Darts and Laurels
By Alligator Editorial Board | Feb. 4, 2010Happy Friday, Gators.
Happy Friday, Gators.
I don’t understand the Tea Party. I’ll admit that I’ve spent the past day trying to research what they want on the Internet, and the only thing I can come up with is they just don’t want to pay taxes. I can understand the frustration. I hate when I go to Publix to buy a newspaper and I have to pay an extra 6 or 7 cents in sales tax. But that’s mostly because I just don’t feel like getting that much change.
Starring in a controversial anti-abortion commercial bankrolled by a fundamentalist Christian group, Tim Tebow headlines the first-ever “issue ad” aired on Super Bowl Sunday and has effectively hijacked the pre-Super Bowl hype machine.
When the Editorial Board read that Republican National Committee co-chair Jan Larimer thought women need “more hand-holding” than men throughout the election process, we envisioned a patronizing man who happened to have a Scandinavian first name. We were wrong.
Mark McShera’s letter to the editor Tuesday was an example of how disgusting, vile, hateful and forgetful members of the Student Alliance party can be.
I have concern over the prevalence of the “Islam is of the devil” T-shirts on the UF campus.
Last Wednesday, I stopped by the UF Study Abroad fair outside of the Reitz Union to discover what options are open to me for getting out of Gainesville and my pitiful dorm room.
Look around, boys and girls, you’re surrounded by hotties.
Following in the footsteps of the rockumentary “Spinal Tap” and the mockumentary “Best In Show,” the new Web show “Bump+” gives a faux documentary treatment to a reality show about people choosing whether to have an abortion.
The picture highlighting the “Islam Fair” on campus was a stark reminder that although at times what we hold in common — such as enjoying delicious food — may bring us together, our differences keep us apart. Here we see an attempt to bring Islam to the non-Islamic world, and a photo portraying two women with faces peeking out from behind elaborate head wraps. While it is pleasant to enjoy the food and other positive aspects of other cultures, such as song, dance and philanthropy, we must not forget our critical thinking skills. Human cultural practices differ significantly, and we must identify these differences if we are to embrace our free will. The photo raises several important questions we ought to ask: Why are these women dressed this way? How would they be treated in their culture if they chose to dress differently? In countries where Islamic cultural-religious practices dominate, how are free speech and artistic issues treated? Human rights? Are religious and cultural tolerance encouraged in predominately Muslim countries?
Clarification: This is a response to a letter that was originally attributed to UF student Josh Winegar. Winegar informed the Alligator that he believes the letters were sent falsely under his name by members of the Unite Party, who currently hold the Student Government majority. The Alligator does not currently know the identity of the senders.
Clarification: This is a response to a letter that was originally attributed to UF student Josh Winegar. Winegar informed the Alligator that he believes the letters were sent falsely under his name by members of the Unite Party, who currently hold the Student Government majority. The Alligator does not currently know the identity of the senders.
Clarification: This is a response to a letter that was originally attributed to UF student Josh Winegar. Winegar informed the Alligator that he believes the letters were sent falsely under his name by members of the Unite Party, who currently hold the Student Government majority. The Alligator does not currently know the identity of the senders.
The Editorial Board is going to try something new today.
Leave poor Taylor Swift alone.
Breakups aren’t fun. In fact, as far as things in relationships go, they pretty much suck.
Let’s talk about the experience of the Student Alliance Party executive ticket.
Every foreign tourist who comes to America must think we are walking advertisements for the latest low-calorie Budweiser. America has a drinking problem and a culture that once scoffed at the idea of moderation.
I am a 43-year-old father of two. My son is a junior at Gainesville High School, and my daughter is a ninth-grader. Both of my children are exceptional students with bright futures, and they both have a strong desire to attend the UF. While on campus attending sport events and such, they frequently bring home the Alligator to read the latest news on sports, music and campus life.
There was a torrent of publicity surrounding Apple’s unveiling of its iPad last week. I watched a video of Steve Jobs presenting it, and needless to say, I wasn’t impressed. Here’s a quick rundown of what transpired: