There may be a logical explanation for why you woke up feeling like crap Tuesday. Yes, it did signal the end of the only long weekend we have until Spring Break, but it may very well be because the third week in January is among one of the most depressing of the year, according to a researcher from Cardiff University.
So while you look forward to this weekend to banish thoughts about the cold weather and your mounting holiday credit card debt, we hope you'll crack a smile with this week's edition of…
Darts & Laurels
We begin on a positive note with a way-to-rally-the-most-apathetic-demographic LAUREL to Chomp the Vote.
Their efforts to increase awareness about the importance of voting may not be as flashy as years past, when they drove students to polling places in limos, but the fact that they are willing to spend hours on the Reitz Union Colonnade to help voters find their polling locations says something about their dedication. We appreciate their attempts to make sure students have their voices heard in the primaries, even if we don't get a sweet ride to the ballot box this time.
Next up, we've got a maybe-you-were-confused-about-your-job-but-you-actually-do-represent-the-university DART to President Bernie Machen.
His public announcement that he would endorse Sen. John McCain for president this week was inappropriate and misguided. And with McCain scheduled to make a campaign stop in Gainesville on Sunday, Machen can't reasonably expect us to believe that he just randomly decided to announce his presidential preference now.
While we're on the subject of confusion, we have to hand a so-what-exactly-is-your-story-again DART to UF gymnast Maranda Smith.
In an interview earlier this month, she said she spoke with football coach Urban Meyer "every day" about coming to UF in hopes of luring her wide-receiver boyfriend, Carl Moore, to Gainesville.
Smith changed her story Wednesday, saying that she may have exaggerated after her statements sparked an investigation by the UF compliance department. So either she's a drama queen or she's trying to get Meyer out of hot water. Whatever it is, we're hoping she learned the value of thinking before you speak.
We couldn't go without mentioning what many news organizations continue to dub the biggest story of the week - the sad, untimely death of 28-year-old actor Heath Ledger.
When Ledger was found dead in his Manhattan apartment Tuesday, rumors swirled around cyberspace of the actor's history of drug use. We are so disgusted that we have to hand over a don't-you-understand-what-rest-in-peace-means DART to the Best Buy in San Diego for putting up a display urging people to honor the actor by purchasing his movies on DVD just hours after his death.
And let's not forget the radical Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas and its plans to protest Ledger's memorial service because he played a homosexual character in "Brokeback Mountain."
Not to depress you any longer, the future of higher education in Florida saw a glimmer of hope this week. Our final thank-you-for-finally-taking-steps-to-make-a-positive-change LAUREL goes to the Board of Governors.
Although it may be disappointing for high school seniors statewide, the proposal limiting the number of incoming freshman next fall is a responsible move to ensure that all UF students get the education they expect - and pay for - from a flagship university.
