Opinion
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reitz Union needs repairs despite vote
By Alex Cornillie | Mar. 3, 2010Amidst all the turmoil of the recent UF student government election, one important fact seems to have been forgotten: The critical repairs that the Reitz Union needs aren’t going away simply because the referendum vote didn’t pass. The reality is $42.5 million dollars of problems still remain in our student union.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Undead McCain pushes vitamin bill
Mar. 3, 2010With most of the national political spotlight soaked up by a lurching, half-hearted détente concerning health care, Sen. John McCain sneaked a bill onto the Senate floor last month that could drastically reshape the entire supplement and vitamin industries. Washington insiders, speaking anonymously and way off the record, believe that this never would have happened if McCain were still alive.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Go, Joe, Go: Lieberman’s bill is step in right direction
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Mar. 3, 2010Joe Lieberman finally did something right.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Profile misrepresented subject
By Breanne Palmer | Mar. 3, 2010I am writing in response to staff writer Jared Misner’s article about Marvene Edwards. I was aghast at some of the offensive, condescending phrasing and terminology Mr. Misner employed while telling this woman’s unparalleled story of courage in the face of certain death and unspeakable physical abuse. I found his use of the flashback sequencing in his storytelling quite distracting and a hindrance during reading, and the lack of a proper timeline left the article formless. Mr. Misner’s description of the town of Princeton, Fla., was full of unnecessary data — what was the point of mentioning the racial and financial makeup of said suburb? His likening Ms. Edwards’ drug addiction and HIV infection to leprosy literally left me agape. Mr. Misner’s classification of Ms. Edwards as an inhabitant of another world further alienates her from society as a whole, something I am certain Ms. Edwards would not welcome. I do not believe that this writing style did Ms. Edwards’ story justice, and I hope that in the future your writers will perhaps show some more sensitivity to the subjects of their human interest articles.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Americans should give gay couples a chance at marriage
By Jared Misner | Mar. 2, 2010Two capital cities will make history this week as they join the exclusive club of five states and seven countries that allow same-sex marriages.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Too Little, Too Late
By Alligator Editorial Board | Mar. 2, 2010As of Tuesday, nearly 800 people have died as a result of the earthquake in Chile. Individuals and corporations alike are coming to the aid of victims any way they can. But it’s frustrating to watch as some mask avarice with fake generosity.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Van-napping: Alligator hopes its van will be returned
By Alligator Editorial Board | Mar. 2, 2010A shadow descended upon the Alligator staff Monday night.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
‘Wasteful’ spending not always bad
By Joshua Lee | Mar. 2, 2010As I grow older and have more things to pay for, I find that money has taken on an increased significance in my life. When I was younger, having money was never really that big of a deal. This was because it was my parent’s money and I was a greedy little candy addict. When I did have some coins and bills, it barely stayed in my pocket before I blew it on some chocolate or Twizzlers. Nowadays, I still live off my parents but have come to appreciate the almighty dollar a little bit more. However, when I hear about people blowing millions of dollars on comic books, as two anonymous buyers did for the original Superman and Batman comics last week, I am not stunned at how people can spend so much money on so little. Rather, I applaud someone for spending the money on a hobby or personal dream, as long as it does not hurt someone else.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Web documentation desensitizes us
Mar. 1, 2010Are we fostering a “culture of personal documentation” — that is, a culture in which we must record, document and publicize the events in our lives instead of merely experiencing them?
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Screaming matches will get you nowhere
By The Alligator Editorial Board | Mar. 1, 2010The “Islam is of the Devil” people found themselves on Turlington Plaza Monday, and they got just what they wanted – attention. Some people come to Turlingon wanting to have conversations, others just want to inflame and hear the sound of their own voices.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Partisanship plagues US political system, personal lives
By Brittany Fox | Mar. 1, 2010It’s more widespread than Olympic fever. It’s more of a heath risk than H1N1.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fee campaigners show hypocrisy
By ADAM WATTS | Feb. 28, 2010Despite 56 percent opposition to a new fee, Student Body President Jordan Johnson and Alex Cornillie, the Renew Your Reitz campaign spokesman, say that the issue of a fee to pay for Reitz Union expansion is not off the table.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
The case for urban agriculture
By K. RASHID NURI | Feb. 28, 2010In his State of the Union address, President Obama enumerated ongoing problems requiring his attention: health care, the economy, job creation, environmental issues and lack of renewable fuels. In doing so, he suggested that increasing agricultural exports would help solve some of these problems.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Our generation too quick to diagnose
By Ryan Spencer | Feb. 28, 2010Last Thursday, just when I was about to align myself with the Editorial Board’s defense against elder generations’ grumblings about the lay of the 21st century land, I stumbled upon a preview of the American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, or the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Now, I’m standing with our Golden Folks on their side of the issue, although their stance in this matter has less to do with our generation’s intelligence and more to do with society’s ever-flaccidifying grit.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
SG dictatorship no longer possible
By GRAHAM CLARK | Feb. 28, 2010Student Body President Jordan Johnson shows contempt for democracy. On Thursday morning, the lame-duck president asked the UF Board of Trustees to move forward with creating a new tuition fee to fund an unnecessary expansion of the Reitz Union, ignoring the will of the majority of students who voted against such a fee in last week’s election.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Columnist should apologize or be fired
By Frank White | Feb. 28, 2010I am shocked and saddened that a publication that claims to be as progressive and tolerant as the Alligator would publish Paul Murty’s vile and hate-filled rant Friday about a group of Americans exercising their constitutional right of assembly, the Conservative Political Action Conference.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
The Reitz Thing: SG should listen to student votes
By Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 28, 2010We know Student Government likes to think of itself as a real government, and with its $14.4 million budget we can see the argument. But now it’s time for SG to remember the No. 1 lesson of democracy: When the voters speak, you listen.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Reader urges others to avoid trolling
By ALEX SALAMANCA | Feb. 25, 2010Over the past several weeks and the next few weeks, students have and will continue to be trolled hard. For those unaware of what trolling is (we’ve all been trolled), trolling is when someone purposely antagonizes others by posting inflammatory content, thereby causing others to rage. It’s like the Hatfield-McCoy feud. One party makes a claim; the other counters. It never ends. This back-and-forth also reminds me of a “Girls Gone Wild” tug-of-war: Everyone pulls for his or her own side, but in the end both sides end up dirty and in some awful video. So, to all of UF, do whatever you can do to end this repetitive and boring back-and-forth. Or do nothing. I suppose you’re getting trolled if you do something because you’d be raging – bummer. Oh well, you now know you’re being trolled every day, and in writing this I’m even trolling myself. Damn. Whatever it be, don’t feed the troll. And don’t rage hard when you get trolled hard.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Politicians shouldn’t favor extremism
By PAUL MURTY | Feb. 25, 2010As many of you may know, the Conservative Political Action Conference occurred in Washington, D.C., this past weekend. A variety of conservative-leaning Americans attended the conference, such as anti-homosexual rights advocates and anti-liberal media activists, setting up booths to promote a plethora of causes.
