PDF for Thursday, October 25, 2012

Mourdock aims for Senate seat

Indiana State Treasurer vows to encourage austerity if elected in upcoming contest

By NICOLE MICHELS news writer

Editor’s Note: This story is the second in a series featuring the race for the Indiana seat in the United States Senate.

republican state Treasurer r ichard mourdock promised to bring a sense of fiscal discipline to the u s senate if hoosiers vote him into the seat currently held by gop senator r ichard lugar.

“you have to make the tough decisions to make sure we live within a budget,” mourdock said. “i think that’s the type of thing i’d like to see and carry to washington.”

mourdock’s foremost opponent for the nov. 6 election is democratic rep. Joe donnelly, a six-year veteran of the house of representatives. strengthening i ndiana businesses and rejuvenating its economy are the concerns at the forefront of voters’ minds, mourdock said.

“w ithout question, [the most important issue] is getting this economy going again … we’ve had 8 percent or

more unemployment over the last 43 months,” mourdock said. “some people say that’s the new normal and that we should expect that, but i totally disagree and most hoosiers disagree.”

mourdock’s extensive experience in the private sector makes him especially qualified

students engage in mock debate

By CAROLYN HUTYRA news writer

s enior m ickey g ardella from the c ollege republicans and senior adam newman from the c ollege d emocrats addressed this question in a mock presidential debate wednesday night. students and faculty gathered in mckenna hall for the hour-and-a-half event that covered the main issues of this year’s presidential election, followed by a mock election.

The questions were created and presented by the moderator of the debate, senior c lara r itger, editor-in-chief of s cholastic. g ardella and

newman received the questions a week in advance.

r itger said the major talking points were based on her close following of the election since the summer.

“i was a state politics reporter in pennsylvania over the summer,” she said. “i went to some romney and obama events so i had that whole experience.”

she said she gathered information from watching all of the presidential and vicepresidential debates, as well as reading the newspaper every day. The questions were designed to give students the

see deBaTe PAGE 6

for the position, he said.

“having worked 31 years in the private sector as a geologist and in the energy business before i ever became state Treasurer, i think i have a wealth of experience in the private sector that is pretty unusual for someone who might get the chance to serve in the

senate,” mourdock said. “i’d certainly like to take that expertise in business, finance and energy to the senate.” mourdock said his track record in i ndiana as state Treasurer speaks to his ability to stimulate the economy.“

see mourdock PAGE 6

professor visits refugees abroad

By KRISTEN DURBIN news editor

in the Bible, moses is given a vision of the promised land atop mount nebo.

But as Fr. daniel groody stood atopthesameridgeinJordan,hesaw the antithesis of that divine vision. “we looked to the south and saw issues of trafficking. we looked southeast into iran and iraq and saw persecution of religious minorities. we looked north into lebanon and saw the situation of undocumented refugees,” he said. “we looked further north into Turkey and saw people fleeing violence there. we looked all around Jordan and saw refugee camps and unaccompanied minors fleeing syria without parents.”

as a member of a seven-person delegation sent by the u s conference of catholic Bishops’ (usccB) migration and refugee services committee, groody

Libertarian speaks at IUSB

By SAM GANS news writer

l ibertarian presidential candidate gary Johnson visited south Bend on wednesday afternoon to address a political science class at i ndiana university south Bend and to publicly endorse Joe ruiz, the l ibertarian candidate for i ndiana’s 2nd district seat in the house of representatives. Johnson has campaigned on his desire to break a twoparty system in a merican politics, and he reaffirmed this idea wednesday. a s a third-party candidate, he has little chance to win the election and trails his

see Johnson PAGE 7

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Question of the Day:

Have a question you want answered? Email

What is your favorite thing to do during Halloween?

Kyle Sant sophomore sorin

“definitely impersonating a scarecrow on my porch and scaring trick-or-treaters.”

Christopher Barnes sophomore carroll

“pass out after consuming too much candy.”

Rose Raderstorf senior mcglinn

“eat candy.”

Michael Gruliano sophomore sorin

“i love to go to the one-pieceonly houses and take two, then quietly celebrate my victory.”

Laura Mellitt sophomore mcglinn

“g o trick-or-treating in Zahm.”

Matthew Kudija senior siegfried “corn mazes.”

quarterback

Today’s Staff

on Oct.

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5:15

“Thriller” Rolfs

8 p.m.-10 p.m.

Learn to dance like Michael Jackson with RecSports. Friday

Writing Successful Grants McKenna Hall

9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Introductory workshop for grant writing.

