Skip to Content, Navigation, or Footer.
Donate Now
Logo of The Independent Florida Alligator
Newsletter
Apartments in Gainesville, FL
We inform. You decide.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026

COVID-19

Florida Alligator
Opinion

"Twilight" inspires new readers

By Dana Connell | Sep. 9, 2009

In regards to the "Twilight" article, I agree that the series has no literary value. But then again, I have heard no one in my daily travels claiming that it is of literary merit. To attack something that isn't even claimed to be "literary" seems like too much wasted effort to me. I read the books when I was a freshman here, and I thought they were very entertaining. That was the goal, right? They had the same effect on me that "Harry Potter" did, to be perfectly honest, mainly because I didn't think "Harry Potter" was high-quality writing either. And although "Wuthering Heights" may be great writing, when was the last time anyone lost themselves in that book?

The Avenue

"Up" portrays awkward American life

By MARGARET GRECO | Sep. 9, 2009

Just so you know, "Up" is a play based on the life and family of a man who tied balloons to a lawn chair and ended up 16,000 feet in the air, not a stage adaptation of the 2009 Disney-Pixar cartoon with the same name. As long as you know this, you probably won't be confused for the entire first act by the lack of old men, little boys and flying houses. Not that I was. I can just imagine the confusion it might cause.

Florida Alligator
Sports

Jumpball: College fans just dedicated to team

Sep. 9, 2009

As usual, Kyle Maistri chooses to focus on the negatives and neglects the overwhelming positives about you, the college football fan. He fails to understand your unwavering passion and misconstrues your enthusiastic nature for something that it's not. Forgive him. He doesn't know any better. Unlike you and me, he doesn't embrace the joy of spending Saturday with 90,000 good friends.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Books do not need to be literary

By Caitlin Prichard | Sep. 9, 2009

I picked up "Twilight" because my roommates told me that I'd love it and I wouldn't be able to put it down, not because I was expecting the next great American novel or anything of the sort. While I don't know if "Twilight" has any literary value (in whatever sense of the phrase you mean, that is), I do know that I've never heard anyone claiming that it does. So what if high school students of the future never end up analyzing examples of conflict in the books and underlining metaphors describing Edward's appearance as akin to David? And for that matter, "Harry Potter" isn't scheduled to reach the classroom any time soon, either. It's still highly entertaining when I want to lose myself in a fictional story.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Health care debate ignores zombies

Sep. 9, 2009

In a few years, Sarah Palin will be a hot forty-something with her own little media empire. The thing we may remember most about Sarah Smile, though, could be the way she hijacked the multifaceted debate about end-of-life care and turned the whole thing into a screaming match about government "death panels."

Florida Alligator
The Avenue

Role-playing taps into fantasies

By BRANDT WILLIAMS | Sep. 9, 2009

A good friend of mine was recently in need of a "sexy librarian" outfit for a costume party and requested my expertise in locating the appropriately slut-tastic attire. After some shopping, I ensured that my friend was sexed up in a button-down blouse, tight-fitting pencil skirt, yellow Calvin Klein glasses, six-inch black heels and a neon blue corset. Weeks later I discovered that her supposed costume party was actually a party for two to indulge the fantasies of her nerdy boyfriend.

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Cheeburger Cheeburger not cheap

By Tina Priz | Sep. 9, 2009

I just have to write about Cheeburger Cheeburger at UF. I have been there three times and all three times there have been problems. My first time, I tried to order waffles. Guess what? They don't make waffles, but they are on the menu. The second time, for lunch, I ordered a hamburger. I had to wait 15 minutes because they were waiting on fries. Guess what? I didn't order fries. The orders in front of mine had fries, and they could only make four burgers at a time. So everybody after them had to wait even if they did not have fries. My third time, I tried to order a salad, and they tried to charge me $12.79 for one salad. The salad did not even have meat on it.

Popular
Calendar
No events at this time.
Submit an event
Classifieds
Submit classified
Powered by SNworks Solutions by The State News
All Content © 2026 The Independent Florida Alligator and Campus Communications, Inc.