won’t miss you.
It has been reported
that RadioShack has
filed for bankruptcy and
plans to close 2,100 of
its approximated 4,000
stores, according to the
Wall Street Journal.
When tasked with
writing about Radioshack,
I tried to think back to the
last time I went to one of
its locations. I remember
perusing its electronic-
laden walls back when it
was in the barren Swansea
Mall.
Those were times when
hanging out at the mall was
for the cool kids, or those
who wanted to be.
I’d mess around with the
radio-controlled toys, look
around at different video
games, always overpriced,
and mess around with the
electronic instruments.
I don’t think that I
ever bought anything
from RadioShack. I never
found a need for the store,
honestly, and I think that
may have been their core
problem.
Everything they offered,
including batteries,
wires, cell phones, radio-
controlled toys, video
games, and other odds
and ends could be bought
virtually anywhere else for
a much cheaper price.
Target and Walmart
are right down the road,
Best Buy is a couple miles
away, and Amazon is in our
pockets. The problem with
RadioShack is that there’s
just no need for it. It has
no place in our established
shopping experiences.
I don’t know if this is
certain, but I have a feeling
a lot of RadioShack’s
clientele were loyal to
them. My father swore to
buy batteries only from
there. Why? I cannot
answer that, because I
have no idea. Maybe they
had more of the elusive
“juice” in them.
Maybe it’s that the
people who worked there
were more certified to do
their job. I know if I walk
into Best Buy, there’s a
damn good chance I will
not find anyone who knows
what they’re talking about.
It goes double for Walmart
and Target, where I’m fairly
certain they hire based
upon which department
needs help the most.
I did an online search
of “why do people shop
at RadioShack?” and was
greeted by an opinion
piece from June 2014 on
MarketWatch.com. Philip
van Doorn claims that the
personalized customer
service was what brought
him back to the dying
store.
But we’re in an age where
speaking with humans is a
faux pas. Part of the allure
of online shopping is that
not only are we able to stay
in our pajamas and shop
at 3 a.m., but we’re also
able to forgo the entire
experience of dealing with
another human being,
all while getting the best
prices available.
It’s impossible to
compete with online
shopping. The best deals,
the best comfort, and the
best customer service
experience are what I’d
call the perfect trio of
a satisfying shopping
experience. Why would
anyone even bother getting
in their car?
Part of what gets me out
to stores is the sales. When
Best Buy puts on exclusive
holiday sales, such as Black
Friday deals, it’s usually
tough to get the deals
online.
Instead of competing
with 20-30 people in
lines at midnight, there’s
thousands, or hundreds
of thousands of people
waiting online.
Websites get jammed
up, broken, glitched, and
shopping carts go from
full to empty, or double
charging, and who knows
what else.
It’s an unreliable
experience, looking for
the best deal online. If
the deal’s good enough, it
could be gone in seconds.
In stores, we get to see
firsthand what you want,
and you hold it in your
hand.
With the departure of
RadioShack also departs
part of the customer
experience.
Though stores like
Best Buy and Target keep
the real life shopping
experience alive, part of
it has died along with
RadioShack.
EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 5
V. 32, ISSUE 17OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
By BRETT McLEOD
BMCLEOD@UMASSD.EDU
Assistant A&E Editor
Thousands of people,
including world leaders
gathered in Paris last
month to stand up to terror
and demonstrate their
solidarity with the French
people, we stand together
with them and mourn the
loss of all those who were
murdered in cold blood by
the terrorists.
Our thoughts and
prayers especially go out to
the families of Yoav Hattab,
Yohan Cohen, Philippe
Braham, and Francois-
Michel Saada, viciously
killed in the Hyper Cacher
supermarket in an act of
anti-Semitic violence.
May their memories be a
blessing.
We also take to heart
the incredible outpouring
of support — from world
leaders as well as millions
of ordinary Parisians —
who are determined to
fight for a robust, tolerant,
multi-ethnic, democratic,
and free Europe.
The reality is that
today’s Europe is home to
hundreds of thousands of
Jews.
Background information
on the Jewish Community
in France
With about 500,000
Jews, France has the
second largest Diaspora
community in the world,
after the United States.
The majority (some
350,000) live in Paris,
with 70,000 in Marseilles,
and the rest in smaller
communities around the
country. Around 60% of
the community are Jews of
Sefardi descent, who came
to France in the 1960s from
North Africa.
The French Jewish
community is large and
well established. In Paris
alone there are more
kosher restaurants (almost
300) than in New York City.
The French community
boasts some 48 JCCs and
286 Jewish day schools,
(that serve over 32,000
Jewish students).
Anti-Semitism
France has a proud
history of tolerance,
beginning with the
emancipation of the
Jews following the
French revolution. The
revolution’s famous
concepts of Liberté,
Égalité, Fraternité, were
also extended to Jews
in a landmark European
reformation.
Nonetheless, in recent
years French Jews have
felt themselves under
significant threat from
two sides; from both “right
wing” extremists, and from
“left wing” Islamists and
their supporters.
Marine Le Pen’s rightist
anti-immigration National
Front Party, feared by
many Jews, finished first
in the 2014 European
Parliament election with
25% of the vote, and seems
to be gaining in popularity.
At the same time France
now has about 5 million
Muslim residents, many of
who have been radicalized
in recent years.
Both of these groups are
viewed by the local Jewish
community as threats. In
recentyearsthecommunity
has experienced tens of
anti-Semitic incidents, as
well as several horrific
attacks including the tragic
shooting at the Jewish day
school in Toulouse, riots
outside French synagogues
and a woman who was
told that she is being
raped “because she is
Jewish.” As a result, most
Jews in France choose
to remove any public
displays of their identity,
such as wearing kippot
and Jewish institutions
have heightened security
protocols.
