The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 17, 2004, Page 12, Image 12
THEY SAID IT
“There are people who have money and
Page 12 people who are rich.”
Wednesday, November 17, 2004 fash!on°desig^
A Season f r Spending
Students struggle to budget money for gifts and stay clear of debt heading into the holidays
By MARIA CHARLES
STAFF WRITER
As advertisements encourage
seasonal spending, finding the perfect
gift often becomes a priority. It is easy
to get wrapped up in over
consumption, but reality hits in
January when the bills arrive.
This is the predicament many
college students find themselves in this
time of year. Covering expenses while
trying to buy presents is difficult and
can be dangerous for a student’s
financial future.
Third-year print journalism student
Jamie Rogers admitted her financial
situation is “a tad more complicated”
this time of year. She finds herself
spending
as well as c
“The
incentive,’
When ai
Rogers d<
find gif
people or
list, she a
finds and
buys gifts
for
herself.
She says
she’s lured in by the hustle and
traffic and you gravitate in
that direction whether you
are done or not with shopping,”
Rogers said.
Third-year public relations student
Heather Ramsay tries to curb her
holiday spending by utilizing the sales.
She plans to do her holiday shopping
the day after Thanksgiving, sometimes
called “Black Friday,” when sales are
most notorious.
While holiday shopping isn’t the
only _.
determinant
of financial
status, it
can
...
certainly
add to the
problem. Many
students try to find an
extra source of cash
and may become
tempted to rely on
credit.
According
_ to Nellie
> m
May, a student loan agency, 78
percent of undergraduate students
nationwide develop a credit history
and have credit cards while they are in
college. The average debt on these
cards is $2,748. Of these students,
one out of 10 owes more than $7,000.
Rogers remembers well the dangers
of credit cards — She doesn’t own one
anymore.
“My
sister
paid it
off for
me and
told me I
couldn’t have
another,” Rogers
said.
Rogers had credit cards
for Express, Victoria’s Secret
and Visa. Her family “bailed
(her) out” of a potentially bad
situation. While Rogers could make
the payments, she concedes it was
becoming a burden.
“I didn’t have any control,” she
said.
Credit cards are snaring students
into years of debt. Flora Williams,
author of “Climbing The Steps to
Financial Success” has said students get
in . trouble “because they do not
understand the process and types of
credit ... and because they do not
practice control.”
Practicing important preventative
measures can save students frbm a
lifetime of debt. The Web site
www.youngmoney.com has compiled a
basic list of rules:
Know there are hidden fees —
Credit fees include late fees, annual fees
and over limit fees among others. To
find the best lender, ask about factors
like fees that might be in the fine pjint
of the application. Know the interest
owed — it adds up. Know the grace
period (the time during which no
interest is charged for new purchases).
Grace periods vary by company and
often don’t apply if a balance is due.
Don’t skip payments or make late
payments. Missing a payment date
could result in higher interest rates on
future purchases, late fees and
inclusion in credit reports. Use
smart financial sense by paying
more than the minimum
amount due. This small step
can save thousands of dollars j
over time. Request a card
with a low credit limit and set a one
credit-card limit. It is key to remember
that your financial histories can affect
you future. Credit reports are like a
separate resume that employers,
landlords and banks can utilize.
For some, monitoring spending and ,
using credit cards responsibly is not a
problem. For others, homemade
holiday gifts may be in order this
season.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gumi.sc. edu
ILLUSTRATIONS COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
MOVIE REVIEW
Popular children 9s tale embarks
on a magical ride with Hanks
“The Polar Express”
Starring Tom Hanks
★★★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆
By MARJORIE RIDDLE
THE GAMECOCK
Director Robert Zemeckis reunites
with “Forrest Gump” pal Tom Hanks in
the big screen adaptation of the
children’s classic “The Polar Express,”
delivering a charming holiday tale about
a boy who doubts the existence of Santa
Claus.