NBA Exhibition Game Purcell Pavilion

7 p.m.-9 p.m.

Joakim Noah and the Chicago Bulls face the Indiana Pacers. Saturday

“next to normal” Washington Hall

7:30 p.m.-10 p.m.

PEMCo’s fall production, a rock musical.

Film: “Take this Waltz” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

9:30 p.m.-11:30 p.m. $4 for students.

Sunday

Vision Walk Fundraiser

Irish Green

1:30 p.m.-5 p.m.

$15 registration fee for stem cell research.

Film: “The Blob” DeBartolo Performing Arts Center

3 p.m.

Recommended for ages 7+.

Monday

“The Effective Leadership” Carole Sandner Hall

3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.

An Irish perspective from Mary Hanafin.

Film: “Alotrolado, To the Other Side” Geddes Hall

7 p.m.

Screening and panel discussion.

group discusses discrimination, dorm alarms

By MADDIE DALY news writer

This week’s meeting addressed two main topics: dorm alarm systems and diversity on campus. r ight at the start, student body vice president k atie rose reminded the senators to be respectful of each other.

“For our discussions today some of the information might be sensitive. Just know that if there’s anything you want to keep anonymous you can come meet with any of us oneon-one,” rose said.

student body president Brett rocheleau surveyed the senators to see how dorm alarms worked in their halls. a fter asking which male dorms had side door alarms set for midnight or any time, no one raised his hand. c onversely, when asking which female dorms did not have alarms, no one raised her hand.

s enators said they would like to see dorm alarms standardized around campus.morrissey senator Billy mcmahon said he can swipe in any door at any time.

“i fully support pushing for equality but by scaling back alarms rather than adding alarms,” mcmahon said.

r yan hall senator grace c arroll saw a discrepancy with parietals and alarms.

“o ur alarms go off every night at midnight if you leave from the side door. we want to make it so they go off at parietals,” c arroll said. “The reason they only want the main door open at night is to keep tabs of people. it deters them from using any other door.”

c lass of 2015 president Tim s canlan tied this comment back to the Board of Trustees’ presentation on residence life.

“This is one of the reasons we listed for why people are moving off campus,” s canlan said.

“Twenty-year-olds don’t want people to ‘keep tabs’ on them.”

c lass of 2014 president l izzie helpling said she is unsure of how effective the alarms truly are.

“This is one of the reasons we listed for why people are moving off campus ... Twentyyear-olds don’t want people to ‘keep tabs’ on them.’

Tim Scanlan president Class of 2015

“i was talking to some other girls who said the alarms really are not that effective. i accidently set off the mc g linn alarm once during Frosh- o and just started running. it really doesn’t do anything besides get the rector out of bed. By the time they’re there, the perpetrator’s already gone,” helpling said. “a lso, the doors that are alarmed are tucked away, making it difficult for the rectors to get there quickly.”

student union treasurer a lexa shaw shared insight from her experience as a resident assistant ( ra).

“Being an ra myself, i know it is really, really tough for the first floor ra s to have to get up at 3 a.m. to turn off the alarm and run after whoever it was,” shaw said. “obviously the number one priority is safety,

but the doors are locked anyway so are the alarms adding anything or are they really just detracting?”The senators concluded that alarms should be uniform across all dorms and that they were maybe not the most effective method for ensuring safety. The group then transitioned to talking about diversity by explaining why it was immediately relevant.

“This is a bit of a followup from last spring, but it’s been one of our goals to get a c all to action movement re-energized and to make sure all concerns are being addressed,” rose said. “ we will be meeting with several groups over the next few weeks, and we need feedback so we can speak on behalf of undergraduate students.”

walsh hall senator veronica guerrero began the discussion with a specific comment from someone in her dorm.

“a girl from walsh said that she felt like diversity was not addressed in a negative or a positive way on campus. it’s a topic we push to the side and sort of cover up,” guerrero said. “she said she thinks that interracial friendships are not encouraged on this campus.”

helpling compared the issue to sexual assault here at notre dame.

“Just personally i feel like notre dame is going about this issue the wrong way. They’re going about it in the same way they’re going about sexual harassment — they send out a survey asking us what we think and try to figure out the one thing we can do to fix it,” she said. “i think that’s discouraging for a lot of students who sense that notre dame is just trying to do a quick fix to improve the way we adhere to society.”

l ewis hall senator casey

spreen said the administration’s approach didn’t seem very effective.