Concerns have clearly
escalated dramatically
with last month’s hostage
taking and murders at a
kosher supermarket in
Paris.
Aliyah (Moving to Israel)
As a result of the hostile
environment, combined
with a depressed French
economy in a traditionally
Zionistic community, the
year 2014 saw a dramatic
increase in aliyah from
France with 7,000 moving
to Israel - more than double
the 3,400 who moved in
2013 and triple the 1,900
who immigrated in 2012.
More than 1% of
the entire community
immigrated to Israel over
the course of 2014, which
saw the arrival of the
largest number of French
immigrants in Israel's
history and was the first
time more immigrants
came from France than
from any other country.
Even before last month’s
attacks, Jewish Agency
officials had predicted
that the increase in French
aliyah would continue
and that the number of
immigrants from France
would reach 10,000 in 2015.
Thank you to the
rabbinic cabinet of Jewish
Federation for the above
information.
L’Shalom,
Rabbi Jacqueline Romm
Satlow, Director
Center for Religious
and Spiritual Life
Jewish Culture
Coordinator
The situation in France
Soul Sightings
Radioshack is dead...
but who cares?
“Be kind. Always if you
have a choice, be kind” –
Anne Rice
Deep down, each one
of us is hungry for love
and a shoulder to rest
our heads upon. Or, in
the digital world, a kind
soul with an eye-catching
screenname, a good
Internet connection, and
knowledge of a language
you’re comfortable
speaking in.
I came across the news
item on 7 Cups of Tea
app in The Torch as an
anonymous way to look for
support and counselling
from a trained listener for
any problem you might be
facing as a student or an
individual.
Being interested in
psychology, I decided to
give the app a try and see
what it really has to offer.
The website has given
the word compassion a
new definition, dimension
and accessibility.
What is even more
important to realize here
is that several individuals
or ‘listeners’ on the
website are donating their
time voluntarily to hear
a distressed mind and
helping someone find their
way or even just giving a
push in the right direction
to jump start their self-
esteem.
Of course, the news item
in The Torch (Jan 29, 2015)
deals with security and
privacy issues in detail;
however, the website also
warns users to not give out
any personal information,
social media handles or
financial information.
The website is
designed to help you vent
anonymously and provide
a support group which
in no way should involve
you dishing out your
confidential information.
Individuals using the
forums should exercise
some discretion on their
part by considering
the forum or one on
one conversation with
someone possibly several
miles away as a ‘guide’ or
‘temporaryesteembooster’
and motivator rather
than completely relying
on it as an alternative to
professional help.
Coming to my personal
experience with one of
the listeners, I must say
it was excellent. The
listener broke the ice by
introducing him/herself!
I don’t even know their
gender, but that didn’t
seem to matter in the least.
The listener was a
newbie, however, again,
she (or he?) was very
compassionate and open to
hearing my ‘story’ even if
it was about an unfaithful
husband! (Which of
course, it was not!)
One lesson I took from
my brief online encounter
with the listener was that
even though it is great to
just be able to log-on and
share your most random
and ridiculous views
without being validated,
if you’re going to change
anything in your life, you
must be ready to dare. You
must be willing to take
action in the real world
instead of only relying
on talking because that’s
where the real fulfillment
will come from.
Aside from offering
the option of one-on-
anonymous conversations,
the website also offers
group chats on various
issues such as depression
and loneliness. Contrary to
their 911 sounding names,
the chat rooms are filled
with people who talk
about everyday issues in
our lives, lighten the mood
with some jokes, support
each other with personal
experience and advice
and are eagerly looking
forward to summer &
dance! (Seriously, who
wouldn’t after three winter
storms in three weeks?)
So if you are looking to
share that ridiculous idea
that you think might be
laughed about or just plain
need some advice to step
up to a personal challenge,
you can definitely turn to
7 Cups of Tea for a fresh
perspective.
I started this post with
a quote about kindness.
This shouldn’t be limited
to only forums or ‘special
groups / people.’ As
Anne’s quote reminds us,
we always have a choice in
our lives to be kind or just
walk away.
So, let us be kind to
ourselves, our neighbors,
our classmates, and the
guy who serves us in Birch
Grill even if it is just with
a radiant, beautiful smile!
It has the power to change
someone’s day.
Review:
7 cups of tea
By RABEYA ROPANI
RROPANI@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer
By PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
Opinions Editor
Surviving the snow:
We are in this together

6. With websites such as Run
Warren Run, promoted by liberal
Moveon.org and Democracy for
America which enlisted more
than 250,000 supporters, Ready
for Warren, and a signed letter
from over three hundred Obama
Campaign Supporters requesting
for Senantor Elizabeth Warren
to run for president in 2016, you
would expect to see Warren
going up and down the street
canvassing for votes and kissing
babies on the heads: but she isn’t.
In fact, in an interview with
Steve Inskeep on NPR, Senator
Warren publicly denied any
attempts to run in the 2016
campaign. These campaigns
are not an effort for Elizabeth
Warren to win the presidency;
they are an effort to draft Senator
Elizabeth Warren to at least run
for it.
In politics drafting is a
method where the people try to
encourage and even overwhelm
a favored person or poilitican, in
this case Elizabeth Warren, into
joining a political race.
So when Elizabeth Warren
does not have any interest in
partaking in the presidential
race, it begs the question of why
her supporters are trying to
convince her otherwise.
The main motivation stems
from the fact that Warren is
loved by a majority of Democrats
for her born and bred working
class roots, her attacks on Wall
Street, and her liberal democratic
fighter personality that the
Democrats want and need.
The New Yorker’s John
Cassidy points to three instances
where this persona stemmed
from: her attacks against Bill
Dudley and the New York banks
for playing easy on Wall Street,
when she called out the Obama
Administration for trying to
hire the infamous tax cheating
Antonio Weiss as Secretary for
Domestic Finance, and her fight
against the degrading of the
Dodd- Frank finacial-reform act.
