Opinion

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Spring Break is a way to get back on track and to stay on track

Mar. 12, 2019

This semester has been hectic and stressful, so going home for Break was a good decision for me. I needed a change from the constant responsibilities I have at school. It allowed me to get back on track for the rest of the semester and spend time with family. Here are some ways to maximize relaxation and recharge even after Spring Break is over.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Stadiums are cool, but small concert venues are better

Mar. 10, 2019

Concerts fall into two categories, generally. You have big concerts, like those of Kanye West, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift or just musical acts that everybody goes to. Then you have your smaller concerts: the SoundCloud rappers, the indie rock groups from Bandcamp or the up-and-coming DJ you found through Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist. These are the more intimate concerts and are certainly more obscure. I went to one of these concerts about a week ago (shoutout to Car Seat Headrest for a great concert), and trust me when I say the experience was life-changing. All concerts have an intangible quality of connection to the world. Something about live music mixes with our own lives in a way that, if the performance is even half decent, it guarantees goosebumps. Small concerts, however, have a heightened effect on concert-goers.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

Is the Internet becoming immune to its trolls?

Mar. 10, 2019

Everyone’s a critic. This phrase has never been truer than it is today. The internet is a breeding ground for comments, critiques and unsolicited opinions. On every social media platform or website, comment sections fall at the end of the page.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Return to school ready for work, not burnout

Mar. 10, 2019

Welcome back to UF, Gators! Hopefully, you had a week to unwind, relax and take your mind off school for a bit, but now it’s back to the routine of assignments, quizzes, exams, essays and schoolwork of all kinds. We have to do it for about eight more weeks until the end of the semester. Some of you might be thinking, “Eight weeks? I’m so close to summer now!” To those people, I admire your optimism. For me and many others, we are thinking, “Eight weeks? How am I going to last that long?” Well, never fear. This column is for you!

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Anti-vaxxers are spreading fake news. It’s time you heard the truth.

Mar. 10, 2019

In the early 20th century, parents refused to allow their children to enter swimming pools or partake in typical summer activities. Childhoods were robbed and parents lived in fear of a crippling disease: polio. Little did they know, this disease was preventable. Luckily, Jonas Salk, a researcher and inventor, or better yet, a hero, developed a vaccine in 1955 that prevented the contraction of polio. Millions of children worldwide were spared from a crippling life, thanks to him. Once this vaccine was licensed for use, people worldwide demanded to be vaccinated – a small or nonexistent price to pay for the reward of a long, healthy life.

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: March 1, 2019

Feb. 28, 2019

The end of the week is finally in sight, which means Spring Break is mere hours away. As you’ve dealt with midterms, presentations and essays, you’ve been planning for break and all of the adventures you’re going to have. You finally finished your last exam, and you’re ready to start packing. Visions of blue waves and sugary sand dance through your brain. With a wistful sigh, you grab your suitcase and start thinking about everything you’re going to need for a spring break spent on the shore.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

I don’t want ASMR on my feed

By Chasity Maynard | Feb. 28, 2019

I can get on board with a lot of weird stuff. I appreciate a good soap cutting video. I adore beauty gurus. Don’t get me started on my Taylor Swift fandom. I’m pretty trendy and hip with the things “the youngins" like. But, seriously, I cannot get behind ASMR.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Bad boys, bad boys. What will you do when they come for you?

Feb. 28, 2019

We’ve all heard of them. We’ve all encountered them. Is it the way they smile, or is it their overall presence? Some people love the passion they bring to the relationship, while others enjoy the thrill of a real-life DIY project. Either way, everyone knows or has met a bad boy. It’s all in the name. Bad boys are known for doing bad things. So why is our society obsessed with them?

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: Birthright Israel is a life changing experience

Feb. 28, 2019

The best decision I’ve made in my college career was going on a Birthright Israel trip over Winter Break. You may wonder, what exactly is Birthright? Why do I hear about it all the time? Can I go? Birthright is an organization that provides any person of Jewish lineage the opportunity to go on a free trip to Israel over Summer or Winter Break for 10 days. This is an incredible opportunity to travel, discover more about where you came from and form invaluable friendships that will last a lifetime. Every student who is eligible to go on Birthright should go.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The latest Kardashian drama is proof we treat men and women differently

