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Stop researching and give it a go

By Mikey Colgan · Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022

I get body slammed on my face. Then next thing I know, I have been twisted into a human pretzel. My arm is being pulled one way then the other and I am hanging on for dear life until eventually all hope is lost. I tap. Take a deep breath. Then get right back to it. This has been what my Tuesday and Thursday nights have consisted of for the last month since starting at South Bend’s Ribeiro Jiu-Jitsu. I have been humbled in ways I could have never imagined and have also been tapped out in more ways than I can keep count. Even with all that struggle and zero success, and by the way, I mean zero success, I am thrilled I entered the cruel, ego-crushing world that is jiu-jitsu.

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Motivational phrases for finals 

By Pablo Lacayo · Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022

Throughout the years, my voracious appetite for politics and history has led me to come across a wide array of slogans, phrases and soundbites that for one reason or another have stuck with me due to their significance, effectiveness or messaging. To me, they are comforting phrases that provide me with motivation, inspiration and hope to finish off whatever task is at hand. In my mind, if they were good enough to be spoon fed to the masses, they should be able to do the trick and motivate me. As finals week quickly approaches, I hope these help in one way or another. 

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Not worshiping ash, but preserving fire

By Devin Humphreys · Monday, Dec. 5, 2022

Let me tell you a story. A couple of months ago, I was at an establishment at the Duncan Student Center that definitely shall not be named, securing a late lunch of chicken nuggets and waffle fries one Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, one of said chicken nuggets was exceptionally crispy, so much so that it chipped one of my teeth! And thus I was required to schedule a dentist appointment to get that taken care of. Eventually, once all was said and done, in early November I was able to get in to have my teeth X-rayed, and the dentist arrived at the conclusion that the cavity that had formed would need a root canal. So a couple of weeks later, I returned for the dentist to prepare my tooth for the root canal process, only for the dentist to find that the situation was not as bad as she had anticipated. I would only need a crown to handle the problem with that tooth. She placed a temporary crown over my tooth, and by the time you’re reading this, that crown will have been replaced with a permanent one.

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What’s hot and what’s not

By Alysa Guffey · Monday, Dec. 5, 2022

I’ve had the same coffee order for seven years. Seven years. That’s one thing that will probably never change. It’s well-established in my daily routine, and I can be stubborn when it comes to my coffee. But what about the everyday elements of life that ebb and flow, move up and down, change left and right? I present to you: Ins and outs circa December 2022.

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The Liver King: a tale of raw meat and lies

By Jonah Tran · Monday, Dec. 5, 2022

The year is 5000 B.C. You just completed a successful three-day hunt. You speared the mastodon to death and harvested its organs. Your personal chef prepared for you a feast of grilled ribeye steaks, raw liver, testicles, and bone marrow. Before you settle into your makeshift straw bed inside the cave, you inject yourself with the daily doses of long argine 3-IGF-1, CJC-1295, ibutamoren, omnitrope, testosterone cypionate, nandrolone decanoate, and winstrol. The copious supply of anabolic steroids, which accounts for a monthly expense of nearly $12,000, is necessary to have single digit body fat year-round and to be primal. This is how our ancient ancestors lived, right? They lived off the land.

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Gratefulness

By Isabelle Kause · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

As I made my way back from Chicago to South Bend after a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving break with my family, I found myself reflecting on the last few days with an immense amount of gratitude.

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Will Kevin McCarthy be Speaker of the House next year?

By Blake Ziegler · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

Despite pre-election predictions of a “red wave” that didn’t manifest at the polls, Republicans will emerge from the midterms with only a slight majority in the House of Representatives. Based on the latest reports, it appears that the GOP will only enjoy a 5-seat majority in the House. President Biden joins the list of exceptions to the historic rule that a president’s first midterm election is a disaster. With an average seat loss of 28 since World War II and 45 for the last 4 Democratic presidents, the president’s situation is much more positive than some anticipated.  

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What makes an icon

By Reyna Lim · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

There are a few words in my lexicon that have snuck their way into my lingo much to my woeful resignation. They say the way a person speaks tells you everything you need to know about them — I like to think that I can play at some meek facade of depth and intellect when needed, with lengthy words I credit to SAT prep and the odd Latin saying that I picked up from movies. But the merciless grip of the stampede that is social media introduces at least a dozen outlandish pieces of vocabulary each month.

