Nancy Pelosi may be the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the most powerful woman in the history of American politics, but she is stunningly bad at being a public figure in the digital age. Thankfully, her genius cats communicate so well for her on YouTube.
Janet Weil, Alligator Guest Columnist
Hard power, soft power, smart power - what is the right mix of U.S. resources for engaging with the world and its challenges? This is a question sweeping through Washington, and rightly so, as the Obama administration seeks to reverse the toxic legacy of eight Bush years on America's world standing.
I was a bit bored yesterday when I noticed that the Sci-Fi Channel was running the first two "Saw" films, back to back. Now, it's been some time since I've seen the "Saw" films, and so I watched them both. The first one was, as I remembered, a wonderful little horror movie with an intriguing perspective on things. The second one was, while moderately entertaining, nowhere near the quality of the first film. As I sat and pondered the sad state of "Saw," it occurred to me that there are still three more films after the second, with a sixth in production right now - each has been worse than the last and has been clearly motivated by a lust for profits. This bespeaks a serious problem implicit in the blending of art with profit.
Oprah Winfrey rose to power by capturing the hearts and minds of millions of devoted followers. According to industry estimates, her weekly television audience and magazine subscribers combine to form a bloc of over 50 million committed supporters.
I don't like Chryslers. Or Fords. Or, for that matter, anything GM makes.
"In the name of love… Oprah come and rescue us."
With the honorable Justice David Souter's announcement that he will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court, the cheap world of our national punditry has become a much more hysterical place than usual - which, it should be noted, is a truly impressive feat. These are rather exciting times to be alive; it's not every day we get to see the ideological liberals and conservatives in our country bickering and bashing each other. Oh. Wait a minute. We do.
Well, it seems the Alligator is once again on an all Kool-Aid diet. Nothing else would explain the 600-word fellating this paper gave Tim Tebow on Tuesday. See, I like to think most people in the communications field are bright enough to notice a PR move when they see one.
She's never even heard of YouTube, but the video of Susan Boyle's performance on the talent show "Britain's Got Talent" has set the record for the number of views in a week - and it shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
England. It is a country I've always had a soft spot for - I consider myself something of an Anglophile, and when I was younger, I always wanted to move there.
Conservative voices in government and in the media seem to be convinced that President Barack Obama's foreign policy stance is decidedly pansy. Bowing to the Saudis, shaking hands with Chavez and agreeing with European leaders has cemented Republican opinion that Barack is a sissy on the world stage.
By majoring in a field that places a heavy emphasis on the proper use of language and simultaneously being a since-birth member of Generation Y, Z, XXX or whatever the hell we're called, I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Everywhere I hear people horrendously butchering the language I've spent the last 20-odd years trying to understand.
Wednesday was Tax Day in America. Like many of my collegiate peers, I paid very little in taxes. In fact, my parents still claim me as a tax deduction, which means that my very existence produces red ink for Uncle Sam. This may be a satisfying fact to remember as I watch the mailman pick his nose, but it hardly qualifies me to preach the virtues of taxation. In reality, I am almost completely divorced from the modern American reality of paying taxes.
Dear Jordan Johnson, aka student body president-elect:
UF is going through a tough period. It's not exactly surprising: The economy is in the gutter, so Florida (along with everywhere else) is losing revenue.
It's the biggest pity party on the Internet, and you're all invited.
As Earth Day quickly approaches and students search for ways to become "green," it should be stressed that recycling is not the answer.
The American media worked themselves into such a frenzied pirate orgy over the long Easter weekend that they forgot to check and see if the actual pirates had something to say.
Solutions by The State News
