Print Edition of The Observer for Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Geopolitics
on the “seven phases” that constitute a “diplomacy of mercy.” h e explained that the first phase is recognizing nothing is “definitively lost.”
s padaro talked about this phase through the context of Francis’ visit to the war-torn c entral African r epublic
( c A r ).
“ m ercy can have a political effect,” s padaro said. “The head of state of the c A r recognized the importance of mercy and wanted her country to find a new path of spirituality based on tolerance.”
The violence in the c A r is primarily between c hristians and m uslims.
s padaro noted that as a means of encapsulating the importance of mercy, Francis visited a mosque in the capital of b angui; the mosque was displaying a vatican flag to welcome the Pontiff.
1 and staff from across campus attended the hour-long rally in opposition to the statement. According to the event organizer, graduate student Kate b ermingham, the demonstration was intended to voice objections to n otre d ame’s “apparent intention to obstruct its employees’ ability to access contraception.”
“ n otre d ame does not have a just claim to saddle me or other individuals it employs with the expenses of its conscience,” b ermingham said in an email. “It is extremely important to voice opposition to our university’s patriarchal attempt to control the bodies and reproductive choices of its employees. g iven the current political climate in the country, it is imperative to publicly resist the attempts of those in power to use their authority in ways that are inappropriate.”
b ermingham said because n otre d ame is not paying for contraception, they have “no business” preventing their employees from obtaining it, and the University’s position is on “shaky theological, philosophical and moral grounds.”
“While I believe that Fr. Jenkins is doing what he thinks is right, I would ask him to seriously consider whether, as a matter of practical faith, it is more in keeping with c atholic values to force women to make health care choices based on
s padaro said the second phase emphasizes flexibility and openness. h e said that with this phase it is important to recognize individual humans’ unique qualities.
“Free will isn’t like dealing with machines,” s padaro said.
To demonstrate his point, s padaro listed some of the instances in recent years where the c atholic c hurch has served as a key mediator in international conflicts. h e cited examples such as the s yrian c ivil War, the h oly s ee’s relationship with the People’s r epublic of c hina, relations between the United s tates and c uba and the peace process in c olombia.
“For Francis, the history of the world is not a h ollywood movie in which our boys save us from their boys,” s padaro said.
The main objective of the third phase is that geopolitics should “dissolve”
what they can afford rather than on what they deem to be best for their physical and emotional well-being,”
b ermingham said.
If the University gets to say what constitutes a violation of its conscience and religious liberty, b ermingham said, women should get to say what constitutes a harm to their persons.
“It is impossible to overlook the gendered implications of n otre d ame’s claims to be exercising religious freedom in this instance,” she said. “Women who work for n otre d ame will disproportionately bear the burden of their employer’s attempt to live out its faith. m any of these women are low-income, earning hourly wages or living on graduate stipends. Let’s recall that in the broader American economy, women make 80 cents on the dollar, and that within academia, women are disadvantaged in a whole host of ways, which n otre d ame’s policy exacerbates, whatever its intentions.”
When asked about the demonstration, University spokesman d ennis b rown said the University has tried to make clear that its position on the matter is not about contraception, but rather about religious freedom.
“We are not trying to stop anyone from using contraceptives,” b rown said in an email. “If they want to, that’s their right. b ut we do think that the previous policy was a direct encroachment on the First Amendment right to religious liberty, with
fundamentalism, s padaro said.
“The pope is light years away from a ‘clash of civilizations,’” s padaro said. “ h e opposes using c hristianity to justify an ‘axis of evil.’”
s padaro blamed the “alliance” between religious fundamentalism and politics on a “fear of chaos.” h e said fundamentalism is a “poor version” of a religious experience. h e also said Francis believes that terrorists are “poor, criminal folk.”
“It is an expression that expresses condemnation and compassion,” s padaro said. “We must see terrorists as an incarnation of the prodigal son and never as the incarnation of evil. What is the typical love of a c hristian? It is the love of the enemy, not just the neighbor.”
The fifth phase stresses that c atholicism is not a “political guarantor” of power. s padaro said the pope opposes the view that
the government requiring organizations that oppose contraception on religious grounds to act as an agent in the distribution of contraception. That is why we support the change announced last week.”
b rown said n otre d ame provides contraceptives in health plans when prescribed by a doctor for medical reasons other than birth control.
“The University is committed to the health and well-being of our students, faculty and staff,” b rown said. “We understand that many of them have made conscientious decisions to use contraceptives. As we assert the right to follow our conscience, we respect their right to follow theirs.”
g raduate student m argie h ousley said she heard about the march through social media and decided to attend because she believes it is important all people have access to “all the health care they need.”
“Fundamentally, it is not the right of an employer to take their own religious beliefs and use that to force people to make decisions about their health care, which become economic decisions if they’re not covered by health care,” h ousley said. “ s o really, it’s n otre d ame taking their religious beliefs and enforcing them on their employees.”
h ousley, who carried a sign reading “ b odily Autonomy For All,” said she spoke at the march about “corpses having more bodily autonomy legally than women do”
the c atholic c hurch is “the last empire” and religion shouldn’t be the guarantor of the dominant class.
s padaro said the sixth phase is about acknowledging the peripheries of the world. h e noted that Francis’ travels within e urope have taken him to places such as the island of Lampedusa — e urope’s “gateway,” Albania, Turkey, Poland and the s outh c aucasus among others.
“Francis is like a doctor, seeing [if] the heart works through seeing if the blood is moving throughout the body,” s padaro said.
In describing the sixth phase, s padaro returned to the idea of the church as a field hospital.
“Francis wants to travel to injured lands one by one,” s padaro said.
s padaro said the pontiff’s next scheduled trip is to m yanmar and b angladesh, where there is an ongoing crisis between m uslim and
when women are unable to make choices about their health care.
“I think the most important thing for me was making sure that our voices were heard in some way,” h ousley said. “I don’t expect that protests necessarily in and of themselves create change, but I think they’re a really important way to allow people to be heard and to make sure that the people who are in power understand how they’re affecting other people’s lives.”
