Massachusetts Daily Collegian: February 4, 2015

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Video Games: Graphics vs. Innovation

BRONX BATTLE

Champions PAGE 5

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THE MASSACHUSETTS

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DAILY COLLEGIAN DailyCollegian.com

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Serving the UMass community since 1890

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Walking in a winter wonderland

Late Night at your fingertips Freshman hopes to expand the app By Colby Sears Collegian Correspondent

JULIETTE SANDLEITNER/COLLEGIAN

Students walk through the center of campus during the second snow day of the semester.

The Late Night menu for Berkshire and Worcester Dining Commons is now just a click away, thanks to a free iPhone app created by a freshman at the University of Massachusetts. “Developing iOS applications was always something I was interested in and always planned to look further into … I just needed some idea, something I could make, that people would find useful,” said the creator, Andrew Bass. Launched in December 2014, the UMass Late Night app has been downloaded more than 1,000 times. It had a major spike in downloads – growing from about 40 each day to nearly 200 at its peak – after it was posted on the Late Night at

Berk Facebook page by the Berkshire Manager Ryan Pipczynski on Jan. 20. “Obviously it kind of came as a surprise to me,” Pipczynski said regarding Bass’ work. “He certainly took the initiative on his own which was really nice of him, and the minute I found out about it I contacted him … he’s a really good kid and I’m glad he made it.” Bass said he was “generously compensated” by Berkshire, despite not having any intentions of getting paid for the app, which is not affiliated with UMass or UMass Dining. He would not reveal what exactly his reward was, but did say it included 500 chocolate bars. “I saw that they mentioned the app on Facebook, which was surprising because I wasn’t sure what they would think of it, if they would like it, or if they would get angry. The fact see

APP on page 3

Pilot reportedly burned alive by Islamic State Jordanian army looks to punish those involved By Patrick J. McDonnell and Nabih Bulos Los Angeles Times

BEIRUT — Islamic State militants released a video Tuesday appearing to show the gruesome execution of a captive Jordanian pilot. The video shows the pilot being burned alive inside a cage, according to the SITE organization, which monitors militant websites. Jordanian state TV confirmed the death of the pilot, Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, 26, saying he had been “martyred” a month ago, on

Jan. 3. The Jordanian army issued a statement condemning the act of “this cowardly organization” and vowing vengeance. “The Jordanian army confirms that the blood of the martyr hero will not go to waste, and will punish those who killed Muath,” said the statement, read on state TV. “It will be vengeance equal to the tragedy of all the Jordanians.” Jordan’s King Abdullah cut short a state visit to the United States and was reported to be returning to Jordan. Previous Islamic State videos have shown evidence that foreign captives, including at least three Americans, had been beheaded. The pilot’s fate had become a matter of grave national concern in

Jordan, which is among the Arab nations participating in the U.S.led bombing campaign against the Islamic State group. Many analysts have said the militants’ aim is to sow dissension in Jordan, a key U.S. partner in the Middle East. Since the pilot was captured, many Jordanians have questioned Jordan’s role in the U.S.-led coalition. But his death by such horrific means could serve to unify the country in grief and anger. Speaking on state TV, Jordan’s government spokesman, Mohammad Momani, seemed to be addressing those who criticized the campaign against Islamic State. For any Jordanians “who doubted the savagery of Islamic State,

this is the proof,” he said. “He who thought they represented true Islam, then this is the proof.” He added: “Those who doubted the unity of the Jordanians in the face of this evil, we will show them the proof. He who doubted that Jordan’s response will be decisive and shaking and strong, the proof will come to them, and they will know that the anger of the Jordanians will shake their ranks.” In Washington, President Barack Obama vowed that the U.S.-led coalition will “redouble the vigilance” to make sure that the Islamic State group is “degraded and ultimately defeated.” Al-Kaseasbeh’s apparent death “indicates the degree to which whatever ideology they’re operat-

ing off of, it’s bankrupt,” Obama said, taking a break from a meeting about health care to answer reporters’ questions. “We’re here to talk about how to make people healthier and make their lives better,” Obama said. “And this organization appears only interested in death and destruction.” Al-Kaseasbeh was captured in December when his F-16 fighter crashed over northern Syria while on a mission with the U.S.-led aerial coalition. The Islamic State video depicting his death included a rambling statement from the militant group railing against Jordan’s participation see

