Ladies and gentleman, put on your green, get out your shamrocks, hide your gold from those greedy leprechauns, eat some corned beef ‘n’ cabbage and have a pint of Guinn— uh, green Kool-Aid, because tomorrow’s St. Patty’s Day!
Before you start celebrating the day of Irish cultural stereotypes (no, they really do drink a lot), take some time to read this week’s Gainesville-doesn’t-really-need-an-excuse-based-on-a-religious-holiday-commemorating-the-patron-saint-of-Ireland-to-party-but-we’ll-take-it edition of ...
Darts & Laurels
In the spirit of this weekend’s festivities, we start by throwing a you-do-realize-that-just-because-it’s-green-doesn’t-mean-it’s-Irish DART to the youngsters who indulge in green food coloring-tinted beverages instead of actual Irish brews.
Have a nice stout or an Irish cream ale, not some gross green High Life.
Despite the bill that passed the state legislature last week allowing UF and Florida State University to raise their tuition higher than the 15 percent annual limit, tuition at UF may not be rising as quickly as originally suspected.
For stating that he would wait to increase tuition to national average rates until Fall 2013, we give a way-to-step-on-the-breaks LAUREL to UF President Bernie Machen. Machen also said that he would initially only raise tuition to market rates for incoming freshmen.
You may now release some of the pressure from your wallet.
Got your brackets ready for the NCAA basketball tournament? So does the president of the United States.
Well, sort of.
For thinking that USF stood for the University of San Francisco and not the University of South Florida, we throw a hey-isn’t-something-going-on-in-the-Middle-East DART to President Obama.
The last thing you want to do in an election season is piss off Floridians.
Finally, a controversial business plan developed by New York-based marketing firm BBH Labs and used during Austin’s South by Southwest technology convention had a lot of people both fired up and amused.
The firm made homeless people in Austin during the conference walking “wireless hotspots.” They paid the volunteers from the homeless shelter $20 a day and let them keep all of the donations given to them in return for using the wireless service.
Contrary to the criticism and accusations of exploitation, we’re giving a what-an-innovative-way-to-make-the-homeless-visible-to-others-while-also-helping-them-make-some-money LAUREL to BBH Labs and the homeless shelter Front Steps, which helped put this program together.
The homeless volunteers were not forced to participate. What’s wrong with helping people make a few extra bucks?
Have a fun and safe weekend, and be sure to check back next week.