Freshman d erek d ellisola said he was alerted to the demonstration after hearing chants such as “ s hame, s hame on n otre d ame” when walking from class. After approaching the gathering out of curiosity, he said he decided to pitch a question about the University’s rights as a private institution for clarification purposes and to participate in a “mutually engaging debate.”
“The problem with this school is I see a lot of kids who, coming in, know that the school doesn’t really have policies that favor them but they come in anyway and then try to change it,” d ellisola said. “ m y logic is you knew when you applied to this school that it wouldn’t be a place for you. e ven though it’s not half as hateful as you make it out to be, it wouldn’t be a place that you agree with, so why do you come here anyway? It’s like going onto a baseball team and saying, ‘Where the hell is the quarterback?’”
d ellisola attended the event with his friend,
b uddhist populations. h e also talked about Francis’ recent visit to the c iudad Juarez and the m exican–American border.
“ h e was 10 meters from the border, celebrating m ass,” s padaro said. “The United s tates was in front of him and m exico is behind him. h e cancelled the border, because there were people attending m ass on both sides.”
The seventh and final phase related to the theme of diplomacy as solidarity. he demonstrated his point by describing the gift the pope gave to President d onald Trump during their meeting earlier this year at the vatican.
“It was a bronze sculpture of an olive tree with its branches growing together,” s padaro said. “The pope expressed the need for justice.”in every community.”
Contact Tom Naatz at tnaatz@nd.edu
freshman e llis r iojas, who said he didn’t feel comfortable asking questions he had at the demonstration after observing what he considered an “aggressive mindset” and “emotional undertones” in the group’s response to d ellisola’s question.
“We see this kind of aggression because they’ve received something from the University and they’re unsatisfied with what it’s giving them,” r iojas said. “ b ecause of that, [ralliers are] coming up here and protesting, saying, ‘You need to give us more,’ but they have no right to demand that from a University that’s giving it to them in a contract that they mutually agreed to.”
d ellisola said despite his difference of opinion on the topic as well as disagreement with some of the ralliers’ signs, including one he said read “F— Like a c hampion Today,” he doesn’t regret attending the demonstration and believes he reached a better understanding of the matter through his attendance.
“I was just looking to get clarification, because it’s something that I by instinct object to, but I was hoping to go and hear what they had to say and maybe learn from them, and I think I did,” d ellisola said. “I learned that the issue is not as simple as it seems, but I will say that I still do not agree with them. I was just interested because you don’t really see this every day.”
Contact Kelli Smith at ksmith67@nd.edu
By MIKE DONOVAN scene Writer
In his poem “digging,” Irish poet seamus heaney condenses generations of wonderment under his imagistic microscope. From a humble wound in the soil — “Under my window, a clean rasping sound / When the spade sinks into gravelly ground” — he resuscitates family history — “my grandfather cut more turf in a day / Than any other man in Toner’s bog” — and excavates vision of immortality hidden the “soggy peat.” heaney, however, must respect the limits of his pen since he has “no spade to follow men like them.” his work delivers nature once removed. on her sophomore LP, “If blue could be happiness,” emily sprague of Florist assumes heaney’s poetic lens recreating her beloved catskills by way of brooklyn. but sprague, like heaney, has limits. Arrangements and lyrics are simply tools of mimicry, not gateways to another dimension. sprague, though, seems aware of her artistic limitations, crafting her songs accordingly. her efforts guide listeners to an easel in the basement of a townhouse where they can paint distant landscapes in abstract.
As the album’s title suggests, sprague’s impressionist feats begin with color — the importance of which she outlines on “Understanding Light.” she first considers it — “There is no color like the darkness in my life” — before exploring the lower echelons of the spectrum — “see
when I exhale and it hits the window pane / Turning clear to white and darkness to grey.” From these states of muffled feeling, sprague decides, “I want to live in blueness.” sprague’s colors represent humanity’s basic and infinitely mutable emotional foundation — the pallet with which she paints her landscapes. “blue mountain road,” again describes the significance of a pallet by detailing its absence — “And being alive is not singing along / or looking outside the window at the darkness of it all.” The road takes its true shape once she fills in the spaces with blue, “the color in [her] heart” that’s “been there all along.”
As sprague’s spectrum branches out, her images grow in complexity. “What I Wanted to hold” examines a “Yellow light on the wall” as a gateway to “sights and smells / and sounds of old.” The “beam of light” suddenly illuminates an “Autumn afternoon” of her youth, if only for a moment before “it slowly fades to blue.” similarly, red grounds sprague — “a mother’s only daughter in the red of earth” — on the song “red bird.” It reminds her of love’s rich beauty as “the sun is starting to fall.”
each color offers only a minuscule glimpse into the vast ranges of sprague’s nostalgic landscapes — “Little speck of us in my mind,” she calls them. much like an impressionist painting, they tell a cohesive story, but in splotchy, vague and unfamiliar strokes. moreover, colors never burst without an ensuing period of darkness — indicating the generational cycle of life and death that exist within
the recesses of one’s memories.
every moment of darkness in sprague’s colored narrative (and there are many) remains for the listeners, who can then take up her colors and paint their own memories with only her skeletal guitar lines and softly billowing synth parts as a guide. The album’s instrumental sections, especially, permit listeners to run unfettered through the hills and trees of her tonal creation.
Where heaney digs, finding memories in the sturdiness of the ground, sprague floats, seeking memories in the fluidity of the air. both find pathways into their memories, if only for a short, incomplete period.
Contact Mike Donovan at mdonov10@nd.edu
“If
Blue Could Be Happiness”
Florist
Label: Double Double Whammy
Tracks: “What I Wanted to Hold”
If you like: Frankie
By ADAM RAMOS scene editor
“measure for measure,” written around the start of the 17th century, is widely considered to be one of William shakespeare’s “problem plays.” characterized by erratic shifts of tone between comedy and evocative psychological drama, shakespeare’s problem plays are shrouded in ambiguity — making them some of his hardest to execute. For Actors From The London stage, who performed “measure for measure” in Washington hall from Wednesday through Friday, the play proved a worthy challenge, but was met with exceptional skill and aplomb.
