Opinion | Editorials - The Independent Florida Alligator

OPINION | EDITORIALS

‘I know myself, but that is all’: Final reflections on Fall 2013

Dec. 3, 2013

A lucky batch of seniors will graduate next week and depart into the real world of graduate schools, jobs and paid internships, international travel or mom and dad’s basement. They’ll have college degrees under their belts — essentially, really expensive pieces of paper to hang in their offices to remind them of the four (or three or five) years they spent at UF.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Open columnist spots for Spring: Apply today

Dec. 2, 2013

Calling all future Dave Barrys, Maureen Dowds, Carl Hiaasens and Thomas Friedmans: The Alligator is accepting applications for Spring 2014 columnists, and we want YOU.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Thanksgiving is for loved ones, not doorbusters

Nov. 25, 2013

Look, it’s 2013: We have tiny computers in our pockets, we can order pizzas without picking up a phone and we can stream an entire season of “Xena: Warrior Princess” on Netflix in one sitting. Information is available at our fingertips, and communication is effortless with the help of smartphones.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Face value: In defense of selfies

Nov. 24, 2013

Last week, language lovers lamented the Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year pick for 2013 — “selfie.”

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Students: Do what you love, not what’s expected

Nov. 20, 2013

Remember in the beginning of “Space Jam” when Michael Jordan left basketball to follow his father’s steps and play baseball?

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Stars at night are big and racist: UT cancels game

Nov. 19, 2013

This week, the University of Texas at Austin chapter of Young Conservatives of Texas made headlines when news outlets picked up on a game the organization had created called Catch an Illegal Immigrant.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Assassination, sushi and socks: Buying with Bitcoins

Nov. 18, 2013

Bitcoin, the purported digital currency of the future, made headlines yesterday. In addition to having leapt in value — one bitcoin is now worth more than $550 and growing — U.S. agencies met with a Senate committee in order to sell the idea that bitcoins are “legitimate financial instruments,” according to Bloomberg.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Game Over: Obamacare woes aren’t just a fumble

Nov. 17, 2013

For the first time since 2007, non-economic issues are dominating the top two spots in the Gallup poll’s rankings of America’s most important problems. Dissatisfaction with the government in general remains at No. 1 this month, while Americans’ concerns over high health care costs and poor health care jumped from No. 4 last month to No. 2 this month. It comes as no surprise since the Affordable Care Act has been plagued from the start by convolution, lack of transparency, poor planning and lack of accountability on the president’s part — until this past week.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels 11/15/13

Nov. 14, 2013

Gainesville was straight-up COLD this week. We’re talking hats, gloves, coats and boots. On days like those, it’s hard to get out of bed and face the world — a pile of blankets, a mug of cocoa and a Netflix binge sound way more appealing than class. But you’re all champs: You went to class, you studied hard and now it’s Friday. Treat yo’self to a peppermint mocha latte, and enjoy this week’s edition of Darts & Laurels.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

UF not responsible for drop in sexual health rankings

Nov. 12, 2013

Yesterday, the Alligator reported that UF dropped three slots in the 2013 Trojan Sexual Health Report Card from No. 12 in 2012 to No. 15 this year.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

How you can help the devastated Philippines

Nov. 11, 2013

Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines Friday, and details continue to emerge about the storm’s size and how much relief is needed.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Game changer: Christie’s win and what it means for 2016

Nov. 6, 2013

There was no question of whether Chris Christie would win New Jersey’s gubernatorial elections.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

This is why we can’t have nice things: Lochte injured by fan

Nov. 6, 2013

Poor Ryan Lochte can’t catch a break — he’s forever in Michael Phelps’ shadow, his acting career was short-lived with just a guest part on “90210” and a few “Funny or Die” videos, people only cared about his reality show for about five minutes, and the shoes he designed for Nike are hopelessly ugly.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Keep It To Yourself: On eliminating bathroom attendants

Nov. 4, 2013

You know what low-wage restaurant workers in Manhattan love? Being told by “Business Insider” writers that their job position should be eliminated.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

American apathy toward drone strikes is appalling

Nov. 3, 2013

President Barack Obama’s use of drone strikes abroad is a polarizing debate, and the legality and secrecy of the strikes is often called into question by lawmakers. The public’s top concern over the strikes, according to the Pew Research Center, is the potential endangerment of civilians’ lives.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Tricks & Treats (Darts & Laurels Halloween 2013)

Oct. 31, 2013

Happy November, y’all. Here’s to hoping your candy hangover — or that other kind of hangover — isn’t painful enough to distract you from the fact that only 17 days of classes stand between you and Thanksgiving Break. Soon it’ll be time to retire those pumpkin spice lattes in favor of the real star: salted caramel mocha (Ed. note: it's true).

OPINION | EDITORIALS

It’s Halloween — have fun with it and ignore the candy- and sexy costume-haters

Oct. 30, 2013

Unless your religion doesn’t allow it or you hate fun, you’re probably celebrating Halloween. Maybe you have the coolest costume ever — perhaps a clever pun, an on-point topical reference, a cute couple’s getup or a skin-baring masterpiece.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Goodbye, Lou Reed — Velvet Underground frontman dies at 71

Oct. 28, 2013

There’s an often-repeated quip about the Velvet Underground: Only about 30,000 people bought the band’s debut album, but they all went out and started a band after hearing it.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Chris Brown shouldn't be let off, but probably will anyway

Oct. 27, 2013

Chris Brown was arrested early Sunday morning in Washington, D.C., on felony assault charges, but hey, we’ll probably forget about it in a few weeks or so.

OPINION | EDITORIALS

Darts & Laurels 10/25/13

Oct. 24, 2013

As F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote in that one book you kind of remember from high school, “Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”