The Daily Gamecock 10/26/09

dailygamecock.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

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Annual step show thrills crowd Alpha Phi Alpha wins for fifth time, Zeta Phi Beta takes home sorority trophy Jennifer Bilinkas

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USC sneaks past Vandy Alshon Jef fer y helps Carolina knock of f the Commdores for the first time since the 2006 season.

See page 8

Caught fashionable A blend of Chinease and American styles keeps Yiqian Zhang looking internationally fashionforward.

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THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Hundreds of students and fans f illed the Carolina Coliseum to watch the annual Homecoming Step Show Friday night.

Fraternities and sororities had been practicing for months to make sure they brought the best possible dances and step routines to the stage.

Each performance was filled with uniqueness and originality that kept fans on the edge of their seats and cheering along.

The show opened w it h a performance by the Martin Luther K ing Jr. Elementary Junior Step Team as the girls danced to some of Michael Jackson’s greatest hits and impressed everyone with their t a lented steppi ng sk i l ls. T he y proudly shouted, “We are the Junior Steppers and we are the best.”

The step routines were between 10 to 12 minutes each and were judged on introduction, difficulty of steps, synchronization and precision, exit and overall performance. Creativity showed with each team’s theme as the routines ranged from karate uniforms to dolls in a toy store.

A lot of hard work was put into prepa r i ng t he se step rout i ne s.

This was Zeta Phi Beta Sororit y member Latitia Graham’s first time participating in the show.

“We have been practicing for a couple months now,” the third-year tech n ica l suppor t ma nagement student said. “Our sorority has had a history of winning and we’re really trying to get back on top.”

The step master of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority is Jessyca Roberts,

who is graduating this January as an education administrator. Roberts helped prepare the women for their performance.

“Not the average person can do this dance,” Roberts said.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity has been practicing since summer on their routine. Fourth-year student Jeremy Harkness, a media arts major, said the group practiced for about three hours a night and watched all of their previous step shows and critiqued them.

“We all have a strong bond. I would do anything for my brothers,” Hark ness said. “A lt hough all of the fraternities get along with one another, we fight for bragging rights when Homecoming rolls along.”

The music had t he crowd constantly dancing in their seats and even had other performances in between the competing teams, such as the Southern Dynasty Step Team.

Eventually, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity won first place and sorority Delta Sigma Theta and fraternity Omega Psi Phi took home second place.

Christina Elmore, a third-year journalism student, was all smiles.

“We are so excited. So much time and effort was put in the last two months and it showed tonight,” she said.

A lpha Phi A lpha has won t he Homecoming Step Show five years in a row. “ We r u n t he y a rd a nd keep bringing greatness,” Alpha Phi Alpha President fourth-year retailing major Donald Wilson said.

A lpha Ph i A lpha a lso placed second in the Regional Sprite Step Show and will be moving on in the competition to hopefully win nationals.

See page 4

Mix

Michael Lambert First-year comparitive literature student

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Step Show Photo Gallery Check out our entire online photo gallery covering the Homecoming Step Show from Friday night.

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Zeta Phi Beta was the winning sorority at the show, wearing creative costumes.

USC summit looks to future Sarah Peterman

The ides of American democracy will not transfer perfectly to all countries.

Keri Goff / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. wins the Homecoming Step Show Friday night.

Keri Goff / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

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Green Quad hosts meeting focused on sustainability Tell It Like It Is

VOL. 103, NO. 42 ● SINCE 1908

STAFF WRITER

The annual Earth Summit was held Friday at the Green Quad Learning Center to evaluate past successes and future initiatives for making USC a more sustainable campus.

T he su m m it wa s a comprehen sive collection of university faculty, staff and students working together to make USC a more environmentally friendly university. “ We w a nt t o lo o k at w h at w e’v e ac c ompl i s he d a nd wh at we w a nt to accomplish,” said Roxane Lenzo, a secondyear environmental science student.

During the day, there were three breakout sessions, each with a different focus. The goal of these sessions was to acknowledge the progress that is being made, look at what is already being done and brainstorm how to accomplish other green initiatives.

The resou rce ma nagement team is foc u si ng on t he c ategor ie s of wa ste ma nagement , pu rchasi ng, bu i ld i ng s, grounds, water and dining. The team is focusing on everything from using low VOC paint to using more local and sustainable foods in the dining system.

Currently the resource management team is working on an audit of the waste stream of USC. By looking at all of the garbage the university produces, this will help the team to better assess what programs will most benefit the university.

The education and engagement team has a long-term goal of the broad normalization of sustainable behaviors and targeted expertise of key sustainable issues via the integration of sustainability into USC’s curriculum.

Currently they are working to simply expose all students to principles of sustainability.

The team is focusing not only on what is happening at USC, but also what other colleges and universities in the state are doing. The goal is to collaborate with the community, the city of Columbia, outside companies and non-profit organizations and other universities to create a comprehensive approach to making USC a more sustainable campus, both in and out of the classroom.

Peer-to-peer education is also a focus of their approach. The education and engagement team hopes to have students

teaching each other about what it means to be green.

The climate change group wants to make campus carbon neutral by 2050, but is currently focusing on the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020.

What makes these goals so difficult is the fact that USC is growing. As more students are coming to the University, there is a need for more dorms, classrooms and dining along with other needs. It is difficult to reduce emissions while still growing. However, the climate change team embraces this challenge and is working to come up with practical solutions.

