I know I will probably catch some criticism for writing about this, but I feel it needs to be said. Wednesday, Sen. Joe Lieberman introduced the first “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal bill. Although the bill lacked any Republican support, it was still a step in the right direction.
You’ve got to love Monday morning. Most spend it with a bitter sense of injustice at having to wake up after a relaxing weekend. I partake in that activity with the added sense of injustice at having to go to Orgo 2. This particluar Monday, however, I was greeted with a new sense of wrong.
If I were in Student Government, I’d shake my head this week wondering why the Reitz referendum didn’t pass. But it wasn’t clear who the referendum represented.
With most of the national political spotlight soaked up by a lurching, half-hearted détente concerning health care, Sen. John McCain sneaked a bill onto the Senate floor last month that could drastically reshape the entire supplement and vitamin industries. Washington insiders, speaking anonymously and way off the record, believe that this never would have happened if McCain were still alive.
As I grow older and have more things to pay for, I find that money has taken on an increased significance in my life. When I was younger, having money was never really that big of a deal. This was because it was my parent’s money and I was a greedy little candy addict. When I did have some coins and bills, it barely stayed in my pocket before I blew it on some chocolate or Twizzlers. Nowadays, I still live off my parents but have come to appreciate the almighty dollar a little bit more. However, when I hear about people blowing millions of dollars on comic books, as two anonymous buyers did for the original Superman and Batman comics last week, I am not stunned at how people can spend so much money on so little. Rather, I applaud someone for spending the money on a hobby or personal dream, as long as it does not hurt someone else.
Two capital cities will make history this week as they join the exclusive club of five states and seven countries that allow same-sex marriages.
Are we fostering a “culture of personal documentation” — that is, a culture in which we must record, document and publicize the events in our lives instead of merely experiencing them?
It’s more widespread than Olympic fever. It’s more of a heath risk than H1N1.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama enumerated ongoing problems requiring his attention: health care, the economy, job creation, environmental issues and lack of renewable fuels. In doing so, he suggested that increasing agricultural exports would help solve some of these problems.
Last Thursday, just when I was about to align myself with the Editorial Board’s defense against elder generations’ grumblings about the lay of the 21st century land, I stumbled upon a preview of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now, I’m standing with our Golden Folks on their side of the issue, although their stance in this matter has less to do with our generation’s intelligence and more to do with society’s ever-flaccidifying grit.
As many of you may know, the Conservative Political Action Conference occurred in Washington, D.C., this past weekend. A variety of conservative-leaning Americans attended the conference, such as anti-homosexual rights advocates and anti-liberal media activists, setting up booths to promote a plethora of causes.
As one of the most important battles in the war on terror rages in the Taliban stronghold of Marja, Afghanistan, another battle is being fought on American soil over the fate of suspected terrorists.
The topic for today is voting. Or, more precisely, not voting.
For the job I’m going to have next year, I had to take a computer skills test this week. There were ten questions, each one testing a random aspect of using computers.
Today and tomorrow, we’re going to have an opportunity to vote on a ballot question to register the Student Body’s opinion on whether UF should affiliate with the Worker Rights Consortium, a labor rights advocacy group that works against sweatshops through factory monitoring and investigations. If UF affiliates with the WRC, it will help ensure that UF apparel isn’t made with sweatshop labor.
An issue that plagued me considerably last year has recently resurfaced with the addition of wide receiver Donté Stallworth to the roster of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Stallworth, who nabbed passes for the Cleveland Browns during the 2008 season, was arrested in March of 2009 and charged with DUI manslaughter after hitting 59-year-old Mario Reyes. This event garnered a modest amount of media coverage and paled in comparison to the circus surrounding the Michael Vick case. It’s this disparity in coverage and, more specifically, public outrage that’s at the root of my dismay.
It’s that time of year again. The smell of freshly cut grass is in the air, and the faint crack of a wooden bat can be heard in the distance, or at least in your heart. That’s right — it’s baseball season. The happiest time of year for me. Not only is the Gators baseball team getting ready to open its season — one that offers the hope of another trip to Omaha, Neb., and the College World Series — but major league teams are reporting for their first workouts.
I thought nothing had the ability to drag me kicking and screaming away from a television when high-stakes international curling was on, but the substantial debate surrounding the Student Government elections at UF this year managed to do the trick.
“It’s time.” That simple phrase means more than just a great video produced by the Student Alliance party. It represents a fundamental change from politics as usual in Student Government. When 80 percent of students do not vote in SG elections, it’s not hard to wonder why they feel SG is out of touch at best and disingenuous at worst when it comes to hearing student voices.
The United States is a country that, while undoubtedly a strong and immensely powerful leader in many areas of global society, faces several serious issues as it pushes forward into the future. Beyond issues such as ongoing wars, steady unemployment and reality TV shows giving birth to other, far worse reality TV shows, one specific issue rises above the rest in its level of importance and the amount of immediate action we must take to combat its potential effects. This issue is a growing ignorance by a majority of our population toward confronting and solving the major problems and questions facing our nation today. This ignorance is being supported by an overall lack of resolve and patience, partisan bickering and a tendency for the national consciousness to be distracted and concerned with issues of far lesser importance.
Solutions by The State News
