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A T-shirt challenge

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

On Oct. 7, a clothing company named Alta Gracia presented their Dominican Republic operations in the Geddes Coffeehouse. Student turnout was understandably low; it was a home football Friday. Nevertheless, this presentation's effects should ripple through decisions for dorms, the Leprechaun Legion, The Shirt Project and the University as a whole.

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What's next for Libya?

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

Libya's civil war has now reached its last and most difficult phase. With Colonel Qaddafi gone, Libya is now free to begin transitioning from war mode to recovery mode. This entails an entirely new set of challenges. Under Qaddafi, freedom of the press was virtually non-existent, elections were anything but fair and government agencies functioned as his personal bureaucracy rather than as a competent administration. All of these institutions will need to be built in the coming months, and progress will undoubtedly be slow and uneven.

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Xavier

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 24, 2011

Two weeks ago, we mourned the passing of Xavier Murphy. He was a man of Notre Dame, and, more closely to my own heart, a man of Zahm.

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DuLac noise policy

By The Observer · Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

This letter is in response to the recent and ongoing discussion concerning Sorin Hall (alias Sorin College) and its practice in the area of music selection and amplification. I would like to add two brief and somewhat contrasting statements to the letters of Messrs. Labate and Davis.

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Do it for the kids

By The Observer · Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

As co-Presidents of the Friends of the Orphans at ND/SMC student organization, we are writing to you with a challenge.

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Interhall football: my new and unexplored frontier

By The Observer · Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

From the time I was five until my senior year in high school, I played the same three sports: soccer, hockey and baseball. I was reasonably good at them and never felt compelled to switch things around. While I might have looked curiously at a sport like lacrosse or wished that one time I might be the one in pads under the lights on Fridays, I loved the sports I did play and had no desire to change.

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What can fall break do for you?

By The Observer · Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2011

Perhaps you, dear Notre Dame student, have had the same debate with your parents that I seem to have regularly with one of my sons whenever he has some free time. Perhaps because you're closer in age to my son than to your parents or me, you will take his side. So even though I, like John the Baptist, may simply be "a voice crying out in the wilderness," I will again take the position that having a break (be it fall, Christmas, spring, summer or even just a day off) shouldn't simply become a reason to turn into a complete slug.

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Steve Jobs: The story we're afraid to write

By The Observer · Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011

Each and every one of us is given a pen, a very long notebook and one enduring mission: to write the story of our lives. Each of us is given a genuinely unbiased opportunity to ink the direction of the main character. We take this process for granted, that we can wait a few chapters before beginning to write the story that we wanted for ourselves since the beginning — a story about powerful journeys, bold choices or a path all alone save for you. We'll look at today, but settle for tomorrow, scheduling a future full of experiencing real moments that our gut has quietly demanded for a very long time. Just carry around a pen, and it'll be fine. Tomorrow will be perfect.

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Notre Dame's ally movement

By The Observer · Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011

On Thursday, Oct. 6, Progressive Student Alliance kicked off its "4 to 5 Movement" with the hope of getting those who support the rights of LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning) people more involved and vocal on campus. "Four out of five college … educated people between the ages of 18 and 30 in the United States right now support the general package of gay rights. ... 80 percent of you support my rights, you only think that it's about a third of you," said Brian Sims, the first openly gay college football captain, at the 2011 Rally for Diversity. The statistic is a double-edged sword, but provides an opportunity for everyone who identifies as an ally.

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Thank you, SDH

By The Observer · Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011

A couple weeks ago, I was having one of those days. The first test cycle of the year was in the process of scissor-kicking me into submission, and I had the same hacking cough that was plaguing 80 percent of campus. Simply put, I had a terminal case of the Mondays.

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Changes for the band

By The Observer · Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2011

As a former band member, I certainly have seen the growth of the band over the years. They do a great job and winning the Sudler Trophy is an impressive accomplishment. Though I was disappointed over one change — the Band no longer plays the fight song of the opposing team. At the Air Force game, there was something wrong to not hear it or have the AFA Band perform first at halftime. Many things change over time, but for this old tuba player I do not understand the rationale for these changes. "Old Notre Dame will win over all" rings a bit hollow to me as I always thought the Notre Dame way was to demonstrate through actions the University's character. Yes, it may have been hard for me to play an opposing team's fight song after we lost, but I certainly recognized why it was the right thing to do.

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So come the seasons

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 10, 2011

For all the warm weather enthusiasts out there, of which I'm sure there are plenty, these past few days of sun and high temperatures have been a blessing. Having returned not too long ago from a semester abroad in Australia, I admit I had gotten used to warm temperatures and even taken sunny weather for granted a time or two. But over the past month or so, as South Bend weather settled into a brisk chill, I began to bitterly accept the inevitable — that fall and winter are on its way, and at some point in the near future, I will most likely have to endure temperatures in the negative.

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Fare thee well, PC

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 10, 2011

On June 6, Steve Jobs made his last public appearance as Apple Computer's CEO to demonstrate new features that would empower and "redefine" iOS devices (iPhone, iPod touch and iPad). Scott Forstall, senior Vice President of iOS, and Jobs took the congregated nerd masses at Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference in San Francisco on a tour of an operating system more influential than the hardware it sits on. The Apple team excited the attendees with astronomical projections, wowed them with the promise of new technology, stole their hearts with long awaited features, then told them the software would be available months after the press release. After four months of development and fine-tuning, iOS 5 will be available for public release Tuesday, Oct. 12.

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Midterms and mark-to-market

By The Observer · Monday, Oct. 10, 2011

Midterms. That week directly preceding fall break when everyone has 12 exams, four papers, two presentations and a problem set due. No one likes midterms.

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