They are currently focusing on the transportation system at USC. They are also working to see that all new buildings are energy independent. Electricity is where most of the carbon production comes from at USC, so figuring out how to power the lights, computers and cooling systems in sustainable ways will prove a challenge.

Cinnamon Carlarne, an associate professor with the School of Law and the School of the Environment, was the keynote speaker for the day and spoke about climate change.

“We need to look at climate change with hope, cynical optimism and an attitude to plug away,” Carlarne said. “As climate change is being looked at differently on a political level, we need to do that on a local level.”

Carlarne addressed the reality of climate change and how action from the Earth Summit can help USC to be a part of the solution instead of the problem.

Students also gathered at the summit to connect different campus organizations to ensure that everyone is involved in providing solutions to making USC more sustainable.

From St udent Government to SAGE , student organizations are hoping to have a more inclusive view of sustainability and making the goals a reality for the university.

“It’s always good to come together and refocus and learn what everyone else is doing,” said Carter Cox, a graduate assistant for the Green Quad Learning Center.

“Everyone is going to understand what we need to do to lead the campus in being more sustainable.”

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FACTor F iction

HAND SANITATION EDITION

Automatic, pump sanitizers critiqued Hunter Hardinge STAFF WRITER

It’s Monday morning and you are on your way to your speech 140 class. You decide since it’s flu season you should use the hand sanitizer after touching the handle of the door to prevent getting sick.

However, is it better to use the automatic hand sanitizer or the pump hand sanitizer?

“I believe that the automatic hand sanitizers are better because the pump sanitizers you actually have to touch — therefore, you are touching ger m s,” Sa ra h W i lson, a second-year public healt h student, said.

Melissa Harden, a firstyear pre-pharmacy student, believes that using a pump or automatic hand sanitizer gives the same effect.

“Honestly, I do not think that it makes a difference.

They are each designed to do the same thing. However, I think using too much hand sanitizer and not enough hand washing itself is bad,” Harden said.

Dr. Heat her Br a ndt , a p r of e s s or at t he A r nold School of Public Health, has researched this topic for her classes and says there is no difference between automatic and pump hand sanitizers.

“There really is no dif ference bet ween t he automatic and pump hand

sanitizers. If you touch the pump sanitizers, the alcohol in the solution will kill the germs either way,” Brandt said.

According to the Center Disease Cont rol and Prevention, there is no exact amount of times after using the hand sanitizer that you shou ld wa sh you r h a nd s because t he ef fect iveness would wear off. However, hand sanitizers do not replace the importance of washing hands with soap and water.

“Soap and water are still the best, but hand sanitizers work great. It is a good idea to carry around a bottle of it in your car and book bag as recommended by the CDC,” Brandt said.

The CDC also says that in preventing the regular flu and the H1N1 virus, hand sanitizers with a 60 percent alcohol concentration or more are another successful way to prevent catching them.

Whether it is a pump hand sanitizer or an automatic one, hand sanitizers are an effective way to help prevent the spread of sickness.

“Regardless of whet her or not the hand sanitizer is automatic, it is still a great for m pr imar y prevent ion in the wake of cold and f lu season. Furt hermore, t he university should be applauded in all of their efforts to combat the spread of germs. Finally, I cannot stress enough the importance that hand sanitizer not replace washing hands with warm soap and water, when available,” Wilson said.

I t ’s M o n d a y m o r n i n g and you are on your way to your speech 140 class. After touching the door handle, it is best to use whatever hand sanitizer is available to prevent yourself from getting sick and make sure you wash your hands with soap and water later.

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pageTWO LOCAL & WORLD NEWS

PIC OF THE DAY

LOCAL Sanford’s schedule criticized A newspaper review of embattled South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s calendar shows a decline in the number of staff meetings and public outreach sessions between his first and second terms.

The State newspaper of Columbia reported Sunday that, in 2004, Sanford had an average of almost nine scheduled staff meetings a week as he sought to rally support for his vision of a smaller state government.

By this year, the newspaper found Sanford was scheduling just four staff meetings weekly.

Aides to former governors say Sanford’s calendar shows a governor who had too little to do. The scheduling allowed Sanford to disappear in June to meet his mistress, an affair that has some lawmakers calling for his removal.

NATIONAL Pharmacies track swine flu PROVIDENCE, R.I. — State health officials are tracking the spread of swine flu through electronic prescription records, developing what they believe is a model that could help doctors more easily identify and respond to an outbreak of the illness.

Rhode Island is believed to be the first state to use electronic pharmacy prescription data to track swine f lu among its entire population, said Rob Cronin, a spokesman for Surescripts, which operates the country’s largest electronic prescriptions network.

The company says it believes the state is also the first to have all of its pharmacies set up to receive electronic prescriptions from doctors.

Hannah Carroll / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

USC students tailgate prior to Saturday night’s Homecoming game against Vanderbilt at Williams-Brice Stadium. USC won, by a score of 14-10.

Homecoming Parade Returns

INTERNATIONAL U.N. inspectors enter Iran TEHRAN, Iran — U.N. inspectors entered a oncesecret uranium enrichment facility with bunker-like construction and heavy military protection that raised Western suspicions about the extent and intent of Iran’s nuclear program.

The visit Sunday by the four-member International Atomic Energy Agency team, reported by state media, was the first independent look inside the planned nuclear fuel lab, a former ammunition dump burrowed into the treeless hills south of Tehran and only publicly disclosed last month. The inspectors are expected to study plant blueprints, interview workers and take soil samples before wrapping up the three-day mission.

