dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 - 22, 2014
VOL. 115, NO. 06 l SINCE 1908
Uber offers cheap rides downtown Ridesharing app provides new transportation options Kelley Kennedy
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Look ing for a cheaper way to get around downtown Columbia? Uber is a new transportation option that may appeal to many USC students. The Uber ridesharing service launched at noon on Thursday in downtown Columbia, Charleston, Myrtle Beach and Greenville. The service allows customers to hail the nearest drivers in the area using the Uber app on their smartphone. Uber motorists are freelance drivers who drive their own personal cars. “With the advent of smartphones and the ability of technology to enable new services, one of those services is ridesharing, so we give the ability for local people to use their down time to pick people up for a fee and take them where they need to go,” said Billy Guernier, general manager for regional expansion on the east coast. The service offers relatively inexpensive rates. For a student on campus, a ride to Yesterday’s in Five Points would cost $5, a ride to Williams Brice would cost $7 and a ride to the Columbia Metropolitan Airport would cost $23. Customers pay by credit card through the app and may split fares. While many customers are excited about the new service, some South Carolina residents and government officials are wary of the product. According to The State, some Charleston city officials have questioned the legalit y of the company, saying that Uber drivers must be licensed by the state in the same way as taxi drivers. According to South Carolina Business News, by operating privately, Uber avoids both state regulation and taxation. The State also reported that the S.C. Office of Regulatory Services issued an advisory for potential Uber users, highlighting the fact that the drivers are not licensed by the state. However, according to Guernier, the resistance stems from a misunderstanding about the definition of ridesharing. Despite its separation from state-regulated transportation, and notwithstanding the reluctance of some S.C. residents, Uber employees maintain that safety remains the service’s first priority. Uber drivers must be at least 21-years-old and must have at least three years of driving experience. According to Guernier, in order to “get on the platform”, drivers must also undergo vehicle inspections, verify their motor vehicle records and insurance documents, and undergo a thorough background check. “To give you a sense of how stringent our background checks are, we’ve put a number of taxi drivers though our background check in Boston, and ten percent of the taxi drivers that are licensed to be on the road as a taxi driver fail our background checks,” Guernier said. “So in many cases, we’d be more stringent than what municipalities are actually doing.” UBER • 3
Courtesy of Mardi McCabe
Religious studies professor Hal French was so invested in students that he often officiated at their weddings.
Beloved professor dies at 84 Harold French leaves lasting legacy after 42 years at USC Kelley Kennedy
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Harold French, a renowned and well-loved Universit y of South Carolina religious studies professor, passed away Friday after serving the university for 42 years. Frenc h , k now n a s “ H a l” b y s t ude nt s a nd c ol le a g ue s , demonstrated a passion for teaching that enriched lives both inside and outside of the classroom. He maintained contact with many st udents af ter t hey completed his courses and even officiated at dozens of his former students’ weddings. “He will be remembered by st udents as a ver y caring and concerned professor. One who was eager to learn from them as much as he was to teach them,” said Carl Evans, his longtime colleague and friend. “After a semester taking a class with Hal, they felt they gained much more than a body of knowledge. They were transformed personally with a sense of power to go out and make a difference in the world. And that doesn’t happen very easily, it’s a magical kind of transformation that takes place, and it takes a charismatic teacher to do that.” French’s rare, even “magical” presence on campus was supplemented by his contributions to humanitarian work across the globe. His life story reveals an uncommon dedication to acting on the same principles he taught in the classroom. Evans recalls that after the devastating tsunami in
Southeast Asia in 2004, French garnered money and support from Columbia residents and traveled to India to personally donate the money to Project Hope. “He went to work himself — worked for days and days and days in the hot, sweltering sun to help rebuild. That was a scholar who was also a passionate person about helping people who were in need,” Evans said. “He was not a stuffy academic. He believed in rolling up his sleeves and getting out and sweating to help where people need physical labor.” Over the years, his volunteer endeavors took him around the world, from Nicaragua to Haiti to the rural United States. French also acted on his passion for human rights and religious f re e dom b y p a r t ic ip at i n g i n decades of interfaith work. He facilitated international exchanges of religious and cultural ideas and participated in several interfaith org a n iz at ion s , i nclud i ng t he International Interfaith Center in Oxford, England. At the time of his death, he was the chair of the North American chapter of the International Association for Religious Freedom, the oldest interfaith organization in the world. “He appreciated the depth and dimension of each religion, and he could see that if you really get beyond the externals of a religion, to the depths of the tradition, you fi nd that there’s a lot of similarity between traditions at that deeper level,” Evans said. In his academic work, French focused mainly on eastern religions. He authored or edited eight books, including the critically
