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Wednesday, August 13, 2025

Opinion | Columns

Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Undercover Colors: genius or misguided?

Facebook has fallen out of favor with me. Between endless streams of Ice Bucket Challenge videos and depressing life updates I otherwise would’ve forgotten about long ago, I only have one reason to visit the website anymore: to see whatever the latest BuzzFeed post is, scoff at it and then read it intently. 


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Stay lean and green this semester with Meatless Mondays

Starting college can be an exciting yet daunting experience. It’s not surprising that with all the stress that comes with it, some new students gain the dreaded Freshman 15. A study published in Nutrition Journal found that nearly a quarter of freshmen gain at least 5 percent of their body weight during their first semester, an average of about 10 pounds in just a few months.   


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Economy damaged by Current method of calculating trade deficit

Last year the U.S.-China trade deficit was $318 billion. The U.S. Department of Commerce calculates the deficit by subtracting the value of what we import from what we export, which accurately calculates the overall trade deficit. However, this method is misleading and potentially damaging to the U.S. economy.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

In Defense of the Ice Bucket Challenge

Just a couple of weeks ago, I logged into my Facebook and saw that I was tagged in a friend’s status. It was a video of someone pouring a bucket of ice water all over herself and nominated me, along with a few others, to participate in something called the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. 


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Locals: Pay attention to Plum Creek

If you’ve seen the eastern half of Gainesville, there’s no question that we are home to seriously impoverished areas. A lack of quality jobs and economic development keeps the area depressed and few — if any — local leaders currently hold the key to solving the never-ending crisis. Some Gainesville residents are pinning their hopes to a company who owns more land than anyone else in Alachua County.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Redistricting leads to gridlock in Capitol

Throughout the school year, students are rewarded for their hard work with occasional breaks from the rigors of academia. Following the grueling ends of each semester, we are released from the clutches of term papers, exams and presentations to spend a few precious weeks relaxing and recharging our batteries. 


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Hamas hasn’t and won’t respond to Israel’s plea for peace

You walk into a restaurant at 6:55 p.m. in anticipation of your 7 p.m. date. When 7:10 p.m. approaches, there is no sign of your date. And when you cautiously pick up the phone to call, there is no answer. You wait a little longer and call again. Someone picks up the phone, and within a mere second, the call is ended.


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

World events don’t need US’ blessing

America must come to grips with an uncomfortable reality: Our world influence is beginning to wane. The two main crises that have dominated the airwaves for the past few weeks, the Malaysian Airline downed by Russian-backed Ukrainian separatist forces and the latest chapter in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, have made this development perfectly clear. We have overstretched, overreached and overplayed our influence for too long.  


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Step out of the way, government haters

As late July turns to August, a few events are certain: Fall semester starts in just four short weeks, Gator football kicks off and the home stretch 2014 election begins. With the election looming, along with the glut of negative advertising, constant phone calls, campaign emails and fundraising requests, it’s time we broach a serious topic. 


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Is it possible to categorize the right?

Because the political right is full of an interesting bunch of characters, many in the media struggle to properly identify and categorize its different ideological camps. The right is said to be made up of mainstream, business-friendly, Tea Party, libertarian, neoconservative, religious-minded or simply extremist groups. 


Florida Alligator
OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Florida and Georgia’s commonality: Lousy governors

Florida and Georgia are rivals on a sizable scale. The annual football game between UF and the University of Georgia in Jacksonville can resemble preparations for a large war between two enemies, but it seems that the two rivals have more in common than we think.


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