This week, I have eagerly anticipated the Cheryl ’77 podcast episodes by UF’s Alisson Clark and Emily Cardinali. Alisson and Emily are on a mission to discover the author and intended recipient of a love note inscribed in the concrete sidewalk just off University Avenue in the courtyard by Matherly Hall on UF’s campus.
This week, I planted a live oak on the lawn of the Reitz Union near the Field and Fork Pantry. The planting ceremony was with Louise Fresco, the president of Wageningen University, in celebration of the collaboration between our universities and in honor of Wageningen’s centennial anniversary. Wageningen, based in the Netherlands, is the world’s No. 1-ranked university focusing on agriculture.
Returning from winter break, I am sure that many other students can sympathize with my struggle to avoid arguments over politics at family gatherings. My experiences have led me to this: Imagine if only people who voted were allowed to start arguments over the holiday dinner table?
On Friday, it was revealed Gen. Qassem Soleimani was killed in a drone strike ordered by President Trump. Because of this, the U.S. is lurching toward a dangerous situation in Iran.
I really hope someone in SG got a nice camera for Christmas, because it sure seems like they need one.
I have dreaded this exact moment: My acrylic nails tapping against my phone at 3:41 a.m. as I type into the notes app.
Wow, I’m finally leaving the godforsaken basement office that is The Alligator. Despite my cries to never come back at the end of every semester, it is a year and a half later and I’ve finally reached the point where I truly can’t come back. As a Leo sun and Virgo rising, I’m deeply unemotional, so I don’t know how to be sentimental. Instead, I'm just going to spew a bunch of words and stop when I feel like I’ve run out of things to say as a true fire sign with a Gemini moon.
Getting a pet in college is a great idea. Any dog, cat, fish or chicken would make a great companion. We all need some animal affection in college, especially as finals approach. Kitten snuggles or puppy kisses might be exactly what you need at this time of year. Plus, they provide great emotional support. I recommend that every responsible college student have a pet, but think carefully before you add a tail-wagging pal to your family. If you do decide to get a furry, feathered or scaly companion, be conscious of where you are getting them from, and be certain that you are prepared to commit to this creature for the rest of its life.
Representative democracy is founded upon the idea that citizens can confidently waive their direct voice in governmental affairs to elected legislators who will serve their best interests. This assumption is strong, and it often does not hold very well in practice.
This is something that’s been on my mind a lot lately. Standing at the end of the semester now, there are great obstacles to face over the next few weeks, but there are even more behind us. You may have overcome some of those obstacles successfully and failed to overcome others. And, while I’m confident we’ll all face our upcoming challenges to the best of our ability, it’s possible we might not live up to the expectations we’ve set for ourselves. But falling short of them is not just okay, it’s normal.
Underneath your success, imposter syndrome loves to roam. It transforms your achievements into bundles of doubts. It belittles all those hours of hard work into luck that you don’t deserve.
Last week saw the repetition of what is now a tradition in the U.S.’ consumer culture: Black Friday. We all know what Black Friday looks like: mobs of people in a store rushing for extraordinary deals, people camping outside to get first dibs on a cheap TV or appliance and poor employees enduring all the madness. However, while this chaotic scene may have once had some appeal, time, the evolution of the Internet and our growing awareness of environmental and consumer issues is making Black Friday an irrelevant celebration. It’s time to acknowledge that.
In the first week of November, our president was ordered by a state judge to pay $2 million in damages to nonprofit groups. This came after he admitted to the misuse of funds raised by the Donald J. Trump Foundation to promote his run for the presidency, pay off business debts and purchase a self-portrait for one of his hotels. The award of damages marks the end of a legal battle that’s been taking place since 2016 when New York’s attorney general accused the Trump family of using the foundation for business and campaign purposes. The cash in question was raised at a fundraiser intended for veterans in Iowa, which Trump later acknowledged as a campaign event.
Editor's Note: This letter includes details of a statement made by IDF reserve member Yoni Michanie in which he said that protesters referred to him as a Nazi while he was speaking at UF. Recent reporting by The Alligator includes first-hand testimony from students, a UF professor and videos of the protest that do not corroborate Michanie's claim of paper signs referring to him as such. The author of this letter did not attend the event.
On Tuesday, UF’s Students for Justice in Palestine organized a vigil and walkout during an event featuring former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) sergeant Yoni Michanie. The event commemorated yet another year of SJP organizers putting together a vigil to mourn those in Gaza. Year after year, Israel attacks unprotected Gaza with state of the art bombs and missiles. Following the 2014 conflict between Israel and Palestine, the United Nations came out with a report in 2018 stating that Gaza could become uninhabitable by 2020 if the conditions remained as they were.
On Friday, Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield hit the big time on Nintendo Switch after eight months of hype. In light of this notable step for the franchise – seeing a main-series game on a console for the first time – I thought it’d be prudent to look back on some of the best games in the series so far.
Mental illnesses are colorblind, but the barriers to treatment aren’t. Previously, I wrote about some of the ways that immigrant communities were disproportionately affected by mental illnesses, which made me interested in our undocumented population in the United States. Roughly 10 million strong, they live in perpetual fear and anxiety, often without any sustainable way of getting professional help. Most conversations thus far have been focused on how to eliminate overt barriers to healthcare, but for this community’s sake, more needs to be said about eliminating the underlying psychosocial barriers.
This piece is dedicated to Netflix’s original film “Tall Girl” and those involved in its production. Before I watched this movie, I didn’t realize I have been a part of an oppressed minority my entire life. Being a relatively tall female, I finally feel as though I am being properly represented.
We can’t argue against social media’s influence — in fact, we already made an argument stating how important it really is.
Usually, the editorial board likes to take it easy on Fridays and publish a series of “Darts and Laurels” in order to lighten the mood for the weekend and provide our opinions on different things happening in the news.
Solutions by The State News