“a lot of the stories from these people being discriminated against are a lot more individual and involve pain and suffering. you don’t want to talk about these stories; they just wall up inside,” spreen said. “a way to solve this could be sending out anonymous surveys i guess, but is that too impersonal? maybe one-on-one meetings or more town hall meetings would be helpful.”

mcmahon expressed concern over the lack of student presence in this issue.

“more student control over the process instead of just the administration behind closed doors would be helpful,” mcmahon said. “it has to be in a way where the people that are most affected would be the ones helping to change policies rather than just the people already in student government.”

rose addressed this problem between student and adminis-

“We need to show people that even the ones that are ‘in charge’ can be the problem and the students feel like they can’t do anything about it.”

Carolina Ramirez senator Pasquerilla West Hall

tration involvement.

“This balance between the administration and students is that both have encouraged each other to do certain things which causes lapses. s ometimes they’re afraid to

speak on behalf of one another which is why it may seem as if the administration is transparent or delayed,” rose said. c hief of staff k atie Baker added to rose’s statement by referring to the specific example from last spring.

“r ight after the town hall meeting last spring, the c all to a ction movement, a group of students who felt passionate about the things going on, worked to come up with a list of recommendations,” Baker said. “They gave a huge report to student a ffairs generated by students’ feedback and topics from the town hall meeting. we see now that the movement has slowed down since last march and a pril, and we want to make sure it continues this year.”

pasquerilla west senator c arolina r amirez brought up an issue she has heard from fellow students.

“i’ve heard from a lot of people that there has been discrimination not just from students but from rectors, ra s and professors. we need to show people that even the ones that are ‘in charge’ can be the problem and the students feel like they can’t do anything about it,” r amirez said.

rocheleau concluded the discussion by suggesting further aid in addressing these issues and answering questions.

“i think you guys have brought up several good points,” rocheleau said. “maybe d r. david moss who is spearheading the campaign could come into a s enate meeting to answer questions and get feedback on what’s going on.”

Contact Maddie Daly at mdaly6@nd.edu

Belles gather donations for cancer research

By CLAIRE CREELY news writer

The s aint mary’s chapter of stand up to c ancer will sponsor the second-annual Zumbathon from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. this Friday in the a ngela athletic c enter with the local party in p ink organization to raise money for cancer research and the susan g komen Foundation.

s enior devon graham, who organized the event, said stand up to c ancer ensures that all funds raised go directly to cancer research.

“stand up to c ancer is different from other organizations that raise money for cancer because 100 percent of anything you donate goes to cancer research,” graham said. “a ll donations go to ‘dream teams,’ or research teams, that research many different types of cancer, including the rarer forms.”

w hile student donations go to stand up to c ancer, donations from the general public are sent to the susan g komen Foundation, graham said.

“ we’re working together in that way and both collaborating with each other,” she said. Though the donations will be separated, graham said the event is an opportunity to combine awareness for both organizations.

“it’s pretty awesome. it’s a really good way to raise awareness for both organizations.

susan g komen is obviously a very well-known one. stand up to c ancer … it is getting much greater now in the public,” graham said. “ we’re all really looking forward to it. it worked in october for breast cancer awareness so we’re really excited for it.”

a bout 200 people attended last year’s party in p ink event, and graham said she expects an increase in attendance this year for the Zumbathon.

graham said local Zumba instructors will lead the event, and the space will be decked out for a dance party.

“it should be a really good time,” graham said. “They’re bringing in a dJ. They’re going to turn it kind of into a club with lights.”

Besides Zumba, guests can expect to learn new moves

from polynesian dancers, belly dancers, hip hop dancers and even one woman who created her own type of dance.

“There will be a lot of variety, and the bleachers will be down so people can sit or walk and see the vendors,” graham said. i n addition to the dancing,

“You’ll see 70-yearolds out there shaking it to Zumba.”

Devon Grahm senior

vendors will be selling pink glow stick bracelets for stand up to c ancer and Zumba clothing. attendees can also try samples from avon and eat free food.

The general public is very

excited for the event, graham said, and students should prepare to match their enthusiasm by being loud and wearing pink clothing.

“a pparently, these people really get into it,” she said. “you’ll see 70-year-olds out there shaking it to Zumba … They get the loudest. They get the most into it.”

The event will offer students the opportunity to interact with the public and work together toward a common goal, graham said. many s aint mary’s alumnae are expected to attend the event as well, including some who will travel from c hicago.