acclaimed work “Zen and the Art of Anything.” French was also an associate editor of an 11 volume Enc yclopedia of H indu ism, a monumental 25-year undertaking. The encyclopedia was launched at the university in 2013. French’s leadership on the USC campus also earned recognition. Student voters named him the Preston College Faculty Associate of the year four times, and French earned several teaching awards from the Honors College and Mortar Board. His extraordinary classroom presence and personal approach to teaching encouraged students not only to deepen their academic knowledge, but to live richer and more examined lives. “ H e ’s h a d a n i m p a c t o n generations of people,” said Preston Residential College principal Bobby Donaldson. “Hal left an imprint on so many individuals. I think that that was his real calling. He was called to teach, but he was also called to inspire and to motivate.” French collapsed Friday after ar r iv i ng for a check up at h is c a rd iolog ist ’s of f ice. He wa s 84-years-old. Having served the university for nearly half his life, French left an enduring legacy on campus. His sincere concern earned him remarkable influence in the lives of individual students, and he inspired hundreds to embrace life. “I think Hal would want to say to students, this is it. This time, this moment, this place is where you have the possibility of living your life to the fullest. Don’t put it off.” Evans said. “This is it, now, now. And students responded to that.” DG
Grant funds students’ World Cup experience Honors College students conduct research study in Brazil Natalie Pita
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Imagine enlarging Williams-Brice tailgating to the size of New York City and involving everyone in the city. That’s how Joseph Gelay would describe the World Cup experience. “It was just like being in a big soccer heaven,” Gelay said. “It was like what you would see in the movies or what you would imagine to be an overdone Nike or Adidas commercial with everyone in the streets or wearing Brazilian colors.” Gelay and his best friend since Welcome Week at USC, Jack Mitchell, received a Magellan Research Grant to study ambush marketing at the 2014 World Cup. Ambush marketing is a strategy that involves companies taking advantage of a large event to receive free press without paying fees to become an official sponsor. The two fourth-year sport and entertainment students examined the efforts FIFA had in place to inhibit ambush marketing and assessed whether or not it was successful in its efforts. “It’s basically a marketing st udy about how
Courtesy of David Lazaroff
Joseph Gelay and Jack Mitchell studied ambush marketing at the World Cup. companies who aren’t official sponsors with an event use the presence of the event and all the fans it draws to try and ride on the coattails of the official sponsors and the event itself,” Mitchell said. Gelay first thought of the idea, since he has always wanted to go to the World Cup. The USC HRSM School sent people to London for the 2012 Olympics, and Mitchell and Gelay, both selfproclaimed soccer fans, thought they might try to fi nd a way to make it to Rio de Janeiro. “I’ve always wanted to go to the World Cup my whole life. I figured it would be something years
and years and years down the road, but just a year ago I thought ‘maybe I can go next year,’” Gelay said. “It was all such a whirlwind.” They approached Joh n Grady, a professor they knew was very involved in undergraduate experience and who is k nown for his years of extensive research in ambush marketing. Grady spent the fall semester of last year helping them design a project that would be fundable. “It didn’t occur to me for a while that I could get maybe down [to Brazil], then one day I was thinking about it and went to his office and put something together,” Gelay said. “What started as a little project turned into something that would be fundable.” After they received the Magellan Grant, their dream became a realit y, and they were able to spend 10 days in Brazil. They stayed with their friend David Lazaroff, a USC student who has been studying abroad in Rio de Janeiro. “I can only imagine what a full month down in Brazil was like. There’s so many people coming in, and there’s just so many people that the cities aren’t used to having,” Mitchell said. “It’s incredibly busy, which also makes it incredibly exciting, which is part of the reason it’s a great opportunity for sponsors to have all this access to people they wouldn’t normally get.” WORLD CUP • 2
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Wednesday, July 16 - July 22, 2014
USC Sumter unveils comprehensive new app App streamlines mobile browsing for students Natalie Pita
NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
USC Sumter st udents now have everything they need at the touch of an app. They can get everything from news to social media updates, access to current academic and athletic schedules as well as the ability to place an order with the campus food court. “We, like everyone else, realized that we need to have a faster way for current students and potential students to be able to find information in one place,” said Misty Hatfield, marketing and public relations director of USC Sumter. “W hen our admissions counselors are out they can say, ‘you need to go
right here to this app and you can find everything you need to know about USC Sumter in one spot.’” The Sumter campus app has had over 300 downloads since it was launched in mid-April. Hatfield believes this number is impressive for the size of the campus, which has about 1,000 students in each admitted class. The app was designed to condense infor mat ion a nd simply facilitate t he process of st udents obtaining information. Although this feature is not used often, administration can contact students through the app as well. “It caters really to both current students and potential students, but I didn’t want it to be a mini-version of our website because that’s not effective,” Hatfield said. “I wanted it to be anything that they need within hands-reach in one spot.”
