Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | COLUMNS

Venezuela column wrong

Feb. 27, 2014

Eric Brown’s guest column demonstrated hypocrisy in two ways: Its title and its content emphasized why the viral video explaining today’s situation in Venezuela is one-sided. He then went on to emphasize the few improvements the Venezuelan government has accomplished while completely disregarding the country’s significant increase in murders, scarcity in basic day-to-day needs, tyrant rule over peaceful protests and censorship of the media.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Venezuela column doesn’t give whole truth

Feb. 27, 2014

Last Tuesday, a column ran in the Alligator titled “Viral video is one-sided” by UF student Eric Brown, in which he discussed Nicolás Maduro, Hugo Chávez and Venezuela. After reading it, I realized some things he said were partially true and some partially false.

OPINION | COLUMNS

‘Religious freedom’ bill ignites controversy

Feb. 27, 2014

The land home to the Grand Canyon brought a slew of controversy this week when reactionary legislators passed a religious freedom bill. The bill is an amendment that rides on the shoulders of an act that began after Native American Church members were fired for using psychedelic cacti more than a decade ago. It enshrines Arizona citizens’ rights to religious freedom by declaring that anything done or not done because of a “sincerely held” religious belief is well and good, so long as it doesn’t conflict with government interests.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Age and attitude: What accounts for alcohol abuse?

Feb. 26, 2014

Predictably, as March approaches, news outlets will start releasing “shocking exposés” revealing the “dark side of Spring Break” as if we didn’t know drunken college students fall off balconies in Panama City every year. Trend writers would have you believe all students view Spring Break as a weeklong free-for-all, and while this isn’t necessarily true — we have Habitat for Humanity and other things to do, after all — it’s true that alcohol abuse is a pervasive problem in American university culture.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Net neutrality is a thing of the past

Feb. 26, 2014

Think about the nature of the Internet. It’s anything and everything at your fingertips whenever you want it. One day, we will tell our children we lived in a time when information was truly free.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Beato’s minimum-wage column

By Jeremiah Tattersall | Feb. 25, 2014

On Feb. 18, Michael Beato wrote a highly erroneous piece about increasing the minimum wage. Today’s minimum wage is far below what it should be historically and continues to lose value every year. If the federal minimum wage had kept up with inflation, it would be about $10.75 an hour instead of $7.25. If the minimum wage had kept up with productivity, it would be $18.75. If it had grown at the same rate as wages for the top 1 percent, it would be more than $28.

OPINION | COLUMNS

It’s time to stop pretending what Student Government is and isn’t

Feb. 25, 2014

The words in this column come difficult for me, as I have many friends and colleagues who are currently enjoying a momentous win with the Swamp Party.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Get schooled: education system paradox in the US

Feb. 25, 2014

Education has always been a hot-button issue in this country. One side of this polarizing issue demands respect for teachers unions; the other says standardized testing is paramount.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Apple security flaw proves companies act in self-interest

Feb. 25, 2014

Yesterday, Apple released OS X 10.9.2, and if you haven’t already — download it ASAP.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Republicans to blame for Florida's ‘grim’ outlook

Feb. 25, 2014

A new study released by the Leroy Collins Institute on Florida’s economic and fiscal health paints a bleak picture of the state’s present and future.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

FCAT merit-based teacher pay: an unfair indicator

Feb. 24, 2014

Luckily, our FCAT days are behind us. After all, the snacks used as bribery tactics and all of the time out of class in the world couldn’t make up for the fact that state standardized testing is a waste of schools’ time and an unfair indicator of teacher and student success.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Bearded ladies and double standards

Feb. 24, 2014

Bearded ladies used to be ogled for entertainment as a part of freak shows that were popular from the mid-1800s to mid-1900s, but bearded ladies still exist today.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Fresh approach needed to tackle SG corruption

Feb. 24, 2014

Most UF students are by now familiar with the ongoing situation on campus. If you’ve read the disturbing ways the Swamp Party maintains its control over student leadership — as reported widely in the Alligator and the Fine Print — it’s not pleasant.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Viral video is one-sided

Feb. 24, 2014

Venezuela is in the international spotlight because of recent violent anti-government protests, which have garnered attention through social media. This past weekend, my news feed was filled with posts sharing a video titled, “What’s going on in Venezuela in a nutshell” and hashtags like #prayforvenezuela. I was immediately reminded of the frenzy involved with KONY 2012 in which people became “experts” on Uganda overnight.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Food ignorance is not healthy bliss

Feb. 24, 2014

For decades, popular food franchises and the American food industry have fought tooth and nail while the majority of the public just sits around and watches — or eats.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Crowdfunding: How to succeed in business without really trying

Feb. 23, 2014

If the creation of the much-anticipated “Veronica Mars” movie has proven anything, it’s that people are willing to crowdfund a good idea. However, a new phenomenon arose with the advent of crowdfunding: struggling business owners taking to online fundraising websites to plead customers to help them through rough times.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Toy story: In the defense of sex toys

Feb. 23, 2014

Wednesday night I found myself licking lube off my fingers in a classroom full of people.

OPINION | COLUMNS

State legislatures are more important than Congress, so pay attention

Feb. 23, 2014

In the age of cable news, political blogs and social media, it’s easy to focus on the political news in Washington, D.C. The noise clogs the pores of all three major cable news networks and permeates throughout the front pages of newspapers until it makes its way onto the web.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Manners matter: a common courtesy guide

Feb. 20, 2014

I always get pegged as nice. When I hold the door for a stranger: nice. When I tell someone his backpack is unzipped: nice. When I inform the barista at Starbucks someone left $20 unattended on the counter: nice.

OPINION | COLUMNS

BuzzFeed, sponsored content trending

Feb. 20, 2014

Thousands of years from now, historians and archeologists will be scouring Internet archives, and they’re going to find BuzzFeed. And it’s going to be really embarrassing.