“everyone looks silly, except for the instructors. you just have to have fun with it,” graham said. “you’re not there to look a certain way … you’re

just there to be lively with everyone else.”

i f one night of Zumba is not enough to satisfy your desire to dance, graham said stand up to c ancer hosts several Zumba events throughout the year, as well as a prom dance in the spring for cancer patients and survivors.

Tickets for this Friday’s Zumbathon are $5 in advance and $10 at the doo, and will be sold in the s aint mary’s student c enter during lunch and dinner this week. notre dame students may email graham at dgraha01@saintmarys.edu to reserve tickets and pick them up at the door. Ticketholders must also bring their student id to the event.

Contact Claire Creely at ccreel01@saintmarys.edu

traveled to Jordan, lebanon, egypt and Turkey last week to get a firsthand perspective on the situation of syrian refugees fleeing the country’s ongoing civil war.

“it was no longer a cnn report,” groody, a notre dame theology professor, said. “There were actually people right there in front of me, who i could touch, see, feel and hear.”

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the plight of syrian refugees, groody said the delegation met with government officials, ambassadors, vatican officials, church leaders, ministers of foreign affairs and several faithbased organizations, including the red crescent, caritas and catholic relief services.

“it’s a major humanitarian crisis going on,” groody said. “we looked at coalitions of governments and organizations trying to have concerted responses to the situation … and tried to get their takes on what’s happening and how we can advocate for issues in the u s.”

But more important than these diplomatic meetings, groody said, were the conversations with the refugees themselves in official camps in Jordan and unofficial sites in lebanon.

“The stories of these people meant the most in all those conversations. There, the statistics became human,” he said. “The people you saw in front of you were facing a level of vulnerability i’d never seen before. They had such a thin line of protection and, in some sense, no protection at

all.”

with more than 100,000 registered syrian refugees each in Jordan, lebanon and Turkey and an estimated 150,000 syrians living in egypt, the magnitude of syria’s violent internal conflict now extends throughout much of the middle east, groody said. in all, more than 359,000 syrians fleeing the war have registered in four neighboring states, including iraq, since conflict broke out between the syrian government and opposition groups in the spring of 2011, according to an oct. 23 report from the united nations high commissioner for refugees (unhcr).

The majority of refugees living in camps are women and children, groody said, many of whom lost one or more family members during the conflict.

“in one camp, we sat down with one extended family that included three women who married three brothers, all of whom were killed in the war,” groody said. “Their fourth brother had been jailed the day before, and the mother found out her grandson was just killed.”

groody said unaccompanied refugee minors and young women, especially widows, face additional hardships in the camps.

“This was just a sea of children, of women who, in that culture, have very few opportunities and are unable to work at all,” he said. “now they’re undocumented refugees, not simply migrants, facing a very unknown future.”

The “hardest part” for groody is not knowing when the conflict in syria will end because the longer it continues, the longer the refugees

paid a dverT isemen T

he met will be living in a state of limbo with no stability in any aspect of their lives.

“There were some common threads in our conversations with refugees,” he said. “They told us, ‘we are not safe. we have no home to go back to. we want to return to our country. The winter is coming. we have no food. and we are human beings.’”

groody said the catholic church has been working “on the front lines” to provide immediate food and medical relief for refugees, assist with registration of refugees in united nations records and create schools. These initiatives benefit any refugee, regardless of their religious affiliation.

“[The church] isn’t asking questions. if anyone is in need, if anyone is hurting, if anyone is suffering or if anyone is in pain, the church is there for you because you’re a human being. you’re a child of god and you’re loved by

god,” groody said. in the case of a refugee camp playground in Jordan, groody said the church created a space for children to “develop some sort of identity” in the midst of their emotionally and physically taxing displacement.

“The church serves as a safe place to reestablish communities and connections and help people begin to develop their education and knowledge,” he said. “But i think part of the message is that the church is … engaged in this, but most of us don’t have the awareness that this is going on, and we often don’t know what to do. we can’t do everything but we can do something.”

additionally, groody said the delegation was “impressed” by the high level of involvement of neighboring state governments.

“we were impressed by how much the government of Jordan is willing to take on refugees at great costs, how Turkey is not only providing tents but also areas for heating and insulation,” he said. “They’re not just giving out handouts. They’re providing space for refugees to be treated as human beings.”

But the common denominator among refugee relief efforts, groody said, was the emphasis on maintaining self-worth and human dignity “for people whose lives are completely shattered.”

upon returning to the u s., the usccB delegation is working to promote awareness of the refugee situation by holding congressional briefings to influence policy, writing about refugees’ stories and

possibly creating a film, groody said.

