Opinion

Scandals, steroids and the world of pro sports

By Brian Vigna | bvigna@flagler.edu

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are the latest in a slew of professional teams to undergo a serious scandal.

The Patriots were caught and fined heavily for having a team employee filming behind the opposing team’s bench. The Patriots embarrassed the Jets 38–14 on Sept. 9 and have been criticized by both the sports media and fans of professional sports since.

The Patriots so-called “spygate” has been one of the few mishaps in the past year that didn’t involve banned substances.


Saying goodbye to the Bill of Rights?

By Bill Weedmark

Would you know it if you were under constant surveillance? Would you know if someone monitored your phone calls, or if the media were telling you the complete truth? If “Big Brother” were truly watching you, would you have any idea? Probably not.

If you’ve ever read George Orwell’s masterpiece 1984, then you know that these ideas are all touched upon in the novel. The government of 1984 is one which sees and hears all, which filters the news to reflect administrative “truth” and in which individual rights are almost non-existent.


My outrageously unrealistic predictions

By Glenn Judah

Since this is the last issue of The Gargoyle for the year I thought I would look ahead to next year. This will be the completion of my third year at Flagler. So far all signs show I’m going to graduate in four years. How is everyone else doing? That’s good, or hey, don’t get discouraged (insert either answer that applies).

I’ve grown up a lot in these last three years and so has Flagler College. Just take a walk on campus and look around at all of the construction, but try not to get hit by a piece of falling debris from the art building restoration.


A little too country for me

By Nick Massie

Coming from the North, I was never really confronted with the overwhelming twang of the South.

Driving down the interstate while changing my radio from station to station, it became more and more difficult to find some decent music. The more I changed the dial, the more I heard songs about pickup trucks and barbecue sauce.


Tourism and Judo

By Danielle Marsh

Birds flock to the south for winter, fish migrate upstream to procreate, and tourists flock to St. Augustine to annoy students. I’ve only been at Flagler for a year and I’m already fed up with tourists.

What spurred this dislike are the many unpleasant encounters I’ve had with tourists. Just the other day I was coming back from my car, carrying several heavy bags from my most recent shopping trip. A tourist stopped me and started asking me questions about where the gift shop was. She could clearly see my hands were full and I was struggling to hold everything, yet she insisted on asking me several questions about the campus. When I couldn’t answer a couple of questions she got really rude with me and walked away.


Taking issue with view on South America

By Andrea Huls

You have to be kidding me. After reading what President Bush said about visiting Latin America this week, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It seems that now Bush is a revolutionary who is going to combat injustice and poverty.

According to a Washington Post article, Bush said, “The millions across our hemisphere who everyday suffer the degradations of poverty and hunger have the right to be impatient.” If I am not wrong, there still are thousands of people that survived Hurricane Katrina who are struggling every day. American people have the right to be impatient too, Mr. President. What are you doing about it?


No, I don’t play basketball

Julia Redemske, Staff Writer By Julia Redemske On the day I popped out of my mother, I was 2 feet tall. Try squeezing that out between your legs. Now at 6 foot 3 inches, I have spent a lifetime towering over my peers. And no,…


Conflicted about the homeless

Kelsey May, Senior Writer By Kelsey May My conscience is done with homeless people. I wish it weren’t true! I really do, but in my old age of 22 I’ve become too skeptical to give my spare change away anymore. The last time I helped…


Addicted and not looking back

Hooked on a high bigger than any other … surfing

By Ryan Brower

“My fault, my failure, is not in the passions I have, but in my lack of control of them.” – Jack Kerouac

Not being able to control a strong desire certainly makes that desire a passion. If you feel so deeply for something that you cannot function unless that something is a part of your life, then it is a passion. You need it, you can’t live without it, it’s all you think about, and you must have it.


Eating disorders can hurt anyone

By Katie Shrum

I was Bulimic by age 10, Anorexic at 13, went into cardiac arrest at 16, entered rehab at 18, relapsed at 19 and I lost my first friend to her eating disorder this past summer at 20.

It has only been seven months since I got word that Leighsa had succumbed to her disease, and two weeks ago I got another call letting me know that I lost my friend Amy as well. Leighsa was 19 when she died, and Amy was 21. Both girls died in their sleep.