After a brief hiatus highlighted by one not-so-esteemed staffer unsuccessfully teaching British men how to play beer pong in Orlando, we officially declare the Department of Darts & Laurels back and better than ever.
Hard power, soft power, smart power - what is the right mix of U.S. resources for engaging with the world and its challenges? This is a question sweeping through Washington, and rightly so, as the Obama administration seeks to reverse the toxic legacy of eight Bush years on America's world standing.
I was a bit bored yesterday when I noticed that the Sci-Fi Channel was running the first two "Saw" films, back to back. Now, it's been some time since I've seen the "Saw" films, and so I watched them both. The first one was, as I remembered, a wonderful little horror movie with an intriguing perspective on things. The second one was, while moderately entertaining, nowhere near the quality of the first film. As I sat and pondered the sad state of "Saw," it occurred to me that there are still three more films after the second, with a sixth in production right now - each has been worse than the last and has been clearly motivated by a lust for profits. This bespeaks a serious problem implicit in the blending of art with profit.
Janet Weil, Alligator Guest Columnist
Ask any man or woman who makes a career out of serving the community in the field of law enforcement: it's a tough job. Police officers embody a unique group of people who tirelessly give of themselves for the greater good of the public, all the while constantly risking his or her life. The most trying challenge of the position, however, lies in the responsibility of brandishing a handgun - a burden where a strong sense of self-restraint easily trumps a case of trigger-happy hands.
Oprah Winfrey rose to power by capturing the hearts and minds of millions of devoted followers. According to industry estimates, her weekly television audience and magazine subscribers combine to form a bloc of over 50 million committed supporters.
Beyond resuscitating the economy, one of the most critical decisions on tap for President Barack Obama lies in finding a replacement for outgoing Supreme Court Justice David Souter. Obama's upcoming selection will mark his first nomination to the nation's highest court - a choice that will undoubtedly carry weight beyond the four to eight years of his presidency.
I don't like Chryslers. Or Fords. Or, for that matter, anything GM makes.
With a slumping economy and a skyrocketing unemployment rate, President Barack Obama has turned to higher education with hopes of getting America back on track.
With the honorable Justice David Souter's announcement that he will retire from the U.S. Supreme Court, the cheap world of our national punditry has become a much more hysterical place than usual - which, it should be noted, is a truly impressive feat. These are rather exciting times to be alive; it's not every day we get to see the ideological liberals and conservatives in our country bickering and bashing each other. Oh. Wait a minute. We do.
President Barack Obama is making mistakes impacting our foreign policy.
"In the name of love… Oprah come and rescue us."
While the mean streets of Gainesville often provide for hilarity in terms of criminal hijinks, the true epicenter of absurdity running rampant resides just a bit down the road.
Well, it seems the Alligator is once again on an all Kool-Aid diet. Nothing else would explain the 600-word fellating this paper gave Tim Tebow on Tuesday. See, I like to think most people in the communications field are bright enough to notice a PR move when they see one.
She's never even heard of YouTube, but the video of Susan Boyle's performance on the talent show "Britain's Got Talent" has set the record for the number of views in a week - and it shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
Hell, you think you're ready for this semester to be over? Just sneak a peek inside the Alligator newsroom, with moving boxes abound - except, of course, for our trusty junk-food drawers (Kit-Kats on the reg) which will remain fully stocked until the Appliance Direct lady sings.
England. It is a country I've always had a soft spot for - I consider myself something of an Anglophile, and when I was younger, I always wanted to move there.
For the typical all-world quarterback, the spoils of gridiron war often include a proverbial "get out of jail free" card - turning college towns across the country into their own personal camps run-amok.
Conservative voices in government and in the media seem to be convinced that President Barack Obama's foreign policy stance is decidedly pansy. Bowing to the Saudis, shaking hands with Chavez and agreeing with European leaders has cemented Republican opinion that Barack is a sissy on the world stage.
I found the title of Friday's opinion column titled "Bitter Teabaggers Ignored President's Package, Tax Cuts" to be very ironic. Jake Miller does make an extremely valid point about the frightening number of people ignoring the real implications of the president's package and tax cuts.
Solutions by The State News