While attempting to fall asleep on
Christmas Eve, an 8-year-old boy
listens attentively for signs of Santa,
otherwise expecting to disprove the
jolly old man.
After briefly falling asleep, the boy
thinks he hears the bells of Santa’s
sleigh. He excitedly goes to search the
house, only to find silence — the tree
void of presents, cookies and milk
untouched on the coffee table.
Dejectedly he returns to bed and
awakens to an earthquake-like shaking
of the house and the sound of a train
outside his window.
Wide-eyed, the boy greets the train’s
conductor with skepticism. The
conductor has the uncanny resemblance
and voice of Tom Hanks. The boy
boards the train after hesitating, and
thus the magical journey of the Polar
Express begins.
The story leads the viewer to believe
PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE GAMECOCK
Director Robert Zemeckis uses a new animation process known as
action capture to create a believable world on film.
that the Polar Express voyage may be
nothing more than a dream. A surprise
on Christmas morning confirms what
every child already knows.
Everything about “The Polar
Express” masterfully brings back the
magic of Christmas and will leave
audiences with a smile. Zemeckis
brilliantly converts a simple children’s
book into an endearing animated film.
Utilizing an innovative process known
as “action capture,” filmmakers were
able to digitize the movements of actual
actors and create a totally different
world onscreen.
Based on a children’s tale, the movie
is not only for the young but also for the
young at heart. Most people look back
on childhood Christmases with fond
memories and nostalgia and “The Polar
Express” reminds moviegoers why they
miss believing in Santa Claus.
Hanks brings several characters to
life, including the conductor, the boy’s
father, an angelic hobo and even Santa
Claus, and shows again why, even in an
animated movie, he is one of the most
versatile and well-loved actors in
Hollywood.
Grown-up viewers will leave the
theater wishing they could go back and
be a child again, ready to re-experience
the innocent excitement of Christmas.
Comments on this story? E-?nail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc. edu
Symphony to feature
USC piano professor
By MEG MOORE
THE GAMECOCK
Guest conductor Stefano
Mazzoleni and USC’s own Charles
Fugo will share the spotlight at
Thursday’s USC Symphony
Orchestra concert.
Performing Chopin’s Piano
Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Fugo,
professor and
coordinator of the
school of music’s
piano division, will
be the evening’s
featured soloist.
Fugo received his
baccalaureate degree
at the prestigious puG0
O b e r 1 i n
Conservatory,
continuing his studies both abroad
and at Indiana University, where he
received his masters and doctorate.
A veteran of several Palmetto State
ensembles — he has performed with
the South Carolina Chamber
Orchestra, the South Carolina
Philharmonic and the Florence and
Charleston Symphony Orchestras —
Fugo has worked with the Anderson
Piano Performance Camp and the
South Carolina Governor’s School for
the Arts and Humanities.
Italy’s Stefano Mazzoleni will take
the podium for the evening. Maestro
Mazzoleni has appeared with groups
around the world, leading orchestras
in Japan, Europe, the United States,
and Central and South America.
A specialist in 20th-century music,
Mazzoleni has also studied double
bass, piano, choral music and
conducting as well as experimental
composition at the Fiesole School of
Music.
His interest in contemporary
music led him to found “Window’s
on the Twentieth Century,” a music
and cultural festival in Treviso, Italy,
for which he serves as artistic director.
Mazzoleni is also the president of the
publishers’ group, Ensemble 900,
which specializes in musical texts, and
the founder of “Diastema,” an Italian
publication focusing on musicology
and analysis.
Mazzoleni holds
- " regular master
classes for the
chamber orchestra
of Kranjska Gora in
Slovenia.
The three pieces
featured Thursday
will deliver a mix of
MAZZOLENI the classically tragic
and the avant
garde. Based on the
story of the Roman general
Coriolanus, Beethoven’s “Overture to
Coriolan, op. 62” will open the
concert. Evoking a darker mood, the
piece was written in response to an
1802 play by Heinrich Joseph von
Collin.