John Cassidy explains these
seperated her from most
Democrats not only as a fighter
but as a potential spotlight
competitor: “Strictly speaking
her efforts were unsuccessful…
But Warren won the political
argument… and raised her
national profile,” he said in the
article “Why Isn’t Elizabeth
Warren Running for President.”
It also helps that over time
the Clintons, particularly the
rumored-to-run Hillary Clinton,
have left a bad taste in democratic
mouths.
In “Democrats suffering from
Clinton fatigue say they’re ready
for Warren” by Robert Costa of
The Washington Post, it is said
that Democrats are “tired of
the Clintons,” and even labeled
Hilary as “one of those people
who has lost the sense of why
they are in politics.”
For the younger generation,
she represents a fighting
persona that democratic liberal
millenials, like twenty three year
old Allyson Bowers, believe is
needed in this fast changing
generation.
In a public interview in the
same Washington Post article,
Bowers points out that the
Democratic Party in general
needs “much more energy,
espceialy with [this] generation.”
For a time where the
youth of America is trying to
simultaneaoulsy put an end to
racism, sexism, homophobia, as
well as help the environment and
fix the gap between the rich and
the poor, the youth want to look
to someone who will listen and
make that change.
Since Elizabeth Warren is
known for legally requiring
business to hire women and
minorites, for expanding
Obamacare, for placing higher
taxes on the wealthy, for
prioritzing green energy, is
pro-choice, approves same- sex
marriage, and wants to find
ways to grant illegal immigrants
citizenship, many liberal
millennials find her as a voice
for them. This admiration from
both the older and the younger
generation is what drives them.
Despite what Elizabeth
Warren explicitly told the public,
and the fact that according to
The Huffington Post Warren
has not even hired any key staff
members for this supposed
campaign, these supporters still
believe that it is possible that
Elizabeth Warren will run.
Some theorists like John
Cassidy believe that Warren
is testing the waters to see if
Hilary Clinton sinks or swims. If
Hilary and Warren both run for
presidency as Democrats, then
the Democrat party may be torn
in half and both would be under
fire from a single fully supported
Republican represenative.
If Hilary runs, then Warren
may throw her support to Hilary
so a Democrat may win. If
Hilary is not a success, Warren
could enter the race as the lead
Democratic choice and win.
Another group of theorists,
mentioned in The Huffington
Post’s “The New York Families
Party Calls On Elizabeth Warren
To Run For President” by Igor
Bobic, hold that Warren just
simply needs to be encouraged
enough to run and that she is not
the type of person to “get ahead
of things.”
These theorists have claimed
to see this before, because in
2011 Elizabeth Warren ran for
senate because she was drafted
by the people. These theorists
are hoping that this is a repeat of
that 2011 situation.
But whether Warren is
secretly planning her presidency
or not, there is some question
as to whether drafting is a
reliable method in the case of
presidential elections in general.
One could see it as an example
of ideal American democracy,
as the lone local hero of the
people trudges her way to the
President’s Oval Office. To the
people, this must sound like a
homegrown voice of the people
finally in the postion it needs to
be. It can also seem harmless, as
in the end it is the choosen one’s
descicion.
What some of these people
may not factor in, due to their
high admiration for Warren, are
the daunting responsibilities that
are expected of the president
and that the canidate must be
personally ready for.
One of the many differences
between the president and any
politician is that the president
is the face of the government.
Because the president is
commnonly believed to be the
most powerful politician, when
something goes wrong the
people look to their leader for a
response or for a face to blame.
Ironically enough, it is Barack
Obama, the man who Elizabeth
Warren would replace if she were
to run and win in 2016, that best
exemplifies this blame game.
Many of Warren’s supporters
are disappointed by Obama’s,
according to Costa’s Washington
Post article, “lackluster
attempts to champion economic
populism.”
Whattheymaynotsee,wasthat
Obama was working with one of
the least productive Congresses
in American history and he was
not allowed to override those
conflicting parties to make the
descicions he promised or at
least wanted to see executed.
Similar to Obama, Warren
may not be able to fullfill her full
democratic potential especially
since the Republicans won
majority in the Senate and the
House of Represenatives in the
2014 election. She will just be the
face of the government still at
war with itself.
This task, more like a
democratic nightmare, would
be both exceptionally hard and
demanding, and to succeed
she would need the personal
assurance that she can take it
on. If Warren feels that she is
not one for the task and that her
talents are best suited along with
the people rather than away from
them, then that is her choice.
If anything, that may be more
commendable. Maybe it is better
that someone like that is with
her supporters on a local level
than far away on a higher level
by herself and uncertain.
But in the end, whether the
older generation gathers more
supporters, or more of the
younger voters start to endorse
her, or if Hilary Clinton runs or
not: it is Warren’s choice.
Whether drafted or left alone,
the choice will be hers and it is
her supporters’ duty to abide by
that descion.
EDITOR: PAM GARNETT
PAMELAMGARNETT@GMAIL.COM
PAGE 6
V. 32, ISSUE 17OPINIONS & EDITORIALS
By ELIZABETH O’DONNELL
EODONNELL@UMASSD.EDU
Contributing Writer
People say yea, Warren says nay
Fragments of our history are
believed to be true.
In the minds of many, there
is no way our government or
teachers would ever lie to us.
Fear is what brings about the
omission of the whole truth, fear
of what would be done if the real
knowledge or the full extent of it
was out there.
In eighth grade history, I
encountered a teacher that
would not sugar-coat anything
for my peers. Everything we
learned before her class we were
to throw out because she would
be telling us the truth. When the
subject of slavery came around, I
shouted out my love for Abraham
Lincoln because he freed the
slaves, a man that did not have to
but felt it was right to.
She looked at me and said,
“Wrong.”
He did not do it for the slaves,
he did it because the country was
in discord and it could no longer
go on that way. It did not scar me
for life, but it definitely broke
down my foundation of what I
believed to be true.
I did not question why I was
lied to; I questioned why the
teachers condoned the tale of
two countries.
Leonard Pitts Jr of The
Columbus Dispatch said,
“Teachers are further told to
emphasize ‘positive aspects’ of
US heritage and to avoid lessons
that ‘encourage or condone
civil disorder, social strife, or
disregard the law.’”
Students are told how
courageous our founding fathers
were, every great thing any
president has done starting from
George Washington.
We are taught the “good” stuff;
it is engrained into our minds so
badly that it does not give anyone
any time to doubt it, to just think
for a second that everything
being fed to us was too perfect.
One aspect of revisionist
American history that is never
touched on is black history. Every
year, people gather together
whether it be in their homes or
at school to preach (for only that
ONE month) about the good of
our black historical figures.
There is nothing wrong
with praising people for their
achievements and for standing
up when there was a case of
injustice but there is something
disgusting in the fact that I am
not told who they really are and
what their actions have done for
the worse.
It’s especially true in historical
movies that there is so much
fairytale; the actual truth is
never depicted. But Selma did
something I did not expect. It
was a movie that focused on
the march in Selma, Alabama
but by stripping off the layers of
the man who was Martin Luther
King, Jr., we got to see a man that
felt so real.
He was a cheater which was
not common knowledge, even
when the last woman that was
around him before his death was
not his wife. He doubted himself.
The marriage between Coretta
and himself was not picture-
perfect.
There is nothing wrong with
wanting to make sure that history
stays positive. It is that positivity
that will make way for a better
generation that feel that they
can do the same as the historical
figures before them. Shielding
the whole truth will not deter
that positivity either, it will just
enlighten the students being fed
that mistakes happen but it will
not stop you from being a good
person.
History is not meant to be
tampered with. It is a narrative
that once written down in books
should not be touched.
History does not make a past
and it does not set anything in
stone, it just starts the beginning
of what will never end.
BY KASSANDRA EDOUARD
KEDOUARD@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
The missing
pieces of history
It began with a solution
concocted by activists in
Madison, Wisconsin and is
slowly beginning to branch out
nationwide.
The Tiny House initiative is
working its way into various
cities, giving homeless families a
new home.
In 2013, Occupy Madison
activists decided to develop a
non-profit organization called
Occupy Madison Inc., after
realizing that the homeless
population had
increased by seven
percent. Working
together, they came
up with a solution
called Tiny Homes
– a plan to construct
a village where
homeless families
could live safely,
each of them owning
their own small
home.
The first Tiny
Village was opened
in November 2014, and it included
nine small homes, a day resource
center, gardening space, and
other basic needs. Since then,
six other cities have adopted the
Tiny Homes initiative and are
making progress in helping those
in need.
This is a brilliant, and not to
mention completely selfless idea
to help those who need it the
most. How many of us have gone
into Boston and have seen the
homeless shivering in the cold,
holding out a Styrofoam cup in
hopes of gathering some money?
Or when you’re driving, how
heart-breaking is it to have
someone come up to your car
at a red light and begin washing
your windows, helping you so
that they can make some change?
And the feeling you get when
you drive off; feeling helpless in
knowing that something should
be done to help them out.
Recently in Boston, the Long
Island Bridge was closed down.
This may not mean much to
some of us, but to those living on
the streets it meant everything.
The bridge was the only
connection to the island, which
house many homeless shelters.
Those who relied on those
shelters were now forced to go
elsewhere, which was almost
impossible considering that most
shelters are always full.
Consequently, makeshift
shelters were crafted, bringing
a greater sense of danger and
unsafety to their lives, rather
than a sense of unity and working
together. Women needed escorts
just to go to the bathroom, items
were constantly stolen from
different residents, and it was a
constant struggle to claim one
of the cots for the night – many
people had to run or shove to get
one.
Though some are able to
find space in these homemade
shelters, countless others are
forced to remain on the streets,
attempting to fight off winter’s
bitter winds – the ones that we
are always complaining about.
It may be difficult within a city
like Boston, but I think it would
be a great movement to band
together and jump on the Tiny
House initiative. Even if only a
few families were helped at first,
it would still be more people
being removed from the streets
and placed into a community
where they can own their own
home, be in a safe environment,
and live a happier life.
It would be a shame to resist
such a positive movement,
especially when others are trying
so hard to create measures that
are anti-homeless.
In an online article called “Top
Ten Anti-Homeless Measures
Used in the United States,”
writer Gina Luttrell mentions
one creation that has become
known as “homeless spikes.”
Luttrell says, “In London,
Property Partners
decided to install
studs on the ground
outside its building
and a supermarket
in an attempt,
the store said, to
discourage ‘anti-
social’ behavior…”
Customers felt
the need for this
security measure,
because they
felt unsafe and
intimidated by the
“anti-social people.”
This kind of measure taken
against homeless individuals is
cruel and unjust; they make it
seem like the “anti-social people”
want to linger around stores and
ask strangers for money.
This is not, and never is the
case. They have no choice, and
yet the absolute minimum is
being done in order to help them.
For there to be a positive
change in the way the homeless
are being helped, more options
need to be created, and the Tiny
House initiative sounds like a
good first step to take.
Will it definitely make a
difference? We do not know for
sure, but there is no harm in
trying.
By LEAH O’KEEFE
LOKEEFE@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
Activists hope to diminish
homelessness with the
construction of tiny homes
Though some are able
to find space in these
homemade shelters,
countless others are
forced to remain on the
streets.
][

7. “You don’t want a criminal law-
yer, you want a criminal law-
yer,” as Jessie Pinkman put it in
Breaking Bad.
