E-cigarettes shouldn’t be banned
By Stephen Clay | Nov. 15, 2009I support the campus smoking ban and free cessation classes for employees, but proposed regulation UF 2.022 should not ban e-cigarette usage for simply looking like smoking.
I support the campus smoking ban and free cessation classes for employees, but proposed regulation UF 2.022 should not ban e-cigarette usage for simply looking like smoking.
On Sept. 11 we lost not just lives and concrete buildings, but a way of life.
May Peace be Upon You.
This week the world celebrated momentous changes in history, and America celebrated some changes of its own. By contrast, things have been a little slow around the Alligator; the most noteworthy thing to happen this week is the mysterious disappearance of the friendly rats that live in our walls (if you’re reading this, we miss you). These epic world events only make the mundane state of affairs in Gainesville harder to bear. With that in mind, we are happy to present you with a don’t-let-the-small-town-blues-get-you-down edition of...
On Tuesday night, The Laboratory, a local bar/cafe on University Avenue, unveiled its new promotional T-shirts. One of the T-shirt designs was offensive and misogynistic, portraying a woman’s buttocks (her face was not shown) as she was entangled in tentacles. The accompanying caption read, “The Laboratory: more fun than a night in Japan!”
In response to Frederic Spieler’s letter, “Republicans aren’t actually conservative,” Spieler asks what the conservative principles are. I would like to try to answer that. Conservatism operates off the ideas of personal freedom, limited government interference in the daily lives of its citizens and a strong capitalist society. It also stands for fiscal responsibility and strong national defense. The government shouldn’t help those who aren’t willing to help themselves. Sorry to bust your ideological bubble, but there are people who, no matter how much help you give them, will continue to be self-destructive, make bad decisions and contribute nothing to society. They should not be given a free ride on everyone else’s dollar.
As a third-year pharmacy student, I wanted to remark on your article concerning kava. Many patients don’t believe herbals and supplements are medications, so they fail to tell their doctor that they are taking them.
Kava can cause liver damage
I am writing this letter to commend the Alligator on the way in which it reported the story “Fraternities charged with providing alcohol to minors.” Contrary to the way in which stories involving the Greek system are typically reported, this article displays the relevant conflicting viewpoints inherent in any news story. Hopefully the level of journalistic quality present in this story will continue to be present in all of the Alligator’s future news articles, particularly stories regarding events that are crucial to the daily lives of hundreds of young men. I applaud the effort to contact each of the relevant organizations.
First they came for the digital pirates, and I did not speak out — because I was not a digital pirate.
“They think Gainesville is their personal toilet... coming from behind shows what kind of garbage they are.” These are the words that Gainesville Police spokesman Keith Kameg used to describe five individuals arrested for attacking police at a Fest after party on Nov. 1. He went on to describe these individuals as a “fringe element” who only visited Gainesville looking for a place to stay.
The Cabot-Koppers Superfund site is at the corner of Northwest Sixth Street and Northwest 23rd Avenue. For those of you who don’t know about this, let me enlighten you. This property has been used since 1916 for wood treatment. Chemicals from this site have been found seeping into the groundwater and surface water, including arsenic, copper and nine other chemicals found to cause cancers and other health problems. According to EPA testing in 2006, harmful chemicals have already started reaching the upper portion of the aquifer (not good, considering nearly 100 percent of the drinking water in Florida comes from the Floridan aquifer). As bad as all this sounds, it might surprise you that nearly 19 years after a cleanup approach was signed, no action has been taken besides a few trenches being dug.
This letter is in response to statements made by the UF College Republicans’ chairman, Bryan Griffin, and the Florida College Democrats’ president, Ben Cavataro, in Tuesday’s article “Locals react to House vote.”
This letter is in response to Tuesday’s editorial, “Cruel Courts.” The teens in South Florida who threw rubbing alcohol on a young boy should not only be tried as adults, they should be put in prison for life without parole. These teens knew exactly what would happen when they threw the match: extensive physical and psychological damage and, most likely, death.
I’m writing in regards to Tuesday’s editorial, “Cruel Courts.” While I agree that the judicial system should rethink how it tries teens for certain crimes, I was shocked that you defended the three teens charged as adults for lighting another on fire.
In response to Tuesday’s letter to the editor “Republicans aren’t too conservative,” Ms. Kilic really drops the ball. She says Mr. Christ “attempts to pigeonhole” Republicans by claiming that they are all “‘Bible-thumping,’ overzealous patriots.” She further claims that Republicans are hurting for straying from party principles. Well, what are those principles? What goals does the Republican party have? Banning abortion? Keeping gays out of the military? Making sure that Obama fails, no matter what he is doing?
Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Support the troops.
Three South Florida teenagers who stand accused of setting another teen on fire will be charged as adults, according to the Associated Press. Denver Jarvis and Matthew Bent, both 15, and Jesus Mendez, 16, were charged with one count each of attempted second-degree murder on Monday.
In a report compiled in June, consultants advising John Wright, the dean of UF's College of Journalism and Communications, suggested a format change to WUFT-FM would only lose $52,000 in membership dollars the first year ($26,000 per semester). Sadly, this semester's drive fell short. It represented a loss of more than $49,000 compared to fall 2008. That is a nearly a 40 percent reduction in pledge dollars; the number of pledges fell by 40 percent as well. The fall pledge drive brought in 29 percent less than the much weaker spring 2009 pledge drive.
Matthew Christ needs to learn a thing or two about the political ideology of Americans before he writes another column. In his latest one, "Republicans should move away from fringe," he seems to be under the impression that this country leans moderate to left, and therefore the Republicans lost the presidential election. With every column of his I read, I find myself questioning his understanding of what a conservative is. He seems to think that we are all "Bible-thumping," overzealous patriots, and I for one resent his attempts to pigeonhole us.