When Crist announced his intentions to run for U.S. Senate in May 2009, he appeared to have a virtual lock on the seat.

Despite rancid economic conditions, Crist’s moderate tone and over-tanned charisma produced approval ratings hovering near 70 percent.

On top of that, Crist maintained commanding advantages over his opponent in the Republican primary — former Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio — in every measure of political viability: money, polling and name recognition.

Fast forward to March 2010: Crist is no longer the Sunshine State’s golden boy.

His approval ratings have plummeted to around 50 percent, and he trails Rubio badly in the polls.

Indeed, Rubio has become the darling of the Tea Party movement and national establishment conservatives alike.

He’s been praised effusively in conservative rags like National Review and The Weekly Standard, gave a well-received speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, and several prominent national Republicans have endorsed him.

Add his steadily climbing fundraising numbers and, all of the sudden, it’s Rubio who is riding the wave of inevitability.

Crist’s desperation was in full view this week when he accused Rubio of using a Florida GOP credit card to get a back wax.

“[Rubio’s] trying to pawn himself off as a fiscal conservative,” Crist said. “And yet just in recent weeks, about two weeks ago, it has come out in news accounts that he had a Republican Party of Florida credit card that he charged $130 haircut, or maybe it was a back wax — we are not sure what all he got at that place.”

To be fair, reports of Rubio’s use of donor money for personal expenses, such as the haircut, repairs on his family vehicle and a stop to a wine store, should give tea partiers pause.

But, then again, this is the crowd that believes President Barack Obama is a Kenyan socialist setting up FEMA reeducation camps. Not exactly a rational bunch.

Still, Crist’s efforts to out-conservative the ultra-conservative Rubio have thus far failed to gain traction.

There are signs Crist may be starting to understand this.

The back-wax kerfuffle notwithstanding, Crist has started to tact back to the center recently.

His proposed budget includes robust increases in education spending — anathema to conservatives.

And when recently given the chance to take a shot at President Obama’s stimulus package, Crist reaffirmed his support of the measure, crediting it with job creation — big time anathema to conservatives.

It almost sounds like he’s gearing up to leave the GOP and run as an independent.

But all that would accomplish is ensure that the Meek shall inherit the senate seat — Rep. Kendrick Meek, that is.

The South Florida Democrat has run an uninspiring campaign so far and trails both of his potential Republican opponents by substantial margins.

If Crist decides to run as an independent, however, he will spilt the Republican vote, almost certainly allowing Meek to win with plurality support.

So what should poor Charlie do?

Easy: join the Democratic Party.

“But won’t voters think I’m a calculating political opportunist if I switch parties?” Crist might ask.

Newsflash, Charlie: You are a calculating political opportunist.

At this point, if you want to continue your political career, your only option is to switch teams.

Crist should take a lesson from Sen. Arlen Specter, a longtime moderate Republican from Pennsylvania.

About the same time Crist started slipping, Specter switched parties.

Specter was in a similar situation to Crist.

Facing an energized insurgent opponent flanking him from the right, Specter read the tealeaves and jumped ship.

At the outset, Specter still seemed unlikely to survive, having admitted that part of his rationale for the switch was his dubious electoral prospects in the GOP primary.

But Specter now finds himself in an excellent position to win re-election. The initial skepticism he endured from rank-and-file Pennsylvania Democrats is dissipating, and he’s now polling competitively against his erstwhile Republican primary opponent.

Crist needs to recognize there is no room for moderates in the modern Republican Party. Dissenting views go unheard amid the din of dogmatic adherence to ideological purity.

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, isn’t called a “big tent party” for nothing.

If the likes of Sens. Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson are welcome in the Democratic caucus, surely there is plenty of room for Crist.

The electoral calculus is simple, Charlie.

Stay in the GOP and get demolished by Rubio, run as an independent and hand the seat to Meek, or join the Democratic Party and stand a fighting chance.

You’ve got until the April 30 filing deadline to decide. What’s it going to be, Charlie?

It’s an age-old college tale. Two perfectly decent-looking girls are one-upping each other when it comes to the circumference of their legs.

Have you ever eavesdropped on an effeminate conversation that goes a little something like this?

“My thighs are so much bigger than yours. I so need to go on a diet.”

“No way, my thighs are totally bigger than yours. I’m the one who needs to diet.”

And here you are thinking, am I actually witnessing this? Both of these girls are beautiful — they must be insane.

Feb. 17 through Feb. 27 was National Eating Disorders Awareness Week — a collective effort of volunteers, professional, health care providers, educators, social workers and individuals invested in raising awareness of the pitfalls involving eating disorders.

