opinion

The guns of February

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 20, 2012

The Russian and Chinese U.N. delegations vetoed a U.N. resolution which called for a "Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, plural political system" earlier this month. This has kicked off a new chapter in the Syrian conflict that might push it into an outright civil war. Bashar Al-Assad has been assured that there will likely be no international intervention against him and his increasingly militant tactics for quelling the rebellion in Syria.

A moral outrage

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 20, 2012

Institutions have the ability to create rhetoric in order to frame certain issues. They use this to justify certain actions (or inactions) and they repeat the rhetoric enough that it begins to seem reasonable. But once there is resistance to such rhetoric, the holes become more apparent.

My personal vision of purgatory

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

I had a harrowing experience this weekend. My idyllic Saturday at the Art Institute of Chicago was interrupted by a prophetic vision of purgatory. If you don't mind, I am going to use my column this week to try to make sense of the awful, awful things I was shown. I hope some of you will get something out of this, too, or else my vision was in vain.

Holy Half Marathon, feat. You

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

More than anything else, the Holy Half is about the runners. As race directors, we take special considerations to pay individual attention to each person participating in the Holy Half. We have hired professional photographers to capture everyone's uniquely definitive race moments, we will acknowledge runners by name as they finish, and we have rented more port-a-potties than in years past to ensure that no one experiences any distress during the race. Fun fact: In the business, an extra-large port-a-potty is known as a "Comfort Inn." We are still waiting for word on the "La Quinta."

Lamentation of the Disney Channel

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

Once upon a time, there lived a little girl who grew up without the Disney Channel. She didn't spend Saturdays with Lizzie McGuire or nights anticipating DCOMs. She grew up wondering what "Zenon" was and what Johnny Tsunami was all about. She made it through childhood, but there was still a part of her that wondered what she had been missing.

Irish against ALS: A call to action

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 19, 2012

Here at Notre Dame, it seems like we have a group for everything. But I've noticed a gap. ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, doesn't have representation here. That might seem logical, because it's a neurological disease that affects voluntary muscles and is usually contracted between 40 and 60 years of age. However, ALS is becoming more common, and there is no cure and little treatment. You may have seen Steve Gleason's story at the Superbowl, or Friday night's episode of "Say Yes to the Dress," which featured a young couple's struggle with ALS. More and more people are contracting ALS and the ages are getting younger. The next victim could be any of us, and if it's not today, it could be soon.

Bishops and mandates

By The Observer · Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

My wife Jane and I, along with a considerable number of the Notre Dame teaching faculty and emeriti, are deeply concerned about the official stance that the University may take regarding the dust-up over mandates, contraception and freedom of religion. A vast majority of Notre Dame faculty and staff were in admiration of Father Jenkins' deft and sensible handling of the controversy over the invitation to President Obama to speak at a Notre Dame commencement ceremony, and they are ready to support him again in a truly religious and rational handling of this developing controversy.

Dare to be called

By The Observer · Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

I once heard a story comparing Jonah and Noah. These two prophets responded very differently to God's calling. While Jonah originally flees from God and rejects His commands, Noah immediately obeys God's orders. Jonah pushed away and resisted God, until God showed that His will was absolute and Jonah begrudgingly obeyed. Noah, on the other hand, trusted God's wisdom and followed God's will from the beginning.

Say cheese!

By The Observer · Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

My favorite food is not pizza. It's not ice cream either. Even South Dining Hall's broccoli doesn't hold the key to my food-loving heart.

Dialogue' the message of the Church?

By The Observer · Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

Mr. Hagwood,

Start your engines

By The Observer · Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012

Every time I hear the Barenaked Ladies song "If I Had a Million Dollars," I can't help but start to make a list of what I would buy or do with it. In the Energy and Climate class I am in this semester, we explored the different "green cars" that are currently available, and I must say that one in particular captured my heart. The Tesla Roadster, an electric car that uses a lithium ion cell battery to store up to 56 kWh of energy, is the sports car of green cars. With the ability to go 245 miles per charge, from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, and best of all, get passengers from point A to point B with 0 emissions, its performance is outstanding. There's just one problem for me: I would need to win the lottery to pay the $110,000 base sticker price.