As a three-time UF graduate, I have 10 summer semesters under my belt. Next to fall, it is my favorite time in Gainesville because it has many benefits over the regular season.
Comics—and comic-based shows and movies—represent a modern mythology that is otherwise missing from our American culture. Humans have always enjoyed telling epic tales of heroes who are capable of much more than mortal men. These stories have been around for centuries and will persist.
I wanted to let the Alligator know how Southwest Recreation Center is keeping students’ personal belongings safe.
Thank you, Editorial Board, for echoing the call for compassion on factory farms. For years, animal protection organizations have shown the inherent cruelty in cutting the beaks off egg-laying hens and confining them to spaces so small they can’t even spread a single wing. Battery cages will be illegal in the European Union starting in 2012, and the U.S. would do well to follow that example. However, sadly, this is not the only area where McDonald’s is falling behind the times on animal welfare standards.
Caroline Hitiman recently wrote a letter to the Editorial Board complaining about all the attention Tiger Woods receives from the media. Woods receives attention from media simply because he is the most interesting athlete in sports. Like Hitiman said, the media ratings from the Masters went up 36 percent from last year just because Woods was in the field. I understand other golfers were performing better, but when Woods heads into the final round at the Masters only four strokes behind the leader, it’s definitely something to watch. The most interesting thing to watch aside from Woods pulling crazy shots to win is to see Woods lose. Even when he is in last place, it is entertaining to see how he handles failure. Whether it is slamming clubs or holding up a trophy, Tiger deserves airtime.
Just as radical Muslims give the Islamic religion a bad reputation throughout the world, Westboro Baptist Church and other hate-spewing Christians do the same for Christianity in this town. I hope these people learn something soon. The Christian faith is based on the love of Jesus Christ — a love that is present to inspire those who are not believers and to change their lives for the better if needed. The hate-filled protests and direct condemnation of people will only serve to turn them away from the Christian religion. It is sad to see this small subset of Christians garner so much attention and give the religion such a bad reputation. The Christian population is filled with compassionate people who know the religion is meant to heal, not hurt.
Alligator reader Ann Sanchez is an idiot. First, the health care bill does not provide blanket health care for illegal immigrants, as they are treated much as before. Yes, some people will pay more in taxes, but we will pay less in health care costs as a whole due to more preventative care. Malpractice reform would save about $54 billion over 10 years, which is significant but not huge considering we spend more than $2 trillion on health care each year. There is nothing in the bill stating that all specialties have to be paid the same. This is not even true in the U.K., where they have real socialized medicine. Unlike Sanchez claims, it is not common knowledge that doctors leave medical school with half a million dollars in debt because they leave with an average of $156,000, which is still a big number, but there are few professions where you are guaranteed to make six figures for the rest of your life. And finally, medical residents do not make $30,000 per year; they usually make upwards of $45,000 per year — 50 percent more than $30,000, according to my rough math. They’re not living the high life, but it’s not bad considering the significant pay raise at the end of their 3- to 7-year residency. It’s OK to have opinions and to print those opinions, but it’s just a waste of ink if the people expressing those views refuse to read books or use the Internet, and instead they base their elementary opinions on e-mails forwarded by grandma.
Bravo to the counter-protesters of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters. A confrontation such as this could have turned violent, but Gainesville residents showed these people how the city really feels about ignorance and intolerance. We laugh at it. By dancing, singing and making fun of the situation, residents let the Westboro Baptist Church members know that their claims are so idiotic that they do not deserve to be taken seriously. It is unfortunate that so much hate and discontent is spread in the name of God, but the beauty of our country is that they have the right to do so in the same way others have the right to choose their partner regardless of gender. It boggles my mind how these people claim God hates homosexuals. Isn’t the god whom the followers of Westboro Baptist Church speak of the creator of everything, all-knowing and ever-present? If so, their God created gay people willingly and knowingly. Fortunately, the members of our community are smart enough to recognize a circus act when they see one, and everybody enjoys a day at the circus.
As a Christian, I cannot support the protests of the Westboro Baptist Church, and I hope other Christians alike will not follow this church’s views or be discouraged of their own faith.
I AM A DEMOCRAT! I believe in abortion and know global warming is an actuality. However, I do not support Obama’s health care reform. The bill, composed of 1,017 pages, surpasses the public’s general intelligence. Does the public know that health care will be provided to everyone including illegal citizens? Or that we, U.S. citizens and residents, will be burdened with more taxes to fund national health care?
This letter is in response to the Cynthia Despres cartoon in the Thursday’s paper displaying the well-known UF trademark “The Gator Nation is Everywhere” printed on a wall with a student from UF’s Documentary Institute painting “Except Haiti” underneath. I believe this illustration strongly undermines the numerous efforts from students and faculty to aid the people of Haiti.
I am tired of hearing about Tiger Woods in the media. Last week’s coverage of The Masters talked more about Woods than every other golfer combined.
This letter is in response to the article “Grads look back on sex, relationships and dating scene.”
I’d like to present a way-to-step-up-to-the-plate LAUREL to the organizers and participants of last weekend’s Dance Marathon. More than half a million dollars is a lot and shows what happens when people use money for what actually matters. Good job!
Contrary to the beliefs many students at UF and the Alligator Editorial Board have, I believe that professors and teaching assistants do care about our feedback.
In response to “Can you hear us now?”:
While Jessica Clackum Herman’s efforts to define the Tea Party in its pure form are laudable, and she certainly brings some bacon to breakfast, she failed to mention some key traits of the Tea Party.
Could the “Can you hear us now?” editorial be any more whiney? The role of a misunderstood, whine-aholic college student who completely denies that anyone older than 30 actually cares about what he or she thinks is almost as annoying as it is pathetic.
As my first year at UF is coming to a close, I have seen how diverse a large university can be. I think it is very impressive how so many people come together to what may seem like minor events, but are for a very good cause.
I really enjoyed Nick Miner’s guest column, “Students should question authority.” Everything he said was correct. The universities, including UF, have degenerated into institutions that only care about students regurgitating information.
Solutions by The State News
