With the national spotlight often on Floridians like Casey Anthony and Terry Jones, there’s not much we can be proud of. The Sunshine State isn’t exactly known for its positive contributions. However, there is one exception, and we recently marked its 50th anniversary.
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death at age 46 shocked the U.S. on Sunday, and as the investigation reveals more details about his death — strong evidence points to a heroin overdose, as he was found in his Manhattan apartment with a needle stuck in his arm — many voices have contributed to the discussion of his legacy as a fine actor and his struggle with drug abuse.
I would like to shed some light on a local issue that hasn’t received enough attention.
There’s been a lot of talk about Senate minority leader Michael Christ’s comments concerning the new Taco Libre Party. Some have said he’s angry, whiny and unprofessional. Others have a few more choice words for him. As the people who elected him to represent us in the Senate, we couldn’t be more proud. He’s telling it like it is.
The recent cold snap that froze much of North Florida and paralyzed our neighbors in Georgia and Alabama doesn’t disprove climate change. Period.
When Woody Allen won the Golden Globe lifetime achievement award a few weeks ago, an old debate reignited: Is it right to celebrate artists who have committed — or been accused of committing — heinous crimes?
President Barack Obama recently announced that a task force was formed to address sexual assault on college campuses.
My name is Susan Webster, and I currently serve as the Swamp Party spokeswoman. I am very excited to announce that our party’s slate has been released. After three days of qualifying, slating and interviews, Swamp Party is confident that we have selected the 50 most qualified and capable candidates to serve the student body in the Student Senate.
The weekend is finally here, and I’m more excited about it than usual because this Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday! Who cares if the half-time performer is Bruno Mars? Who cares if it’s going to be freezing at the MetLife Stadium? Who actually cares if the Seahawks or the Broncos win? Not me, because I don’t even like football. But I love Super Bowl Sunday, because I love food — namely, pizza.
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, I was proud to hear our president talk about the issues that matter to Americans, especially those that impact us as students. From the skyrocketing cost of college to the importance of raising the minimum wage, the vision the president laid out last night is distinctly American: infused with the optimism and pragmatism that has always kept our nation moving forward.
They say that when we landed on the moon, the scientists who got us there used computers with less processing power than what’s in an iPhone. This implies that everyone who has a computer today has an opportunity to do something awesome. It also implies they’re probably wasting that opportunity, consuming massive quantities of porn or binge watching series on Netflix — or a weird combination of the two.
If you haven’t heard about it yet, UF is being sued by a gun-rights group for not allowing on-campus residents to keep guns in their dorm rooms.
On Monday, the Florida Supreme Court approved a medicinal marijuana bill that will be included on the November 2014 general election ballot. Overall, the Orlando Sentinel reported, the marijuana issue is “broadly popular with Florida voters.” The news is a cause for celebration with groups in the state who have been tirelessly petitioning to add medical marijuana to the ballot — including the ever-present pack of petitioners outside the Alachua County Library.
Last week in Virginia, a group of gun-control activists planned to hold a rally at the Virginia State Capitol. The protesters were turned away by Capitol Police, who informed them that the sticks on the American flags that they carried were forbidden inside the building because they could be considered weapons.
Right now, the big buzzword for the NFL is “concussion.” It’s hard not to hear about it. Ever since the book and documentary “League of Denial” entered into the sports media arena, concerns for player safety and head-related injuries intensified. The word is in the back of every fan’s, coach’s and player’s mind. I challenge you to find a game where the word “concussion” has not been brought up by the play-by-play or color commentator.
In 2013, female-driven films killed in the box office. TIME magazine reported that movies released last year passing the Bechdel test made $1.55 billion more than movies that didn’t. The Bechdel test, for those of you who aren’t fans of the “Dykes to Watch Out For” comic strip, is a standard that works of fiction are held to in order to determine gender bias. Films, books, TV shows and other forms of entertainment pass the Bechdel test if they contain two or more named female characters, the female characters speak to one another, and their conversations are about something other than men or relationships.
Voting isn’t just a necessary part of democracy. Voting is democracy. And, as the Supreme Court ruled in a 1979 landmark case, students establishing residency have the right to vote in the communities where they attend college. Students pay state sales tax. They are subject to the jurisdiction of the court system where they attend school. Most importantly, students are directly impacted by the decisions made by elected officials in the city, county and state governments where they attend college. Yet, at UF, the status quo prevents far too many students from exercising their fundamental voting rights.
Driving across Florida is expensive. With gas prices rising, commuting is getting costlier each semester, and unless you’re game for the God-awful shuttle buses, you’re out of luck.
Unfortunately, it’s become quite acceptable to use the term “double standards.” Double standards, of course, refer to the things socially acceptable for a certain type of person to do while the same things remain completely socially unacceptable for another type of person. Overwhelmingly, the term is used for all things related to gender. The phrase is used by an astounding number of people, partially joking and partially serious. But let’s get something straight here: Double standards are just a way of holding prejudices without actually saying out loud, “I’m sexist.”
If women dressed for the stereotypical generalization of men’s desires, we would just wear tight jeans and low-cut tank tops. Or, to paraphrase fashion designer Betsey Johnson, we would just go around naked.
Solutions by The State News