WORLD CUP • Continued from 1 They spent the entirety of the time in Rio de Janeiro, the epicenter of the World Cup action, taking pictures of the event space, observing the marketing and advertisements and absorbing the atmosphere. “We figured there would be the most marketing there, which there was, so it was perfect,” Gelay said. “You kind of act like you aren’t a researcher, but more like a standard fan, a standard consumer, and you kind of like see in your eyes what someone else would see.” Both Mitchell and Gelay enjoyed being able to see the details of the World Cup that can’t be experienced through television. “It was great to see what a World Cup stadium was like. That was my favorite part,” Mitchell said. “We got to see what it’s like all around, like the excitement. You get the whole feel of the event ... the whole flavor of the event you can see outside of the stadium.” Their research focused on bigger advertisers and companies, but Gelay was surprised by how many marketing schemes from small businesses flew under FIFA’s radar without any efforts to stop them. He said every business had a World Cup advertisement and every restaurant had a menu themed around the event. “Every bar, every street corner is just draped in Brazilian f lags and decorations,” Gelay said. “Everything’s about the World Cup the entire time you’re down there. You couldn’t avoid it if you wanted to.” While they were abroad, Mitchell and Gelay had
H at f ield, who si ngle -h a nded ly runs USC Sumter’s public relations department, got the idea for the app after looking around at other universities. She asked Beale Bagley, a media relations company based in Columbia, to create the app in January. “We just realized that it’s almost becoming a necessity to stay ahead of technology and stay on top of things that students need,” Hatfield said. “We’re just trying to do that and show the students we’re there for them and we’re trying to give them what all they need and reach out to them as much as possible.” The app was created with the needs of current and prospective students in mind, although it is presented to parents at orientation. “They’ve been really grateful so far to have the information that’s there,” Hatfield said. “Our numbers of parents
Courtesy of David Lazaroff
The fourth-year students’ 10-day trip to Rio de Janeiro was funded by a Magellan Grant for their research of marketing during the World Cup. the details for their trip precisely planned out. “While we were down in Brazil, that’s when we already had everything laid out for us and it was just a matter of following our guidelines and going there and looking for the stuff that would help us with our research,” Gelay said. “It was kind of like we were following a blueprint the whole time. It was easy.” Both students, however, said the hardest part is yet to come. They will spend the upcoming semester synthesizing their research and applying it to social media and news about the World Cup. His desire to have the opportunity to do research such as this was one aspect that motivated Gelay to choose USC during his college search.
that attend orientation just continue to grow, and so we tell them about it at orientation and find that they download it just as much as students do.” Hatfield is always working to keep the app fresh and up to date. She hopes to add a webcam feature within the next few weeks. Users would be able to view footage from webcams of the student union and the campus in general, visible only through the app. After USC Sumter began advertising the app, USC Lancaster called. Officials at that campus have reached out to the company Hatfield used, and they are discussing the possibility of starting the app at the Lancaster campus. Hat f ield said USC Lancaster is definitely interested in mirroring the app, but it is unclear whether or not USC Columbia and other satellite campuses will take on a similar project. DG
“Doing something like research, for me, is just so hands-on and it’s just so different from being in a classroom setting versus being out in the field and actually being able to see and hear and experience everything you’ve been learning about and then be able to apply your own creative thinking to it ... and make it something that’s yours,” Gelay said. “I liked being able to design, create and make something that was my own versus learning about something other people are doing.” Both Mitchell and Gelay believe that other USC students should care about their research because it is a prominent example of the opportunities available for USC students. “Our research project, being at the World Cup, it’s nice because it has a flashy title. Everyone sees it and they’re all like, ‘what the hell, why can’t I go to the World Cup for free?’” Gelay said. “But what you learn from it is that you can, and students need to realize that.” In addition, they both did more than just learn about ambush marketing. They were reminded about the opportunities they’ve been given and truly began to understand exactly what they could achieve. “Everything always says to chase your dreams and that nothing’s impossible; there’s opportunities out there at Carolina,” Gelay said. “But until you actually experience that, that’s just things that people tell you. Every time I get to do something like that, like a big project for school, it’s always a great reminder of the opportunities that are open to us as students at Carolina.” DG
Wednesday, July 16 - July 22, 2014
UBER • Cont. from 1 U ber also prov ides ridesharing insurance designed to be
supplemental to that of t he driver wh ich ca n cover excesses of up to $1 million.
Jeremy Marshall Harkness / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Freelance drivers offer rides in personal vehicles for lower rates than traditional buses or taxis.