Dustin Glendinning / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Back after several complaints from Columbia residents, the 2009 Homecoming parade held on Friday ran smoothly and many USC students came out to support their favorite floats.

Kicking off the parade was Ms. United States and USC alum, Kristen Dalton, followed by the winners of Homecoming court, Student Government and the Gamecock basketball team.

Wendy Smits, a first-year nursing student, said that building a float is not so simple when working with chicken wire and tissue paper.

“With 250 guys and girls working together, it still took us three days and a lot of hours to complete,” Smits said.

This was management professor Robert Lambdin’s first year being nominated to judge the parade.

“I’m doing it for our love of Cocky, floats and football,” Lambdin said. Based on artistic creativity, theme and school spirit, the panel chose Alpha Delta Pi and Sigma Phi Epsilon as the winners of the event.

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PAGE 4

Swine flu increases state power

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief

AMANDA DAVIS Managing Editor

CALLI BURNETT News Editor

KARA APEL The Mix Editor

KELSEY PACER Sports Editor

CHRIS COX Viewpoints Editor

COLIN JONES

MARILYNN JOYNER

Design Director

Photography Editor

MORGAN REID

Vaccinations should not be mandatory; may be dangerous

Copy Desk Chief

KERI GOFF

Traffic problem during Homecoming needs fix Th is weekend, Colu mbia played host to t wo exciting events; a USC home football game, where the Gamecocks were fi nally victorious over Vanderbilt, and the South Carolina State Fair, where students and families alike could eat fried foods and hop on a Ferris wheel.

But one thing that was more nerve-wracking than exciting was the traffic. Post-game traffic on Saturday night was a tremendous hassle.

Despite the hundreds of cops directing traffic and setting up outbound-only lanes, many drivers were Some were even still stuck in a long line of cars. Some students were unable to return to even unable to ret urn to t heir homes u nt il hou rs their homes until a f t e r t h e g a m e e n d e d , because their usual route hours after the game home had been cha nged into one-ways or had been blocked off entirely. ended.

This became even more infuriating when some cops posted couldn’t even tell you an alternative route to take, or when the traffic patterns would return to normal. It’s ridiculous to have so many cops assigned to direct traffic, yet it still be a huge problem.

At the beginning of the football season, the police department should sit down and map out a postgame traffic route. This route shouldn’t waver all season long, and cops should be able to answer any questions drivers may have about alternative routes, or which direction a certain street is going at the time.

This map could easily be well publicized. The police department can have it printed in any one of the numerous news outlets in Columbia or have it available on their Web site.

Everyone knows that traffic is inevitable in the postgame rush to get home, but the county should anticipate this and take more steps to keep individual officers and the public better informed, so everyone can get home in a safe and timely fashion.

TELL IT LIKE IT IS

Democracy hard to create Spreading American governmental form not easy task in turbulent Middle East; even US founders feared rule by people Throughout our middle school years, teachers told us a very ideal version of American history.

T homas Jef ferson a nd Ja mes M ad i s o n le apt f r o m t he p a g e s of textbooks like superheroes, taming our rugged predecessors with words like “inalienable” and “federalism.” I, like e ver y ot her k id doz i ng away in class, got only some golden and indistinct vision of how our democracy was formed.

The details have been fi lled in over the years with t he k nowledge t hat ou r Michael founders were anything but Lambert the common conception: First-year comparative u nrelig ious, socially literature eccent r ic a nd fear f u l of student “the mob” they hoped to govern. If anything, true democrac y was t he last t h i ng t hey wanted, which is a lesson we should remember in today’s world.

Our constant work in t he M iddle East shows how hard we’ve been trying to spread our form of government, and now we’re seeing the results.

I raq is st ill limping along; I ran’s “election” fell f lat on its face — with m a n y a g r e e n a r m b a nd t o s p a r e ; Afghanistan now demands a recount in a

voting system that was crooked from the start. Constantly, we press upon other nations our identity and the darker side of it.

Is democracy – at least, the American version – still viable in today’s world?

Watch the Afghanistan situation and see that the power of the vote has just been one more way for the corrupt to gain influence. They’ve replaced bullets with sheets of paper, missiles with pencils.

We think we can teach nations how to rule justly when they have not had our history, our culture or the influence of our past leaders. We say “Why, yes, you have a choice now,” shove a ballot into their faceless hands, and leave them in the dust.

This can’t be our plan any longer. The deteriorating situations in the Middle East can be blamed on the lack of strong governments as much as on the lack of sufficient military force.

The confusion concerning the votes i n A fgha n ist a n a nd t he back-a ndfort h wordplay bet ween K arzai and U.S. of f icials u nderscore a ser ious misunderstanding: Our presence in t he world shou ld n’t be to confor m others to our system, but to integrate our democracy with the needs of every country we occupy.

Only then can we see success.

Have pride in your history, both the real version and the glorified one, but remember that it can be abused and it doesn’t arise — almost by magic — from every culture we attempt to engage.

Lack of funds can starve college experience Four years are supposed to be best of life, but may require large amounts of unavailable money College is not suited for those on a budget.

The lack of funds can completely change your entire college experience.

Most students take around 15 hours of class and then on top of that work a part-time job.

By the end of the day, there is no time for studying, hanging out with friends or taking advantage of the endless opportunities here at USC. W hat is the point of going to college if you c a n’t f u l ly i m mer se you r sel f i n t he environment? Isn’t college about discovering new things and deciding how that will change your life?

