The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 18, 2004, Page 5, Image 5
T TTT^ 1\ /TTV THEY SAIDIT
I 1 1-^ \\ /■ I jL “I perhaps owe having become
i i »/ I I /% a painter to flowers.”
1±U If I I J. \ CLAUDE MONET
FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST PAINTER
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The chemical changes in leaves that cause the varying color hues occur sooner in northern
states like Vermont. Peak time for fall color in Columbia will be early November.
SHADES OF FALL
■ Falling temperatures
color regional leaves
with the reds, oranges
and yellows of autumn
By MARIA CHARLES
STAFF WRITER
t
The cooler days and earlier onset of
darkness indicate the coming of
autumn. During this time nature
showcases an array of colors as trees’ leaves
begin to change from brilliant green to golden
yellow, bright orange and vibrant crimson.
More than just a natural phenomenon and a
pretty sight, scientific reason lies behind fall
season.
The fall color begins at high altitudes
and moves southward in three primary
waves, according to an autumn leaf color
flow and wave model designed at the
University of Georgia. The first color wave
is yellow. Birch, sweetgums, aspens,
sassafras and yellow poplars begin to change
color. The second wave of orange is evident
among silver maples and white oaks. Sumac,
black tupelo and tallow trees bleed the final
color wave of red. After this, the leaves
begin to fade to brown and fall to the
ground.
The normal peak time for fall color occurs
in early November for the Midlands and late
October for the Upstate.
As the changes in the length of daylight
and temperature begin, broadleaf plants,
unlike evergreens that have waxy coatings and
natural antifreezes to protect their foliage
from freezing, shed their leaves. Before doing
so, important nutrients phosphorus and
nitrogen are extracted from the leaves to
ensure the trees’ survival throughout the
winter months.
During the growing season, chlorophyll
molecules give leaves their green color. The
chlorophyll facilitate the process by which
sunlight is converted into energy for the
plant. Leaves also contain carotenoids, natural
pigments that produce orange, brown and
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Leaves have already begun to show new hues in northern states, such as at
Minnesota’s Mallen Iron Ore Pit Lake.
yellow hues, which are masked by chlorophyll
until fall’s arrival.
At this time, broadleaf plants slow and
stop the food-making process. Chlorophyll
breaks down, allowing the carotenoid
pigments to become visible.* Additional
chemical changes may occur when other
colors arise through the development of red
anthocyanin pigments. Dogwood and
sumac leaves exude a reddish, almost purple
color, and sugar maple leaves turn bright
orange.
Light, temperature and water supply
influence the duration and intensity of fall
color. Cool, but above-freezing nighttime
temperatures and bright, sunny days enhance
leaf color change, whereas hard frosts and
freezing temperatures halt color formation.
Changing weather conditions and soil
moisture from year to year help ensure that
no two autumns are the same.
The U S. Department of Agriculture’s
Forest Service recommends viewing times
and routes to observe the best leaf color
changes. In nearby North Carolina,
spectators can take the Forest Heritage
Scenic Byway (U.S. 276) to the Blue Ridge
Parkway. From there, go north to Asheville
and beyond where about 25 percent of the
leaves are now changing.
Suggested routes for observing fall
foliage in South Carolina include roads
through Francis Marion and Sumter
National Forests. Other routes include state
Highway 11 from 1-26 westward to
Walhalla, Highway 107 from Mountain
Rest to the Jackson County line and
Highway 25 North from Edgefield to
Greenwood.
The Forest Service also sets up a toll-free
fall color hot line every year. To obtain
weekly updates on fall colors nationwide, call
(800) 354-4595.
Travel is not necessary to witness the
autumn’s burst of bright color. Trees in the
Columbia area change dolor around late
October and into early November. Soon the
Horseshoe will be alive with color, especially
the maple trees. Look for the Japanese maples
beside the courtyard near Currell College to
exhibit vivid red hues.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
MOVIE REVIEW
‘Friday Night Lights' shine on spectacle of high school football
“Friday Night Lights”
★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By LESLIE DENNIS
THE GAMECOCK
High school football is a Southern
nstaple, like pick-up trucks, collard greens
uid sweet tea. So in “Friday Night
Lights” it is not surprising that football
is not merely a game but a way of life for
the entire community of Odessa, Texas.
Based on H.G. Bissinger’s book
about the 1988 football season of
Permian High School, “Friday Night
Lights” follows the physical and
emotional pressure on the players and
coach as they strive for a state
championship title.
Some viewers might not understand
the passionate, sometimes
uncontrollable devotion of high school
football fans, or even the life-or-death
importance of winning a few games a
year. Is high school football that
crucial, that significant, in the overall
I
scheme of life?
For those who didn’t grow up in a
small town or have never sat in a football
stadium on a Friday night, the film
beautifully and subtly reveals the fierce
need propelling players and townspeople
into an almost obsessive frenzy. They are
driven by the even larger longing to
escape their situations.