Once on the platform, Uber drivers may sign into the app whenever t hey choose, ma k i ng themselves available for opportunities to provide rides. App users can see the location of signed-in drivers, as well as their phone numbers, photos and est imated arrival times. The company’s unique model is a n ex a mple of t he p o t e nt i a l f o r smartphone technology to revolutionize essential ser v ices, not only for i nd iv idua ls, but for com mu n it ies. The service may be especially valuable in our city, where public t ransportat ion options are limited. “What we’ve found is that there’s really a need for Uber everywhere,” Guernier said. “It’s not just for the big cities of the world, it’s also for the smaller cities.” DG
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Wednesday, July 16 - July 22, 2014
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Uber drivers will help Columbia ISSUE Uber is coming to Columbia and facing some controversy OUR STANCE Uber is a welcome change to Columbia’s public transportation A ride home isn’t always a simple thing to procure. This friend may be busy, this one could have her car in the shop and not everyone is able to pay cab or bus fare — or find a bus route that actually goes where you need it to go. On July 10, the rideshare service Uber launched uberX in four South Carolina cities: Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Greenville and Columbia. As of right now, if you download the free Uber app, it will locate the nearest available driver in Columbia. The app is available on iPhones as well as Androids, and the user is able to see a picture of the driver, the car in question and can even track the progress of the driver via the app. Users also pay v ia t he app, using their credit cards. On their blog, Uber gives example fares; a trip from the USC campus to Williams-Brice Stadium is $7. The compa ny says t hat it s drivers undergo a “stringent” background check, a look into their driving history, as well as
“ongoing quality controls.” It may seem like a dream come true, especially in a city like ours, where the popular opinion of the public transit system is that it leaves much to be desired. But according to the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff, the company is operating illegally because it isn’t regulated by the state. Charleston has even issued an advisory warning regarding the company, telling travelers about the risks of riding with a service that isn’t state-regulated. The city is saying that unless Uber drivers are licensed in the same way taxi drivers are, they could face a
“It may seem like a dream come true, especially in a city like ours, where the popular opinion of the public transit system is that it leaves much to be desired.” $1,097 fine and 30 days in jail. Since Uber drivers are private individuals who drive their own cars, safety concerns are certainly valid. Anyone could sign up to drive for Uber, and it’s unclear j u s t h o w “ s t r i n g e nt ” t h e i r background checks are. It’s also important to note that
the app utilizes “surge pricing”, which means that prices will go up when cars are in short supply — like gameday, for example, where more people were calling for cars, the price would be higher than normal. And insurance is also a little tricky. The company has recently added a $100,000 plan which will kick in if the driver’s insurance ca n’t cover t he fees f rom a n accident, and it already has in place a policy which covers the driver from the moment they pick up a passenger to the moment the passenger exits the car. Still, the push for the company to be regulated more likely than not has its roots firmly planted in the fertile soil known as “taxes.” If a company isn’t regulated by the state, its tax revenue isn’t at the level South Carolina would like it to be. Pe o p l e i n C o l u m b i a a r e already using the app, and are praising it on Twitter — one user said it was an “awesome service,” and another used the hashtag “5stars.” If the people of Columbia, who have lived for so long in a city whose public transit system has been notably subpar, are getting so much use out of this app, then the state itself should take note of that.
Recent article had traces of plagiarism The article has been removed and the writer suspended Our responsibilit y at The Daily Gamecock is to provide USC a nd Colu mbia w it h news that is reliable, accurate and adequately ref lects t he voice of the communit y. We regrettably ran into an issue with plagiarism recently. The article, “Pastides ignores state law” in last week’s paper had pa r t s l if ted f rom someone e l s e’s w o r k . W he n a s k e d , t he repor ter sa id t hey had knowingly plagiarized portions of the article. The reporter is no longer a f f i l i at e d w it h T he D a i l y G amecock , and we have examined his previous work for any other traces of plagiarism.
We c a n a s s u r e t h e commu nit y t hat The Daily Gamecock’s staff has a renewed focus and has learned from this situation. We have since reevaluated and improved our fact checking system to avoid future incidents. The Daily G a meco ck is a place for students to practice journalism in a professiona l n e w s r o o m setting, and our staff does its best t o p r o t e c t t he Richard i nt e g r it y o f t h e Lipkin publication. Editor-in-Chief We do not tolerate plagiarism in any form, and we apologize to ou r reader s. T he Da i ly
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Constitution should be a part of standard college curriculum In the last issue there was an article that called a required class on this nation’s founding documents, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist Papers, a “waste of students’ time and resources.” I took offense to this. The fact of the matter is that ignorance of our founding documents is creating a naïve generation in this country. According to a recent poll by The First Amendment Center, only about 70 percent of people in this country know their right to freedom of speech, and after that, the number drops to below 30 percent that can name any of the other rights included in the first amendment. This in and of itself is cause for concern. When citizens are unaware of t heir rights government takes advantage. No matter what the name of that government is. Whether it is a republic, democracy, monarchy or communism, government always wants more. That is the nature of the Caleb beast that is government. Dixon The article goes on to say that Second-year President Harris Pastides will not political science comply w it h t he law because he student believes it to be “archaic.” He goes on to say that 60 percent of the students here at USC take political science classes where these documents are covered. That may well be true I do not know. However it is unacceptable that 60 percent of people leave this university without knowing the basics of these documents. Last time I checked in college 60 percent is a D and you have to retake the class. Furthermore the article goes on to say that this class is unnecessary because we learn all of this in our elementary, middle and high school years. While I agree that we learn some of the facts about these documents, I do not agree that means we really know anything about them. In fact I am certain that I could stand on the Horseshoe on August 16 and ask as many people as would answer, the importance of the names Rutledge and Pinckney, and less than half could tell me. In fact if this college level information is not necessary I would ask why must I take English 101 or a math class, since I learned that in high school. W hy mu st I t a ke classes i n wh ich I have already learned the information? Because there is information that kids in elementary, middle and high school cannot grasp. In fact how many readers actually can name all four of SC’s signers of the Declaration? How about the Constitution? My point is there is more information that we must learn. If we do not then we risk its loss forever. And to the author of that article, your statement “waste of students’ time and resources” is a slap in the face of every white marker at Arlington and every other national cemetery, including those buried abroad. Those we did not bring home.
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Founding documents still relevant
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CORRECTIONS “Pastides ignores state law” was published in last week’s paper, and was removed because it had traces of plagiarism. The writer is no longer affiliated with The Daily Gamecock.