Actors from The London stage (AFTLs), an educational program founded in 1975 at the University of california, santa barbara and now based in London and the University of notre dame, is comprised of five rotating actors from a handful of esteemed theatre companies. each AFTLs production is fashioned without a director, forcing the actors to collaborate in interpreting shakespeare’s poetic vision. This method may seem
unconventional, but the cast’s talent as both actors and directors is extremely evident, even when performing a play as complicated as “measure for measure.”
The story of “measure for measure” begins with the duke of vienna unexpectedly appointing his straitlaced deputy Angelo as temporary leader of his rampantly sinful city. soon, Angelo arrests claudio on charges stemming from consensual premarital sex, leaving claudio’s sister Isabella, a pious nun, to plea for her brother’s life. From here, the story builds in every direction and concludes with the duke returning to tie things up in a neat, albeit confounding, manner. rule of law is at the heart of “measure for measure,” raising questions such as how mercy and forgiveness should permeate into institutionalized judgement. The play provides a number of stark characters, each providing a particular stance on the matters raised in the play. In light of the many issues surrounding the U.s.’s current penal and prison system, such as mass incarceration, racial discrimination and high recidivism rates to name a few, the performance’s emphasis on the rule of law took on an especially poignant significance.
The decision to utilize only five actors for the 15+ character–play proved a challenge for the production as each actor played at least three distinct roles. Yet, the actors’ attempts to make up for their small cast — from using simple hats suspended in the air by hand to represent absent characters, to pausing the show so actors could have conversations with themselves — proved an intriguing and funny component of the overall production. Actor Peter bray, who played Lucio, elbow and mariana, was the other major source of comedy in the play, thanks in big part to his stellar timing.
In addition to the small cast, AFTLs are further hindered by a lack of a set and an abundance of props. however, these limitations were also appropriately handled. To denote scene changes, for example, the cast would often sing in unison, adding a creative and fun element to the production. From start to finish, these creative decisions help make the production an entertaining take on one of shakespeare’s most interesting plays.
Cosmos, Soccer Mommy, Emily Yacina
Straight shooting
The four best one direction music videos
e very now and then — and by that I mean almost daily — I remember that o ne d irection doesn’t exist anymore, and I get very, very sad. In times like these, I find myself binge watching their music videos. The best thing about this band is the way their music videos are easily the dumbest and most life-changing creations in modern media. And what better use is there of a wide-read platform like The o bserver than to share the four best o ne d irection music videos?
4. “ o ne Thing”
I know people will disagree with me on this one because this video is mostly the boys wandering around London and not much happens, but the dance they do on the steps and the red couch and everything about it is just so pure and wholesome. Their early videos are happy and lighthearted and are just five guys having a good time and living their dreams. What can be better than that?
3.“ s teal m y Girl”
Two words: d anny d evito. Two more words: the monkey. n ot only does it feature an adorable monkey and an even more adorable d anny d evito, but it also highlights the boys doing random things in the desert. There are mimes and marching bands and sumo wrestlers. In true o ne d irection fashion, there is nothing related to the song in this video. And it is perfect.
2.“Kiss You”
I remember when the “Kiss You” music video was announced. The boys said that they wanted to do more serious, story-based music videos. I would like to thank not only God, but also Jesus that o ne d irection did not ever learn how to do a serious video. From h arry s tyles covering all four of his nipples to them pretending to ski, surf and ride motorcycles, this video is a true cinematic masterpiece. It highlights their inability to dance and never fails to put me in a good mood. If you’ve never seen it, do yourself a favor and look it up on YouTube right now.
1. “ b est s ong e ver”
o f course the best song ever would have the best music video ever. The video starts with the band going to h ollywood to make a movie. The studio execs, choreographer, marketing guy and “sexy assistant” are all played by the boys. After the marketing guy and the choreographer come in and offer nothing but mortifying ideas, the song starts with h arry s tyles screaming in the face of n iall as the studio exec. And it’s only uphill from there. Zayn m alik dances with himself as the assistant. There’s more horrible group dancing that is just the icing on the cake of yet another music video that makes no sense with the song. It really is the best ever.
Contact Nicole at ncaratas01@saintmarys.edu
The views expressed in the Inside Column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Ramirez The crooked Path
m y father, who recently celebrated his 97th birthday surrounded by a large and loving family, has had many wise words to pass along to his children over the years. o ne lesson he stressed was to write your name on prized possessions and keep a lock on items you didn’t want stolen. h e said this type of precaution was to “keep honest people honest.” m y dad cautioned that a thief will take what he or she wants whether you lock it up or not, but an otherwise honest person will see the lock and move on.
This lesson was reinforced years later when I worked as in-house counsel for a large national retailer. o ur loss prevention experts showed me video of professional shoplifters and asked if I could tell when the person under scrutiny made the theft of items from the sales floor. As I studiously watched video of customers walking among racks of merchandise I did not see anything unusual, but once the suspect was apprehended, store security personnel would inevitably pull a number of concealed items from the suspect’s clothing, other stores’ shopping bags, or even children’s strollers.
I readily admitted I could not tell when the shoplifting occurred, so I asked the loss prevention guys if they could spot the theft. They admitted that in most instances they couldn’t, and they mostly relied on noting what was missing from shelves or racks from one point in time to the next. “You can’t spot or stop a real pro,” they admitted, “you can only catch them after the fact.” Accordingly the surveillance warning signs in dressing rooms and the visible security tags on merchandise are mostly to keep the honest people honest.
Given the circumstances of extreme desperation, many otherwise law-abiding persons may succumb to the temptation of shoplifting or criminal white-collar equivalents, such as embezzlement. Add in mental illnesses such as kleptomania or sociopathic personality disorders, where the perpetrators may be drawn to criminal behavior, and the efforts to enforce anti-theft laws often may seem futile. s till, no one would argue the protection of commercial property is a laudable goal, and these laws remain as a deterrent to the outright looting of retail establishments.