Instead of falling into the popular yet,
predictable category of inspirational
sport films, “Friday Night Lights”
distances itself from such mediocre
movies and with its gritty reality and
convincing characters.
When the star player Boobie Miles
(Derek Luke) gets injured in the first
game of the season with a torn ACL,
Coach Gary Gaines (the incredibly
versatile Billy Bob Thornton) and his
pack of Panther players must rearrange
their game plan for the rest of the
season. Tension in the community and
the locker room rises as expectations
fall, and the championship seems to
slip from all hopes.
But the movie is more than a story
about a team overcoming the loss of a
player; it is about the individual
players’ struggles to rise above not only
expectations in football but in their
own lives.
After Miles’ injury, he worries about
his future without football, because that
is all he has ever known and all he
believes he can do with his life.
Quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas
Black) grapples between staying to take
care of his mentally unstable mother and
leaving to lead his own life. Don
Billingsley (Garrett HedJund)
continually clashes with his father
(country singer Tim McGraw) who was
a state champion Permian football
player and relives his high school glory
days through his son.
The film mainly relies on relative
newcomers for its supporting cast, and
despite the inexperience of each of the
actors, they all deliver pitch-perfect
♦ Please see ‘FRIDAY’, page 6
I
y)fc for the week of October 18 |
jfrom a basement on a hill”
Elliott Smith
"Futures” ,
Jimmy Eat World
“This Island" j
Le Tigre
,‘SlmdusL..Son^book Vohtmelll”
Rod Stewart
JBwORDS&MUSIC
“Words & Music. Greatest Hits"
John Mellencamp
Greatest Hi ts rT
COLLBCTIOM11
“Greatest Hits Collection 2”
Brpoks & Dunn
r use DESK
The Blood Brothers
“Crimes” (V2)
Webster’s dictionary gives three definitions
for the word “sassy”: rude and
disrespectful, lively and spirited, and
stylish/chic. Armed with this knowledge, prepare to
shake the sweaty palms of Seattle’s Blood Brothers, a
group of individuals who exude sass. With one hand
planted firmly on the hip, the Blood Brothers deliver
“Crimes,” a follow-up to last year’s stunning major
label debut, “Burn Piano Island Burn.” “Crimes”
sees the band in fine form, paring down the
excessively technical songs from the last album into
sleek, cacophonous blasts rarely topping three
minutes. These compacted numbers brim with
mind-blowing elements; Cody Votolato’s guitars
wail and dirge, providing an ever-shifting propulsion
to each and every song. Vocalist Jordan Whitney is
still full of sharp-tongued swagger. In fact, it’s his
trademark shaky falsetto and screeching howl that
either endears listeners to the band or sends them
running away in disgust. But for those who get it, the
Blood Brothers offer up a rich and fulfilling album
equally full of ear-shattering bombast and
memorable, off-kilter pop hooks.
Q and Not U
“Power” (Dischord)
DCs Q and Not U are self-professed record
geeks. They apparendy own thousands of
records between the three of them. And their
knowledge of everything from Fela Kuti to George
Clinton to Gang of Four makes for a tour-de-force
dance record. The irresistible rhythms of these dance
floor geniuses meticulously work their way into the
thirteen songs on “Power.” Q and Not U’s third album
serves up a batch of loosely connected funk influences
whipped into a fragrant post-modern swirl. The
highlight of the album is the assertive keyboards. The
keys play many parts here, in jazzy swagger, bouncy pop,
sassy funk or any other number of roles. Flute is
included on a handful of tracks, a risky move for most
bands, but Q and Not U pull it off widi ease, with the
bastard woodwind child becoming the high point of
each song it is in. Topping off the funk sundae that is
“Power” is Harris Klaar’s snotty falsetto, invoking Prince
and soul punk legends the Make-Up. Q and Not U
have accomplished something rare with this latest effort,
an album that is as danceable as it is thought provoking.
By JORDAN REDMOND
WUSC Music Director
Mos Def
“The New Danger” (Geffen)
where Mos is sitting in the passenger seat of a car,
unfurling a silver-tongued freestyle. For those not
acquainted, the mighty Mos Def has been the voice of
intellectual, “conscious” hip-hop as a part of the
legendary Black Star collaboration with Talib Kweli
and as a solo performer with his underground classic
debut from 1999, “Black on Both Sides.” “The New
Danger” is Mos’ first album in five years; the time and
effort shows over the record’s 18-song, 75-minute
running time. Not simply a hip-hop record, this new
joint explores all forms of music created by displaced
African people. “Life is Real” features the blaring
horns of old-school funk, “Blue Black Jack” stomps
with down-home blues rift provided by Shuggie Otis,
and the soul crooning of “The Beggar” would make A1
Green proud. Material even appears from Mos Defs
scrapped hardcore punk collaboration with legendary
• rasta-punks, Bad Brains. All in all, “The New Danger”
is an amazingly expansive hip-hop album that
celebrates the history of black music in America.