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The addictive aspects of ‘Lord of the Rings’

By Mikey Colgan · Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022

When people brought up “The Lord of the Rings” in the past, I used to laugh at the series. Why would I want to watch a bunch of tiny hobbits, dwarves and elves go on a journey over some fuss about a gold ring? It all sounded far too mythical and fantasy-like for me. In other words, I thought it was too nerdy.

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A controversial column

By Bella Laufenberg · Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

An inside column can be many things: Funny, cliche, informational, emotional, controversial or otherwise. When I realized (a bit too late) that I had an inside column due this Sunday, I had a decision to make.  

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Gun sense is common sense in this election

By lettertotheeditor · Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

After news about the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Hank Milius picked up his wife, a retired fourth-grade teacher, from the airport. He could tell that she had not yet heard the news and made sure that they did not listen to the radio or watch TV. He wanted to give her “one night of blissful ignorance” before he broke the news to her. In the morning he let her know what happened, and she burst into tears.

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We go jim

By Jonah Tran · Monday, Nov. 7, 2022

Gym bro 1: Hey, bro, you want to try my effective 2 RIR push day that I use as Push A on my current mesocycle?

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Way beyond too late

By Gracie Eppler · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

Tita Marites’ Facebook features snippets of her colorful life: verdant green vegetables, a red rooster, the bright smiling faces of her sons. And then, last Monday, a shooter broke into her school.

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‘Let’s go Brandon!’

By Stephen Viz · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

If you are about to email my editor demanding that I be terminated from The Observer staff because I’m a fascist bigot, just hear me out before you do so.  But I hope that your first thoughts are more so of intrigue regarding my clickbait title, and as fortune favors the bold, let me explain my position. I honestly had several thoughts on what this piece should be titled before finalizing my decision. “A Slice of South Dining Deli Ham Focused Grouped to be more Presidential than Joe Biden” and “Laura Ingraham; Says the Commentator Who Was Just Called a Piece of Domesticated Feta by The Atlantic” were examples of titles that swarmed my brain during the creative writing process. But a writing goal I have is to be more succinct, and nothing speaks more concisely to the hysteria of contemporary American politics than “Let’s Go Brandon.”

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Observer Editorial: God, Country, Class Registration

By The Observer Editorial Board · Friday, Nov. 4, 2022

With course registration looming, The Observer Editorial Board compiled a list of each member’s favorite class that will be offered next semester. This handy list is perfect for those who put off picking their classes until the last possible moment and want to pick engaging classes with as little research as possible. And for those who already know what classes you want to take, well, hopefully this will make you reconsider.

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A Catholic response to voter suppression

By Notre Dame Write to Vote · Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

In the 2020 Introductory U.S. Bishops Letter, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops call upon “everyone living in this country . . . to participate in public life and contribute to the common good.” The U.S. bishops stress that everyone has to partake in political life in our country. The simplest and most universal way in which all people can play a part in public life is by voting. Regrettably, two years ago, then-President Donald Trump began a campaign to suppress Americans’ right to vote and to undermine political representation in our country.

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The long train ride

By Isabelle Kause · Thursday, Nov. 3, 2022

Like many other students in the tri-campus community, I am someone who is constantly thinking about what assignment I have to complete, what projects need to get done and what exams I need to start studying for. So, I think I speak for many when I say that having the opportunity to put academics on pause over fall break was very much appreciated. As sad as I was to say goodbye to South Bend for a week, I also looked forward to being reunited with my family. I especially looked forward to spending time with my golden retriever puppy, Bentley. 

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Restorative justice practices in America

By BridgeND · Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022

I never thought I could feel sorry for a murderer. But, sitting across from Anthony, I did not see a convicted killer. Instead, I looked into the haunted eyes of a forgotten kid trapped in a perpetual cycle of abuse, drugs and violence. I saw regret across the face of a young man who, as a scared 16-year-old, had made a colossal mistake. Molested as a child and brought up in a family of drug dealers and gangs, the world had done Anthony no favors. When he was found guilty of manslaughter in an accidental car shoot-out, Anthony began to serve his sentence at San Quentin, which is a maximum-security prison and one of California’s oldest and best-known correctional institutions. During my sophomore year of high school, I visited this prison. The experience fundamentally transformed my perception of incarceration and highlighted the perilous cracks in the justice system. I realized that we ostracize and stigmatize prisoners to such an extent that we no longer see them as human beings worthy of dignity or respect. Consequently, I began to see the ramifications of Americans’ misguided and preconceived notions of “scary” populations. I saw these “hopeless” populations as men in dire need of rehabilitation, rather than purposeless punishment. 

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The grass is greener where I am now

By Kate Casper · Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022

Today, I want to be anywhere but here. Specifically, I want to be in Annapolis, Maryland, rolling around with friends on some grassy hill outside of the State House, discussing John Locke’s social compact over ice cream. The grass is soft and lush, and the sun is tucked behind a few trees, casting spiky shadows over our bodies.

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The flip phone experiment 

By lettertotheeditor · Monday, Oct. 31, 2022

I came to Notre Dame wanting it all. I wanted incredible memories. I wanted success. I wanted to get holy, get fit and get involved. I wanted to waste no time. I knew that this experience, like high school, would fly by at an incredible pace. Like a fleeting shadow. A blink of an eye, a New York minute. Here, then gone. 

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Faith alone

By Andrew Sveda · Monday, Oct. 31, 2022

Paul’s most scathing words are found in Galatians, where he vigorously defends the doctrine of justification by faith. Why was this teaching so important to him?  

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Red flag reading

By Emma Duffy · Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022

Social media is full of comments on what books are acceptable to read. There are warnings plastered all across online platforms declaring that it is a red flag if someone likes “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salingeror “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn, maybe even “The Stranger” by Albert Camus. At the same time, romance novels such as the ones by Colleen Hoover can not be recommended enough. I must confess, I would much rather engage in the “red flag reading” than force myself to read a sappy love story. 

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