A wretched and growing series of mass murders committed by armed gunmen (and they are typically male) brings the lessons of “keeping the honest people honest” to mind. I will not take time here for a full exegesis of the origin, context and meaning of the U. s c onstitution’s s econd Amendment, specifically as it pertains to gun ownership. What I would like to focus on is one sound-bite argument proffered by the “gun rights” advocates, namely that criminals will
always be able to get their hands on guns, even if those particular guns are illegal or heavily regulated. Typically, this is couched in terms such as “If you outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns,” or some other bumper sticker–worthy motto.
If you follow the logic of this maxim further, it appears to be an argument for no laws of any kind, since criminals will always break the law and the law-abiding people will be at a disadvantage. d espite the s econd Amendment’s guidance to provide for some “well regulated” approach to owning a gun, many gun rights supporters recoil at the thought of any regulations, such as registration, limitations on the types of guns that can be purchased, waiting periods or restrictions on equipment such as silencers. Apparently, the reasoning is that introducing any regulation is viewed as a step on the path to the government taking guns away from gun owners.
Interestingly, detailed regulation of another instrumentality of death, the automobile, has not resulted in a government program to seize cars or trucks. Your vehicle is subject to inspections and regulations regarding road worthiness, emissions and annual registration, all to protect you and other drivers (who also must obtain valid driver’s licenses) from pollution or the hazard of defective cars. Are there still smoke-belching, unregistered cars on the road, driven by unlicensed persons? You bet, but those uncommon law-breakers are identified as scofflaws and can be dealt with on an individual basis.
If semi-automatic and automatic weapons are restricted, will criminals still obtain them? I can assure you they will, but restricted weapons will be scarcer and more expensive to obtain and maintain — even professional criminals have a cost-benefit aspect to their jobs — and criminals likely will move on to other, less costly endeavors. Unlike city ordinances regarding the size or location of waste receptacles, for example, regulation of potentially lethal devices such as guns (and automobiles) is not a trivial or arbitrary exercise, though opponents want to make it appear so. It is sound policy in support of law enforcement, and individual health and safety, to regulate and limit ownership of firearms in general, and of weapons designed for maximum killing potential — such as automatic rifles — in particular, and most gun owners should welcome a reasoned approach to gun ownership. Keep the honest people honest, and use gun laws to isolate and identify any and all bad actors who would flaunt the law. As officer Tim m c c arthy might say, “ r emember, the most dangerous part of any gun is a loose nut on the trigger.”
Ray Ramirez is an attorney practicing, yet never perfecting, law in Texas while waiting patiently for a MacArthur Genius Grant. You may contact him at patrayram@sbcglobal.net
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Nicole Caratas senior news Writer
Raymond
Statement on contraceptive coverage at ND
The Trump administration has issued interim final rules allowing broad religious and moral exemptions to the mandate that all health insurance plans include coverage for contraception. The exemptions will allow n otre d ame to end contraceptive coverage in student and employee plans as soon as d ecember 2017, just four months into the current plan year. We urge n otre d ame not to take this action.
Under the current insurance plan at n otre d ame — which many graduate students are required to purchase — n otre d ame does not provide contraceptive coverage. r ather, those of us on the plan have separate contraceptive accounts with Aetna, provided by the insurer itself. e nding this arrangement and denying contraceptive coverage in the middle of a plan year is discriminatory to female students and employees. m oreover, it would interfere with the personal decisions that should be made by individuals and their doctors. c ontraceptives are prescribed for any number of reasons, and it is not the place of an employer or school administrator to second-guess or supercede a woman’s medical choices — especially when only one type of treatment is subjected to such scrutiny. We understand the c atholic c hurch’s position on contraception, and believe every person should be free to act according to his or her faith. Accordingly, and in light of the many religious differences that exist here, we do not
believe that students and employees should have limitations placed on their abilities to make healthcare decisions. After all, Fr. h esburgh envisioned n otre d ame as a crossroads, where “differences of culture and religion and conviction can co-exist with friendship, civility, hospitality, respect and even love.”
h is vision is the n otre d ame we experience every day: a thriving university where diversity of thought is welcomed and celebrated. m aintaining contraceptive coverage will send a message to current and future students and employees that the University truly values those of all cultures, religions and convictions as members of the n otre d ame family.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Notre Dame
Notre Dame Women’s Legal Forum Executive Board
Laura Myers AcLU president third-year law student
Cassie Gawron Women’s Legal Forum president second-year law student
Maggie Adams second-year law student
on writer’s block
h ow shall I quell my constipated mind, When all thoughts are irregular at best?
To write a worthy poem of any kind,
And hence finish my literary quest.
Just when I find a theme to write about, Youthful love captured by vibrant flowers, m y wand’ring mind decides a different route, m erely to waste away the dwindling hours. Perhaps a clever pairing of some rhyme Would make of me a regular s hakespeare. Yet when I read his poetry sublime, The quality of mine brings me to tears. Alas I fear my peers shall jeer and mock, Unless I overcome this writer’s block.