Feb. 28, 2019

Last week, Jordyn Woods, aka Kylie Jenner’s best friend, was allegedly caught making out with Khloe Kardashian’s boyfriend and baby daddy, Tristan Thompson. The scandal has many people calling Woods out for being a bad friend to both Jenner and Kardashian. If the scandal rings true, she might be up for the "worst best friend award", but it seems to me that in these types of situations, the mistress always gets more bad publicity. A boys-will-be-boys mentality normalizes cheating for men in committed relationships. This puts a lot of the blame on the female “homewrecker,” a derogatory term used to describe a woman as being the cause for breaking up a family. Also, the stereotype of women as caring, family-oriented individuals creates this idea they are worse than their cheating counterpart because they are supposed to be keeping families together. Both parties are to blame, but it seems that the woman gets more misgivings than the one who let the woman in.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

You can take naps and be productive

Feb. 26, 2019

Last week, I did something rare. I took a nap on a weekday. It was a spontaneous choice: unplanned, but needed. A half-hour or so opened itself up in my schedule that day, and I was tired. Naturally, I leaped on the opportunity. I don’t nap often for various reasons — either I have no time for it or I get too excited about being able to rest and, thus, restlessly lie awake for an hour.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Is it possible to separate art from the artist?

Feb. 26, 2019

Lately, I have been thinking about whether or not it is possible to separate the art from the artist. Of course, this has been on my mind due to the recent arrest of the R&B singer R. Kelly, but I have wondered about this for years now. The obsession over Kodak Black within the Gainesville community is disturbing to me. Sure, he’s a Gator fan, but he also went to prison for sexual assault.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Using plastic isn’t cool anymore

Feb. 26, 2019

If you live in Florida, and you are not constantly acting in the best interest of the environment: Wake up. We are the first ones going under when it all goes bad. The least we can do is be semi-conscious of the small things we can change to better the environment.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Feel the Bern? Try lightly toasted.

Feb. 26, 2019

Like every other young — borderline socialist — liberal college student in the United States, I was thrilled when I saw that Bernie Sanders had entered the 2020 presidential race. The optimist in me is rooting for Sanders to take control of the Oval Office. Unfortunately, the political science student in me understands that this probably won’t happen.

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OPINION  |  EDITORIALS

An $148,000 gift bag is a sign of how we view celebrities

Feb. 24, 2019

What would you do if someone handed you about $150,000? You could buy yourself a house, maybe even a Tesla, and still have some money to spare. You could choose to pay off all of your student loans. These scenarios are things people spend decades saving money for, but at the Oscars, all 25 nominees for acting and directing will receive a gift “bag” valued at nearly that amount of money, around $148,000.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Listen up, freshmen. Here's Kyle’s declassified school survival guide.

Feb. 24, 2019

We’ve all been there. The good life is not so good, a math class for your major isn’t adding up or the Man’s Food class you’re taking to fill the biological sciences requirement is making you sick to your stomach. In the pursuit of an illustrious degree you’ll (hopefully) obtain after your undergraduate years, there will be many classes you’ll have to take that you’d just rather not. These classes can sometimes be essential, sometimes they’re more or less useless, but all of them are tedious because you don’t want to be there. The problem is common, yet solutions are not as easy to come by.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

The overblown UCF funding scandal is a sign of deeper issues

Feb. 24, 2019

As a proud Florida Gator, I’d like to say a few words in defense of our University of Central Florida rivals.

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OPINION  |  COLUMNS

Make no mistake. Libraries are for reading.

Feb. 24, 2019

You can ask this question to any student and suddenly you get an idea of what kind of person he or she is. It’s an aspect of the campus culture that divides us all: What’s your study spot? Is it Library West, with its multiple floors of increasing silence and its proximity to Krishna lunch, is it Marston Science Library, with its open floor plans and cool technology such as virtual reality headsets, or is it Newell Hall with the cool eggshell chairs and whiteboard cubicles? Each one has pros and cons, but I feel these libraries are underutilized. Their vast book collections often go unread.

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OPINION  |  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Letter to the Editor: We must keeping fighting against sexual assault on college campuses

Feb. 24, 2019

Author’s Note: If you or anyone you know has been affected by acts of sexual misconduct, please contact the University Title IX coordinator at 352-273-1094 or inform@titleix.ufl.edu or the Gainesville Police Department. Additional resources are included below.

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OPINION  |  DARTS LAURELS

Darts and Laurels: Feb. 22, 2019

Feb. 21, 2019

You wake up on Tuesday having to mentally prepare yourself for the next two days. Walking through Turlington is already a hassle, but this week is unlike any other — it is Student Government election week, which means you have to perfect your “I’m definitely on the phone right now and not just pretending so you won’t talk to me” face. You’ve been planning to vote anyway, so being stopped in Turlington is not on the agenda for the day.