Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Billboards CONTINUED ROM PAGE 1 Stevenson, whose company manages about 700 billboards na tionwide, said that billboards are especially important today be cause TV and radio networks are more fragmented than some ad vertisers want. And, Stevenson said, this fragmentation pro hibits advertisers from reaching the traveler. “Outdoor advertising is one of the only ways to meet mobile con sumers,” Stevenson said. But it is in the attempt to meet mobile consumers — specifically on federal highways — where billboard disagreements begin. “There are plenty of practical solutions that are far less obtru sive," Kornegay said. He men tioned TODS, or Tourist Oriented Directional Signs, as an alterna tive to highway billboards. TODS are small blue signs that give text directions to everything from gas stations to wineries. While South Carolina does not have a TODS system in place, Andy Leaphart, a traffic programs engineer for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, said the state uses “logo signs," a privatized system that places up to six business logos pertinent to the area on highway signs. “When we put up a logo sign, we direct you all the way to the business," Leaphart said. Leaphart also said that com petition for the logo signs is fierce and that there are more busi nesses interested in the program than the space allows. To those in the billboard in dustry, logo signs and TODS are ineffective. “You can’t tell them anything at all about the product. They play to impulse buyers," Stevenson said. “Billboards al low people to make decisions far ther out on the road.” Stevenson said the lack of product differentiation and in ability to be creative are some of the shortcomings to billboard al ternatives. While new billboards in Richland County will not be put up because of Kornegay and Citizens for Scenic South Carolina, if the radio-intercept billboard technology in Sacramento proves effective, the line between billboard fa voritism and opposition will likely intensify. And while that technology is still short of the eye-scanning advertisements in “Minority Report," it seems that basic disagreements in bill board philosophies will remain unchanged. Just as the billboard industry is looking to the future of adver tising, the state transportation department is attempting to de fine the advantages and disad vantages of billboards with lan guage that can withstand tech nological innovations. On its Web site, the trans portation department advises businesses to “balance your need to advertise against the need to meet regulations, and preserve the beauty of our highways.” Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu Passion CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 \ reawakening is “quite an extraor dinary expectation of a single film." The film is noteworthy for the great pains taken to produce it. Financed by Gibson, the roughly $25 million production required the construction of a single mas sive set of Jerusalem at a studio on the outskirts of Rome. Filming took place primarily at Cinecitta Studios in Matera, Italy. Aramaic is spoken by Jewish characters and “street Latin” is spoken by Roman characters. Actor James Caviezel found that learning a new language would be just the beginning of the emotional and physical challenges he would face in playing the role of Jesus. During the weeks spent filming the crucifixion scenes, Caviezel had to carry a 150-pound cross and later be suspended from it. He trained to hold these agonizing positions by doing squats and lifting weights. Caviezel also experienced sev eral bouts of hypothermia from wearing a loincloth during the cold Italian winter and at one point was struck by lightning while shooting during a thunderstorm. “No one has ever showed Jesus in this way before, and I think Mel is showing the truth," Caviezel said on the film’s official Web site. “Mel hasn’t used violence for vio lence's sake, and it has never felt gratuitous. I do think the realism will probably shock some people, but that is why the film is so in credibly powerful." The Rev. Timothy Lijewski, chaplain and campus minister at USC’s St Thomas More Center, said the violence isn’t necessarily a bad thing. “Who’s to say how much more extreme that is than what Jesus really received?" he said. The graphic realism of the movie is the reason for the R rat ing which, Lijewski said, prompt ed the archbishop in Atlanta to en courage young people to see it with their families or at least with parental consent. However, many church groups are planning to see the film together, and some are taking advantage of the interac tive DVDs and discussion guides available on the Web. After a private viewing of the film in December, Pope John Paul II expressed his view on the vio lence and authenticity of the movie with the statement, “It is as it was." Lijewski said that although the pope’s powerful statement on the film has met much controversy, he holds it to be the most honest and accurate opinion of the head of the Catholic Church. “So often, people don’t under stand that Jesus ft our savior, and we say that through his life, death and resurrection, our sins are for given," Lijewski said. “I’m hoping this movie will help people believe us when we say that." Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknewsfaigwm. sc. edu Fidler 5K to honor late USC professor BY SEAN MCLEOD SPECIAL TO THE (JAMMOCK The sixth annual Fidler 5k race is looking to raise money for can cer research and honor the mem ory of former USC professor Paul Fidler. In the past two years, Fidler 5k has helped raise over $15,000 to benefit Columbia’s chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Volunteers in this year’s race hope to put up similar numbers. Paul Fidler, who devoted over 35 years to student affairs and USC ed ucation, lost his life in the summer of 2003 to chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a blood cancer that caus es bone marrow to produce too few infection-fighting blood cells. He was a leader in the College of Education, the Career Center, University 101, SCCPA, Omicron Delta Kappa, Student Life and the Chaplains Association. In March 2002, the USC Student Personnel Association and USC fraternity Delta Tau Delta spon sored the third Fidler 5K. The event gave the governor’s office the opportunity to honor Fidler with the Order of the Silver Crescent, the highest community service award offered by the South P.arnlina T.Ptyicla+n»*o While the race has now been placed solely in the hands of Delta Tau Delta, those involved not only feel like they need to give back to a man who has given so much, but they also enjoy taking part in an event that might one day help put an end to the life-threatening dis ease. “We took sole charge of the race last year, and we are honored to be able to continue its tradi tion," Delta Tau Delta president Matt Snipes said. 2004 Fidler 5k chairman Matt DeAntonio is organizing the event for the first time. “When asked to take on this challenge, I didn’t hesitate to ac cept," DeAntonio, a second-year economics student, said. “I want to make this year’s race just as successful as in years past, if not more so." The 70-plus brothers of Delta Tau Delta began working in asso ciation with the Leukemia Lymphoma Society in October 2003 to prepare for the Saturday race. The cost of the event is $20, and reg istration is at 7:30 a.m. at Blatt P.E. Center. The race begins at 9 a.m. For more information, contact DeAntonio at fidler5k@hot mail.com. Students can register online at www.strictlyrun ning.com. Comments on this story?E-mail gamecocknews@gwm.sc.edu m ' '< rfff * ■ w z. v' f . t