By Michael Newberger | gargoyle@flagler.edu

The world is in flames! Muslim extremists are going to use the popular uprisings to spread their doctrine and institute Sharia law in the US and Europe so your daughter will have to wear a burka to prom! The vast right-wing conspiracy run by the ominous Koch brothers are planning to take all the unions away!

By Jacqueline Dautel | gargoyle@flagler.edu

I thought it was grand. I was 19 with the house all to myself for weeks at a time. We had a loaded liquor cabinet, which didn’t stay loaded for long, a pool and spacious patio well suited for “small get-togethers” with my friends.

By Eric Albury | gargoyle@flagler.edu

How often do you pass a smelly, dirty and clothes-tattered homeless man and wonder about anything else other than how he ended up on the streets or how he gets his food every day? Do you ever wonder about something more human to the rest of us? Perhaps his athletic abilities?

By Mari Pothier | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Walking through the beautiful Flagler College rotunda I was on a mission: I was not going to move out of anybody’s way. While I was walking briskly with my head held high I spotted a tourist. He was an old man with a light blue sweat shirt and navy blue baseball cap walking right into my path. I braced myself for contact but at the last minute he saw me and in a startled manner jumped back out of my way.

I did it! I didn’t move.

By Caroline Young | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Flashback to 10 years ago — I was 12 and succumbing to preteen ignorance. I constantly purchased and read articles about how to, basically, have a boyfriend — as if I really needed a boyfriend at 12-years-old. “How to get him to fall head over heels,” “What does his posture mean about his feelings?” and “How to flirt with your hottie” are the titles of some articles I remember trashing my brain with.

By Caroline Young | gargoyle@flagler.edu

It was the only time in my life I actually thought I wanted to die. I crawled from the bottom bunk in my tiny Georgetown dorm I was sharing with another girl for two months last summer. I grabbed my cell phone and dialed the one person I call when I do not know what to do – my mother.

By Jason Bell | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Without even thinking, I pick up a Monster Energy drink to do homework or even before I go out for the night. Much like sleeping, it’s almost a necessity to life. With school work and a social life to upkeep, energy drinks have become a regular staple in my diet. As I look on the side of the can it reads, “Tear into a can of the meanest energy supplement on the planet, MONSTER energy.” This makes me think “What the heck am I putting into my body?”

By Emily Hoover | ehoover@flagler.edu
Photos by Rob Heinrich
We headed west, my boyfriend Rob and I. Southwest to be exact. We meant to head back to Winter Park after enjoying the capitalist decadence that is the …

By Eliza Jordan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

A Department of Corrections number of V02152 separated my mommy, an inmate, from a free woman for 14 long years as I grew up and apart from her.

You see, this meant that Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving and many other holidays were spent together behind bars. And the things that we could not do behind bars, such as my first bike ride, birthday parties, my first play, or any of my athletic events, were almost just wasted stories for her to hear about. She had to miss out on watching me grow, meeting my friends, helping me through hard times and giving me advice that I knew I could trust.

By Victoria Hardina | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Growing up with Florida summers is the best. If lucky, the days are spent lying outside and absorbing the warmth of the sun, and our only worries were whether or not a cloud will come and block the fabulous rays. But as a friend of mine found out, if you’re not careful, your days are spent in a hospital having surgery to remove the effects of the deathly rays.

By Mari Pothier | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Walking into the Alzheimer’s ward my eyes immediately began to fill up with tears. I tried to contain the drops that dripped from my eyes because I didn’t want to make my grandfather sad. Blinded by the tears I was holding back I struggled to see as we walked down the hall. But then I saw my grandmother wandering aimlessly towards us. She looked at my mother, grandfather and I but continued to walk past. It was then I lost control, she didn’t remember us anymore.

By Courtney Reynolds | gargoyle@flagler.edu
After the “Nipplegate” scandal about the Rep. Chris Lee — the married congressman from upstate New York who resigned from because of a shirtless photo he allegedly submitted to Craigslist …

By Lauren Belcher | cbelcher@flagler.edu
Photos by Lauren Belcher

It has been over one month since I have washed my hair with traditional shampoo and conditioners.

Since starting this no-poo lifestyle, as it is not-so-fondly called, I have eliminated every feature I used to hate about my hair. My hair is not frizzy, it’s not greasy and it’s not dirty. It’s clean, soft, shiny and healthy.

This new lifestyle is cheaper, easier and definitely better for the environment.

By Caroline Young | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Most people’s eyes widen when I tell them I have never consumed a Twinkie or a corn dog in my lifetime. Although I have not eaten meat since I was 12 …

By Michael Newberger | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Standing in line by the door was the ideal American family. The mom and dad were holding hands, the son was about 11 and talking to his little sister, and she was the kind of redhead girl commercials use to show how “wholesome” a product is. It was nice to see such a portrait of family togetherness in this day and age. Did I mention the cute little girl was holding a snub-nose revolver?

By Travis Norris | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Taking on new responsibilities seems to be somewhat of a challenge these days. I was sitting around the other day and started to think about the days when everything was so care-free. Back in the day, it was about jumping off rope swings and siphoning gas out of the local farmer’s tractors to put gas in my four-wheeler. (I definitely got in big trouble for doing that by the way.)