This week, like all other weeks, was a week. It had seven days, each 24 hours in length, and it probably went by far too quickly for your tastes. Like other weeks, it has a Friday, which happens to be today. On Fridays, the Alligator usually runs a piece called Darts and Laurels. By that logic, it would mean that it’s time for…
Darts and Laurels
For many who call South Florida their home, Grand Central in Miami was THE premiere venue for great shows. So when the Miami News Times reported Wednesday that Grand Central would be closing its doors for the last time on Sept. 26, a twinge of melancholy shot through the Alligator office.
Many of us were able to catch several great shows at Grand Central, including, but not limited to, of Montreal, Cut Copy and Hundred Waters, who got their start right here in Gainesville.
Grand Central brought many acts who may not have come our way, and for that we’re grateful. For all of the great memories, Grand Central gets a LAUREL.
In a rare double whammy, Grand Central also gets a DART for leaving a moderately sized club-shaped hole in our hearts.
By the metrics of any reasonable person, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges — which ruled that gay marriage is indeed constitutional — was a long overdue step toward achieving equal rights for LGBTQ+ individuals in the U.S. Other human beings — like Kim Davis, a clerk from Rowan County, Kentucky, — feel that allowing same-sex marriage to happen on their watch is tantamount to the most heinous crimes imaginable.
Despite being ordered by the Supreme Court on Tuesday to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, Davis remained steadfast in her religious convictions and refused to do so.
On Thursday, she was found in contempt of court and taken into custody. Although we can admire Davis’ dedication to upholding her moral compass, it doesn’t do much good if those morals are narrow-minded and discriminatory in nature.
Kim Davis gets a sparkling rainbow-colored DART in her direction.
Since the conclusion of "The Colbert Report," Stephen Colbert has been keeping a relatively low profile. As the premiere of his first episode as the host of the "Late Show" approaches, Colbert is now making news for a playful feud with GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush.
Bush, who will be Colbert’s first guest, decided to raffle off a ticket to the taping in exchange for a $3 contribution to his campaign.
When it emerged that Colbert and his producers had not been consulted about whether they were comfortable with Bush monetizing his appearance, Colbert countered with a raffle of his own: For a $3 donation to the Yellow Ribbon Fund — a charity that supports injured service members and their families — one lucky winner will be given the VIP treatment at the show’s premiere, as well as have the opportunity to provide Mr. Colbert with a single, non-obscene question to ask Bush.
For taking the high road and elevating what could have been a petty, inane feud, Colbert gets a LAUREL.