The poem above was my submission to an assignment for one of my courses. The class was allowed to write about anything; unfortunately (or fortunately), I couldn’t think of anything to write about. s o I wrote about that. We are all familiar with writer’s block. It is as if you have too many thoughts and yet, not a single one seems cohesive enough to put on paper. s taring at a blank screen and struggling to miraculously generate an essay, poem, journal entry, is the bane of many a
student’s existence. how authors like s tephen King manage to crank out book after book, with little time in between, is definitely an awe-inducing feat. What is his secret? In an interview, “Game of Thrones” author George r r m artin asks King “how, the [expletive] do you manage to write so many books so fast? I think, ‘o h, I’ve had a really good six months, I’ve finished three chapters.’ And you’ve finished three books in that time … ” s tephen King has a simple response: no matter what happens, regardless of whatever distraction pops up or how he is feeling, he forces himself to “get six pages a day.”
m y immediate reaction was to dismiss this response as both lackluster and useless to the average person such as myself (people who simply do not have King’s literary talent). Yet, it is noteworthy that the person asking the question is not only another author (George r . r . m artin), but an incredibly successful one. The implication being that creative production depends not only on innate ability, but also on the cultivation of habit. This may seem utterly obvious. We all know the importance of habit and discipline in achieving success in any worthy endeavor, whether it be playing a sport or studying for an exam. however, when it comes to projects that necessitate creativity, inspiration suddenly plays a much more salient role. hence the temptation to keep waiting for that
D’Asia Bellamy second-year law student
Annie Gallerano second-year law student
Alison Ibendahl first-year law student
Anthony Gaines third-year law student
Kelsie Nagele third-year law student
Kate Rochat third-year law student
Drew Shick
third-year law student
Will Tronsor third-year law student
Conor Woods first-year law student
Joseph Bennett first-year law student
oct. 10
“e ureka!” moment as opposed to simply getting started.
o f course, the inclination to put off writing until you feel like writing is a terrible way of going about the creative process. George r r m artin is a gifted writer. Yet it takes him a dishearteningly long time to write anything. (We’re still waiting for “Winds of Winter.”) As the interview suggests, m artin waits for inspiration to ignite his spirit and propel his writing. This, however, is a precarious means of generating work, as nothing is so liable to change as our emotional state. c onversely, King is illustrating that, in order to create, you must force yourself to create. Inspiration has little to do with it; he must write six pages, and so he will write six pages. next time you’re working on a paper and simply cannot think of a way to express your thoughts, simply begin writing your ideas down, however rudimentary. It will be difficult, but the alternative (not getting it done on time) is much worst. We cannot expect the muses to descend from the heavens and compel us to create. r ather than wait for inspiration to come to you, you must find it.
Ariel is a junior from the Bronx, NY, living in Dunne Hall. Please send your invectives and snapchats to pdoming2@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Ariel Dominguez solidarity
Happy Birthday: experience will help guide you in the right direction. refuse to let anxiety and emotional relationships stand between you and your success. search for opportunities that allow you to expand your skills, interests and future prospects. Intelligence will be the key to outmaneuvering any competition you meet along the way. Take better care of your health. your numbers are 6, 11, 18, 22, 28, 39, 45.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): do your best to get along with others. you won’t make progress if you are impatient or critical. find common ground and work toward a solution that will please everyone. change is required, but it doesn’t have to disrupt your life completely.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): emotional matters will surface if you cannot agree on how joint monies should be spent. don’t get upset when finding a workable solution is required to solve any issues. Take better care of your health.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): There will be trouble if you can’t get along with someone you deal with daily. channel your energy and your emotions into love, compassion and being kind, mindful and helpful to others. Give and take will be necessary.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Look at your options and consider who is and who isn’t a good influence. choosing wisely when it comes to your friends and associates will make a huge difference to how you make out today. don’t be afraid to say “no.”
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): host an event or take it upon yourself to get involved in a cause that you believe in. your intelligence and foresight will bring about change that will influence your reputation, position and future. embrace life and live in the moment.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): don’t mix business with pleasure. emotional matters will cloud your vision, making it difficult to make good decisions or take care of your responsibilities properly. shake off any negativity coming your way and focus on your job.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Learn as you go. keeping an open mind will help you gain greater perspective on the situations you come up against. Let past experiences help you make wise choices when it comes to friendships, partnerships and personal improvements.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): don’t get talked into buying something or making physical changes that will cost you more than you can afford. keep your money, possessions and private information a secret. Avoid getting into a vulnerable position. choose your words wisely.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): emotions will be difficult to contain. Workrelated matters will need to be addressed if you want to accomplish your goals. Listen carefully to suggestions and complaints and choose positive alternatives that will help you avoid discord.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): tay calm and avoid making contractual, medical or legal changes from an emotional point of view. settle any differences you have only when the time is right for you. Practicality and moderation are encouraged.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): keep the peace and offer unity and reassurance when it comes to how you handle joint ventures, health and family matters. Intelligence coupled with a sound objective will ensure that you move forward in a positive manner.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Problems concerning your home, partnerships and those you live with can be expected. Take a peaceful approach to dealing with such matters, but don’t feel the need to give in to unreasonable demands in order to keep the peace.
Birthday Baby: you are entertaining, intuitive and curious. you are academic and reasonable.
Jumble | dAvId hoyT And Jeff knurek
sudoku | The mePhAm GrouP
wInGIn’ It | oLIvIA WAnG & bAILee eGAn
Golden state has new competition
Although my colleague mia berry made some good points about the unbalance in the nbA in her column yesterday, the fact of the matter is that the Western conference, with potentially 10 teams fighting for the final five playoff spots, remains a dogfight for who will be playing besides the spurs, rockets and Warriors come playoff time.
With this in mind, I thought I’d rank the five teams in the West with the best chances to take down Golden state this season.
1) houston rockets
While the Warriors pose multiple dangers on both sides of the ball, they’re most dangerous when they play small. With Andre Iguodala in and draymond Green playing center, Golden state can move the ball like no one else, set constant screens for three of the best shooters the nbA has ever seen and run in transition with the best of them.
Luckily for houston, its probably lines up the best in terms of small ball with the Warriors. With chris Paul now in the mix, the rockets now at least have the potential to go small, as harden’s offense can at least make up for his defense, and the trio of Trevor Ariza, Luc mbah a moute and P.J. Tucker are all athletic wings. There’s no doubt that houston can put up a bunch of points; it’s more a question of if it can keep the Warriors from doing the same thing.
2) s an a ntonio spurs before Kawhi Leonard went down in last year’s conference finals, the spurs looked up to the task of taking on the Goliath in Golden state. Leonard is a bonafide superstar, and everyone knows how Greg Popovich can somehow always squeeze every last drop out of his scheme and his players.