March 8 through March 14 is Self-Image Week— a collective effort sponsored by the Body Image Task Force of operationbeautiful.com, whose mission is to post anonymous notes in public places for other women to find.

UNF decided to adopt the cause by adorning the women’s restrooms with shabby-cute pastel construction paper signs and Post-it notes that read, in Lucida Handwriting typeface, “Never question it, you ‘r’ beautiful,” “Notice the beauty that is in and around you” and clichés along the lines of “The mirror won’t show your heart.”

While whoever posted these signs’ intentions are reputable, and we obviously don’t wish to dilute the mess body image issues can yield, these signs came off as counter-productive, vapid and borderline ignorant.

First off, we all know it’s not true that beauty is solely on the inside. How you appear to others directly reflects what you put into your body and how you use your body.

Comforting others that are clearly not on the path of health by consuming high-fructose trans fat smothered crap is not a productive effort. It seems to just be a favorable alternative to saying, “It’s OK that you’re doing nothing about your obesity, and people should love you anyways even if you don’t love yourself enough to at least try to implement a change, and yes, we’re lying about how looks don’t matter in the West because they definitely do.”

Secondly, for those students that have an actual psychological disparity that causes their reflection to appear quite larger and less attractive then it actually is, which is who this awareness week is supposed to affect in the first place, don’t you think these signs will merely awake their low self-esteem?

And won’t this just perpetuate their depression, in turn triggering them to further starve themselves and/or stick their finger down their throat?

Thirdly, it’s especially ironic that all of the men’s restrooms lack the warm fuzzies.

What, all men are in love with their bodies? No.

Screaming sexism aside, all this proves is body image concerns focus mainly on the female gender. While this was likely manifested from ruthless advertisers, misogynists and the natural phenomenon of contrasting body types over the course of history, it seems like the more attention you bring to the problem (even if you mean well), the more fortified the problem becomes.

The only way this obstacle will be overcome is if the topic receives limited attention, even in jest. This is not to demean the serious nature of an eating disorder, but to think that these ‘tip of the iceberg’ sticky notes are going to do anything but awaken a dormant insecurity, you must be kidding yourself.

This semester, Genivieve Steiner, a UNF marketing management junior, spent $684 on textbooks. The high cost put off Steiner, like most other college students, she said. She found a free alternative while searching for an internship this summer.

“When I saw the internship on CareerWings, I almost rejected it,” Steiner said. “I thought it was too good to be true.”

But it is true: Publishing company Flat World Knowledge offers free online college text- books, $24.95-54.95 print versions, and low-cost audio versions and study aids to over 500 universities and colleges, and Steiner’s job as an intern is to bring its books to UNF.

Jeff Shelstad and Eric Frank are the co-founders of Flat World Knowledge. Together, they have 37 years of experience in traditional higher education publishing careers. They quit their jobs with dreams of revolutionizing the textbook industry, Shelstad said.

“Our customers were either confused or irate,” Shelstad said. “So we decided to set out on our own and see if we could build a better set of products and a business to better serve those customers.”

Professors also benefit from the company’s open publishing license, which allows faculty to customize the content. This is something Steiner focuses on in her meetings with UNF professors.

Over the course of the semester, Steiner has spoken to 25 to 30 professors, which often leads to multiple follow- up appointments.

“They usually love it,” Steiner said. “They always want to schedule more, know more.”

Steiner introduced Flat World Knowledge to accounting professor Jeff Michaelman in February. At first, he was unsure of the company’s product, but the list of authors impressed him.

“They have some really high quality people involved,” Michaelman said. “So I think there’s really some credibility to what they’re doing.”

Although Michaelman thinks the idea of flexibility and free student access is interesting, he is not quite convinced Flat World is ready to serve UNF fully. Flat World Knowledge does not cover the courses he teaches.

“Often times, teachers make their decisions based on textbook quality,” Michaelman said. “While I think it’s important to keep down the price of books [for] student[s], you’ve also got make sure you’re getting the right materials.”

Through her internship, Steiner is working to meet these needs and to add UNF to Flat World Knowledge’s schools.

“I know so many students that struggle to afford textbooks and so many professors are aggravated with the textbook industry in general,” Steiner said. “It’s just a really good solution.”

Despite the large turnout, the crowd was mostly party-line driven.

And whether the candidates gained or lost anything from the debate is still too early to tell.

Student Government Chief of Staff and Red Party Presidential candidate Tom Blanchard thinks despite the dearth of undecided voters, his party’s ticket improved its chances in the March 30 to March 31 election.

“I think we gained momentum,” he said.

Blanchard said more surveying was key to really understanding the student body.