“listening to those stories, seeing those faces, meeting those people was more than seeing people in poverty. it was seeing people with absolute vulnerability that simply cried out for some kind of solidarity and help,” groody said. “w hat’s important for the notre dame community to understand is the actual scope of the conflict and its human costs, as well as the desperate plea for humanitarian assistance.”

despite u s. and usccB resettlement efforts and the u s government contribution of more than $100 million to refugee relief, groody said more international cooperation is crucial.

“we’re left with the sense that there are many ways to be motivated to respond to this. Faith groups are responding, but even that cannot be done without the support of governments,” groody said. “The needs are so much greater that we need a concerted effort from the international community to bring about some kind of durable solutions for folks in this kind of pain.” even more than a sense of motivation to act, groody was left with the images he saw from mount nebo.

“The question is, have we really crossed the Jordan into a promised land where all humans can live in dignity … and develop and grow as god intends? That faith vision is something that still has yet to be realized.”

Contact Kristen Durbin at kdurbin@nd.edu

seniors create Facebook app, connect consumers

By ANNA BOARINI news writer

seniors robb crow and kyle kober never thought a summer wakeboarding trip would create a friendship that changed their career paths. The two met while they were interning in new york city between their sophomore and junior years.

“at a notre dame networking event, kyle invited me to go wakeboarding on long island, so i stayed at his house for a few days before getting to really know him,” crow said. “ever since then, we’ve been best buddies.”

soon after the two became friends, they decided to create shopTalk, a Facebook application that provides discounts for online shoppers who post their purchases on their Facebook pages.

“shopTalk … allows retailers to tap their online shoppers’

Mourdock

in indiana we have been one of the most fiscally responsible states in the country, and we are probably in the most healthy financial shape of any state in the country,” mourdock said. “working with governor daniels and with state legislators to impose the kind of discipline that it takes to live within a budget, that’s been a very good thing.”

mourdock said his wish is for the senate to maximize efficiency, accountability and transparency on a daily basis.

“i certainly am willing to work with anyone, be that republican, democratic or independent, who understands the urgency that we must get this economy fixed, and that a big part of fixing it means making government more accountable, more efficient, and transparent,” mourdock said. “it’s not about creating government programs, it’s about living within our means.”

social networks through our unique plug-in application,” kober said. “By placing our plug-in on the checkout screen, shoppers can post their purchases to their Facebook networks’ news feeds and instantaneously receive a discount provided by the retailer before payment.”

kober brainstormed the initial idea while working at a venture capital firm specializing in e-commerce and retail space, crow said.

“after a few late-night skype sessions and a few weeks of convincing me, i came on board and we finalized the idea together, creating shopTalk,” he said.

shopTalk’s design drives traffic to retailers by linking both the purchased products and fan page of the retailer to the post, kober said.

“This process is simple and automatic for the shopper, only requiring them to sign up for shopTalk with Facebook,” he said.

a s senator, mourdock said he would rely on a three-pronged approach to turn around the economy.

“number one, as in indiana, i think the federal government has to learn to live within its means so it requires less from the people to fund the federal government. number two, we have to change the tax code to make it more of a pro-growth tax code and not simply look at it as a way to get money from those who would otherwise be creating jobs,” mourdock said. “last but certainly not least, we have to loosen the regulatory noose that so many agencies have put on hoosier businesses.”

indiana voters would prefer the implementation of another healthcare plan besides the a ffordable care act (aca), mourdock said. instead, mourdock said he would work on a healthcare plan more fiscally responsible than the aca, commonly known as “obamacare.”

“i get a little frustrated with republicans who say, ‘repeal obamacare!’ without saying

“ultimately, our mission is to save you money when shopping online, while promoting the interesting products and brands you find on Facebook.”

while creating a Facebook application is not simple, kober said the process has been quick. The pair started development in september.

“we are now one month away from our beta launch in which we’ll have a select 25 retailers running the application on their sites,” kober said. “Both of us don’t have an expertise in software or coding so we’ve been working closely with a team of developers based in new york city to make the idea

what they’re going to replace it with,” mourdock said. “we have to deal with both the healthcare insurance side and the healthcare cost side: much of obamacare actually drives up the cost of healthcare, and that ends up driving up the costs of health care insurance as well.”

“I certainly am willing to work with anyone ... who understands the urgency that we must get the economy fixed.”