Wednesday, July 16 - July 22, 2014
5
Golden age of records
Jeremy Marshall Harkness / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Smith, having worked at Papa Jazz for 35 years, has seen the ups and downs of the industry, including the introduction of CD’s and the age of Internet downloads.
Owner of Papa Jazz talks vinyl, John Coltrane, business developments Katie Cole
MIX@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Tim Smith knows a thing or two about music. The owner of Papa Jazz has been in Columbia for 40 years and has spent 35 of those working at Papa Jazz. Though he played drums in high school, it was not his ability as a musician that pushed him into the music business. Music was a hobby, he says, and it was an added bonus that he could be around something he enjoyed while getting paid. Having worked at the shop for 35 years though means Smith has been around to see great changes in the music industry. W hen Smith first started out at
Papa Jazz, cassettes were early in their existence; it was mostly eight tracks and 78’s. The release of the CD was scary for all record stores, but Smith says that the arrival actually improved his business instead of hurting it. Papa Jazz’s business doubled in a year, the biggest jump Smith has ever had in a year. This was mainly due to the fact that CD’s were originally so expensive; customers were more open to buying used CD’s because they would be less expensive. It was also an easy way for college students at the time to make money. Papa Jazz would buy CD’s from students at around eight dollars a CD, so, Smith says, “If you were a college student and needed 20 bucks, you could bring in four, five, six CD’s, and that’s 20 bucks. It worked both ways; we almost immediately started getting a steady flow of the used stuff in, so it just kind of
worked out.” Fast forward to today, when Internet downloads make up a large portion of the music industry and more people use services like Spotify and Pandora instead of even using their own iTunes. Smith says that surprisingly, though most would expect his business to take a hit, his business has been extremely successful. “The Top 40 stuff is what usually gets downloaded,” Smith says, “stuff that falls between the cracks generally doesn’t get downloaded, that’s the kind of stuff that hardcore music people are into.” And what Smith is selling to his customers. Smith explains that the past five years for him have been the best he’s had in the industry. “This is kind of the golden age for independent record stores,” he says, noting that this might also be due to there not being big chain stores for records, leaving room
for the independent to thrive. Selling used records has also been a great boost for Papa Jazz. “If you’ve got nothing but new records, you still got a pretty small selection that’s just new,” Smith explains, saying that while Papa Jazz does very well, he would never be able to sell 300 copies of a new Madonna album in a day. That’s where Internet downloads thrive, but for the used record store, you are looking for much more than just one song. Smith sells CD’s and records online, and it makes up about 20 percent of his business. Though that is not his specialty, Smith admits that it is never something that can be thrown away or taken away completely, because he’d be losing 20 percent of his business. The difference between listening to a CD and listening to a record is also vastly different, according to Smith. JAZZ • 6
Film franchise combines special effects, emotions Narrative of new “Apes” has heft, capturing audience, rising above the rest Jonathan Winchell
MIX@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
“Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” NOW IN THEATERS
Director: Matt Reeves Starring: Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis Rating: PG-13 for sci-fi, violence, and action and brief strong language MCT Campus
Matt Reeves (“Cloverfield,” “Let Me In”) has directed the best blockbuster of the summer so far with “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” a sequel to the 2011 film “Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” which itself was a prequel to the 1968 classic “Planet of the Apes” starring Charlton Heston and based on the novel by Pierre Boulle. “Dawn” features outstanding digital effects and a strong narrative with dramatic weight. The prequel, “Rise,” cleverly explained how the apes became sentient and intelligent like humans. Scientists, led by James Franco’s character, tested an Alzheimer’s-fighting drug on apes causing them to gain the mental capacity and functions of humans. Realizing the mistreatment and inhumane testing they endured, the apes revolted, led by the first test subject, Caesar (Andy Serkis). This sequel begins many years after the events of “Rise.” The human and ape factions of civilization are split by fear and hatred of the other. The apes live in the forest in fortified structures with weapons close at hand. Humans live similarly but in the dilapidated, demolished ruins of San Francisco. The humans, however, are running out of ways to produce electricity. After years of avoiding the apes, a scientist named Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) gets one of the survivors, Malcolm, to attempt to bridge the divide between man and beast in hopes of restarting a massive dam located in the forest in which the apes dwell. Malcolm brings his wife, Ellie (Keri Russell), and their son,
While most movies that make heavy use of special effects lack a storyline, “Apes” does the exact opposite. Alexander (Kodi Smit-McPhee), up to the forest to try and convince the apes to allow them to use the power source. Caesar, who has gained the ability to speak English, remembers that humans have the ability to be caring and peaceful, but another lab ape, Koba, only knows the horror and pain that they inflict. All does not go well and war breaks out not only between apes and humans, but massive riffs form within the groups themselves. These last two fi lms in the long-running “Planet of the Apes” series have managed to take a premise that can easily fall over into absurdity and camp and made it into rousing, emotionally resonate science fiction in which audiences can suspend their disbelief. A large part of what makes “Dawn” so effective is the amazing computer generated imagery. C.G.I. is misused or overused 95 percent of the time. The biggest problem is that computer animation looks just like that, animation. The object or character does not appear to exist in the same realm as what is actually on set. Even in “Rise,” sometimes the movement of the apes was too light and unbound by gravity. Almost always in the sequel their heft and motion make them seem tactile as if they are standing and interacting with the actors on set. The effects are so strong that the audience forgets they are effects. Andy Serkis and the animators do wonders with the