Unfortunately, the only way for many of us to attend college is by tak ing out loans and working while in school. Some make this juggling act seem effortless, but in reality it

is almost impossible to fully enjoy the college experience while stressing over fi nances.

Not only is there not enough time to be as prepared academically for each class, but t here is not enough money to cover any ot her activities you wish to participate in. If you want to go to a football g a me a nd y ou h ap p e n t o b e off work that evening, you can Jessica request a ticket online. If you are Hardin not chosen in the raff le to get a Second-year ticket, you have to buy one. Face print journalism value of a ticket is on average 45 student dollars. The cost alone can sway your decision on whether or not to attend. After the game, your friends may invite you downtown to celebrate. Food and drinks alone can break your bank, especially if you just shelled out money for a ticket. Then there are transportation costs. Taxis from downtown to campus are relatively cheap, but if you are already stretching it you may not have

About The Daily Gamecock

IT’S YOUR RIGHT The goal of The Daily Gamecock’s Viewpoints page is to stimulate discussion in the University of South Ca r o l i n a c o m m u n i t y. A ll p u b l i s h e d authors are expected to provide logical arguments to back their views.

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CORRECTIONS In “Study aboad sees applicants increase” in Friday’s paper, the application for the Global Partner program is due Nov. 15, direct program students do not recieve in-state tuition and Spring 2009 saw 200 applicants.

The Daily Gamecock regrets these errors.

enough to cover the costs. Estimate the cost of this one night and it will be roughly around 65 dollars. Working a minimum wage job, like most students do, this is almost nine hours of work before taxes are taken out. Putting this all into perspective, many students would miss out on a common college experience, a football game, simply due to their inability to cover the bill.

Many of the experiences here at USC do not require a great deal of money; however, even small amounts of money can start to add up quickly. Those who are fortunate enough not to have fi nancial woes seem to have more opport u nit ies to have a f ulf illing college experience. Those who are struggling to stay afloat tend to miss out on memorable moments that make up college life.

College is often referred to as “an experience of a lifetime” but not having the money to fund those experiences makes college life seem less fulfi lling.

I acknowledge that swine flu could be an epidemic, and maybe the vaccine will be useful, but as with all crises it is a prime opportunity to expand the state’s power, just like September 11, global warming and the financial crisis.

The Un ited States suffered from a similar scare i n 1976 u nder t he Ford administration. President Ford authorized large-scale vaccinations for the populace.

The vaccines were rushed a nd u ntested a nd led to the deaths of hundreds of people. This prompted mass lawsuits against pharmaceutical m a k e r s .

Now with t he c u rrent crisis, Health and Hu man S e r v i c e s Will Potter D i r e c t o r First-year K at h leen economics Sebelius has student decided to authorize an order that will not hold vaccine makers liable for any deaths that may occur as a result of the vaccine.

I guess the government is look i ng out for ou r best i nterest s a nd not ph a r m a c e ut ic a l g i a nt s’.

Pharmaceutical giants can use the swine flu scare to make large profits; Merck could make up for the huge losses it suffered from the drug Vioxx. The United States government has subsidized the production of the vaccines to lower the price for the consumer while giving the drug companies a lump sum of money to produce. As soon as the costs of producing the vaccine near that lump sum of money, you can bet t he compa n ies w i l l stop producing and shortages will inevitably arise.

According to the Daily Mail Reporter poll, a British publication, half of British doctors will refuse swine flu vaccinations because they fear that production has been rushed and the vaccine has not properly been tested.

Recently President Obama declared a national emergency on swine flu. Yet, when asked on CNN whether he would have his daughters vaccinated, he was confused without his teleprompter and started to stutter. But then he slyly stated that he didn’t know if enough of the vaccine would be available to vaccinate his daughters. I am sure that the president of the United States would be able to secure vaccination dosages for his daughters. Could it be that he knows something about the vaccine he is not telling people?

CONTACT INFORMATION Editor-in-Chief AMANDA DAVIS Managing Editor CALLI BURNETT Copy Desk Chief KELSEY PACER Assistant Copy Desk Chief LINDSAY WOLFE Design Director MORGAN REID Assistant Design Director LIZZIE ERICKSON News Editor KARA APEL Assistant News Editors DARREN PRICE JOSH DAWSEY Viewpoints Editor MARILYNN JOYNER Assistant Viewpoints Editor RYAN QUINN The Mix Editor COLIN JONES

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“Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”

— Albert Einstein

MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

PAGE 5

CAUGHT FASHIONABLE Yiqian Zhang blends Chinese, American influences into her unique personal style Maddy Alford

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Q & A with Yiqian Zhang, a first-year business student

Q. Do you think your style changed when you moved from China to America?

A. Yeah. American girls think Asian girls dress up every day.

But really, Asian girls dress like me every day in our country.

When I came here, I bought some hoodies from Victoria’s Secret Pink brand, Abercrombie, and Hollister. They are very comfy and it looks good I think. Chinese clothing is very decorated. American clothing is very plain, clean, and simple.

Chinese clothes have cartoon characters, flowers, cute styles, pockets and more details. Also, Americans like to look very tan, but Asian girls try to look very pale on purpose. When I wear pink, my Chinese friends say it makes me look too tan. In China girls wear their hair in buns. Here I have become more lazy and wear it down.

Q. How would you describe your style?

A. Very Asian, I think. Most Chinese people prefer clothes from Hong Kong or Japan. Sometimes we like American girls’ clothing, but our petite bodies don’t match those styles.