From the moment Saul Good-
man was introduced into the cast
of Breaking Bad his character
proved to be a hit. He served as
the criminal lawyer and advisor
to drug kingpin Walter White,
offering advice on everything
from how to launder money to
buying a new identity. Known
for providing comic relief yet re-
maining important to the story,
Saul Goodman was one of the
most admired characters of the
show.
On February 8th, the first two
episodes of the highly anticipat-
ed Breaking Bad spin-off Better
Call Saul premiered on AMC. It
is set prior to Saul Goodman’s
first meeting with drug kingpin
Walter White in season two of
Breaking Bad. In fact, Saul Good-
man does not even exist – as the
show begins in 2002, Goodman
uses his original name: Jimmy
McGill.
Jimmy doesn’t have his own
law firm or his signature Cadil-
lac yet – he drives an ancient,
beat-up bright yellow sedan, and
his “law office” is located in the
boiler room of a crowded beauty
salon. He’s barely able to support
himself on the $700 per client he
makes as a public defender for
the city of Albuquerque.
He lives with his mentally ill
brother, who resigned his posi-
tion at a high-profile law firm be-
cause of his mental health prob-
lems. Now the duo live without
electricity, or cell phones, or any
other electronics – they cause
Jimmy’s brother enormous dis-
comfort.
Despite being dirt poor and
at the bottom of the legal rungs,
Jimmy confides that he is the
greatest lawyer in Albuquerque,
projecting the image of a cocky
high-paid attorney. He rehears-
es his wild signature openings,
closings, and hand gestures in
the men’s room before entering
the courtroom. He dramatiz-
es his courtroom speeches as
though he’s watched too many
courtroom dramas on TV.
But at the same time his per-
formance in the courtroom is
less than ideal. He botches his
attempt to acquit his three teen-
age clients from charges that
they broke into a funeral home
and had sex with a dismembered
head.
While Jimmy might be a crim-
inal lawyer, he is not a criminal
at the beginning of the series.
He’s just a broke public defender
struggling to get by. But by the
end of the second episode, it’s
easy to see the show intends to
explore Jimmy’s beginnings as
the criminal lawyer of Breaking
Bad.
After Craig Kettleman, a
county treasurer, is accused of
embezzling over a million dol-
lars from his employer rejects
Jimmy’s offer to represent him,
Jimmy hatches a convoluted
plan to win him over.
Unfortunately for Jimmy, the
scam doesn’t go as planned af-
ter his hired con artists – two
teenage skateboarders – target
the wrong car. Jimmy ends up
facing down the barrel of a gun
and caught up in the business
of none other than Tuco Sala-
manca, a major antagonist from
Breaking Bad.
Initially, Tuco is scared that
Jimmy is a law enforcement offi-
cial investigating him. He drives
Jimmy and the two skateboard-
ers out to the desert and inter-
rogates Jimmy, who is able to
convince Tuco he’s really just
a lawyer. Tuco decides to spare
Jimmy’s life, but since the two
teenagers insulted his mother,
he reasons they have to go – that
is, until Jimmy’s less-than-per-
fect lawyering only leaves the
skateboarders with one broken
leg each.
It’s a successful negotiation
in Jimmy’s mind: he successful-
ly got a death sentence reduced
to six months of probation, after
all.
What Better Call Saul
does best is balance the se-
rious subject matter with
dashes of humor. The humor is
a key reason Saul Goodman’s
character in Breaking Bad was
well liked. The ending of the
second episode set the stage for
what could be Jimmy’s first ven-
ture into crime: one of Tuco’s as-
sociates tells Jimmy he plans to
rob Craig of his embezzled mon-
ey, and asks Jimmy for help.
With the same old Saul Break-
ing Bad fans grew to love, and
plenty of homage to the original
show, Better Call Saul is shaping
up to be a worthy successor to
the critically acclaimed show.
Along with the film release of
Fifty Shades of Grey on February
13th, 2015 came 50 different ar-
guments about the morality and
messages portrayed in both the
movie and the book.
E.L James, the author of Fifty
Shades of Grey, has every head-
line in the entertainment indus-
try locked on her. She released
this first book of his trilogy in
June of 2011 and sold over 100 mil-
lion copies worldwide within the
next two years.
The book has been translated
into 52 different languages, so
that people all around the world
can read of the physical, sexual,
and violent relationship between
college student Anastasia Steele
and multi-millionaire business-
man Christian Grey.
As told to ABC News, Dawn
Hawkins, an executive director
at the National Center on Sexual
Exploitation argued, “When you
strip away the glitz, glamour, the
power, the fancy suits, the fancy
soundtrack of the film, this is re-
ally just a movie about domestic
violence and abuse against wom-
en.”
Organizations like Hawkins’
are taking to social media where
they know voices will be heard.
Her organization has made the
hash tag #FiftyShadesIsAbuse
while another has popularized
#50DollarsNot50Shades. The
purpose of the second hashtag is
to get people to take their mon-
ey that would be spent on movie
tickets and donate it to women’s
shelters instead.
The main idea within the book
is that Anastasia and Christian
Grey meet and fall in love all too
quickly. Anastasia discovers a
secret of Grey’s: he has an obses-
sion with BDSM—a take on sex in
which one is submissive to their
partner, with Anastasia being
obedient to Christian in the book.
Anastasia wants everything
about him except for his violent
ways, but she cannot bring her-
self away from him. He wants her
but needs the violence in their
relationship. His idea of sex often
pushes Anastasia to the point of
pain and fear, but she refuses to
tell him that she does not want to
do anything he wants to because
she is afraid of the reaction it will
bring out in Christian.