“We are going to do student surveys consistently every month,” Blanchard said.

But current student body vice president and United Ospreys presidential candidate Mike Saathoff doesn’t agree.

“We can sit down, and we can take polls all day long,” Saathoff said. “A poll won’t do anything. I’ve seen polls, we cant keep throwing donuts at people to expect great results.”

One of Saathoff initiatives was to implement navigational systems to improve the shuttle service.

Saathoff said SG needs to become more transparent and needs to be better when it comes to public records requests.

Looking at credentials, Saathoff said he is the most qualified for the job because of his experience in SG. Saathoff has ran with the Red Party for three years but left the party this election cycle.

“The whole reason why I’m not running with the Red Party is simply because I’m tired of seeing backdoor politics,” Saathoff said. “I’m tired of text messages being sent and breaking of sunshine law and the list can go on.”

Yellow Party presidential candidate Sitou Gilles Byll-Cataria wants to see more minority students involved in the process. Though the Yellow Party may be viewed by some as the underdog, Byll-Cataria thinks there are enough students at UNF that he can pull voters from where Saathoff and Blanchard cannot.

“I say what I have on my heart, and if it’s what the students want, I urge them to do the right thing,” Byll-Cataria said.

All three candidates said they would veto the current budget that was recently sent back to the Budget and Allocations Committee. They also said they approve of the proposed wellness center and will continue to review parking to make it easier and more efficient for students. Also, all three said they would not raise the student fees associated with SG that is tacked onto each student’s cost of tuition.

You will probably be too wasted on $10 strawberry daiquiris and $8 beers to remember though. You will probably spend too much time under the sun and develop a healthy amount of premature skin cancer. You will probably take an embarrassing amount of photos and post them on Facebook ASAP. And you will probably have the lamest spring break I can possibly imagine.

So enjoy, you predictably boring waste case, you.

I on the other hand will be on a wild adventure, digging into the Smokey mountainside and climbing rock in ‘bama.
If I hurt your feelings, get over it. If you think I’m a little too smug, I am. All I really mean to say, and in a slightly less condescending way, is get out and do something different this spring break.

Whether you’re staying in town or making a little journey, there are plenty of new and exciting activities out there. So don’t just turn your brain to mush for seven days straight.

If you’re planning on keepin’ it real in the 904, check out page 13 in the Spinnaker for a schedule of Jacksonville activities going on during break week, such as penguin visits and other stimulating activities that would make your mother proud.

And if you don’t hear from us here at the Spinnaker for a while, worry not; we will be sure to update you on our thrilling voyages upon return. I know I for one will be virtually technology free for the duration of spring break. I can’t wait!

I’ll be sleeping in a tent, eating farm-raised veggies, getting dirty, playing in waterfalls, biking hills, listening to live music and drinking fresh brews in Asheville for half the week. The other half will be solely devoted to climbing. Over yonder in the fine state of Alabama (of which I have never stepped foot) the UNF rock climbing team and friends will convene for some quality camping and climbing.

I will be in heaven.

As of right now there is one small snag in the schedule, however. Weather.com’s 10 day forecast is as follows: A high chance of rain showers, a high of 52 degrees and a low of 35. Crap. Maybe a cruise isn’t such a bad idea after all … I hope you get your wallet stolen.

British version of ‘Degrassi’ broadcasts ‘authentic teenage lives’

My friend recently introduced me to the beauty behind the British television show (that appears on channel E4 in the U.K and avails itself on your Netflix Instawatch) “Skins.”

It’s kind of like the teenage show “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” only in “Skins,” the kids do cocaine and make it to “college” (the optional, two-year period in Brit education that prepares one of university) in time to turn in their sociology coursework.

As a ‘Degrassi’ aficionado, it took only the first five minutes of my “Skins” viewing session to know I was hooked.

It’s completely unrealistic, but all the same, it is brilliantly crafted, and all of the actors are sexy and relevant.

Brief breakdown: In the uke, they refer to the American version of seasons as series. So, in series one and series two, the cast is all the same, led by “About a Boy” gem Nicholas Hoult.

But they switched it up in 2009 and started the series with a fresh cast, save for Effy Stonem (Kaya Scodelario) and her friends who starred in one episode in series two, Pandora Moon (Lisa Backwell).

The first two series deal with issues of anorexia, homosexuality, drug culture, truth and virginity to name a few.

The second two deal more with aggression, multiple sex partners, while still giving you the dose of lesbian relationships and drug culture to keep the series relevant.

What’s so beautiful about this show is this: None of us knew of or went through anything like this when we were 17 years old.