Mostly we prefer Hong Kong girls’ style.

Q. Any pieces you want to buy for winter?

A. I want a knitted hat and long coats. Boots to keep warm, but still look pretty. I like clothes in dark colors — brown, black, because it’s easy to keep clean.

Q. What American/Chinese stores do you shop at?

A. In Hong Kong, I like Izzue. Izzue sells my style — young and casual. I like H&M in Nanjing, but I hate that they don’t have it here in Columbia. In America, I like Banana Republic and Abercrombie and Fitch. Sometimes, when I go to South

Park Mall in Charlotte, I look at Juicy Couture.

I love South Park shopping center.

Q. Any celeb fashion icons whose style inspires you?

A. I like Nicole Richie’s style. In China we have many magazines that feature American and European magazines, so I watch her style in those.

Q. Do you have any beauty tips you want to share?

A. In China I got my hair chemically straightened so my hair will stay straight for 6 months. It is a really common beauty treatment in Asia. They put chemicals on your hair, run the flatiron over it, and leave the product in for 20 minutes. Then you don’t have to straighten it every day! Other girls in China put loose perms in their hair so it will stay wavy. Also, I don’t wear much makeup unless I am going out.

Q. What are your favorite beauty products?

A. One is a Japanese product called Shu Uemura. I like their foundation. I use Mac eyeliner pencils. My face wash is Biotherm, and I use Shiseido “urara” moisturizer. I use a lot of Shiseido. I don’t think I am really good at makeup, most of the time my friends help me. And Lancome mascara.

Q. If you had a free shopping spree at your favorite designer store, where would it be?

A. In America, it would be Alexander McQueen. I like his scarves. He has very nice silk scarves. In China I would pick Izzue, because it is not expensive. Most young Asian girls like it. It’s cute and designed for Asian girls’ bodies, or more petite girls.

Q. What are you wearing today?

A. My coat and shirt are from Izzue in China. My pants are from Vera Moda in China, and my scarf is from a cheap Chinese store. I ordered my boots from the Ugg online store. And my bracelet was a gift from my family to remind they would be thinking about me when I came to school in America.

Comments on this story?

E-mail sagcketc@sc.edu

Maddy Alford / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Yiqian Zhang poses wearing a stylish ensemble using elements adapted from Hong Kong and America.

Moore’s new montage ‘Capitalism’ leaves questions unanswered, audience frustrated Jimmy Gilmore STAFF WRITER

Capitalism: A Love Story NOW IN THEATERS

Not to scare anyone, but it is almost Halloween. So this week Trivia Times 2 presents you with some interesting questions about All Hallows Eve to kick off this spooky week.

If Michael Moore did not exist, would it be necessary to invent him? That question seems to ring in the ears throughout the documentary filmmaker’s latest film, “Capitalism: A Love Story.”

It is a simplistic, gimmicky, hyperbolic and almost self-contradictory film that is almost always perplexing and scattershot more than it is holistically convincing. The film tries to chronicle the worst aspects of capitalism, ultimately building to a dissection of massive corporate greed in the face of government bailouts. Moore’s ideas about fiscal equality, balanced distribution of wealth, and protection for the lower classes are easy to agree with in theory.

However, his banal simplification, highly selective examples, and inability to both distill his film into a single argument and also to provide a possible solution make it impossible to connect concretely to his plea for a more perfect union.

Moore f ulf ills an important f unction as a documentary filmmaker, giving regular people a microphone, the simple ability to let their individual voices be heard. In his emotional interviews with outraged citizens, he allows his subjects’ fears and angers to be put on full display.

As easy as it is to dismiss Moore as a sensationalist muckraker, it’s worth remembering that he is, at the end of the day, a filmmaker. He collects and juxtaposes images to create an effect, and his command of the medium is indeed fascinating in many regards.

Moore creates impressively man ipu lat ive montages through a variety of sources. He is able to use the inherent psychological meanings of stock footage, advertisements, classical music and other films to create arguments out of media.

While it’s interesting to ponder the implications of staging an argument in such a way, it’s also hard not to feel defeated by Moore’s insistence to plug winding monologues over every segment, irrationally stroking his own ego as he claims to

fight for the common man.

His ultimate fault as a filmmaker, and why “Capitalism” fails to strike an inspired chord, is that he’s unable to answer his own questions. He sacrifices argument for artifice.

When Moore approaches AIG’s offices, only to be politely turned away, it reeks of the same repetitive shtick he’s been doing for twenty years. When he wraps crime tape around Wall Street, his insistence on trying to create a meaningful image detracts from any impact such an image could have.

Yet there is one powerful moment when Moore steps back and lets a better orator do the talking.

The University of South Carolina’s Moving Image Research Collection supplied “Capitalism” with film footage of an ailing FDR reading an excerpt from his 1944 State of the Union address from the Oval Office.

In this footage, never before shown publicly, Roosevelt delineates his ideas for a “second bill of rights,” a list of things all Americans should be entitled to.

Roosevelt’s argument is explicit and succinct, and it’s saddening to realize how few of his ideals have actually come true, and how contested many of them still are.

“Capitalism: A Love Story” is meant to be both tragedy and irony. Buried beneath its uneven, at worst unformed, structure is an impassioned cry against corporate greed and a plea for a great nation to do more for its middle and lower classes.

It’s an argument that Michael Moore is perfectly capable of making, but it’s Michael Moore that keeps the argument from being perfectly articulated.

