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The Observer endorses Palmer-Parsons ticket

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

Taking into account past experience, preparation and overall feasibility of their platform, The Observer Editorial Board endorses Saint Mary's juniors Cassandra Palmer and Maureen Parsons for the 2011-12 student body president and vice president respectively. Palmer, Student Government Association (SGA) missions commissioner, and Parsons, SGA campus clubs commissioner, have the most relevant experience to address the needs and wants of the student body. The ticket wants to address the "little things" around campus, which they believe will make the most difference for students.

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Fun with eye contact

By The Observer · Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2011

Many people mistakenly think you need a board game, an Internet connection or a 40 to have some fun. Wrong, wrong and accurate but not the answer I have in mind. All you need is a sidewalk full of strangers to amuse yourself endlessly. That, and the ability to see. If you are blind you will find the activities I am going to describe difficult, or even impossible, to carry out properly. The game is called "Eye Contact." A fundamental feature of human nature: Making eye contact with a stranger on the sidewalk (or anyone in the range of stranger to distant acquaintance) is off-putting, unnerving, for the other participant. It knocks them off balance for just a moment. You will exploit this temporary vulnerability for your own amusement.

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Ending the R-word

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

"Spread the Word to End the Word." At Notre Dame and across the world people are uniting to end the hurtful use of the word "retard." Here is why I am joining them: In middle school it felt like I was given the keys to the word. "Swear words" were off limits at school or in front of my parents, but somehow retard toed the line as appropriate. Some pushed back, including my mom emphatically, but once the word became the cool way of calling someone or something stupid there was no stopping it. I never used the word hatefully at people with disabilities, so I cleared myself of responsibility that I could be hurting someone's feelings.

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Everything I need to know in life

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

My long-awaited JPW has come and passed. The weekend was a blur of events and reflections on the impact my parents have had on my life. But in the wake of all this, I thought it would be rude to ignore another important (though not more important — don't worry Mom and Dad!) influence in my life: James Franco. Everything I need to know in life I learned as a James Franco fan.

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A Tale of Two Illinois Democrats

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." The opening line of Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" accurately describes the situation that two Democrats from Illinois, Sen. Richard Durbin and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, experienced as they participated in President Obama's debt commission in 2010.

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Notre Dame falling behind

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

For over two years, students at Notre Dame have been raising concerns of injustice and unethical treatment of workers at HEI Hotels and Resorts, a company in which Notre Dame is invested.  The only response we've received from administration is that HEI is a "good" company, and our own Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Scott Malpass, went so far as to say that students were "fed" all kinds of information that isn't true about HEI, claiming that we were misguided ("Students protest University investment," Mar. 25). While Mr. Malpass is a profitable investor, this was a unfounded attack on our intelligence and ability to extensively research issues of injustice and listen to the voices of workers. Unfortunately, even though HEI workers have visited campus five times, Notre Dame administration has never agreed to hear their stories.

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A note on 'Ring of life'

By The Observer · Monday, Feb. 21, 2011

Thanks for publishing the article I sent to you ("Ring of life," Feb. 21). It was pointed out to me, and rightly so, that some of the poetic prose in my article was provided courtesy of Mumford and Sons. I was listening to them while penning my thoughts after the bout. I had a look at some of their lyrics after a student's e-mail. I have subconsciously made use of their lyrics to describe my stream of consciousness in the article, the exactitude and context of which I cannot fully ascertain. I apologize that this realization wasn't immediate, there was too much adrenaline in me at the time. I wish to suffix a note of courtesy to Mumford and Sons, and the Bengal Bouts for inspiration.

The Observer

Story behind condemnation

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

In Chris Damien's article "Acting for love," (Feb. 16) he mentions the Church's stance on gay marriage while debating against homosexual love. Here, I will argue against this discrimination and against any modern practice of homosexual condemnation we find in the Bible.

