Opinion

By Katie Crabb | gargoyle@flagler.edu

For someone like me, there’s nothing better than the feel of a brand new book in my hands, untouched, unread, just waiting for me to dive into its pages. There are stories, adventures and journeys hidden inside those pages, and the physical feel of the paper beneath my fingers only adds to the excitement. Everyone loves a good story, so for this reason I think books will continue to survive despite the rising popularity of other media, like film and television.

Debt slavery in Florida’s tomato fields remains an issue

By Cal Colgan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Every week, students from schools all over the country hungrily rush to their cafeterias and bistros, munching on subs and sandwiches and chomping on cheeseburgers containing slabs of juicy, red tomatoes. Parents buy the rose-colored fruits to force-feed their stubborn children. Health nuts purchase organic tomatoes for homemade dishes of pasta or couscous.

And every day, barrels of tomatoes are shipped all over the country from Florida’s tomato fields to be taken for granted by the insatiable mouths of middle class Americans.

By Katie Crabb | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Two of the most revered words in a college student’s vocabulary are “Spring Break.” For Flagler students these two words change to “Spring Blink.” Everyone on campus cherishes those four, five if you skip Wednesday of course, days of vacation during the crunch of the semester.

Some students take this as a time to head to South Beach, some to catch up on the many hours of lost sleep they’ve accumulated over the course of the semester, and some to get ahead on the piles of homework they know await them in the last few weeks of the semester. Most of us, at the very least, want to find an escape from learning for a little while, to give our minds room to breathe.

By Matthew Boyle, Cal Colgan and Sam Taylor | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Opinion Writers Cal Colgan and Sam Taylor debate the current economic issues facing the nation and how President Obama is dealing with them. Online Editor Matthew Boyle moderates.

By Katie Crabb | gargoyle@flagler.edu

All throughout high school, the constant question was asked, “What are you going to do after you graduate?” For me it was simple. College was expected in my family, and in today’s world that’s no surprise. And for someone bookish like me, it was the obvious next step.

By Rory Fish | gargoyle@flagler.edu

I start most of my school days swearing. Not because I’ve woken up late, not because I dropped my blow dryer on my foot (OK, maybe this one is true some days). No, I am swearing because I cannot find a parking spot to save my life.

With the wonder that is the St Augustine Parking Garage, why does practically everyone who lives on campus with a car have to keep said car in an on-campus lot? What daily, immediate need do you have for your car?

Unborn children also deserve the right to happiness

By Katie Crabb | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. citizens, tens of thousands of them young people, assembled in Washington, D.C., for the 36th annual March for Life last month.

It was my third year attending the event, and it was no less inspiring this time around.

By Julie Hirshan | jhirshan@flagler.edu

The Oscars selection process, like so many other things in life, isn’t fair.

Every year when the nominations come out, I am always surprised by which movies and actors have been nominated and which have been left out. I think that certain movies are deemed Oscar-worthy right from the start, while others are eliminated before they are even released.

Human rights violations too touchy for politicians to tackle

By Cal Colgan | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Last month, the nation watched as Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States—and the first half-black president of this country. There were whispers of change, hope and prosperity among the students at Flagler after they watched the new president speak of facing difficult times together- not as Muslims, not as Christians, and not even as representatives of our various cultures- but simply as Americans.

Yet, as the saying goes, “The shadow of the past eclipses the future.” And although the shining light of “the audacity of hope” still resonates in the American psyche, the rest of the world has not forgotten the dark shadow cast by George W. Bush and his cronies.