Comments on this story?

E-mail sagcketc@sc.edu

1. What country did Jack O’Lanterns originate in as hollowed-out turnips?

2. What do Americans spend $2 billion on each Halloween?

3. What colors, other than orange, can pumpkins also be? (2 of 3) 4. What Celtic holiday is Halloween believed to date back to?

5. W hat phobia do people who are afraid of Halloween suffer from?

6. On October 31 what is celebrated in Mexico instead of Halloween?

7. The title of what 1982 movie refers to a ghost who plays pranks?

8. Who sang the 1962 song “Monster Mash”?

9. According to superstition, a person born on Halloween has what particular ability?

10. Halloween is celebrated on the eve of what Catholic holiday?

Katie Pennington First-year pre-pharmacy student 1. Russia 2. Halloween candy 3. Yellow, white, and green 4. All Hallows Eve 5. I have no clue 6. The Day of the Dead 7. ?

8. No clue 9. NO idea here either 10. All Hallows Eve?

Once again the challenger prevails as Jeffrey shows up Katie 5-3. While you’re impatiently waiting for another dose of trivia next Monday, try to enjoy the spooky holiday with pumpkins, candy corn and witchy wear.

— Compiled by Ellen Meder, Assistant Mix Editor

6. Dia De Los Muertos, “The Day of the Day” 7. Poltergeists 8. Bobby “Boris” Pickett 9. To see and talk to spirits 10. All Saints Day

Director: Michael Moore Starring: Michael Moore Run Time: 127 minutes Rating: R for some language

Answers: 1. Ireland 2. Candy 3. W h ite, Blue, a nd Green 4. Celt ic New Yea r, Samhain 5. Samhainophopia

★ ★ ★ out of ✩✩✩✩✩

Jeffrey Forsythe Third-year accounting student 1. Germany 2. Candy 3. White, green 4. All Saints Day 5. Hallophobia 6. Day of the Dead 7. Caspers 8. Beatles? Ha Ha 9. See ghosts 10. All Saints Day

The Daily Gamecock ● MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

PAGE 6

Inside the Box ● By Marlowe Leverette / The Daily Gamecock

The Scene USC UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA PERCUSSION ENSEMBLE 7:30 p.m., free School of Music Recital Hall

Whiteboard ● By Bobby Sutton / The Daily Gamecock

TODAY

PhD ● Jorge Chan

TOMORROW

CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY 5:30 and 8 p.m., $6.50 Nickelodeon Theatre, 937 Main St.

BLUEGRASS JAM SESSION 6 p.m., free 300 Senate, 300 Senate St.

SO MANY DYNAMOS, CINEMECHANICA 9 p.m., free The Whig, 1200 Main St.

HELLO DANGER, TEEN HEAT, METROID, JUST BRANDON 7 p.m., $8 Under 21/$5 Over New Brookland Tavern, 122 State St.

SARAH BLACKER 8 p.m., free The White Mule, 1530 D Main St.

ZACH FOWLER & THE ESSENTIALS 9 p.m., free The Elbow Room, 2020 Devine St.

HOROSCOPES

10/26/09

1234567890-= A R IES The name of t he g a m e t o d a y i s passion. A r ra nge you r env iron ment a nd you r attire appropriately.

TAURUS Notice how easy it is to fall into step with a female friend.

The two of you take off in a whole new direction.

G E M I N I Yo u r energ y is running away w it h you. A female can help you get more centered and grounded.

Ask for suggestions.

C A NC ER If you’ve been doing your homework, you needn’t sweat the details.

Ever y t h i n g f a l l s i nt o place for the two of you.

L E O For ward movement is i mpeded by emotional resistance.

W ho’s resisting? Check t hat out w it h you r partner.

VIRGO You know what you want. Find out what your partner wants.

See if you can add t wo and two to get four.

L I BR A Go for broke. The gods are on y ou r s ide , a nd s o a re other people. Go out to dinner to celebrate!

SCOR PIO You see t hat someone else is s u f fer i ng. Lif t t hat p e r s o n’s s p i r i t s w i t h nourishing ideas -- and food.

SAGITTARIUS Yo u s e e a w a y t o transform a problem into a n elega nt solut ion. A female provides just the right touch.

C A PR ICOR N

Ot hers can accomplish a lot more than you can today. Don’t worry. You’ll get you r work done in plenty of time.

AQUA R IUS

Choose you r ac t ions to appeal to bot h male and female. Guys want action. The ladies prefer elegance.

PISCES Everybody loves a lover. Polish your romantic act and make progress in ever y work and social situation.

10/26/09

Solution from 10/23/09

ACROSS 1 “Overhead” engine parts 5 Shoe undersides 10 __ the lily: ornament to excess 14 Doing the job 15 Between, quaintly 16 There oughta be one, so it’s said 17 “Keep out” sign 19 Turn on a pivot 20 Jungian feminine principle 21 Coll. major for a future concert artist 23 Anger 24 Pay for everyone’s dinner 29 Lively Irish dance 32 Peter, Paul or Mary 33 Not shut, in verse 34 German river 36 Like a cold, damp day 37 Type of notebook 40 “All exits are blocked” situation 43 Shiny photo 44 Delivery vehicle 45 WWII submachine gun 46 Floral welcome 47 Mexican money 49 Mag. staffers 50 Throng management 54 Witchy woman 55 Place for a ring 56 On-the-job reward 60 Norse war god 62 Four-on-the-floor, e.g.