This movie has about 20 min-
utes of sex on screen and is still
only rated R. According to The
Atlantic, “The problem is that Fif-
ty Shades casually associates hot
sex with violence…sometimes,
Ana says yes to sex she’s uncom-
fortable with because she’s too
shy to speak her mind, or because
she’s afraid of losing Christian.”
What message does this give
off to both readers and movie-
goers? It is relating abuse and
sex, making the two topics seem
rather normal together. It shows
Christian Grey having sex with
Ana without her consent.
This is not a respectable thing
to be communicating to the audi-
ence. That is rape; there are no
feelings or love behind that. The
only underlying reason that he
had sex with Ana at some points
in this movie—especially when
she was drunk—was all for his
own pleasure of getting his vi-
olent and sexual feelings out of
him.
Taking control of a partner,
manipulating a partner, and be-
ing possessive of a partner are
not things that should be put
into the entertainment’s spot-
light. Since Fifty Shades of Grey
has become so popular, people of
all ages have taken an interest in
the book and have been exposed
to some graphic material. Many
are getting ahead of their years in
reading the book and now seeing
the movie.
Student Tanya Zepeda, who
read the first book in the series
enjoyed it but commented on the
message being sent out, “Oh, it is
definitely a bad message. It is all
about abuse. He was playing psy-
chological mind tricks with [An-
astasia] because he in the eyes
of Ana was a god-like figure and
she never wanted to feel that she
was inadequate and when she saw
her inadequacy she would break-
down and cry.”
Respect, openness, and trust
are key ingredients to any rela-
tionship. How about in the next
movie that reels in $28.6 million
in two days according to Holly-
wood Reporter, we show audienc-
es what a real relationship ought
to look like?
According to The Wall Street
Journal, Netflix will be hosting a
live action television show based
on The Legend of Zelda video
game series.
I was shocked to hear this. I’m
not sure if Nintendo is trying to
boost the sales of the upcoming
Zelda title for the Wii U, which
comes out later this year, or if
they’ve just gone crazy. But I
hate the idea.
The games basically has no
real plot. A hero, named Link,
saves a princess, named Zelda.
There are some offshoots, such
as Majora’s Mask having Link
save the world from the plum-
meting moon, or A Link Between
Worlds allowing Link to traverse
the lands of Hyrule and Lorule,
saving both simultaneously.
The continuity of Zelda is a
convoluted mess. There are mul-
tiple incarnations of Link span-
ning over multiple games, and
different timelines based upon
different circumstances in cer-
tain games. It’s just confusing.
The amount of effort you
would need to put into learning
the plot of the series would not
payoff. I guess Netflix and Nin-
tendo feel differently.
This isn’t Link’s first televi-
sion incarnation. Back in 1989,
The Legend of Zelda was an an-
imated TV series based around
Link and Zelda saving Hyrule
from Ganon. Essentially, the
most vanilla Zelda story experi-
ence you could get.
The show was a hilarious
critical failure, spawning such
memes as: “Excuuuuse me, Prin-
cess!” To have a voiceless pro-
tagonist become this hedonistic
pig who wanted a kiss from Zel-
da every time he did a good deed
is ridiculous. We can only hope
that isn’t the direction Netflix
goes in.
Is this show going to be some-
thing that is successful? Who
knows? Yesterday you could
tell me that Netflix could turn
a show from water to wine and
I would believe you. I respect
Netflix not just as a content cu-
rator, but a content creator.
They’ve expressed their abili-
ty to create amazing shows with
Orange is the New Black and
House of Cards. Two amazing
shows, all lauded with critical
and mass praise.
I can’t think of the way other
video game interpretations have
been handled. Alongside the old
Zelda cartoon was The Super
Mario Bros. Super Show!, which
was corny and awful. The ev-
er-popular Uwe Boll has made
countless films based upon vid-
eo games, all pretty well known
as awful.
I imagine Zelda will be a dif-
ficult project to handle. Like I
said, it’s a convoluted mess as a
source material, but I also have
faith in Netflix. Maybe they’ll
make something really special.
I think the best they can do
comes down to two options.
One option would be to create
an original work, not based off
of any of the already established
plots, but a completely new story
loosely based off of the original
timeline. That way, the source
material is still intact while
maintaining a focus on quality
work.
Another option is for them to
go absolutely full-on fan service.
Make the most Zelda show pos-
sible, and make it something for
the fans to watch and love for
being a reminder of what they
love.
If the former is what happens,
it will act as the perfect fan ser-
vice package, but if the latter
what happens, it will still serve
as a perfect tool for Zelda fans.
I’ll watch it. I’ll probably re-
view it in this section of The
Torch as well. Needless to say,
I’m cautiously optimistic. We’ll
see how it turns out.
EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 7
V. 32, ISSUE 17ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Zelda to come to Netflix Has Fifty Shades of Grey
crossed the line?
Better Call Saul brings back Breaking Bad’s
most interesting character
By BRETT McLEOD
BMCLEOD@UMASSD.EDU
Assistant A&E Editor
By MACKENZIE BENJAMIN
MBENJAMIN1@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By DOUGLAS MCCULLOCH
DMCULLOCH@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY //DENOFGEEK.COM
PHOTO COURTESY //FORBES.COM

8. After the New Year brings a slew
of award shows, and the most
entertaining one every year is
the Grammys.
Whether it is the red carpet,
the actual award ceremony it-
self, or after parties and back-
stage interviews, the Grammys
always end up a headline for
some reason or another.
February 8th, 2015 made ev-
eryone understand that it’s not
always Queen B’s time to shine,
fatherhood did not change
Kanye for the better, and Sam
Smith has just started his reign
in the music industry. Last but
not least, the Grammys further
encouraged the dislike some
have for Iggy Azalea when she
went home winning nothing.
With that icing on the top, the
Grammys were great this year.
