Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Comment was not offensive to gays

By Andrew Briefman | Apr. 3, 2008

Lighten up! Jay Leno was not insulting the entire LGBTQ community by asking Ryan Phillippe to give the camera his "gayest look." First of all, that doesn't make any sense, and second of all, it was not a derogatory comment. I don't even know what a "gay look" is, nor do I have a "gay look," a "Jewish look" or any other look for the things that I am. The fact that Phillippe played a gay character on an American soap opera was a huge event, and I'm glad Leno brought it up. It seemed like Leno was making Phillippe very uncomfortable more than anything else, and I do commend Phillippe for not going along with it.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Nagesh should show his voter's card

Apr. 3, 2008

Although I am hesitant to render an opinion on such a silly matter, there seems to be an obvious answer to "Nageshgate." Though Student Government often seems a lot like play government, it is a part of the overall civic process. So the question in determining where Nagesh truly is in the civic sphere should be answered by his voter registration card. If he is part of the civic network at one location in terms of every other level of government, it should carry over to his participation in Student Government. Has someone asked to see Mr. Nagesh's voter registration card or checked with the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections Office?

OPINION | COLUMNS

Common disease affects productivity

By CARLY HALLAM | Apr. 3, 2008

Glory Hallelujah! It's finally the last month of school. This is really great news for anyone with exciting summer plans or a profitable job awaiting them in the real world. For me, it's good news for a number of reasons. One of them being my health. I have a severe and highly contagious problem that I'm sure won't go away until May 4.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

By the Editorial Board | Apr. 3, 2008

It's sad to think that only a year ago this week, we were all still on a national-championship-winning high thanks to the UF men's basketball team. Despite the depressingly absent University Avenue celebration this year - and the corresponding embarrassing loss Tuesday to the University of Massachusetts that had us drinking for an entirely different reason - we soldiered on. So for a quick pick-me-up before you start the weekend, join us for this week's edition of…

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Corruption in Senate needs to be fixed

By Leslie Veiga | Apr. 3, 2008

For the last few days I've been called an unethical grandstander because I called for the resignation of a senator who ignored both common sense and the law when overseeing the appointment of a replacement senator.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Faulkner seeks to stifle knowledge flow

By Patrick Flanagan | Apr. 2, 2008

Faulkner Press is suing Einstein's Notes for copying class notes without the professor's permission. Wait, what? I thought college was about passing on knowledge. I guess Faulkner Press disagrees.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Lawsuit is about professor's profits

By Crystal Mason | Apr. 2, 2008

I find it disgusting that there is a lawsuit over Einstein's Notes. I took Michael Moulton's Wildlife Issues class in 2005, and I was required to buy the mandatory "electronic textbook." At the time, it was $80 - a lot for a college student. The contents were nothing more than a CD, DVD and a booklet seemingly no larger than a driver's education manual. All of this mass-produced, all of this what I would call "cheap quality" and all overpriced.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Senator's multiple addresses suspicious

By the Editorial Board | Apr. 2, 2008

In yet another indication that UF's Student Government is destined to continue business as usual, the Student Senate Rules and Ethics Committee decided to unanimously allow Sen. Sheldon Nagesh to continue representing District E despite pressing concerns about his true residential address - which is anyone's guess at this point.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

China has history of crushing dissent

By Ian Schleifer | Apr. 2, 2008

I can't help but wonder if recent letters defending China's "liberation" (invasion) of Tibet were penned by Chinese Communist Party members doing student work at UF. This is the official party line in a country without a free press, where opposition to one-party, communist rule is dealt with harshly and quickly. Americans remember the events of Tiananmen Square some years ago, when hundreds of student protesters were shot and killed while peacefully assembling. But the younger generation of Chinese don't; they receive information only after it has been carefully scrutinized and edited by the country's 30,000 government-employed Internet censors, among others.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Student Senate Judiciary Committee chairman

By Sam Miorelli | Apr. 2, 2008

Committee meetings broke Florida law

OPINION | COLUMNS

Late-night comment was out of line

By Chelsea Fiddyment | Apr. 2, 2008

I don't watch much television, especially late-night shows. Conan, Letterman, the whole bunch - I just don't find them funny. But worse than all the others, in my mind, is Jay Leno. Though I shiver at the thought, I could sit through a Fall Out Boy concert in its entirety before I could do the same for "The Tonight Show." To top it off, Leno is so lacking in wit that his only apparent back-up is bigotry.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Partisan politics distract from duty

By Thomas Cockriel | Apr. 2, 2008

Student Senate reporting needs to be more representative of Senate's business. Wednesday's article referencing the call for Senate President Kellie Dale's resignation was an example of irresponsible journalism; a higher degree of integrity needs to be used when reporting on senate meetings.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Tibet needs to be considered in context

By Gelin Looi | Apr. 2, 2008

The recent furor over the way China handled the Tibetan riot only highlighted the wide cultural gap between the Western World and China. From an ethnic Chinese point of view, the Tibetan uprising violated two extremely important rules of social conduct within the Chinese society.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Party takes back seat in SG committees

By Kellie Dale | Apr. 2, 2008

I began my term as Student Senate president excited about leading a two-party Senate that would exercise dynamic debate to create fresh ideas and new perspectives for the student body. In order to accomplish that, however, I believe its necessary that we consider senators not based on their party affiliation but rather on the ideas and goals they have to improve the University of Florida.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Stopping abstinence-only curriculum makes sense

By the Editorial Board | Apr. 1, 2008

Earlier last month, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the findings from a groundbreaking study on sexual activity among American teens, and the news was not good.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Taxpayer money bails out corporations

Apr. 1, 2008

The failure of government to properly regulate the economy has directly lead to the subprime mortgage mess that is now the proverbial millstone hanging around the neck of the nation's economy, threatening to plunge us into a Great Depression redux.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

'State colleges' wouldn't help Florida's universities

By the Editorial Board | Mar. 31, 2008

As the greater need for access to higher education becomes more apparent, some lawmakers have come up with a seemingly straightforward solution.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Homeless crimes relevant to debate

By Ed Braddy | Mar. 31, 2008

They say "ignorance is bliss," but I had no idea it was the Alligator's editorial policy. In criticizing my records request for criminal activity involving the homeless in the March 26 editorial, the editors suggest citizens are better served by the absence of information. I know the Alligator's readership consists primarily of young men and women with high cognitive abilities who are sharpening their reasoning skills through rigorous course work. Alligator editorials, by contrast, serve as intellectual "Spring Break."

OPINION | COLUMNS

Diversity, obscure classes offer value

By GERALD LILES | Mar. 31, 2008

About 30 years ago, the Sabine tribe of Mount Elgon in Uganda was approached by the country's government. They were asking if the Sabine could move outside of the new boundaries of the national park. It was a little surprising, as the Ugandan officials were the first human beings they had ever seen other than themselves. The tribe had been isolated so long they literally thought they were the only people on the planet.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Accurate facts are available

By Gregory Jones | Mar. 31, 2008

I am writing in response to Friday's letter submitted by Mr. Jianlin Li regarding the Chinese occupation of Tibet. It is a shame to see individuals, such as Mr. Li, not taking advantage of the opportunity to access and review uncensored news and historical publications.