The addition of rudy Gay adds some length on the wings (sensing a trend here?) and Lamarcus Aldridge should be better this season. The spurs also still have three-point machine danny Green. The only question mark is where Tony Parker and Pau Gasol, both in the twilight of their careers, fit in. Parker is already set to miss the start of the season, and only time will tell if dejounte murray is up to the task of replacing the future hall of Famer.
3) oklahoma c ity t hunder russell, rejoice! You have reinforcements!
It’s undeniable that Paul George and carmelo Anthony were absolute steals considering
what the Thunder gave up to get them. With its own big Three, oklahoma city now has some serious fire power on the offensive end. but when the Warriors go small, the Thunder will, like every team, have to figure out the best way to at least hang with defending champs.
The major flaw is the combination of Anthony, who will get eaten alive on defense, and Andre roberson, who Golden state can practically ignore on the offensive end. It will take some tweaking, but this is russell Westbrook’s best chance of exacting his revenge on Kevin durant and co.
4) Minnesota timberwolves
All aboard the minnesota hype train!
With the addition of Jimmy butler, Tom Thibodeau finally has the reunion he’s been waiting for. And I love the T-Wolves’ starting five. Jeff Teague fills a huge hole at point guard with the departure of ricky rubio and Kris dunn, and Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns have the third piece in the that they’ve been missing in butler.
but minnesota’s bench tips heavily in favor of big men, and that doesn’t bode well for facing Golden state. Thibodeau will have to run his starting five for at least 38 minutes to give the minnesota a decent chance at the playoffs, and a lot of that rests on the ability for the Timberwolves to stay healthy. It’s also time for Wiggins to show off why he was pegged as the next Lebron James. There’s a lot of uncertainty in the Twin cities, but also a ton of potential.
5) denver nuggets
Where are the clippers? Well, until blake Griffin’s health proves otherwise, the last spot in these rankings belongs to denver. The nuggets should improve on defense, especially with the addition of Paul millsap, arguably the best freeagent signing of the summer, to complement an incredibly efficient offense.
moving things through nikola Jokic is a matchup nightmare for any team, including the Warriors, and if denver’s young guards develop, things could be looking suddenly very bright for the nuggets. Although it wouldn’t be bad idea to move some of those pieces for a star guard/ wing (did someone say demar derozan)?
Contact Tobias Hoonhout at thoonhou@nd.edu
The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Predators defeat Flyers, celebrate raising banner
Associated Press
nA shv ILL e , Tenn. — The banner went up and the home team came back to win in a thrilling finish. All in all, a perfect night for the nashville Predators and their fans.
Filip Forsberg scored his second goal with 35.6 seconds left and the Predators rallied by scoring twice in the final 1:17 to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5 on Tuesday for their first victory of the season.
“This season, being down 0-2, it was a huge game for us,” nashville goalie Pekka r inne said. “Good start to the game and then let it slip a little bit and then a huge comeback. I feel like we’ve done that many times. It’s a pretty hard way to play. e motionally and everything, it was a big win for us.” on the night they raised their Western conference championship banner, the Predators blew a 3-0 lead as the Flyers scored five straight goals.
but then Forsberg scored his first of the game 50 seconds after the Flyers took a 5-3 lead, and scott hartnell jammed in his second goal tying it with
1:17 left on a 5-on-3 that was actually 6-on-3 with r inne pulled. When Philadelphia coach dave hakstol challenged for offside and lost, the Predators had the man advantage, and Forsberg scored the winning goal top shelf.
hakstol was surprised he lost the replay review.
“otherwise, I wouldn’t have made the challenge,” he said.
nashville coach Peter Laviolette said the team practiced the 5-on-3 situation monday, with the sixth attacker a bonus.
“our guys did a really good job,” Laviolette said.
craig smith and nick bonino also scored, and P.K. subban had three assists for nashville. Forsberg also had an assist on hartnell’s tying goal as nashville won its fifth straight home opener.
valtteri Filppula scored twice for the Flyers, and Andrew mcdonald, nolan Patrick and Travis Konecny each added a goal. Philadelphia finished 2-2 on its first four-game road trip to open a season since 1971.
The Predators, losers at boston and Pittsburgh, raised the banner 19 years to the day
nba | PAcers 108, mAcc A bI hAIFA 89
of the first game in franchise history.
m ike Fisher , the captain who retired in August , joined current captain roman Josi in unveiling the banner before it was raised to the rafters. Then country star Trace Adkins performed the national anthem, and nashville’s mayor came out to wave a towel as the Predators continued their playoff tradition for at least the home opener. Then the Predators gave their fans reason to keep cheering, with smith scoring a power-play goal with a wrister past brian e lliott at 4:17 of the first period. That gave nashville its first lead this season, and the Predators took eight of the first 10 shots. nashville scored first in the second period, too. hartnell beat e lliott with a slap shot off the rebound of teammate Pontus Aberg’s shot at 3:08 for a 2-0 lead. mattias e kholm skated across the crease, and his backhand shot went off e lliott to bonino, who easily tapped the puck in for a 3-0 lead and his first goal since leaving Pittsburgh for nashville this offseason.
Pacers top Israeli team in preseason finale
I ndIA n AP oLI s — v ictor o ladipo scored 18 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 108-89 victory over m accabi h aifa on Tuesday night.
It was o ladipo’s first home game since being acquired in a summer trade from o klahoma c ity, and the small crowd gave the former Indiana hoosiers star a roaring ovation during introductions. he also gave the crowd plenty to cheer about — making three 3-pointers and scoring 13 points in the first quarter before giving the Pacers the push they needed to start pulling away in the third quarter.
m accabi h aifa, last year’s Israeli super League runnerup, was led by former nb A player Josh smith with 16 points.