motion capture. Caesar has an expressive face and body language yet retains the animal qualities of an ape. The technology not only captures Serkis’ performance, but it personifies Caesar’s struggle. He has the mind of a human stuck in the body of an animal. His eyes in close-ups are like gleamy oceans filled with pain and sadness, violence and anger. The tragedy of his character makes the battles and action scenes more than just a visual experience even though the final act of the film is too extended and features more fighting and flinging and shooting than necessary. The human characters are played well, if slightly underdeveloped. Jason Clarke combines the macho stature of an action star with the frailty of an average man trying to protect his family in a deteriorating societ y. Keri Russell provides the medical care throughout, proving much more useful than Freida Pinto’s character in the previous film, who was nothing more than “the girlfriend.” The special effects-heavy film works because the digital artistry is used to connect with the audience on an emotional level and not just for empty, ephemeral thrills. Special effects, even the most technically advanced, mean little if they do not relate to real life. “Dawn” is one of the better franchise films of the year because while it dazzles the eyes, it also stirs the soul. DG
6
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Listening to a record on vinyl is a full experience, whereas listening to a CD is more of a background sound. “It’s kind of like when I was a kid,” Smith explains. “You bought a record and you got on the couch and listened to the record ... Maybe sometimes when you’re really busy you wanna pop t hat CD i n t hat you’ve heard a hundred times; it’s there because I like it but I’ve heard it 20 times so I don’t really need to listen to it. But [sometimes] I’m sitting t here a nd I ’m rea l ly hardcore into music so I sit and listen.” Smith personally prefers vinyl, but says that each person is different and will have a different preference. Smith talks about his experiences with certain artists that changed his opi n ion on mu sic i n general, “The first time I
heard John Coltrane that was a really eye opening experience for me. I was working here at the time and I immediately bought like every record by him I could find.” He says that listening to James Brown, Curtis Mayfield and Jimi Hendrix also made him realize that what t hey were doing with music was different from anything he’d heard previously. And though he names Joh n Colt ra ne as h is favorite artist, with his album Village Vanguard being his favorite record, a nd h is f avor ite ja zz band is Art Ensemble of Chicago, he speaks highly of bands like The Black Keys and Jack W hite. “ I f you d id n’t k now, you would think it was recorded in 1972 and I mean that in a positive sense. T here’s a l i ne between being rehearsed and being able to play
your instrument and all, and being so slick that t here’s just not much there. I think that at least for me, it’s a lot more interesting if you feel that there’s a little edge to it.” Pap a Ja z z ’s f u t u r e seems bright with Smith at it s hel m. W it h a n extremely knowledgeable st a f f, c u stomer s feel comfortable coming in and asking questions, and the feeling that the store gives off is welcoming to anyone, whether it be a seasoned lover of music or a newcomer. Smith says he used to worry about things all the time, but as more time has passed and he has grown as an individual, he has learned to let t h i ng s happen naturally, believing that nor ma l ly, ever y t h i ng will work out. And, as he says fondly, “It’s not jazz without mistakes.”
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7
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HOROSCOPES
THE SCENE
Aries
Leo
Sagittarius
Expanding fortunes shift to shine on romance, fun, and games with the kids over the next t wo and a half years, as Jupiter enters Leo. Develop your favorite practice. Study your art. Play with family.
Discipline with family finances produces extra results today and tomorrow. You feel like royalt y over t he nex t few years, with Jupiter in Leo. Your personal p owe r, s t r e n g t h a nd charisma grow. Rule with compassion and grace.
H a n d l e h o m e responsibilities today and tomorrow. With Jupiter in Leo for the next 2.5 years, prepare to fly away on adventures. Travel to exotic destinations, and learn new tricks. Keep a journal.
Taurus
Talk with friends about how you envision your homestead. Jupiter enters L eo, br i ng i ng a ne w 2.5-year phase at home a n d w it h y o u r c l a n . Renovations and family projects thrive. Feather your nest. Water your roots with love.
Gemini
Virgo
Collaborat ion t hrives today and tomorrow. You do some of your very best thinking over the next 2.5 years, with Jupiter in Leo. Contemplation and introspection lead you to brilliant ideas. Think about love.
Libra
Focus on career today a nd t o m o r r ow. Yo u r normal ability with words becomes a superpower over the next few years, w it h Jupit er i n L e o. Gregarious, loquacious and talented, you discover new ease and grace in communication.
Dive into work. Provide g reat ser v ice. G roup activities and friendships enter a new phase of expansion, with Jupiter in Leo (for 2.5 years). Grow a movement for the world you want to share.
Tr a v e l a n d d i s t a n t com mu n icat ions f low today a nd tomor row. You’re entering an extra prof it able phase w it h Jupiter in Leo for the next 2.5 years. Take advantage, and put your heart into your work.