PILOT on page 3

Harper Lee’s second A primer and debate over vaccines novel coming in July By Ellie Silverman McClatchy Washington Bureau

‘Watchmen’ expected to be released July 14 By Brittny Mejia Los Angeles Times

A recently discovered novel by Harper Lee will be published in July, her first since her acclaimed “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published in 1960. Publisher Harper announced on Tuesday that it had acquired the rights to Lee’s novel, titled “Go Set a Watchman,” which will be published on July 14. Lee said in a statement released by Harper that she completed the 304-page book in the mid1950s and it was rediscovered by her lawyer Tonja Carter last fall. The publisher plans a first printing of 2 million copies and it will also be available in an electronic edition. “After much thought and hesitation I shared it with a handful of people I trust

and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication,” 88-year-old Lee said in the statement. “I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.” The novel is set during the mid-1950s and features many of the characters from her first novel some 20 years later. In the book, the character of Scout has returned to Maycomb, Ala., from New York to visit her father Atticus. “She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood,” the statement said. Lee, who was born in 1926 in Monroeville, Ala., has grappled with issues of her own in recent years. She lost see

HARPER LEE on page 3

WASHINGTON — The measles outbreak has triggered a debate over the value of vaccines. A small but vocal group of activists argue that vaccines are harmful to children, despite the scientific community’s overwhelming insistence and evidence that they’re safe and valuable medical tools. Unsurprisingly, some potential 2016 presidential candidates have weighed in and injected politics into the debate. Here are some basic questions and answers about measles and the vaccine controversy: Q: What is measles? A: A highly contagious respiratory illness caused by a virus. Q: What are the symptoms? A: They can be similar to those of a cold with a runny nose, cough and sore throat, but also include a fever and red eyes. If they persist for two to four days, a rash will

spread over the body. Q: How do you get it? A: When a contaminated person coughs or sneezes, the disease is spread through the air and remains viable for up to two hours after the infected person leaves. People are contagious from four days before the rash through four days after it subsides. Q: Is measles dangerous? A: Complications can include pneumonia, bronchitis, irritation and swelling of the brain, ear infections and death. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most common cause of death from measles in young children is pneumonia, with as many as 1 out of every 20 contaminated children developing pneumonia. Q: Didn’t they develop a vaccine and no one got measles anymore? A: Yes, measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 as a result of vaccinations. Q: Then why are we talk-

ing about it again? A: There was an outbreak of measles at Disneyland in December, with 59 confirmed cases in California alone, 42 of which were directly linked to the Disneyland outbreak as of the end of December. The confirmed cases include five Disney employees. Q: How many people were infected across the U.S.? A: In January, the CDC found that 102 people from 14 states had measles: Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah and Washington. Q: Why are vaccines suddenly controversial? A: Some people believe anecdotal evidence that vaccinations may lead to autism. A 1998 British study linked childhood vaccines to the condition, but the medical journal that published the study retracted it in 2010. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies

analyzed more than 1,000 research articles in 2011 and found no evidence supporting a link between immunization and autism. A: What do the anti-vaccine activists say? Q: “The hype about ... measles reportedly linked to Disneyland has more to do with covering up vaccine failures and propping up the dissolving myth of vaccine-acquired herd immunity than it does about protecting the public health,” Barbara Loe Fisher, the co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a leader in this movement, wrote Jan. 28. A: What do experts say? Q:The CDC reports that one dose of the measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective and two doses are about 97 percent effective. It recommends that all children get two doses. The CDC also confirms that there’s no tie between vaccines and autism.


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