Pacers coach nate mc m illan used the Pacers’ preseason finale to fine-tune his lineups and rotations.
b ut after a strong start, the Pacers played poorly enough to watch a 23-point lead cut to three before o ladipo provided a spark midway through the third quarter. A steal and outlet pass to myles Turner for a dunk started the decisive 16-3 run. When it ended the Pacers led 82-66 and m accabi h aifa never got within single digits again.
m accabi h aifa: Is 0-15 alltime against nb A teams. ... The starting lineup included four players from American colleges — Will Graves ( north c arolina), brandon b owman (Georgetown), Angel rodriguez (Kansas state and m iami) and Willy Workman (Amherst). ... rodriguez had 15 points. Former nb A player s amardo s amuels had 14. Pacers: s even players scored in double figures including d arren c ollison with 15 and b ojan b ogdanovic with 13. ... Indiana finished the preseason 3-1, the only loss coming sunday when
mc m illan rested his starters. ... The Pacers played under their new theater-style lighting system.
d amien Wilkins might be the most intriguing player on the Pacers’ roster.
The 37-year-old former Georgia star hasn’t played in the league since 2012-13 but may wind up on the Pacers 15-man roster after 9.3 points in a team-high 71 minutes heading into Tuesday night. he finished with three points in five minutes. Will it be enough?
“We brought him in because he had some experience and we wanted some veteran leadership,” mc m illan said. “he’s done some good things and he’s done what we were looking for.”
m accabi h aifa: c ompletes its four-game American tour Friday at Portland.
Pacers: Will have a week to prepare for next Wednesday’s season opener against brooklyn.
Tobias Hoonhout Associate sports e ditor
Associated Press
any. The i rish came out of halftime with a newfound energy, coming close to scoring multiple times during the first 10 minutes of the second half. Then, in the 56th minute, n otre d ame finally broke the deadlock when forward Jeff Farina buried a flicked pass into the back of the net to give the i rish a 1-0 lead and the senior forward his sixth goal of the season. Junior defender Felicien d umas and Gallagher recorded assists on the goal. b ut in the 66th minute, the Wolverines responded with a goal of their own to tie the score at 1-1. a fter some back-and-forth play during the next 15 minutes, Gallagher scored a screamer from a tight angle in the 82nd minute after being let in on goal by Farina to give n otre d ame a late 2-1 lead. With the lead, the i rish controlled the final minutes, as shots by Farina and senior midfielders b lake Townes and Kyle d edrick were either blocked or flew wide of the net. i n the 89th minute, Gallagher was fouled in the box and n otre d ame was awarded a penalty shot. Gallagher subsequently converted his first-ever for his 10th goal of the season to seal the 3-1 victory for the i rish.
n otre d ame and m ichigan tied for shots with 12 each, and while the Wolverines managed seven shots in the second half, h ubbard didn’t make any saves in the final 45
minutes. The senior forward duo of Gallagher and Farina carried the load offensively with a combined three goals and two assists, while d umas added his team-leading sixth assist.
i rish head coach b obby c lark had high praise for the m ichigan team and thought his team struggled until the second half to play the game it wanted.
“ i thought m ichigan was a good team, and that is probably the best m ichigan team i ’ve seen in years,” c lark said.
“They have got some very exciting players on their team. i thought we struggled to find the game for long periods of time, but i thought after they equalized — i thought that sparked us, and i thought we played very well during the last 20-25 minutes of the game. i was very pleased with the last 25 minutes. a lso this is midterm week, so i think that has been taking its toll a little bit. We weren’t as sharp as we normally are.”
c lark said his team didn’t start playing the game he wanted them to play until about the 65th-70th minute.
“The last 25 minutes of the game, for me, was when we started playing well and started connecting on passes,” c lark said. “That was the time, for me, when we really connected and when we really controlled the game. Up until that point, i didn’t feel like we had control of the game to the extent that i would like. b ut you have to give credit to the opposition for that.”
c lark also had high praise
tandem beautifully to put defenses in a conundrum as far as which senior to focus in on.
for the two i rish goal-scorers on the night, Gallagher and Farina, as well as the rest of the team.
“Gallagher and Jeff Farina have been fantastic,” c lark said. “Jeff got the first goal, and Jon got two goals tonight. They’ve been fantastic. i can’t say enough about both of them, but i thought the team played well. i thought b lake Townes had an excellent game. i thought he and [junior defender] s ean d edrick were very good.
They all contributed to a very good result.”
a dditionally, c lark said he was happy his team was able to get another win over a top25 team.
“ m ichigan is a top-25 team,” he said. “To beat a top-25 team, these are tough games. These are excellent games, and a lot of good players are out there, so i ’m very pleased with the result.”
The i rish will be back in action Friday when they host Pittsburgh in an acc
conference match at a lumni s tadium.
c lark said his team will get some rest before Friday’s match.
“We just have to get our legs back again,” c lark said. “ d uring the season, when you are playing a Tuesday, Friday, [then] Tuesday, you just have to get the legs back. That is the hardest thing at the moment.”
Contact Michael Ivey at mivey@hcc-nd.edu
dramatic example? Last Friday on the road against then- n o. 5 c lemson, with the score tied and the game winding down in the 89th minute, Gallagher placed a perfect free kick right into the box, where Farina smashed home the winning header to shock the c lemson crowd and give the i rish an all-important acc win in a top-10 matchup.
s o yes, they’ve risen to the occasion.
Gallagher leads the i rish with 12 goals and has totaled 27 points so far this season for the i rish. Farina is second on the team in total points with 20, which have come from seven goals and six assists. What makes the duo so dynamic? Perhaps it’s how they complement each other so well. The 5-foot-8-inch, lightning-fast, super-skilled Gallagher presents a much different problem for defenses then the 6-foot-3inch Farina does with his powerful frame and heading ability, and the two work in
h owever, it’s not just on offense that the i rish seniors are thriving. i n the spine of the pitch, senior midfielder b lake Townes, senior defender Patrick b erneski and graduate student and tri-captain m att h abrowski have commanded and fortified a n otre d ame defense that has only given up 10 goals in 12 games.