Richard Mourdock

U.S. Senate candidate Republican Party

mourdock said he will solve at least part of the healthcare issue by allowing the private market to find alternatives not mandated by the government.

“speaking broadly here, if you want to buy insurance for your car you can buy insurance from any number of national

tax cut across the board and the institution of freedom in the a merican economy.

opportunity to see where each candidate stands on the most important issues.

“i tried to focus on what the talk on campus was from students, what students were really interested in or what issues were going to sway their vote one way or the other,” she said.

The six major segment topics of the debate were jobs, u s . debt, healthcare, religion, foreign policy and relation to college students.

g ardella opened the first question section of the debate by bringing up the creation of more jobs. he spoke of the d odd-Frank bill, o bamacare, r omney’s proposed 20 percent

“ we should free the private sector to grow the economy,” he said.

w hen it came to the issue of the environment, newman focused on the need to invest in the energy of tomorrow.

“ we’re producing more fossil fuels than ever before,” he said.

This problem can be changed by investment in other energy forms such as solar and wind power, he said.

w hen the conversation shifted to the growing deficit, newman argued that o bama is better equipped to handle the problem.

“o bama understands our debt is unsustainable,”

a reality.”

Thus far, the only investors in shopTalk are crow and kober’s close friends and family.

“we are in the process of raising an angel round [second round of investors], and are aiming to close the round by early december this year,” he said. “we are finding angels through our connections here at nd and also through one of our advisers in new york.”

crow said neither senior imagined they would be involved in entrepreneurship after graduation.

“a year ago if you asked both of us what we wanted to do after graduation our answers would have been

companies because car companies advertise their products across state lines — but health care companies can’t do that,” mourdock said. “if we allow the health care companies to sell their products across state lines it would bring a lot more people into those risk pools, which would mean that there’s more cash there that is available to companies.”

The lawsuit filed by notre dame and other religious organizations against the department of health and human services revealed the excessive power of the government, mourdock said.

“obamacare is about more than just health care,” he said. “This is not something that i think government needs to be involved in: telling people what their morality needs to be and what their moral decision making process should be.”

mourdock said he has supported notre dame’s position in the lawsuit from the outset.

“w hen notre dame joined the lawsuit against health and

newman said.

he also said r omney’s plan to increase defense spending by $2 million does not help the issue.

But g ardella said o bama’s term as president contributed to the deficit.

“a ll of([ o bama’s) presidency he had $1 trillion or higher in deficits,” g ardella saie.

The debate also included a number of other topics that included student tuition mortgages, healthcare lawsoand c atholic s ocial Teaching in governmental policy.

i n closing, newman reiterated o bama’spfour-step plan. i n terms of encouraging students to vote for the democratic candidate, he cited student loan reform, the doubling of Federal p ell g rant, and the

ability of students to stay on their parents’ insurance plan until the age of 26 as reasons to cast a ballot for o bama.

g ardella ended with a reflection on the last four years of o bama’s presidency. he saidsthese years are characterized by partisanship and division, low confidence in the econom, and years of trillion-dollar deficits.

“r omney will get people back to work,” he said. newman said he and g ardella were equally matched.

“i think( g ardell ] was a strong debater … but even if it wasn’t me([debatin ], even if it was someone less prepared, the divisions in the beliefs still speak for themselves,” newman said.

investment banking or private equity,” he said. “we have had more passion working on shopTalk than we have had in any of our previous finance internships.”

The Facebook app will not be the end of the friends’ business partnership, crow said.

“our discount sharing app is a stepping stone for bigger and better things for shopTalk,” he said. “at the beginning of next year we will begin phase two of development, creating a desktop and mobile app for our users.”

Contact Anna Boarini at aboari01@ saintmarys.edu

human services, i actually came up to south Bend and did a news conference,” mourdock said. “my comment was how ironic it was that a kid from Ball state university is here — me — to defend notre dame when my opponent who has two degrees from notre dame isn’t taking its position.”

mourdock said he hopes college students take the time to discern what which candidate will enact policies that will support pursuit of their dreams.

“i would hope that all college students would take the time to take the long term view, and what i mean by that is to look at the candidates not just by what they’re saying today, but what it is they’re saying today that could make the world next year and the next year after that and five years out and ten years out a better place, a merica a better place and give each student a greater chance at reaching his dream,” he said.

Contact Nicole Michels at nmichels@nd.edu

Junior m atthew Jewell said the d emocratic representative was more eloquent and presented his argument better, but the r epublican representative made more compelling arguments in regards to the functioning of the economy.

