OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Don't be rude in the name of comedy
Feb. 11, 2016"It’s because you’re a woman.”
Opinion
OPINION
|
DARTS LAURELS
Darts & Laurels: 02/12/2016
Feb. 11, 2016Well friends, the time has come to raise the roof and have some fun. Throw away the work to be done, and let the music play on. Everybody sing, everybody dance and lose yourselves in the wild romance that is...
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Guest column: February updates - elections, online voting task force
Feb. 11, 2016Hello, students!
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Reshaping the college admissions process
Feb. 10, 2016For me, high school was not the environment that movies and television shows painted it as. There were no jocks with letterman jackets sitting in the hallway during class, chatting it up with cheerleaders. Not once did I see a straight-A student mocked or ridiculed for being academically focused. Friday afternoons lacked the aura of youthfulness and adolescent adventure that supposedly surround a rivalry football game that evening. Yes, we were all young, squinting as we desperately tried to see the future ahead of us, but I cannot help but feel that the culturally fabricated atmosphere of high school has been long gone.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Why is the book always better than the movie?
Feb. 10, 2016To quote one of my favorite authors: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that when it comes to quality, the book is better than the movie.”
OPINION
|
EDITORIALS
Editorial: SG elections and the necessity to vote with integrity
Feb. 10, 2016"I never encountered, in state and federal politics, activities as aggressive as at the University of Florida.” —Bob Graham, former U.S. senator and former governor of Florida
OPINION
|
EDITORIALS
Editorial: In today's wars, everybody loses
Feb. 9, 2016On Friday, online conservative publication The Daily Caller ran the attention-grabbing headline “Prof Bans Students From Saying ‘Husband’ Or ‘Wife’ Because It’s Not ‘Inclusive.’” Author Peter Hasson opens the article with the following sentence: “In just the latest instance of taxpayer-funded censorship, students in one University of Florida course have been banned from using words such as ‘husband,’ ‘wife,’ ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ in the classroom and risk losing points off their grade if they don’t comply.” “Taxpayer-funded censorship”? “University of Florida”? “Dad”?! Juicy, rage-inducing stuff, right? Let’s learn more: “In the syllabus for her ‘Creativity In Context’ class… UF professor Jennifer Lee informs students of her four-paragraph long classroom ‘communications policy’ that she says will enforce ‘ethical conduct’ in the classroom.” The controversial “ethical conduct” Hasson is speaking of refers to Lee’s provisions for inclusive language and behavior in the classroom. Such provisions include the substitution of gender-based words like boyfriend and girlfriend or husband and wife in favor of “partner” or ”significant other” and “family,” as to be “inclusive of alternative orientations and family structures.”
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Yes, 'aks' is a real, legitimate English verb
Feb. 9, 2016Few pronunciations in English are as controversial as that of the verb ‘aks.’ The top-rated definition for ‘aks’ on Urbandictionary.com puts it bluntly, summarizing all the critiques I’ve heard: “What retards say when they don’t know how to pronounce the word ask,” citing the hypothetical example, “Yo dogg… I gotta aks you a question.”
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Do pastors really need protecting?
Feb. 8, 2016As enticing and accessible as the 2016 presidential election is, there are other issues we Floridians ought to concern ourselves with. I’m speaking in particular of the Pastor Protection Act, which would absolve pastors of any liability to perform marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Book lovers and the Amazon expansion
Feb. 8, 2016As an English major, it goes without saying that books are a huge part of my life. They pile up on any and every flat surface in my apartment, slowly accumulating and overtaking my space. With my meager Ikea bookshelf packed to the brim, I’ve started using bedside tables, coffee tables, dressers and desks in an effort to contain them. I roll my eyes at anyone who dares suggest I buy a Kindle and wring my hands when my mother mentions our family history of hoarding. There are books worn and dog-eared from frequent readings, books I’ve only half-read, books I promise myself I’ll read one day (hello, “Infinite Jest”), and books that, let’s be honest, are just there for aesthetic purposes.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Rubio's policies are not truly conservative
Feb. 8, 2016As the Republican contention for who will win the party’s primary boils down to just nine candidates — only seven being worthy enough for Sunday night’s stage — a favorite and hopeful among Republican voters is Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. Particularly popular among Republican youth, Rubio has gained clout in staying relevant to voters despite having to contend with the show-stealing bravado of the party’s two frontrunners, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and the braggart billionaire Donald J. Trump, placing third in the Iowa caucus just behind “The Donald” himself.
OPINION
|
EDITORIALS
Editorial: Florida's death penalty is shameful
Feb. 8, 2016Judge, jury and executioner: Although this idiom is meant to refer to someone having ultimate power and authority over one’s fate, the legal system of the U.S. is designed in such a way that these three functions are meant to remain relatively distinct and act with a measure of independence from one another. Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court found two of these roles to be a little too close for its liking in the case of Hurst v. Florida.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: CDC recommendations are misguided
Feb. 7, 2016When there is a health crisis, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are often looked to as a voice of reason. In light of the movement attempting to link autism to vaccines, the centers heavily emphasized the importance of vaccinations on herd immunity. This past week, they came out with a recommendation that women who are sexually active, but not on birth control, should not drink alcohol because any amount of alcohol could be potentially harmful. The CDC reasoned, “Why take the risk?”
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Make the most of UF - find a mentor
Feb. 7, 2016As I near the end of my undergraduate career, lots of young people — I guess “young-er people” would be more accurate — have come to me asking for advice.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: The illusions we look to uphold as travelers
Feb. 7, 2016"It is lack of imagination that makes us come to imagined places, not just stay at home?”
OPINION
|
EDITORIALS
Editorial: Don't be a Ted Cruz
Feb. 7, 2016Here at the Alligator, we’re often accused of being a bastion of frightful liberal bias. We like to think we’re just empathetic to the less fortunate and are willing to call current events and public figures as we see them, but hey, to each their own.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: With the dominance of Abrahamic religion, atheism is important too
Feb. 4, 2016A solemn recollection of what dominated the headlines of major tabloids in 2015 and in the last few months reveals a rather unpleasant truth that may have eluded some of us: Humanity has taken a thorough beating.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Failure - it's inevitable, fortunately
Feb. 4, 2016As the first wave of exams arrives just in time to slug every UF student’s grades, time and sleep habits, now seems as good a time as any to mention it may be time to slow down.
OPINION
|
COLUMNS
Column: Sanders' Iowa performance sends a message
Feb. 4, 2016As of Monday, Iowans wrapped up the first stage of the presidential election — the first bit of the process that isn’t merely grandstanding. These are hard numbers, numbers that matter: numbers representing real human beings who will appoint each party’s candidate.
OPINION
|
DARTS LAURELS
Darts & Laurels: 02/05/2016
Feb. 4, 2016Friday: Great day of the week, or greatest? Friday is the day the shackles of the 9-to-5 workday are temporarily lifted from our weary limbs, and we are free to do whatever craft, hedonistic activity or rejuvenating escape we see fit to pursue. It is also, of course, the day we run Darts & Laurels, which is not only our gift to the city of Gainesville, but presents a weekly opportunity for us to work through our unresolved and conflicted feelings on the events that transpired during the week. With that far too confessional and revealing introduction out of the way, it’s time for… Darts & Laurels