Finally, graduate student c hris h ubbard has been a rock in goal for n otre d ame. The i rish tri-captain has started and completed all 12 games — three of them shutouts — and has recorded 28 saves and a .737 save percentage.
This senior leadership and production has been absolutely crucial to the success of n o. 7 n otre d ame thus far, but will become even more so down the home stretch of the regular season as the i rish prepare for the acc and ncaa championships.
Last season, n otre d ame struggled during the home stretch. a fter their 2-0 win
over m ichigan on o ct. 11, 2016, the i rish didn’t record a win over their final five games, losing four straight before managing a 0-0 tie on s enior n ight against n orth c arolina. The stretch certainly robbed the team of much needed momentum entering tournament time, as the i rish only advanced to the quarterfinal of acc s and the third round of the ncaa tournament — results that this year’s squad will look to eclipse.
From here on out, the schedule isn’t easy. a fter facing Pittsburgh at home this weekend, the i rish will finish their regular season against four extremely tough opponents: at a kron (unranked but receiving 33 votes), at home against n o. 16 d uke, on the road against n o. 6 m ichigan s tate and on the road against n o. 4 n orth c arolina.
i f n otre d ame wants enough momentum and confidence to advance far in — and even win — the acc and ncaa championships, they’ll have to beat most of those remaining five opponents. b ut with a senior class and veteran leadership
that rivals any team’s in the country in addition to the lessons learned from last year, the i rish are certainly setting their sights on eclipsing last year’s finishes.
Contact Joe Everett at jeveret4@nd.edu
The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.
Paid a dverT isemen T
PETER ST. JOHN | The Observer
Irish senior forward Jeff Farina keeps the ball in play during Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory over Michigan on Tuesday at Alumni Stadium. Farina scored one goal in the game, bringing his total to seven on the season.
Men’s soccer | nd 3, michigan 1
Irish top Wolverines for third straight win
Notre Dame defeats Michigan behind strong second half
By MICHAEL IVEY sports Writer
Thanks to a second-half offensive outburst, n o. 7 n otre d ame claimed a 3-1 victory over n o. 24 m ichigan in a nonconference matchup Tuesday night at a lumni s tadium.
The first half was a battle of defenses. m ichigan (7-4-2, 4-1-1 b ig Ten) controlled the shot margin during the frame, recording five shots to n otre d ame’s two. s ophomore midfielder Jack c asey and senior forward Jon g allagher recorded the two i rish shots during the first half. n otre d ame graduate student goalkeeper c hris h ubbard recorded two saves during the first 45 minutes, while m ichigan sophomore goaltender a ndrew verdi made one save during the first half. a dditionally, m ichigan recorded one corner kick during the first frame, while n otre d ame (9-2-1, 3-1-1 acc ) didn’t have
swiMMinG & divinG
nd set for second ranked contest
By MIA BERRY sports Writer
The n o.17 men’s team and the n o. 25 women’s team will look to knock off their second ranked opponent Friday when they face off against the m ichigan s tate s partans and the 15th-ranked men and the fifth-ranked women of Texas a & m a fter a second-place finish in the d ennis s tark r elays and a sweeping victory over the seventh-ranked men and the ninth-ranked Louisville women last weekend — the first time the program has ever defeated a top-ten team in a dual meet — the i rish have started the season in great fashion. For head coach m ike Litzinger, n otre d ame’s hard work this offseason is proof of the success so far, but the only way is up from now on. “ h eading into the season, i think we talked a lot about potential and we projected ahead a lot about future
vision, and i think we all know we’re just scratching the surface of what we’re capable together as a team,” Litzinger said. “a ll credit goes to our athletes for being receptive and trusting our coaches and moving forward with the groundwork we’ve laid down for them.”
The i rish made history again on Tuesday, as freshman Zach Yeadon and sophomore a bbie d olan became the first swimmers in program history to be named national swimmers of the week by c ollege s wimming. com. Yeadon broke two r olfs a quatic c enter records in his performances this past weekend in the 500 and 1000-yard freestyle, while d olan won four events, including the 100 and 200-yard freestyle over Louisville’s m allory c omerford, who won gold at F ina World c hampionships this past summer.
Senior
leaders bring experience, poise to ND’s 2017 squad
s o often in college sports, veteran leadership and production are the best things a team can possess.
s o far this year for n o. 7 n otre d ame, it’s been invaluable. The i rish (9-2-1, 3-1-1 acc ) have relied on their seniors not only for leadership, but also for the team’s main sources of offensive production and defensive performance.
Let’s start up front. The senior forward duo of Jon g allagher and Jeff Farina lead the i rish in nearly every statistical category offensively, and they have been close to unstoppable as of late. i n Tuesday’s home win over n o. 24 m ichigan, Farina tallied a goal and an assist, while g allagher added two goals and an assist. n eed a more
see evereTT PaGe 10
notre dame travels to a nn a rbor for tournament
Observer Staff Report
n otre d ame is back in action this weekend, competing in the i T a m idwest r egional c hampionships running from this Thursday until Tuesday in a nn a rbor, m ichigan.
h aving had over a week off since their last matches, the i rish last played in the Wildcat i nvitational at n orthwestern from s ept. 29 until o ct. 1, with three i rish players winning their respective singles draws. Freshmen c ameron c orse and a lly b ojczuk and junior r achel c hong were undefeated n otre d ame also went 4-0 in doubles, with the pair of seniors b rooke b roda and a llison m iller defeating senior h abiba s haker and freshman s ara Kuutila from m ichigan s tate; c orse and sophomore Zoe s pence defeating Utah’s junior
PETER ST. JOHN | The Observer
Irish senior Jon Gallagher dribbles the ball during Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory over Michigan on Tuesday at Alumni Stadium. Gallagher leads Notre Dame in goals and points scored on the season.
see m soccer PaGe 10
Observer File Photo
Irish sophomore Zoe Spence attempts a forehand during Notre Dame’s 5-2 victory over Purdue on Feb. 22 at Eck Tennis Pavilion.