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The Notre Dame need to belong

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

It begins from the very first moment of Freshman Orientation, shortly after you make that first step onto campus and immediately know this is the place for you, and it continues all the way through your four years at Notre Dame. That of which I write is the need to belong, the Notre Dame need to belong. Sure, every human wants to belong to something and be a part of something, but what measures are necessary to truly achieve it?

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Tackle hugs

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

Walking around campus, you see people huddled in groups, scurrying from building to building.

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Political bias in the academy

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

At last month's Society for Personality and Social Psychology's conference, University of Virginia social psychologist Jonathan Haidt began his lecture on bias in academia by polling the audience. He first asked the 1,000 some-odd members of the audience to indicate, by a show of hands, who would self-identify as a political liberal. According to him, about 80 percent of the audience responded in the affirmative. He then asked who would self-identify as a centrist or libertarian, to which he received a few dozen responses. When Haidt finally arrived at the question of who would self-identify as a political conservative, he saw a grand total of three hands, or 0.3 percent of those in attendance.

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The ring of life

By The Observer · Sunday, Feb. 20, 2011

My heart pounded vehemently against the walls of my chest. I felt it would never stand still again. I tried to align my mind, my body, my heart, to face what I was about to. I had nowhere to stand and nowhere to hide. My heart told my head, this time no. My head told my heart, let it go. They applied some Vaseline on my face and treated my nose, to help with cuts and blood. They cloaked and hooded me. Yes sir, it was me. I went out back to get out my gun, and yes sir, you haven't met me. A priest from the missions thanked us and blessed us in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I took my brother by the glove, stood tall and remembered what we stood for. I wished him good luck and prayed that we walk away stronger men than those who were about to enter the ring of life. On this mind and on this heart, I aligned myself to do what I had to. On my feet I looked out, night has always pushed on day. You must know life to see decay, but I won't run. I'm scared of what's behind and what's before, but this we are — an everlasting vibe.

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The personal pitfalls of Craigslist

By The Observer · Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011

It is astounding how devastating and immediate the consequences can be from a misstep while Internet socializing. On the surface, banter could surely not harm one responding to a "woman seeking a man" ad posted Jan. 14 on Craigslist that asked why men all "look like toads." Unfortunately, ferocious forces fell upon a congressman who embellished his response: "Hope I'm not a toad. :) i'm a very fit fun classy guy. Live in Cap Hill area. 6ft 190lbs blond/blue. 39 … Lobbyist. I promise not to disappoint."

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What true freedom is

By The Observer · Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011

I often read Viewpoint articles that make me feel the need to respond with a letter of my own. Laziness and a generally laid back attitude usually stay my hand before I even begin. However, after reading the Viewpoint titled ("Consequences of Repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Feb. 15), I felt an overwhelming need to express my profound objections at the views expressed in said article.

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Love in different forms

By The Observer · Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011

Based on what appears to be your own self-assuredness and apparent wisdom on related matters ("Acting for love," Feb. 16), I ironically presume that you know nothing of what it feels like to be a self-identifying homosexual. It is precisely because of this that I strongly disagree with your statements on "holding hands, caressing, kissing" and their casual evidence in today's society.

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Revuepoint

By The Observer · Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011

At approximately 5:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, Fr. Doyle, Vice President of Student Affairs, made a telephone call to Keenan Hall's rector, Fr. Dan Nolan. The Revue had to be changed. SAO had received too many complaints about the content of the show and decided it was time to step in. To placate the unhappy, immediate action needed to be taken. Later that morning, the president of Keenan Hall, along with the producer and director of the Revue, met with SAO representatives to discuss the content of the show.

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Election committee decision warrants explanation

By The Observer · Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011

A campaign "ethics clause" violation that delayed the results of Monday's student body election results did not, in all likelihood, change the final outcome of the entire process, which came to a close Thursday night with the announcement that junior Pat McCormick and sophomore Brett Rocheleau would serve as the next student body president and vice president, respectively.

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