66 Atomizer output 67 Division of society 68 Sunscreen ingredient, perhaps 69 __ helmet: safari wear 70 Ease, as fears 71 Home on a limb

DOWN 1 Musical finale 2 Soon, to a bard 3 Short skirt 4 Defeat decisively 5 Sault __ Marie 6 Possess 7 On, as a lamp 8 Like churches, vis-àvis most taxes 9 Rooster’s gait 10 Tank filler 11 Unable to read 12 First lady before Michelle 13 Dork 18 Mai __: rum drinks 22 Small stores 25 Traveling show worker 26 Sedona and Sorento 27 Not made of interlaced parts, as fabric 28 Expansive stories 29 Author Erica 30 “American __” 31 Precious stone expert

Solution for 10/23/09

35 Stitch over 37 Man of La Mancha 38 Acted like 39 Contact or zoom 41 “All kidding __ ...”

42 No-food protest 47 Snazzy entrance 48 Bursts into tears 50 Bite vigorously 51 Pie slice edges, geometrically 52 One of Caesar’s assassins 53 Actress Lindsay

57 Longest river 58 Roswell sightings, briefly 59 Printer’s “let it stand” 61 To the __ degree 63 One of many in the Aegean Sea: Abbr.

64 Windy City transportation org.

65 Computer feature that ends each of the five longest across answers

The Daily Gamecock ● MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2009

PAGE 7

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PAGE 8

CAROLINA (6-2) 14

VANDERBILT (2-6) 10

Gamecocks fight past pesky Commodores Jeffery’s fourth quarter score proves difference in defensive struggle

Carolina has potential for amazing season following victory

Ryan Velasquez

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

At long last, Gamecock fans can have a sigh of relief, as order has been restored in the world of college football.

Despite a shaky start, No. 23 South Carolina (62, 3-2 SEC) finally got over the hump and broke its two-game losing streak against Vanderbilt with a hard-fought 14-10 victory.

“It was a good win for us. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win over a tough team,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “It was a good victory and we’re proud of our players. We didn’t play all that great, but we hung in there and won the game.”

Despite an inept offense early on, the defense continued to step up and keep USC in the game, most notably at the start of the second quarter.

On a critical third-and-7 at Carolina’s 8-yard line, safety Antonio Allen broke up a pass by Vanderbilt quarterback Larry Smith, which led to a Ryan Fowler field goal attempt that missed wide right.

Five minutes later, the offense took advantage of the Commodores’ miscue as quarterback Stephen Garcia found freshman receiver D.L. Moore on a 35-yard deep route. Moore fought to haul it in and managed to gain control of the ball before falling out of bounds in the end zone, recording his first career touchdown and putting his team up 7-0.

“It was a great grab. I happened to bobble it about three or four times, but I got my foot in,” Moore said. “When he threw it up I actually thought it was going to a different receiver. When it hit my hand, I kept my eyes on it the whole time and brought it in.”

Vanderbilt was quick to respond, however, as

Kara Roache / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery high-steps into the end zone after his fourth quarter touchdown. freshman Warren Norman returned the ensuing kickoff 99-yards for a touchdown, tying the game at seven. The return marked the second time an opponent had returned a kickoff for a touchdown this year against USC’s struggling coverage team.

“I don’t think we’ve had anyone run all the way back since I’ve been here, and we’ve had two this year,” Spurrier said. “That shouldn’t happen. We have to work on that.”

As the game moved into the second half, special teams continued to favor Vandy as punter Brett Upson had two punts downed at Carolina’s 1-yard line and Fowler booted a 21-yard field goal, giving Vanderbilt a 10-7 lead and putting a knot in the stomachs of the 75,624 in attendance.

But the key play of the game came in the fourth quarter. Trailing by three with two years of bad memories beginning to envelop the stadium, Garcia hit freshman receiver Alshon Jeffery

across the middle on a third-and-long play for a 43-yard touchdown, capping a 99-yard drive and giving USC a four point lead.

“We ran that play earlier in the game and we had an illegal formation called. We worked on it all week at practice,” Garcia said. “I thought I overthrew it at first but he got right under it and caught it.”

The defense shut out the Commodores for the rest of the game, securing a win for USC and officially getting the Vandy monkey off its back.

“That’s something we preach about — finishing in big games,” defensive end Cliff Matthews said.

“It’s especially important when it comes down to the wire like it did tonight.”

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Wide receivers step up in wake of Brown’s absence Wideouts Jeffery, Gurley impress as senior leader watches from sideline Rodney Gray

THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Despite the absence of receiver Moe Brown, receivers A lshon Jeffery and Tori Gurley were still able to perform. But even with Brown sidelined and unable to play, his presence on and off the field was felt.

“Moe Brown is a great leader — even when he’s not playing or when he is playing, he always tells you just make a play,“ Jeffery said.

Make plays is exact ly what Jeffery did. The freshman had five catches for 92 yards in the first half against Vandy, including a 32-yard gain on a catch in traffic.

Quarterback Stephen Garcia threw a touchdown pass to D.L.

Kara Roache / THE DAILY GAMECOCK

Jeffery reaches for the ball in the second half of Saturday’s game.

Moore, who came up with the circus catch in the end zone in the middle of the second quarter.

“D.L. had a great game I think, he had that touchdown catch that I thought was out of bounds there

after the replay, but he made a great catch and ran a good route,” Garcia said.

