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Friday, April 10, 2026

Opinion

Florida Alligator
Opinion

Rain, CVS and the Gator Nation in today's Darts & Laurels

The big story at UF this week was the cancellation of the inaugural game of the 2014 Gator football season against Idaho. After hours of lightning delays, Gator fans got a small, exciting taste of the upcoming season when Valdez Showers — how appropriate — ran back the opening kickoff for 64 yards. Unfortunately, the game was immediately postponed, and eventually canceled, after more lightning was spotted nearby. For making The Gator Nation wait a whole extra week to start the football season, we give a really-bad-timing DART to Florida thunderstorms.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Republican staff’s China trip shows double standard

Two members of Florida’s congressional delegation, Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have gained reputations during their time in office for speaking out forcefully and frequently against communism, particularly the Fidel Castro regime in Cuba.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Media fall short with Ferguson, police brutality coverage

As the school year begins, UF students are preparing for the upcoming football season, the Greek fraternities and sororities are gearing up for Recruitment Week, and eager freshmen are stumbling through campus adorned with their Preview lanyards.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Neurodiversity is diversity, too

In my three years at UF, diversity has been at the center of my experience. I participated in the Gatorship retreat my freshman year and learned how to make campus more inclusive. 


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Corporations and Obama’s student loan decision

In the 2010 case of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations, for all intents and purposes, are human beings with the same rights as any American citizen. Citizens United and the recent Hobby Lobby case established that corporations are protected by the First Amendment, with both freedom of speech and religion.


Florida Alligator
Opinion

Darts and Laurels: Emmy's, Hannah Montana, political ads and ESPN

The Emmys were on Monday, and AMC smash hit “Breaking Bad” cleaned up for the fifth year in a row. Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul and Anna Gunn each won in their respective categories, as did Moira Walley-Beckett for writing “Ozymandias,” the show’s heart-stopping third-to-last episode. The show also won in the Outstanding Drama Series category, beating out other excellent series, including “Game of Thrones,” “True Detective” and “House of Cards.” “Breaking Bad” is undoubtedly one of the most innovative, complex and entertaining shows in modern TV history. It’s only fitting that Walter White goes out on top. We award a Crystal-Blue-Persuasion LAUREL to the Emmy voters. 


Florida Alligator
Opinion

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

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

Koch brothers influence on FSU sets risky precedent

Despite never having held any elected office, Charles and David Koch are two of the best-known, most influential political figures in the U.S. The brothers, who own and operate the megacorporation Koch Industries, have spent vast amounts of money on political advertising and campaign donations in recent years. 


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