Have some f u n today a n d t o m o r r o w. T h e next few years develop i nt o i m p o r t a nt o ne s p r o f e s s i o n a l l y, w i t h Jupiter i n Leo. A n expansive, powerful phase in career offers abundant opportunity. Strengthen your infrastructure to take advantage.
Cancer
Scorpio
Capricorn
Com mu n icat ions go the distance today and tomorrow. News travels fast. Grow your family fortunes over the next 2.5 years, with Jupiter in Leo. Keep financial documents current. Protect valuable legacies for f ut u re generations.
Aquarius
Today and tomorrow get profitable. Jupiter enters Leo today, initiating a new, expansive phase in partnership for the next 2.5 years. Begin a new er a i n col lab or at ion. For m allia nces, bu ild connections and negotiate for mutual growth.
THIS WEEK “BEGIN AGAIN” 8 p.m., $10 The Nickelodeon, 1607 Main St. Friday, July 18
GALLERY TOUR: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CMA COLLECTION
KENNY GEORGE BAND
COLUMBIA BLOWFISH BASEBALL VS, FLORENCE REDWOLVES
10 p.m., $5 Tin Roof, 1022 Senate St. Saturday, July 19
2 p.m., free Columbia Museum of Art, 1515 Main St. Sunday, July 20
6:05 p.m., $7 adults, $6 kids 301 Assembly St. Sunday, July 20
Pisces
Jupiter enters Leo for the next 2.5 years, inciting a new phase in service and health. Give royal treatment to yourself and others. Practice humility a nd respect f u l ness, even as your work gains status.
@thegamecock
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7/16/14
1 2 3 4
For solutions to today’s puzzle, go to dailygamecock.com
or download our app!
07/16/14
ACROSS 1 Diamond protector 10 Agra wrap 15 A job ticket often accompanies one 16 Southeastern town dubbed “Brick City” in the 1880s 17 Deceptive football play 18 Inveigles 19 Like arbitrators 20 Not straight up 22 Packing gp.? 23 Hairy TV cousin 24 Bonds, in a way 25 Lawyer’s thing 26 Old gun across the pond 27 Nice way to refer to you? 28 Some plants 31 Sit (down) undaintily 32 Blue genre 33 Something to believe in 34 __ ball: bad miss in hoops 35 Had, biblically 36 Disappearing sea 37 Places for icons, briefly 38 Olympic speed skater __ Anton Ohno 39 Some MDs 40 Business word after “&,” maybe 41 It can lead to fisticuffs 42 Sister of Orestes 44 Formicidae family member 45 S.A.’s secondlargest country 48 Sea nymphs 49 Shooting marble 51 Like a Frisbee’s symmetry 52 Christian __ 54 Reagan attorney general 55 “Rise ‘n’ shine!” 56 Blessed duo? 57 Common sedimentary rock
DOWN 1 “Miracle on 34th Street” Oscar winner 2 One unlikely to collaborate 3 Per __ ad Astra: RAF motto 4 Card game for three 5 Most pathetic 6 Certain Balkans 7 __ education 8 RFK, for threeplus yrs. 9 Hosp. staffers 10 Mirthless 11 Words after seek or find 12 Champing at the bit 13 Kind of college 14 Gradually enters 21 White House colloquialism 25 Stagger 26 Thin apertures 28 Acting handle 29 Baffles 30 Sequentially 31 Mount high above Delphi 32 Classical guitarist Romero 35 Mixes well with others?
For solutions to today’s puzzle, go to dailygamecock.com
or download our app!
37 Quantity destined to be burned 40 Metro gates 41 Mean 43 Cut out 44 Indian, say 45 O’Connor’s successor 46 Out of the sack 47 “Understand?” 50 Non-stateside state 53 Balancing pro
Wednesday, July 16 - July 22, 2014 8
Jeffrey Davis www/ THE DAILY GAMECOCK
Defensive lineman Abu Lamin will likely see significant playing time this fall now that the Gamecocks have lost two four-star defensive line recruits to academic ineligibility.