“ w hile i agree with the policies of. r omney that the r epublican representative put forward, i believe that from an objective standpoint the d emocratic representative won the debate,” Jewell said.

The debate was followedeby a mock election, and the results of that willtbe released nov. 1.

Contact Carolyn Hutyra at chutyra@nd.edu

d emocrat p resident Barack o bama and r epublican former m ass. g ov. m itt romney, significantly in polls.

But he is hopeful enough voters will cast ballots for the l ibertarian ticket to make him the 45th president of the united states.

“i’m just hoping that enough people waste their vote on me,” Johnson said. “i f enough people do that, i’m the next p resident of the united states, and i’m making a vow that no one will be disappointed by actually electing a leader that will get up and lead what needs to be a raging debate and discussion in this country about all the issues that we face.”

The former two-term governor of new mexico announced in a pril 2011 he was running for the presidency as a r epublican before deciding to seek the l ibertarian nomination in d ec. 2011. o n m ay 5, he won the l ibertarian p arty’s official nomination.

Johnson said he can provide an honest assessment to college students of the national challenges that will impact their futures, unlike o bama and romney.

“[ i can bring] the truth that we are really in deep trouble in this country and to get out of all this deep trouble, it’s going to involve mutual sacrifice on the part of all of us,”

Johnson said. “But we’ve got to engage in this, and right now, young people are being unfairly handed a bill that’s never going to get paid.”

Johnson said his plan to slash government programs, including medicare, makes him a viable choice over o bama and romney. a s president, Johnson would repeal the a ffordable c are a ct and place more control over health care policies in the hands of individual state governments.

“Two weeks ago, o bama and romney are arguing over who’s going to spend more money on medicare, when medicare has to be slashed,” Johnson said. “medicare is a program that you and i put $30,000 into, and we receive a $100,000 benefit. nothing about medicare is sustainable. nothing. a nd that is indicative of a lot of other government programs.”

Just two days after o bama and romney debated foreign policy, Johnson said his policies abroad also distinguish him from the two front-runners.

“i think people are hungry

to elect a leader, as opposed to the lesser of two evils,” Johnson said. “a nd talking about [the presidential debate] the other night, really what you come away with, we’re going to see ourselves in a continued state of war in this country. They’re arguing really over who’s going to pull the trigger first in these areas. “ w hen they talk about the [attack on the] l ibyan e mbassy, why did we have embassy personnel there in the first place? we’re presenting targets in an area that is looking for targets.”

r uiz, from nearby m ishawaka, works with atrisk youth at the Family and c hildren’s c enter. he too hopes to break the two-party system with his platform on the l ibertarian ticket.

Johnson said r uiz earned his endorsement over r epublican Jackie walorski and d emocrat Brendan mullen because the l ibertarian candidate holds similar values to his own.

“Joe ruiz would be talking about the same things that i’m talking about,” Johnson said. “i’m proud of l ibertarians that are talking about these issues in the same way on a congressional level that i am at a national level, and Joe’s that congressional level.” ruiz said his standing as a

third-party candidate means if he were elected, he would face more scrutiny to achieve promises made than either a republican or a democrat.

“i have a sincere interest in succeeding and i don’t think that either of my opponents would have that,” ruiz said.

“i f either of them go along and they break the promises that they make, and two years from now, the republicans or the democrats, whoever wins, will just run another candidate who will make more promises that the people can either take or leave, and that potentially, historically, they would probably

break, right?”

l ike Johnson, ruiz said this desire to succeed would lead him to keep his promises if elected.

“ well, if i get elected, by people who believe in limited government philosophy, and i don’t do the things that i say i’m going to do, it’s potential that you’re never going to vote for a l ibertarian again,” he said. “a nd so i have a sincere determination coming into this because i have way more to lose than either of my opponents.”

Contact Sam Gans at sgans@nd.edu

Thailand women undergo unsafe plastic surgery

Associated Press

B angkok — her dream was to look less Thai and more like Jennifer l opez, so the 25-year-old street food vendor went to the i nternet and typed in “cheap Botox.”

That was the start of a fiveyear makeover for r atphila c hairungkit that included two nose jobs, two eye-widening

surgeries, chin augmentation, lip trimming, skin whitening and dozens of Botox-type injections.