“Symphonic Metamorphoses on
Themes” by Carl Maria von Weber
Paul Hindemith highlights the
innovative work of the 20th-century
German composer. Ranging from
tuneful exuberance to oriental themes
to neo-Baroque and jazz, the
composition will take listeners on a
musical ride through various styles.
Chopin’s “Piano Concerto” will
end the evening, spotlighting Fugo’s
skills on piano. Using the orchestra as
“a background carpet of sound,”
according to the program notes, the
piece employs the piano as its
sustaining voice. The second, and
more popular, of Chopin’s piano
concertos, the selection relies on both
the delicacy of the orchestra’s support
and the lyrical quality of the soloist’s
playing.
Thursday’s symphony orchestra
performance should make for a
musically exciting evening, giving
attendees the opportunity to see one of
USC’s own faculty on stage, featuring
a world-renown conductor.
The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. at
the Koger Center. Tickets are $18 for
the general public; $15 for senior
citizens, faculty and staff; and $8 for
students.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
Man stabbed during fight at Vibe awards show
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — A fight
broke out near the stage at the Vibe
awards ceremony as rapper Snoop Dogg
and producer Quincy Jones were
preparing to honor Dr. Dre., and one
person was stabbed, authorities and
witnesses said.
Dozens of people sitting near the stage
Monday inside a hangar at the Santa
Monica airport began shoving each other
as the show wound down about 7:30 p.m.
News video showed chairs being thrown,
punches flying, people chasing one
another and some being restrained.
It was unclear if the stabbing preceded
or followed the fight. The victim, a 26
year-old man, was taken to a hospital and
was listed in stable condition.
No arrests were made.
Witness Frank Williams said Dr. Dre
was involved in the brawl.
“I saw Dr. Dre fighting somebody,”
Williams told KCAL-TV. “I don’t know
if he .was fighting back. But there was a
guy taJcen out basically bloodied.”
The Los Angeles Times, citing an
unnamed associate of Dr. Dre, said the
melee broke out as the acclaimed hip-hop
producer was sitting at a front-row table
waiting to receive the Vibe Legend
Award. A man walked up to Dr. Dre’s
table and punched him, and Dr. Dre’s
bodyguards went after the man, the
associate said.
Dr. Dre was about to join Jones and
Snoop Dogg on stage to receive the award
for his lifetime contributions to hip-hop.
“Come on, your messing up my rap,
man,” Jones said.
Andrea Ferguson, employed by a
public relations firm that worked with
Vibe for the second annual awards
ceremony, called the incident a
“disruption” but declined to provide
details. She added the show was allowed
to continue but it was halted for about
five minutes.
“My understanding is that it was
somewhat chaotic in there,” police Lt.
Frank Fabrega said in a press conference
following the fight.
Aboi^t 1,000 people attended the
event; sime scurried for the exits when
the melee began. The show was taped
Monday and was expected to be broadcast
on the UPN network Tuesday.
“It’s really important that we don’t
take a negative incident like this and do
away with the awards,” Suge Knight told
reporters.
Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and the late
Tupac Shakur were among the artists
signed to Knight’s Death Row Records
during its height in the early 1990s. After
leaving the label, Dr. Dre started the
highly successful Aftermath Records,
which has signed stars including
Eminem.
When Knight was released in 2001
from a five-year prison term for assault
and weapons violations, Dr. Dre obtained
a court order to keep Knight away from
him, The Times said. It was unclear
whether the order remained in effect
Monday.
Vibe magazine focuses on urban
culture and entertainment. The awards
are voted on by music journalists and
“regional tastemakers.” R&B singer
Usher lecjr the awards with five
nominations, followed by Alicia Keys,
who had four nominations.
I Alicia Keys
accepts the
award for
Best R&B
Song for "If I
» Ain’t Got You”
at the Second
Annual Vibe
Awards on
Monday.
It
THE ASSOCIATED
PRESS