Holidays are treasured in part because they are times, sanctioned by God or the government, for us to reunite with distant and not-so-distant relatives. Unfortunately, this aspect can also make them nerve-racking and awful. You don’t get to pick and choose who your family members are, and the same applies to your family members’ political leanings.
Although the onslaught of Christmas merchandise that begins appearing in October might have you thinking December started weeks ago, it’s only been here for three days. It is officially the holiday season.
Do you remember, as children, the many times that we were scolded for something we did? Remember when we would point something out that our brother, sister or classmate did to try and excuse our actions or at least redirect the scolding? Well that juvenile failure to confront the truth is still happening. More recently however, it has made appearances in discussions on FOX, CNN and at dinner tables across the country.
Last month, Republicans dominated midterm elections across the nation. No one can deny the power right-wing lawmakers will hold once January rolls around as they now enjoy a strong grip on two-thirds of state legislative bodies.
This past weekend, still recovering from our Thanksgiving feast, I participated with my family in our tradition of having Saturday morning breakfast at Einstein Bros. Bagels. We’ve been doing this every week since before my younger sister was born — almost 17 years. We’ve cycled through all the menu and manager changes as time has passed and are familiarized as regulars by the staff.
Two years ago in Mobile, Alabama, an 18-year-old white male, Gilbert Collar, was shot and killed by a black campus police officer. He was running around campus, high and naked, when he approached the officer at the campus police station. Collar was unarmed, but the officer still deemed him a threat and decided to use deadly force against him.
One week ago, it was announced Darren Wilson would not stand trial for the death of an unarmed black 18-year-old named Michael Brown.
Recently, Rolling Stone magazine published a story exposing the University of Virginia’s extreme lack of attention to the dangers of sexual assault its students face.
One summer night two years ago, a dog named Lilly lost a leg and saved her owner’s life by dragging the unconscious woman off a set of train tracks to avoid an oncoming freight train.
[The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the Alligator.]
The glorious day of Thanksgiving is almost upon us. Nothing tops dedicating a whole day to eating platefuls of food, drinking wine and watching football. Thanksgiving is a timeless holiday where we take a moment to slow down, be with the people we love and be thankful for everything we have. Unfortunately, some people are not thankful for what they have. They just want more, which in turn, has cast a dark shadow over Thanksgiving, rendering it less meaningful. This shadow is caused by none other than the dreadful day after Turkey Day: Black Friday.
Forget math, science and history — students and parents are more concerned about sex in the classroom.
Millennials have a bad reputation for being emotionally distant, lazy and unfulfilled. During my time here at UF, I have tried to counteract this generalization.
The year 2014 has seen dozens of definitive moments — particularly those in technology — that will no doubt set the tone for the rest of the century.
In eight days, many students will gather around tables and eat all kinds of delicious, artery-clogging foods with family members and friends.
Clay Olsen’s column, “Democrats mistake government spending for kind-heartedness,” was a conservative attempt to define liberalism as willy-nilly government handouts to the poor. He cites Lyndon Johnson’s “War on Poverty” and declares it a failure without mentioning its success before former President Ronald Reagan gutted the program. He mentioned Medicare liabilities without mentioning that President Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan proposed to cut the same amount from the program. The big difference in the cuts is that Obama targets fraud on the supply side of Medicare, whereas Ryan proposed exclusively consumer-side cuts, which would increase the copay of every American.
Recently, I have gotten less than 10 full hours of sleep every week.
A shady attempt to hide an ongoing labor dispute has turned into an attack on student journalism.
Solutions by The State News
