OPINION
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COLUMNS
This is no time to dance in streets
By BILL O'CONNOR< | May 9, 2011"Hey man, aren't you from New York? A plane just hit the World Trade Center."
Opinion
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Darts & Laurels
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Apr. 19, 2011For all the time we’ve spent poking fun at the religious nuts on Turlington during our time at UF, now we’re the ones saying, “The end is nigh.”
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Columnist neglects to mention serious side effects
By Frank Coxon IV | Apr. 19, 2011I feel obligated to respond to Laura Ellermeyer’s Tuesday column on “study pills.” While I applaud her for denouncing their use, I feel she took the matter too lightly. I have ADHD and take Concerta (a form of Ritalin) and suffer the side effects she spoke of, but there are worse side effects as well. All the drugs she mentioned can cause chronic headaches (which I suffer from) as well as loss of appetite, heartburn, vomiting. And that’s just the mild symptoms. Worse symptoms include seizures, depression, heart trouble and sudden death, especially in adults with heart defects or previous heart problems. This can all be found on the PubMed Health website. There have been documented cases of children dying from a Ritalin dose their own doctor prescribed.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
One Year Later
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Apr. 18, 2011Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Although a year has passed, BP PLC still has some serious damage control to do. Of course, the oil giant focused on keeping its company’s name and reputation in tact during the crisis, which left many of us staring, mouths agape at video of oil spewing out of the Earth. Scientists and economists are giving us varied feedback on the outcome of the disaster.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Students tempted by pills during finals
By Laura Ellermeyer | Apr. 18, 2011Here’s the situation: Your exam is on Saturday and, let’s be honest, you never actually watched those Statistics lectures. You did most of the quizzes, attended various labs and it’s all coming down to a careful calculation that says you must score at least an 85 on the final for a B in the class. What’s the game plan? Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a pill that gave you a super brain blast allowing for hours of cramming without any of the pain? Forget getting a B, this pill would let you score high enough on the final to reach a nearly-impossible A. Well, that pill exists. In fact, many of those pills exist, and they go by various names such as Adderall, Vyvanse and Ritalin. The day is finally here, folks. Tomorrow marks the end of the 2010-2011 school year at UF, and the light at the end of the tunnel is so bright it’s almost blinding. Freshmen like me end our first year of college while seniors bid their college years adieu. For all of us, however, one pesky word separates us from our summers, and it starts with an F and ends with INALS. Library West is braced for stuffing to max capacity, and Starbucks has stocked its strongest espressos. No. 2 pencils at the ready UF; it’s finals time. How will you navigate these treacherous waters?
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Trippe-ing Up: Scott’s lawyer misspoke on rail budget
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Apr. 18, 2011You’d think it would be important to get the numbers right when you’re making a presentation about a budget of any kind. But when that argument is taking place in front of the Florida Supreme Court, and the money amounts you’re throwing around are in the millions and billions, any “minor” mistake becomes a huge one.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Government regulation not conservative
By Chad Kimes | Apr. 17, 2011In response to Bob Minchin’s column on Friday, I find it surprising that one who is appalled by intrusive government agencies and overbearing regulation believes government intrusion and regulation is necessary in the case of unwanted pregnancy. I guess I was wrong to assume a “true conservative” is actually conservative and not just a shill parroting the Republican party line.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Abortion the civil rights issue of the day
By Tasya Williamson | Apr. 17, 2011I would like to say thank you to Bob Minchin for sharing his views in Friday’s column “Abortion stance key to conservatism.” His extremely well-written dialogue not only exposes the shallow and inhumane actions of the “pro-choice” movement but also calls conservatives to act with passion and conviction.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Revenue Review
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Apr. 17, 2011With Tax Day here, we’ve come across news saying taxes collected on our nation’s top 400 incomes amount to 10 percentage points less than those collected in 1992. Sounds crazy compared to the average drop of 0.6 percentage points, doesn’t it? Well, keep in mind that 45 percent of American households pay no income taxes, according to the Tax Policy Center.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
What a difference a year can bring
By Zack Smith | Apr. 17, 2011What a difference a year can bring.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
LGBT community only wants equality
By Katie Faris | Apr. 17, 2011After reading the replies to Megan Bissell’s letter, published April 13, regarding Chick-fil-A’s support of anti-gay organizations, I must say that I too am an angry lesbian. The point both Andrew Robb and Ryan Galloway seemed to miss is that the university allows a corporation to profit off a Student Body that it oppresses. A business is entitled to its “moral” convictions just as much as anyone else. However, these ideals are not consistent with the inclusive and accepting values UF espouses. It is extremely unsettling to know that my school, which insists upon cultivating a diverse student culture, continues to involve itself with a corporation that blatantly perpetuates discrimination and hate against me. UF’s seemingly indifferent attitude in regard to this matter is just as good as its consent and agreement with Chick-fil-A’s actions. How can one feel safe and comfortable on a campus that funds political causes directly targeting its students?