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‘Endlich daheim’: Finally home

By lettertotheeditor · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

These words were tattooed on my high school math teacher’s forearm — to serve as a dual reminder of the time he spent living in Germany, but also to be thankful for his return to his personal home in the United States.

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On saying thank you

By Hannah Hebda · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

We don’t have many formal Thanksgiving traditions in the Hebda household. The holiday is pretty standard for us. I love cooking with my mom, watching football with my brothers and my dad and simply spending time with my family. One very basic tradition we do have, however, is one where each of us says something we’re grateful for when we sit down to eat.

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An aspie's gratitude

By Jack Griffiths · Friday, Dec. 2, 2022

Head spectrum is the cognitive carnival. Your neurons have soared off the rails. So hold on to your everything, ladies and gentlemen. Behold the hidden wonder of the world and watch as thoughts bounce on all the cranium walls. 

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Farewell to Trader Joe's Takis

By Willoughby Thom · Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022

Why are Trader Joe’s Rolled Corn Torilla Chips (aka Takis) so good? This is a legitimate question. There is no other snack on the market that I get genuinely disappointed when there are not in stock. I am not a big fan of traditional Takis, but, for some reason, the Trader Joe’s chips are gold.

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The forgotten cities

By BridgeND · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

As Homeless encampments continue to grow, thousands of Americans are left in the dust. We need to do more. 

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I am with you always

By Andrew Sveda · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 ESV). These last words of Jesus’ Great Commission have long been cherished by Christians. Why is this? What does this verse mean?

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A fate like the railways?

By Pablo Lacayo · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

I have always had a deep infatuation with Nicaragua’s history, and throughout my life I have consistently made a point of learning as much of it as is humanly possible. I have spent countless hours reading my country’s history books, clicking through Wikipedia pages and watching archive footage found in rather obscure corners of the internet. The only reason why I still make a point of checking Facebook frequently is to peruse through the many Nicaraguan history pages I follow, taking pictures I find interesting and sending them to my friends and relatives every now and then. As winter break approaches, I will have the opportunity to go home for the first time since January, and I am ecstatic to once again set foot in the lands that saw me grow up. In my mind, nothing beats learning about history in the flesh and being able to once again tour Nicaragua’s landmarks. The opportunity to explore places I have not seen in ages for the first time in a while has me giddy with excitement. 

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‘Red flag’ literature: On not judging a book by its cover

By Elizabeth Prater · Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022

“Catcher in the Rye.” “The Prince.” “Norwegian Wood.” These are all some of the books that are commonly cited as “red flags” when a person indicates them as one of their favorites. There is something unsettling about nominating these texts, amongst others, as “one of the greats.” 

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Five people are dead. The University is silent. 

By lettertotheeditor · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

On Saturday, Club Q opened its doors to Colorado Spring’s queer community. What was supposed to be a night defined by community and fun soon turned into a night of horror. Around 11:50 p.m., Anderson Aldrich allegedly opened fire into a crowd of queer folk, injuring 25, and leaving at least five dead before two patrons repossessed the firearm to disarm the shooter. The shooter took on the role of God to execute an immense act of hate that left five families without their children, nieces, nephews and grandchildren. 

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A message of gratitude

By lettertotheeditor · Monday, Nov. 21, 2022

Our son and brother James R. (“Jake”) Blaauboer, a sophomore at the University of Notre Dame, died tragically and unexpectedly on Nov. 11. When we arrived on campus to begin making Jake’s final arrangements, we felt that we had fallen into thousands of compassionate arms. We fell and you held us. We humbly and sincerely thank the Notre Dame community for embracing our family at this difficult time. If you prayed for Jake and for us, served us, drove us, sent flowers or prayerful messages, lit a candle at the Grotto, wrote in Jake’s tribute book or simply whispered to us that “your son mattered,” we want you to know you have cast light in our darkness. We bless and thank each of you for your kindness and compassion. We will always remember you in our prayers of thanksgiving.

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