In ‘Degrassi,’ at least the characters go to school, sometimes make it through and you don’t always know the personal lives of every single character’s parents.

In “Skins,” the characters get to swear, use British slang, use illegal substances and, like I said earlier, make it in time to take their A-Level exams.

What interests me the most about the comparison between the two shows it that with our neighbors to the north, we can actually like the characters. Emma (Miriam McDonald), the nature-loving smart girl, JT (Ryan Cooley), the fun guy at the party, Paige (Lauren Collins), the witch we lust to date.

With our pond-separted delights, we meet a group of not-so-amiable people. Michelle (April Pearson), the hottest girl in school who’s still an itch, Tony (Hoult), her boyfriend who doesn’t want her, Anwaar (Dev Patel), the annoying kid.

You can’t really pick a favorite outside of Jal (Larissa Wilson), Sid (Mike Bailey) or Maxxie (Mitch Hewer).

With the second group, you feel for Katie (Megan Prescott) while she stuggles through her injury, or Naomi (Lily Loveless) while she deals with her teacher sleeping with her mom or even Cook (Jack O’Connell) as he battles through complex relationships with his parents and friends.

I can honestly say that I enjoy ever character more in the second batch than I did the first two series. It’s not the actors’ fault, the writers just wrote unlikeable people who did awful things to each other.

I loved ‘Degrassi’ because at least when Manny (Cassie Steele) would slut around with everyone, you would still like her because of her beautiful dimples and cute laughter.

Not saying that the series one and two chicks didn’t have it going on. Pearson is a goddess of a woman, Hannah Murray — who plays Cassie — has been featured in magazines and Wilson looked well fit when she got those braces off.

It’s just that when they mess up – they mess up bad and a lot harder. You can’t really forgive them of their actions, and series two ended too quickly for reconciliation.

At least now, I know that I love Pandora despite her cheating nature, Cook will always be all right with me even though he’s abusive and Effy will always be the prettiest gal on the block – you know, when she’s not giving her “friends” concussions.

In all, “Skins” is utterly brilliant – even though I sometimes attest it isn’t.

I shall return her with a full review when I’m done with the fourth series, but I can tell you right now, it is going swimmingly.

To make everything worse, MTV is in the process of adapting the show for an American-ized version.

Unfortunately, the American version will never live up to its British counterpart (as usual [see, “The Office”]) as it will most likely be cocaine-less and sex-less.

At least us U.S.-ers know how to keep the drama.

        The UNF Rock Climbing Club will have to start looking for another place to practice, as the South Metro Family YMCA on Philips Highway, which is the only public rock climbing gym is Jacksonville, closes when it lease ends.

          The lease officially expires April 14, but the rock portion of the YMCA gym will remain open with a limited schedule until July.

           However, they might be able to climb closer to UNF because a few rock climbers are looking to lease property for their own rock climbing gym near campus.

Minor league football comes to UNF

              The Jacksonville Knights professional minor league football team will face off against the Florida Falcons March 27 at Hodges Stadium.

              So far, the Knight are ranked fourth in the 18-team Florida Football Alliance Power Poll as of March 9 at 3:30 p.m. There will be four more games at UNF against the Bobcats, Falcons, Panthers and Jacksonville Axemen this season.

              For more information, visit jacksonvilleknights.org.

Osprey outfielder earns Player of the Week title

              Senior outfielder Preston Hale for the UNF baseball team was named the Atlantic Sun Player of Week for the second time in his career and the first time this season, according to the UNF Athletics Web site.

              Hale was awarded the honor after he led the Ospreys to a 5-1 record this week. 

           Hale hit safely in all six games and recorded multiple hits in five. 

           He had 30 plate appearances with only one strikeout.

I think it’s safe to say he made quite the profit for his very valued John Hancock.

He not only sold autographs for a large wad of green at $160, but he also flashed those pretty eyes and pearly whites of his as he posed for photos at the price of $75 a piece.

I wouldn’t even pay $160 to see my favorite player, nobody is that important. But what do Gator fans think? “I was born and raised a Gator fan, and as much as I love the Gators and their players, past and present, I think what Tim Tebow did was wrong,” said Keith Jaudon, a UNF nursing sophomore. “No one should charge that much money for an autograph and/or a picture. Yes, he is considered by a lot of people to be one of the greatest college players of all time, but he is not God.”

A large portion of the proceeds was said to go toward the Tim Tebow Foundation. The foundation’s Web site says its goal is to bring faith and hope to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need.

The only foundation I can spring for is my own. After all, I’m a journalist.