The best segments of the
night were Hozier and Annie
Lennox’s medley of “Take Me to
Church”/”I Put a Spell on You”,
Sia’s “Chandelier” performance
with Kristen Wiig and Maddie
Ziegler, as well as Sam Smith
winning four awards by the end
of the night.
First, Annie Lennox was ex-
cellent by putting Hozier in the
mix, whose popular song that
never fails to send shivers down
my back. With a haunting melo-
dy and gripping lyrics, they gave
us gold.
During her performance An-
nie Lennox did her thing, sway-
ing her hips and showing the
world that “just because I have
wrinkles does not mean I cannot
take steal the show.” Annie, you
stole the show, wrinkles and all.
Once again, Sia gave a great
performance of her song with-
out performing much. With her
face to the wall, she let Kristen
Wiig, a former Saturday Night
Live cast member, and Maddie
Ziegler, her go to gal as of late
interpret the music with their
bodies.
Though this is not the first
time a performance from Sia like
this has been seen, something
about it will never get old. Sia
lets the song be about the song,
not about herself in the way that
she shields her face and does not
do anything. She does not need
to shed tears or contort her face
in any manner, she uses inter-
pretive dance as the backdrop
for the emotion and understand-
ing within her lead single.
Sam Smith seems to be our
new brand of Adele since moth-
erhood whisked her away. We
have not had a great break-up
album since 2012 with Adele’s 21,
so when Sam Smith came into
the world with “Stay with Me” it
brought tears to my eyes.
Sam Smith won Song of the
Year and Record of the Year for
both “Stay with Me (Darkchild
Ver.)” and “Stay with Me.” That
clearly was not enough because
he won Best Pop Vocal Album
and Best New Artist (which
was the award he wanted to win
when asked by Ryan Seacrest on
the red carpet).
As if the Grammys could not
get any better than that, the win-
ner of Album of the Year was
announced creating shock not
only in the room but through-
out social media. Everyone be-
lieved that the true competition
would be between Beyonce and
Sam Smith, not even considering
anyone else that was nominated.
The shock came when Beck
was named the winner for
Morning Phase. Social media
up roared with confusion, why
did Beyonce lose and to really
who did she lose to? Hashtags
on twitter such as #JUSTICE-
FORBEYONCE and #WhoisBeck
started.
Kanye West did not make it
any better by pulling anoth-
er rendition of “Imma Let You
Finish but…” To everyone in the
crowd, it was funny, even Beck
found it hilarious and asked
Kanye to stay on stage as he de-
scended. In actuality to those
who cannot stand Kanye even
when he is acting out in “self-de-
fense” (which is never), it was in
bad taste. It another way to make
it about him and the art that he
speaks to.
In a backstage interview,
Kanye continued to be rude by
saying that Beck was undeserv-
ing of the award.
Explaining that it was the
voices in his head that made him
rush unto the stage the way he
did. Out of all the responses to
Kanye West, the one I will love
the best is 50 Cent’s. He said,
“Beck produced the record, he
wrote the record. There are 11
producers on Beyonce’s album
– Kanye, being a producer and
a writer should see that, but you
get jaded.” He said it best.
The Grammys are a chance to
see true artists get together and
complement each other on their
craft. Music does not just have to
be a passion for those that write
and sing it, it can be a passion for
those that understand it and love
to listen. In the end what is an
artist without its audience.
When the Kanye Wests of the
world want to bash another artist
by deeming them undeserving
for any award that they receive,
I point to the Grammys. The
Grammys, by winning or being
nominated, says a lot about the
artist and their music. It is not
easy being in that room and will
never be easy in the industry so
watching the Grammys solidi-
fies that music is not dead and
gone, people with real talent are
still alive and continue to be rec-
ognized.
EDITOR: T.J.SPRAGUE
TSPRAGUE@UMASSD.EDU
PAGE 8
V. 32, ISSUE 17ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
By JACOB CONDO
JCONDO@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
By LEAH O’KEEFE
LOKEEFE@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
PHOTO COURTESY//TINYMKV.COM
Grammy recap
Steven Universe: A kid’s
show? Saturday Night Live
anniversary special
celebrates comedy history
PHOTO COURTESY// BILLBOARD .COM
By KASSANDRA EDOUARD
KEDOUARD@UMASSD.EDU
Staff Writer
“Live from New York, it’s Satur-
day night!” Those words were
first uttered in 1975, and contin-
ue to bring a thrill to people’s
homes after forty years.
Last Sunday, Saturday Night
Live held its 40th anniversary
special, digging up memorable
sketches from the past and bring-
ing back characters that we love,
whether young or old. But what
better way to start off the night
than with a musical number?
Dynamic duo Jimmy Fallon
and Justin Timberlake opened
the show beginning with a rap
of various older sketches, in-
cluding the Christopher Walk-
en’s famous cowbell fever and
the Blues Brothers. However, the
two changed tune by dropping
their rap style and switching
over to Broadway, sporting top-
hats and looking like a modern
day Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
With such a theatrical opening
to the show, it was hard not to get
excited about what would come
next. What seemed to be the big-
gest questions on people’s minds,
though, were: who is showing up
tonight and what characters will
they do?
Without disappointment, one
of the first sketches of the night
was Celebrity Jeopardy, with its
classic host Alex Trebek played
by Will Ferrell, and players Sean
Connery (Darrell Hammond),
Justin Bieber (Kate McKinnon),
and Tony Bennett (Alec Bald-
win).
If the inappropriate language
of Connery wasn’t funny enough
– for example, pronouncing the
category “Let It Snow” as “Le
Tits Now” – Kenan Thompson’s
impression of Bill Cosby talking
about his choice of liquor was
edgy and hilarious. This sketch
set the feeling of nostalgia for
the rest of the night.
Rather than doing sketch af-
ter sketch with old and new
cast members, the special also
included elements that gave the
audience a trip through the past.