US C c o nt i nue d it s ae r i a l assault with Tori Gurley’s 43yard pass f rom Garcia. Even

with Brown sidelined due to the effects of a concussion, this didn’t change what Gu rley and t he other Gamecock receivers would normally do. ”Nothing really has changed, we’re just being accountable of each other and going out and making plays when we need to,” Gurley said.

Not to be outdone, Jef fer y continued his dominance of the secondary by notching a 43-yard touchdown in fourth quarter.

Jeffery fi nished the game with eight catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns while Gurley finished with three receptions for 62 yards.

“As our team grows, and our confidence grows, I think we’re going to take a lot more chances, and a few more shots down the field, and that’s just a confidence thing.” Garcia said.

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CHICKEN FEED James Kratch

ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

•

triumph over an SEC opponent — a first for the program.

With the win, Steve Spurrier passed Lou Holtz for sixth all-time on the Carolina wins list (34) and tied legendary Georgia coach Vince Dooley

•

•

moved into 14th place all-time in career passing yardage at South

South Carolina had a 100-yard rusher and 100-yard receiver for the third

Carolina. Garcia now has 2,606 career yards in the air.

•

mark on the ground, while receiver Alshon Jeffery passed the receiving mark through the air.

• •

•

•

•

The win was the Gamecocks’ seventh straight at Williams-Brice Stadium, dating back to last season’s Tennessee game, and fifth straight home

Sophomore receiver Stephen Flint made his first career start, and redshirt freshman wideout D.L. Moore had his first career touchdown reception.

•

With 49 kickoff return yards, Chris Culliver is now third all-time in SEC career kick return yardage with 2,169 yards.

In place of injured wideout Moe Brown, center Lemuel Jeanpierre served as game captain.

Down 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, Carolina was able to win for the first time after trailing for the first 45 minutes of the game.

the second time ever. The Gamecocks were previously 1-4 against the Commodores when failing to go over 20 points.

Vandy tailback Warren Norman had his second return touchdown of the season — a first in Commodore history.

feat not accomplished since the 1928-34 span.

USC defeated Vanderbilt despite being held under 20 points for only

Vanderbilt became only the second SEC team to hold Carolina under 15 points this season (Alabama – 6).

With the win, South Carolina is bowl eligible for the sixth straight season, and is assured its sixth straight .500 or better regular season — a

•

With 312 passing yards, Stephen Garcia surpassed Dan Reeves and

for the third most wins in SEC history (105).

time this season. Freshman tailback Kenny Miles passed the 100-yard

•

USC’s victory pivotal to rest of 2009 season

•

Alshon Jeffery’s 161 receiving yards was the most by a Gamecock since Sidney Rice went for the same amount against Florida Atlantic in 2006.

For three quarters of football Saturday night, Williams-Brice Stadiu m felt like t he Thomas Cooper Library. Save a clap here, a boo there, the 75,624 in attendance stood in deafening silence, the same thoughts bouncing around ever y corner of t he stadium.

This is really happen i ng aga i n?

They can’t lose three in a row to Vanderbilt, ca n t hey? The late James tailspin that engulfed Kratch 2007 and 2008 isn’t Second-year about to return, right?

English student About two minutes of game time later, Alshon Jeffery split the secondary and turned on the afterburners, and the Vandy hex became no more as Carolina finally moved past two years of painful nightmares.

“It was a good win for us,” USC coach Steve Spurrier said. “I know it wasn’t real pretty, but it was a win over a prett y tough Vandy team. We didn’t play all that great, but we hung in there and won the game.”

The distance covered between 10-7 Vanderbilt and 14-10 Carolina was about more than beating the Commodores, though. It was about Carolina putting itself in a position to end up where it wants to be come January.

“We’ve got six wins and we’re bowl eligible. That’s the best thing about t he win,” Spurrier said.

“Hopefully the other part will keep adding up as we go along.”

Now is t he t i me of yea r where every press box has bowl representatives in brightly colored suits visiting. Impress them, and you may find an invite thrown your way a month or so from now.

“Bowl eligible, I guess it’s a goal, but we’re just trying to fi nish out the season at whatever we can get to get to the highest bowl possible,” quarterback Stephen Garcia said.

“We’ve got our chances. We’ve just got to go out there and play; that’s what it’s going to come down to.”

In the short term, Saturday’s win broke the Vandy drought and made USC bowl eligible for the sixth straight season. In the long term, it sets up a chance for the Gamecocks to have the type of season they want.

Two-thirds of the way through, USC has navigated every potential r o a d b u m p w i t h r e s i l i e n c y.

D e p e nd i n g o n y o u r le v e l of pessimism, they’re either one or two games ahead of schedule. A break here or there and they may be unbeaten. Carolina knows this, and that’s what drives them. “ We’re 6 -2 now. We had a chance to be undefeated if we played better,” Garcia said. “We’re st ill get t ing t here, we’re st ill learning. We’re only going to get better.”

W it h fou r w i n nable g a me s remaining down the stretch (these aren’t your average Gators coming in three weeks) USC has a shot to play in the big-time bowl they talked about, and a shot to be the first team since those guys walking around in pregame wearing the black jerseys to win ten games.

Was beating Vandy a big deal for the Gamecocks? You bet.

“After losing to those guys two years in a row, it was definitely something you don’t want to do for a third year,” tailback Kenny Miles said.

The bigger deal was putting themselves in a position to have the type of season they desire.

“The future’s very bright for us,” Garcia said. “We’re not even close to being done yet.”