Tebow traveled back to his hometown, after finishing up his final season as a college quarterback and playing in the Senior Bowl, to officially launch the Tim Tebow Foundation in advance of his first public autograph event, the foundation’s Web site said. But there are better ways to get people involved with your foundation.

“I know that the proceeds were given to the Tim Tebow Foundation, which is a great cause, but he could have raised money a different way,” Jaudon said. “I think charging less, a lot less, for an autograph or a picture would have generated a much larger turnout.”

Rather than charging an outrageous price for an autograph from a player, who isn’t even a professional football player, he could have hosted a charity event. Tebow could have started a football camp or even created a racing team for a 5k race.

Usually when people help with an organization, they want to get involved and be a part of something they are passionate about helping. They don’t just want to write out a check.

I do understand why he did a signing. A lot of college athletes with promising professional careers do everything they can to promote themselves before they enter any type of draft. Tebow was just following suit before his big day in April.

The annual NFL Draft is from April 22 to April 23 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and you can expect Tebow and his new throwing technique will drop jaws, just like mine did when I saw the prices of his autograph signing.

I’m sure the 1,500 people who travelled from all across the United States and stood in line starting at 6:45 in the morning at the Avenues Mall March 6 and many more will be anxiously awaiting the day Tebow could join the NFL. Well, maybe Uche Nwaneri, an offensive lineman for the Jacksonville Jaguars, won’t be too excited.

The three-year veteran didn’t hold back on his opinion of Tebow’s future in the NFL. Nwaneri posted a few comments referring to Tebow and the fact he doesn’t think Tebow isn’t NFL material on the Jaguars’ official message board.

“He can’t throw. PERIOD,” Nwaneri said in his comments on the Jaguars’ message board. “… The QB wildcat WILL NOT WORK IN THIS LEAGUE. PERIOD.”

Now that’s a man devoted to periods. It looks like Nwaneri is one of those football players who only plays and doesn’t talk to the media because you know these comments had the Jaguars’ public relations managers shaking their heads. But does he have a point?

I guess we’ll find out in April.

 This communication major began her career in softball at 7 years old playing catcher for The Ladybugs, a Clermont, Fla. junior softball team. Donned in The Ladybug’s colors, red and black, a young Dent followed in her older sister’s footsteps not only by joining a softball team but also by continuing to play throughout college.

 When batting for the Ladybugs, Dent winced when oncoming balls approached causing her to reconsider the position of catcher, Dent said. 

 After more than six years of playing infield and short stop, Dent found her niche when she began pitching in middle school.

 She found her footing after joining South Lake High School’s softball team as pitcher, and it was there Dent began receiving attention for her pitching skills. The Orlando Sentinel named her player of the year three times in succession while attending high school. Finishing up her high school softball career with 950 strikeouts, she felt as though she was becoming a dominant player, she said.

 Dent said the opportunity to be a part of every play draws her to pitching, but batting and sliding into bases are some aspects of the game she misses.

 UNF’s softball team displays sportsmanship, unity and openness, which made the choice of which college to attend easy, Dent said.

 After touring other state university teams and scoping out their softball programs, Dent felt as though some of the teams didn’t get along and emitted an air of disjointedness, she said.

Finishing this past season with a 2.18 earned run average, Dent has remained a strong player for UNF. With 14 starts where she threw five or more strikeouts, Dent topped off the season with a personal record of 10 strikeouts in a game against FAMU.

 Dent’s fastest pitch clocks in at 63 miles per hour and is met nightly with an average pitch of 61-62 miles per hour. 

 Playing national Olympic teams from Japan and Puerto Rico in Canada during the summer of 2008 remains the highlight of Dent’s athletic career, she said.

Striking someone out is the most gratifying aspect of being a pitcher, said Dent.

This is the first time the UNF Arena gets the chance to host a celebrity basketball game as Nelly and Bow Wow match teams they personally picked to go head-to-head against each other in order to raise money for education awareness. UNF was chosen as a venue because the event’s goal is directed toward college students gaining education.

The event’s head coordinator Benjamin Buckner said the event gives people the chance to have fun and help promote furthering education. 

 Each team will play games all throughout the U.S. to determine the winner. The losing team in the competition will donate $100,000 to the charity of their choice. Nelly and Bow Wow have not divulged to which charities they will be giving money through the competition. 

 Nelly is currently winning 3-2 against Bow Wow.

Buckner said the games have been playing to sold-out crowds, with as many as 6,000 attendees at the events.  

The ticket prices start at $10, and they are expected to sell out for UNF Arena. Doors open at 6 p.m., and the event starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 13. Tickets may be purchased at the UNF Box Office, online at Ticketmaster or by phone 1-800-745-3000.