OPINION
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COLUMNS
Typical Spring Break locales have no sex appeal
Feb. 26, 2015Happy last day before Spring Break, Gators!
Opinion
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Beware those who support the establishment of a national religion
Feb. 26, 2015Whether we want to admit it, American voters establish arbitrary litmus tests for political candidates. These may ultimately disqualify certain individuals from ever holding office. As a member of a religious minority, one of these qualifications stings: the asinine requirement that we have a Christian president.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Raccoon Lagoon: Spring Break adventures
Feb. 26, 2015Spring Break is a storied, cherished tradition of hedonism, drunken idiocy and regrettable hookups. Shown so artfully in director Harmony Korine’s film “Spring Breakers” — which starred James Franco, UF’s most recent distinguished guest speaker — Florida is the definitive Spring Break destination for college students. For those grappling with existential fears and anxieties — or more likely, for those who never had any to begin with — Florida is one of the world’s premiere destinations to throw yourself into an ocean of pills, thrills and bellyaches.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Access Party may have won, but its work has just begun
Feb. 25, 2015We’ve finally come to the end of a long, hard-fought campaign, defined by multiple episodes of political intrigue and the strongest resurgence of the opposition since 1999.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
UF alumni scuffle over medical marijuana, political influence
Feb. 24, 2015Today marks the end of Student Government elections for this semester, and while it’s easily been the one of the most entertaining ones on record, we feel like it’s time to step back and talk about something else for a change. Considering this is Florida, we’d have to be incredibly unlucky to go a day without a scandalous story going by, especially if it has to do with in-state political maneuvers.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
'Radical Brownies' troop gives hope for the next generation
Feb. 24, 2015Some believe that much of the prejudices that plague our society stem from older generations, whose “traditional” values are more often the thinly veiled discriminatory attitudes of a less tolerant time. Younger generations are so much more liberal-minded that the “activist college student” stigma is now a tired cliche. Baby Boomers sometimes paint this trend as a passing fad, a collegiate trend that fades with age and, supposedly, wisdom. This dismissive mindset is patronizing, and I find the most likely explanation in the positive correlation between a college education and social liberalism. Younger generations aren’t trendy activists; they’re educated, inclusive and tolerant. The leaders of social justice are continually getting younger, but they are no less aware or invested in the causes they champion.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Choose public health over personal beliefs: Get vaccinated
Feb. 23, 2015Last week, Andrew Silver wrote a column in which he argued that veganism should be considered a religion so that vegans would have a civil right to refuse vaccinations. While I appreciate Silver’s interesting perspective on the issue, his column failed to address crucial aspects about vaccinations and the value they hold in our society.
OPINION
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CARTOONS
New media is actually dressed-up, old media
Feb. 23, 2015We live with the entirety of human knowledge and history in our pockets. We live in a dynamic, flexible time in which a person can communicate with anyone in the world on the Internet. Our lives are constantly changing with technology that is produced at a high rate. But, with regard to entertainment, it seems the more things change, the more they stay the same.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
The Oscars was a flop; in desperate need for progress, equality
Feb. 23, 2015Who else watched Neil Patrick Harris flaunt his body live on TV on Sunday night?
OPINION
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COLUMNS
We're closer than ever to past and present, and yet further removed
Feb. 22, 2015Last week I got the opportunity to experience something few students do in their time here at UF: Library East.
OPINION
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DARTS LAURELS
This week's Dart & Laurels: Hip-hop, AP history and guns
Feb. 19, 2015Between the general cold, gray raininess, cramming for midterms and the contentious Student Government season, this week has been a real bitch. We’re glad it’s finally coming to an end, which means it’s time for this week’s
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Mid-semester slump hurting work ethic
Feb. 19, 2015Good writing emerges from honesty. The written word, or at least written word worth reading, should be a reflection of the writer’s innermost anxieties, hopes and dreams.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Response to Silver’s veganism and vaccine column
Feb. 19, 2015The argument made by Andrew Silver in his editorial “Refusing vaccines for veganism is a right” is ignoring a crucial part to the premise. He states that, if an outbreak occurs, then the unvaccinated employee should be put on paid leave or work from home (or in his case, excused from classes). Silver seems to think very highly of himself, and apparently believes that UF does also. Unfortunately, it’s not all about him or his dietary ethics.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Condom sense: Please use protection
Feb. 19, 2015The week before sophomore year started, I decided I was finally an adult, and it was high time that I purchased my own box of condoms. Prior to that, I had always relied on the free condoms from the health center or crossed my fingers that my partner would bring some.
OPINION
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COLUMNS
Legislators’ aim to ban AP classes is just a political game that ignores reality
Feb. 19, 2015The Oklahoma Legislature is hard at work this year creating the greatest education system in the nation. How will they go about it, you ask? They are trying to ban Advanced Placement classes. Yes, the classes many of you took in high school just for the opportunity to attend UF may soon be banned in Oklahoma.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Student organization support of Muslims is hypocritical
Feb. 19, 2015The fatal shooting of Deah Shaddy Barakat, his wife Yusor Mohammad Abu-Salha and her sister Razan Mohammad Abu-Salha has sparked outrage. While mainstream media is still portraying the incident as a killing over a “parking dispute,” we know that this was a hate crime against the Muslim community. In turn, many communities are condemning Islamophobia. But what does their condemnation actually mean? A vigil at UF that happened Friday evening was endorsed by many different student organizations, including the Jewish Student Union and J Street UF, two organizations that actively perpetuate Islamophobia through their acceptance and funding of Israeli apartheid. What needs to be understood is that one cannot claim to stand in solidarity with the Muslim community while simultaneously supporting Zionism and Israeli state-sponsored terrorism against the Muslim world.
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Prohibited Student Government debate recordings an injustice to voters
Feb. 18, 2015On Tuesday night about 500 people packed into the University Auditorium for the Student Government and Freshman Leadership Council candidate debate.
OPINION
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Debate should be filmed
Feb. 18, 2015One and a half percent. That’s the percentage of UF students who showed up to watch the Student Government debate Tuesday based on the 500-person estimate by this publication. The Freshman Leadership Council is claiming that the debate was not recorded in any manner — text, audio or video — to protect the integrity of the debate. I was told that the Alligator live-tweeted the event, which is fantastic except that Twitter is nothing but sound bites, and a paper can only print so big of an article. Where is the integrity of an event if 98.5 percent of the university cannot see it in its entirety?
OPINION
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EDITORIALS
Accent lacks speaker, acknowledgement of Women’s History Month
Feb. 17, 2015Accent Speaker’s Bureau has reliably brought us great guests over the years. Thanks to the group’s work, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting such illustrious and enviable personalities as Carl Hiaasen, Kurt Vonnegut, George Takei, Queen Latifah, Dr. Kevorkian and Ben & Jerry — yes, THAT Ben & Jerry. Next week, they’ll be bringing us James Franco, who will converse with J-school professor and de facto journalism guru Mike Foley.