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Women face undue burden in child care
By Umair Asghar | Apr. 17, 2011What is with the Bob Minchin column published on Friday? It’s like he doesn’t even try to understand what these women are going through. I will admit I am against abortions, but I at least try to understand why someone would do such a thing. How is a woman supposed to take care of a child if she gets paid a lower salary than a man? How is she supposed to take care of a child if child care costs are ridiculous? There are no American laws that give nursing women a break.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reader rejects abortion
By Jamie Edgerly | Apr. 14, 2011As a woman, I seem to be continually hearing that I need to make my voice heard in regard to abortion. So here it is.If it wasn’t for my mom deciding against abortion, I wouldn’t have written this. My mom was a junior in college when she got pregnant out of wedlock. Her family was very conservative, and she attended a Christian college. Mom could have aborted me and moved on with her life. Instead, she chose to keep me. She dropped out of college and got a full-time job. My great-grandparents looked after me while she worked. I asked Mom once why she didn’t choose abortion. She told me that she hadn’t had to think about it much; life is sacred even if it’s unexpected. Because of that, my voice will be raised in a resounding “no.” No to abortion, no to running from the consequences of sex, no to ending a life before it even draws a breath. Mom was scared of being a mother, but she accepted the responsibility of raising me.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Veganism easier than ever
By Ryan Huling | Apr. 14, 2011In response to your April 13 article “Downtown Cupcake Shop Serves Vegan-Friendly Fare,” I would like to thank Brittany Brave for highlighting some of the many delicious reasons to choose vegan sweets in Gainesville. Vegans have a mere fraction of the rate of heart disease, strokes, obesity and cancer that meat-eaters have, and they don’t support one of the most ecologically destructive and cruelest industries on Earth: animal agriculture.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Darts and Laurels
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Apr. 14, 2011It’s that time again.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Abortion stance key to conservatism
By Bob Minchin | Apr. 14, 2011“I am fiscally conservative but socially liberal.”
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Taunting makes its way to Congress
By Paula I. Penariu | Apr. 14, 2011Relegated primarily to elementary school playgrounds, taunting, name-calling, and insult-lobbing have made their way into the houses of Congress, according to a study released by Stanford and Harvard professors.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
No one wants to be tolerated
By Andrew Robb | Apr. 13, 2011The LGBT community doesn’t really care about tolerance. This couldn’t be any clearer after their reaction to Chick-fil-A.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Chick-fil-A not anti-gay
By Ryan Galloway | Apr. 13, 2011If Megan Bissell labels herself as an angry lesbian, I’d have to label myself as a broken-hearted Christian. Why? Because it sucks that our world breeds angry people, let alone angry lesbians, and it sucks that “Christians” often have been the least compassionate of all. For that, I’m sorry. Jesus’ message was uncompromising and offensive, yet the soft-hearted flocked to Him because of His supernatural love. I regret that many “Christians” don’t follow His example.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Obama charts middle ground on deficit
By Chad Mohammed | Apr. 13, 2011On the heels of an 11th-hour deal late Friday night that averted a government shutdown, the real debate has only now begun. Debate over the debt ceiling will be heating up; if we stay on the current course, the U.S. will reach the maximum borrowing limit of $14.31 trillion by mid-May. Additionally, the fiscal budget for 2011-2012 will be taking place. The reality of the situation is that the only remedy would be major cuts, coupled with tax increases. However, many on the right say we only have a spending problem and not a revenue problem, and many on the left refuse to cut spending in favor of only raising taxes.
