OPINION
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COLUMNS
Indifference on taboo topics is a public problem
By Layla Soboh | June 6, 2018“I was raised sex, politics and religion aren't party talk.”
Opinion | Columns
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Senate shenanigans
By Zachariah Chou | June 6, 2018A couple of pretty important and interesting things happened this past Student Senate meeting, and I feel it’d be pretty helpful to mention them in tandem with whatever The Alligator reporter writes about the meeting as well.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Darts and Laurels
June 6, 2018The only thing worse than having to stay in Gainesville over the summer is being here while there’s a tropical storm. Regional Transit System buses are cold enough without having wet hair and wearing soaked clothes, and unpredictable bus schedules could leave you dripping with the icy shards of Mother Nature’s wrath.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Uber tips for dummies
By Stephan Chamberlin | June 6, 2018In the ‘60s, we were thinking about the future. We thought about how we might drive flying cars, cherish our housework robots and live on freeze-dried peas like spacemen. What we didn’t predict was an app that could send a chauffeur to your house in under a minute and take you wherever you wanted, all without the need to vocalize any directions or requests.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
An ode to Kate Spade
By Sophie Feinberg | June 6, 2018On Tuesday, the world learned that Kate Spade died after taking her own life.First, I want to start by saying please reach out for help in your own way whenever you need it. You are not alone. If you need help, you can call or chat online with the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or find resources on campus.Second, I want to go into the mark Spade has made on my life. As materialistic as fashion can be, Spade’s designs brought joy, whimsy and professionalism all at the same time. Her products were often out of my college price range, but I was always drawn to them.In a world where I doubted being a journalist as people told me newspapers were a dying breed, her New York Journal clutch, tote bag and tumbler assured me news was trendy, needed and appreciated. Just like the world may doubt the need for $500 purses that I don’t have, Spade’s products told their own stories and held value outside of a capitalistic society.One of her lines was an ode to books, a notebook featuring a shelf lined with books including classics “Pride and Prejudice” and “Gulliver’s Travels.”Like newspapers, her brand could be one of tradition and creativity. Spade was one of the first things I saw when I came on a UF tour as a high school senior. In the bookstore while I waited for my time to view campus, I perused the bottom level and saw Spade’s products on the shelf among other stationery, lanyards and water bottles. My mom got me a notebook that I still have saved to use for a special project, when that time comes.My first big purchase was saving up my money to buy myself a proper wallet versus a square with a money slot, a couple of card spaces and Velcro before college. Many other shoppers share a connection with Spade and their first purchase, as the Glamour article “My First Kate Spade: 12 Women on How the Designer Impacted Their Personal Style” highlights.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
College is about learning how to take care of yourself
By Sophie Feinberg | June 4, 2018College is hard. For some of us, it’s the first time we’re away from home and juggling school and duties like cooking, cleaning, going to the doctor and more. There’s no parent or guardian telling you that you’re going out too much, not sleeping enough or taking you to the doctor.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Modest fashion is the next big thing
By Layla Soboh | June 4, 2018This May, H&M has released their first “modest” clothing collection, LTD. It comes just in time for the Muslim month of Ramadan, a holy time for Muslims around the world. H&M has not explicitly stated that cultural diversity is the target of the campaign, but they have said “we want to be diverse and inclusive to all the markets.”
OPINION
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COLUMNS
First Amendment protects against tyranny better than the Second
By Stephan Chamberlin | June 4, 2018You might know this person: he or she has a few guns, strongly supports Second Amendment rights and distrusts the government. Part of the reason they have so many guns is that the government cannot be trusted — you’ll need their armed support to combat an authoritarian and tyrannical Washington one day. Two bumper stickers are neighbors on the rear of their forward-thinking, fuel-efficient Prius. One reads, “Support the Troops,” the other, “The right to bear arms is our only protection from government tyranny.” In this day and age, that job is better done by the First Amendment than the Second.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Navigating the meme-conomy
By Stephen Chamberlin | May 30, 2018If you spend enough time on the internet, you learn the language of memes. It’s a market-driven tongue; memes go in and out of fashion frequently. They balloon, they bubble and they burst unexpectedly. If you’re not careful, you might find yourself in a lurch, trading in low-value memes. This is as important as any college course — learning to navigate the meme economy can make or break your online presence. Irrelevance, to any self-respecting, red-blooded citizen of the internet, is a fate worse than death.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Power over paper
By Sophie Feinberg | May 30, 2018Society is propelled by technology or a battery. Everything is faster and at your fingertips.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Lowering your expectations allows you to enjoy life more
By Layla Soboh | May 30, 2018I’m going to paint the scene. It’s around midnight, and you’re craving a snack. You open the fridge and disappointment ensues. You close the near-empty fridge, displeased. After walking around the house, you return. This time when you open the fridge, you’re a little more honest with yourself. You’re desperate. Standards have hit rock bottom. With a renewed expectation, you finally select something. Although it may not have been your first choice, your hunger is subsided.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
So about that Bright Futures Summer textbook stipend…
By Zachariah Chou | May 30, 2018I like to get my facts straight. Part of it is five years of Speech and Debate. Another part is being a journalism major, where a fact error can automatically cut your grade in half.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
With Fenty Beauty, Less is More
By Layla Soboh | May 28, 2018It’s no secret that Rihanna’s “Fenty Beauty” line has been a huge success since its launch in September 2017.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Motorcycles are dangerous — I might buy one anyway
By Stephan Chamberlin | May 28, 2018Through the window of a Regional Transit System bus, you longingly stare at the motorcyclist next to you. Clad in black gear, he takes off at a red light and speeds toward campus. “Stop requested. For your safety: if crossing the street...” You tune it out and daydream of a reality without buses.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
What not winning the lottery taught me about growing up
By Layla Soboh | May 28, 2018Something happened February 17, 2016 in my hometown of Melbourne. Something I couldn’t stop thinking about and still think of from time to time.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Please don’t put your emotions in a box
By Layla Soboh | May 28, 2018If I had to describe the American side of my family in one scene from a TV show, it would definitely be from “Desperate Housewives” season four episode 14.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Just be positive
By Sophie Feinberg | May 23, 2018Mental health carries a long series of symptoms that can be different for everyone. However, sometimes people not personally dealing with a mental health diagnosis themselves can dictate recovery options or advice, despite having no degree or experience.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Ode to Florida and its weather
By Stephan Chamberlin | May 23, 2018Oh, Florida! Land of sunshine and sea spray, with your miles of beaches and acres of swamp, how I have loved your climate in times both warm and slightly less warm. The bountiful depths of your balmy seas are perturbed only by visiting vagabond hurricanes; your peaceful air troubled only by the wind of mosquito wings; your clouds are as lofty and gray as the pristine God himself. For all the trouble you cause, we love you more and more ardently.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Let’s destigmatize mental health
By Sophie Feinberg | May 21, 2018“I’m so OCD” is a phrase you can hear when someone is tidying up a mess.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Changing tides of time
By Stephan Chamberlin | May 21, 2018My Preview counselor did a great job of laying out a roadmap for being a UF student. She told me about what college will be like going forward: how I’d build a work ethic and collegiate-level study habits, find a group of friends that I’d keep for a lifetime and develop myself professionally and spiritually. Preview readies you for changes you’ll see to your student persona. What it can never prepare you for is seeing your hometown change right out from underneath you.
