Opinions - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Gainesville will seek biomass plant proposals

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 8, 2007

This is just what we love to hear. The sustainability-obsessed, tree-hugging, bicycle-powered, compact-fluorescent-light-bulb-buying (which we recycle when they burn out because they contain potentially harmful mercury), recycling enthusiasts here at the Alligator are, like, totally excited, man, about the proposed biomass plant that will eventually be built at Gainesville Regional Utilities' Deerhaven site.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Last week's news was laughable

By VINCENT MASSARO | Oct. 7, 2007

If all news is bad and no news is fake, then wouldn't that make all fake news good? I don't see why not.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Global warming needs political priority

By Anthony Piferrer | Oct. 7, 2007

As the Arctic ice cap melts at an alarming rate and the biggest recent headlines are about global warming, it's easy to think that the issue would be moving its way rapidly up the policy priority ladder for governments (notably ours) to slam the brakes on a catastrophe. Just read this week's Time Magazine, and you'll see that what's turning governments' heads toward the North isn't the glaring nightmare of a global climate shift but rather, the almighty dollar.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Classes for learning not socializing

By Richard Ruth | Oct. 7, 2007

One of the things that has been driving me nuts this semester is the seemingly complete lack of manners presented by a few students in our lecture halls. What should you do when your instructor starts to speak? Shut up and listen, right? I didn't show up to listen to you chatting with your girlfriends about how lame today's video was or your thoughts about yesterday's test in a completely different course.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dropped charges set poor example

By David Wilsey | Oct. 7, 2007

Everyone is to be excused for believing that the Gators football program existed within the broader UF community. The Tony Joiner incident has demonstrated the reverse: The UF community falls within jurisdiction of the Gators football program. What is good for the program trumps what is good for the greater community.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Crist changes mind on tuition hike

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 7, 2007

Well, well, well. It seems Gov. Charlie Crist has finally come around to our side. Not willingly, of course. That would be crazy talk.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Gators team will be great by next year

By Nicholas Bretagna II | Oct. 7, 2007

I just want to say that while, like anyone else, I was disappointed by the loss to Louisiana State University, I want to commend each and every one of the players for an impressive show - I think many people forget that these kids are mostly 18, 19 and 20 years old, and many of them made only their sixth collegiate start (all too many their sixth collegiate game) and, despite that, for 50 minutes, they dominated the No. 1 team in the nation in a very hostile venue.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Football > Law

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 7, 2007

Something seems a little shady.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Fall election turnout one of the highest

By Frank Bracco | Oct. 4, 2007

The Alligator really downplayed this fall's SG election turnout. Considering the horrible weather, lack of real competition and limited campaigning, it was impressive to see this election garner one of the highest turnouts in fall campaign history. In fact, this year's turnout set a record for normal fall election turnout.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Task force not representative of students

By Mark McShera | Oct. 4, 2007

Well folks, it looks like Student Body President Ryan Moseley's Student Government administration is on track to let us down again. I am writing about the task force which will review UF's event management and the University Police Department's practices.

OPINION | COLUMNS

Technology hinders new revolutions

By COLLEEN SHEA | Oct. 4, 2007

Bubbling beneath the everyday lives of a growing number of college students is the urge to reignite the tie-dye colored flames of another hippie revolution.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Election campaigning needs tweaking

By Kayla Muller | Oct. 4, 2007

Hooray! SG elections are finally over. I no longer have to dodge perky Gator Party representatives as they try to attack me on Turlington Plaza. In high school, I was heavily involved with student government, but I never attacked unwilling participants as they walked to class.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 4, 2007

It's a wild, wild world. This week has proven that to us. Student Government elections always seem a little animalistic - shark-like senate candidates preying on unsuspecting students, poll workers who seemed as slow as snails, plenty of revelers at the Orange & Brew who had a whale of a time. After all, we're animals, too. So hear us roar in this week's menagerie of…

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Procrastination shows lack of discipline

By Christopher O'Leary | Oct. 4, 2007

I'd like to respond to Wednesday's U-Wire column, "More useful classes, please."

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Meyer and Kevorkian events are separate

By Justin Roth | Oct. 3, 2007

Andrew Meyer strikes again! However, this time we didn't see it coming. Only his actions could effectively assist in the suicide of another campus speech. I can only assume that in light of recent events, UF President Bernie Machen believes postponement of a "controversial" speaker will somehow ease tension and tame the chaos he has created.

OPINION | COLUMNS

End of Student Government election brings calm

Oct. 3, 2007

Because I could not stop for voting, it kindly stopped for me. Oh, Emily Dickinson's famous words will forever linger in my mind. Actually, I think it was traffic. Traffic kindly stopped for her, right?

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

O'Dome needs better acoustics

By Ryan Winkler | Oct. 3, 2007

First let me say, as an avid Lil Weezy fan, I enjoyed Monday night's concert at the O'Connell Center. However, I was a little disappointed with the show, mainly the sound quality.

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Language barriers can hinder learning

By Phillip Madrid | Oct. 3, 2007

I hate it when I can't understand what some foreign teaching assistants and professors say.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

New student senators have their work cut out

By the Editorial Board | Oct. 3, 2007

Was there ever any doubt?

OPINION | LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

UF should not have postponed speech

By Scott Erker | Oct. 3, 2007

UF's decision to postpone Kevorkian's talk is so reactionary. What message is this sending? Maybe we are being punished, and the powers-that-be do not have the confidence that we can listen to some old geezer speak about death without asking some pointed questions.