Gamecocks lose 4 to ineligibility Green, Lammons, Smalls, Blue trying to meet qualifying standards David Roberts
SPORTS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
It’s only July and it seems as though Spurrier and company’s plan to rebuild its defense has hit a significant roadblock. Fou r sig nee s f rom t he G a mecock s’ 2014 recruiting class currently stand in academic limbo, with another four players already ruled ineligible. Fo u r - s t a r d e f e n s i v e e n d D a nt e S a w y e r announced plans to enroll at East Mississippi Community College, while three-star defensive end Kalan Ritchie will head to Georgia Military College, hoping to rejoin the Gamecocks in time for the 2016 season. Sawyer is expected to enroll at South Carolina before the 2015 season. Four-star defensive lineman Dexter Wideman w ill enroll at Fork Union Prep in Virginia, expecting to join the squad after the 2014 season in January. J h au s t i n T ho m a s , w ho t he G a m e c o c k s nabbed in its 2012 recruiting class, was deemed academically ineligible last month after spending two seasons at Trinity Valley Community College
in Athens, Tx. Thomas was unable to join the Gamecocks’ team initially in 2012 due to academic restrictions. Two four-star cornerbacks in Wesley Green a nd Ch r is La m mons, as wel l as t h ree-st a r cornerback Darin Smalls and three-star running back Joe Blue are “still trying to meet qualifying standards in t ime to join t he Gamecocks in August,” recruiting coordinator Steve Spurrier Jr. told The State. Whether or not Green, Lammons or Smalls can qualify to play in the fall is magnified by the team’s lack of experience at the position. South Carolina’s roster lists only four true cornerbacks, with only one — fi fth-year senior Sidney Rhodes — as an upperclassman. While the uncertainty of Green’s or Lammons’ future looms, the Gamecocks have already gotten 2014 cornerback signees D.J. Smith and Al Harris Jr. on campus and enrolled in summer classes. Smith, a four-star recruit out of Georgia, shows incredible promise at the position and Harris Jr. has already earned praise for his high football IQ. Harris Jr. is the son of former All-Pro NFL cornerback Al Harris. While the defensive backfield demands a waitand-see approach, the Gamecocks know their defensive line has a long way to go now that two of their three four-star defensive linemen from
their 2014 class have been ruled academically ineligible. Fort Scott Community College transfer Abu Lamin is the lone four-star signee left in the 2014 recruiting class. Lamin enrolled at South Carolina in January, and is expected to play a significant part in the Gamecocks’ defense this year. His chances of contributing on the defensive line were already high since he is coming in as a transfer and already has experience playing at the collegiate level, but those chances shot through the clouds when South Carolina learned that they would be without Sawyer and Wideman in 2014. The team’s recent adoption of the 3-4 defense suits the Gamecocks even better now that they know they will be missing several playmakers on their defensive line. Although Sawyer and Ritchie plan to enroll at Sout h Carolina af ter t heir st ints at t heir respective colleges, they may return to a crowded depth chart. The Gamecocks have landed commitments from two four-star recruits at the defensive end position, including Shameik Blackshear who is considered the top defensive end in the state. DG
Column: Should MLB shorten season? 46 of 50 most-watched sports events of 2013 were NFL games Chris Schumerth
SPORTS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
Like so many of my peers, I felt an almost tangible mood letdown after watching the U.S. men’s national team exit the World Cup in a 2-1 overtime loss to Belgium. It was not just that the U.S. had a great chance to win the game in regulation, or even that we now have to wait four more years for another World Cup. It’s how much we get wrapped up in the whole thing, how much we come to care, how up and down our emotions go over the course of a game and the tournament as a whole. Losing that feeling of aliveness is a kind of grief; it is difficult to replace, though surely people try. “I can’t wait until football season,” several of my friends groaned. Wa it , footba l l sea son? I love American football as much as the next person, but aren’t we in the m idd le of baseba l l season? You k now, “A merica’s pastime?” Isn’t there a good three months left of the season? Can’t we get excited about that? The truth is, most of us do not, at least not until late September or into October. L o ok , I a m a ba seba l l g u y. I
played 17 seasons of it competitively, including a couple years in college. My voicemail recording insanely broadcasts to t he world t hat t he Cubs are going to win the World Series. I am on a lifetime mission to visit every baseball stadium in the countr y and I am more than halfway there. One would think I am the target audience for the MLB. And I do check the standings every once in a while, but I honestly don’t remember the last time I watched a game on television. Maybe the 2005 World Series, which the White Sox won. A p p a r e nt l y I ’m no t a lo ne . According to a list compiled by Spor t s Med ia Watch, t he mostwatched baseball game of 2013 was Game 6 of the World Series between t he St. Lou is Cardinals and t he Boston Red Sox. The game did not even make it into the top 50 mostwatched sporting events of the year. A stunning 92 percent of those top 50 were NFL games. But it’s not just football that overshadows baseball: e ven t he N H L receive s h igher television ratings than baseball does. It gets worse. A n article in SB Nation demonstrated that baseball ratings have been falling within the sport ever since 2007. According to Sports Illustrated, one recent game bet ween the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
received a — wait for it — 0.0 rating in Houston. Yes, you interpreted that correctly; almost no one watched the game, even though it was, in fact, broadcast. The question all this begs is why doesn’t anyone care about baseball anymore? I am sure there are plenty of answers to this question, one of which simply deals with the slow pace of the game. I suppose there probably has been some sor t of steroid era fallout, too. The length of the MLB season is also a part of the problem; 162 games for each team, plus the playoffs for whoever makes it to that stage, far and away the most games in a major American professional sport. The next closest is the NBA with an 82game regular season, which means teams play about half the number of games as an MLB team does. Obv iously t here is somet h i ng to be said about the way different sports affect human bodies. A nd surely big money factors in here somewhere. But I think the reason so few people are engaged with the MLB on a consistent basis is that the games just do not mean enough. In a three-game group stage in the World Cup, games are loaded with mea n i ng. Sa me w it h a 12-ga me college football schedule or a 16game NFL schedule. How about a baseball game in
the middle of July? Not so much for a nation that loves drama and entertainment as much as we do. DG
Courtesy of MCT Campus
Red Sox outfi elder Jackie Bradley Jr. leaps to make a catch during a game against the Rangers in Arlington, Tx.