Various sequences were played
showing noteworthy moments
throughout the years in SNL’s
political humor with Weekend
Update segments, short films,
and auditions.
Audition clips were shown
from members including: Dan
Akroyd, Jimmy Fallon, Andy
Samberg, Dana Carvey, John Be-
lushi, and Tracey Morgan – just
to name a few.
One sequence, however, was
particularly moving, especially
for residents of New York. To
the live version of Alicia Keys’
“Empire State of Mind,” pictures
flashed across the screen of New
York City. This tribute included
a clip of Mayor Giuliani on the
Studio 8H stage with Lorne Mi-
chaels and a number of firemen
who had fought bravely during
9/11.
The slideshow brought a great-
er sense of strength and purpose
to the show, not only celebrating
the talent continues to grow in
such an unforgiving city, but also
celebrating what a strong city
New York is, and how they were
able to unite in times of fear and
destruction.
As the special progressed, an
eclectic variety of musical guests
took the stage, bringing both
modern and classic elements to
the show. The performances in-
cluded Paul McCartney, Miley
Cyrus, Paul Simon, and Kanye
West. West later went on to be
the butt of a joke in a Wayne’s
World skit, where he was told
many times to remain seated
in the audience and not disrupt
their time stage.
Eddie Murphy returning to
the stage was the moment that
many people waited for but it
was short-lived and felt a little
flat. This moment was a big deal,
considering it had been thirty
years since he had been on the
SNL stage.
When comedian Chris Rock
finally introduced Murphy out
onto the stage, Murphy spent
most of the time telling people
to keep the applause going, and
shortly mentioned that he appre-
ciates how much people enjoy
his work.
After thirty years there might
not be much to say, but coming
back with a bang by telling a joke
or taking on one of his characters
might have brought more excite-
ment to the moment. However,
the standing ovation that he re-
ceived by the audience was well
deserved, and he continues to be
one of the most outstanding co-
medians in SNL history.
Toward the end of the show, a
tribute was made to each of the
cast and crew members that had
passed over time, evoking sad-
ness and admiration for those
who will never be forgotten,
including: Phil Hartman, Gilda
Radner, Chris Farley, John Be-
lushi, and many more.
The Saturday Night Live 40th
Anniversary Special had many
memorable and surprising mo-
ments, but there was one quote
that stood out from the rest that
rings true. When it comes to the
Saturday Night Live legacy, Rob-
ert De Niro said it best: “Satur-
day Night Live is New York tra-
dition. SNL and NYC, that’s how
I like my Saturday nights. That’s
the way I like my city. Anybody
got a problem with that?”
Steven Universe is a show that
has passed under many radars,
but this show undoubtedly has
light-hearted exterior with in-
tense writing hidden within.
It’s been a long time since
I’ve had real faith in Cartoon
Network. Their cancellation of
Young Justice and adoption of
shows that may actually rot your
brain finally drove me away, con-
vinced that with the exemption
of Adventure Time there would
be nothing worth watching on it
again.
Then a seemingly goofy lit-
tle show came on that melted
my heart from the first episode.
Steven Universe is about an inno-
cent little boy named Steven who
goes on adventures big and small
with his caregivers the Crystal
Gems. They are otherworldly
beings with magical powers that
protect the earth from danger as
well as raising their young ward
to his full potential.
This show delves into issues
of friendship, love, family, and
even faith and one’s purpose in
life. All of this through the eyes
of Steven, who doesn’t have a
mean bone in his body. Despite
its sweet exterior, several ep-
isodes pushed lines in subject
matter towards troubling topics
and imagery.
In an episode known as “Cat
Fingers” Steven explodes into a
disturbing-writhing mass of cat
faces. Then a main character
gets skewered in a sudden and
violent fashion. Without a doubt
some of the materials border on
graphic.
That’s what makes this show
so interesting. We see all of this
and yet we see it through the
viewpoint of a sweet child. This
is what makes the underlying
plot of the show so engrossing.
So far we have received only
brief glimpses and explanations
which Steven can’t compre-
hend, so they are brushed aside
for whatever adventure they’re
having that day. But they’re still
there, hooked into every action
and interaction.
We enter this story in a time of
long-peace that is the aftermath
of what appears to have been
a civil war between the gems
(physical constructs of sentient
mineral-based life forms) over
the fate of the Earth. Steven’s
mother Rose Quarts (who gave
up her physical self to create Ste-
ven) and his friends Garnet and
Pearl stated that they made the
choice to oppose what is sug-
gested to have been the subjuga-
tion or harming of Earth.
This conflict which supposed-
ly took place hundreds or thou-
sands of years ago is talked about
like parent’s trying to explain the
atrocities of World War One. We
know that the rowdy member of
the group Amethyst was creat-
ed as a result of these atrocities,
which has brought contention
between her and the other gems
and defines her sense of self.
As you can see, the character’s
in this “kid’s show” are more
complicated than initially pre-
sented. Every gem has their shin-
ing moments and their flaws, il-
lustrated by their reactions to
the world around them and to
each other.
Pearl who at first seems up-
tight and self-righteous is actual-
ly just trying to keep everybody
(including herself) together.
Garnet at first seems to be
made of stone (figuratively) as
the badass leader and law keeper
of the group. She’s silent and ex-
tremely capable, and dishes out
the cold-sass. But she has tender-
ness for Steven. While keeping
her serious demeanor she be-
comes the primary protector and
playmate to Steven; patiently and
even happily going along with all
of his childish ideas while still
being the rock of the group.
Steven himself is what their
world revolves around. All three
of these cosmic beings have
made it their mission in existing
to not only to protect the Earth,
but raise and nurture a boy full
of wonder.
Steven Universe is a show that
while catering to the wild imagi-
nations of children, takes us fur-
ther in understanding relation-
ships and the nature of family.