The goal had been to redesign her entire face, but things went horribly wrong. “ i started to look like a witch,” she recalled. her upper eyelids sagged; her lower lids erupted in tapioca-like bumps. her chin drooped and her nose

paid a dverT isemen T

swelled.

a fter costly and painful corrective surgeries, she is now content with her appearance, though it bears no resemblance to her a merican pop idol.

Thailand is swarming with cheap but risky cosmetic clinics, thanks to two powerful forces: Their prices are designed to attract the poor, and Thai society defines beauty as fair and delicate. it looks down on the ethnic facial features associated with the lower classes — the wide noses and dark skin most of the country possess.

“i used to look like a factory worker,” said r atphila, now 30, cringing at an old snapshot of her smiling former self. “now, when i look in the mirror, i’m happy. w ith a better face, you have

better chances in life.”

her quest for beauty at bargain prices was a painful mistake. a pseudo-beautician injected commercial-grade silicone into her cheeks, chin and under her eyes; it all needed to be surgically scraped out. s he spent 500,000 baht ($16,000) over five years, a huge sum by her humble standards, mostly to fix his handiwork.

“i’m lucky i didn’t die,” she said, trying to smile through her cosmetically corrected face.

Far from having regrets, she says, her ordeal has turned into a business opportunity and she plans to open her own cosmetic clinic later this month. “now, i’ve become a beauty guru. e veryone comes to me for advice,” she said.

not all of Thailand’s beauty victims live to tell. The death this month of a 33-year-old aspiring model from a botched collagen injection has focused nationwide attention on the illegal beauty industry and intensified a government crackdown.

nearly 40 illegal beauticians have been arrested in Bangkok, the capital, in the past two months, but authorities believe nearly 200 are still operating. a dvertising in plain sight on the i nternet, they’re commonly known as “bag doctors” because many make house calls or meet

customers in vans to administer cheap injections straight from their bags.

l ast week, the health m inistry and police declared a small victory after arresting someone they called “the most dangerous” operator to date: a 37-year-old former beautician’s assistant with no medical training who had set up an all-purpose clinic in her home.

i nside the woman’s pale yellow town house in a workingclass Bangkok neighborhood, authorities found box-loads of counterfeit Botox, cheap facial fillers, intravenous skinwhitening chemicals and a variety of banned products known to have dangerous side effects. The arsenal of potentially toxic beauty products underlined the lengths that women — and some men — take to improve their looks.

“This is terrifying,” said p hasit s akdanarong, chief adviser to the p ublic health m inister, who joined the raid and has since advised the government to expand the crackdown nationwide. “This woman was not a doctor. This clinic has no license, and the products she was using are not F da-approved.”

“ we are facing a very, very serious problem,” said p hasit.

“ w hen people go to illegal clinics like this, it is very easy to get an infection — and sometimes it is easy to die.”

n.d. weather

a s i write this column, it is currently 77 degrees. in south Bend. in late october. w hich means it’s a perfect time for me to talk about one of the most notorious aspects of notre dame life: the weather.

south Bend’s weather is easily described as frigid, miserable and even bipolar. The area’s seemingly endless winter is marked by the appearance of an all-encompassing permacloud, a constant white blanket of snow and a bitter wind fierce enough to turn south Quad into a veritable wind tunnel.

however, despite all these factors, i’m of the opinion that south Bend’s weather is nowhere near as bad as most notre dame students make it out to be. i think the climate of michiana even enhances life at notre dame rather than diminishes it.

yet, i must confess that i do love warm weather and wish at times that the weather here was nicer. however, in comparing my experiences to those of students at warm-weather schools, i’ve found that i’m not missing out on too much.

a lthough notre dame students may not be able to throw the Frisbee around or tan on the quad for more than 10 percent of the school year, we do get the privilege of experiencing four seasons.

Take a look at campus right now. g od Quad looks downright majestic with the wide array of vivid colored leaves dotting its trees, a sight witnessed nationally by viewers when they see notre dame make its saturday appearance on nBc speaking of football, some of our team’s most memorable games have come in the unpredictable fall weather. i feel many of us will still talk about our recent win over stanford in a monsoon several decades from now.

now on to winter. The treacherous and impassable conditions created by the constant snow may force us inside, but this fact spurs most of us to really get to know those living nearest to us, thereby building dorm community. a nd for the times we do make the trek outdoors, we can enjoy events like the massive north Quad/south Quad snowball fight or sledding on dining hall trays.

The final season in most notre dame students’ lives is spring. The constant rain in this season may make south Bend occasionally seem like seattle, but it is always glorious to see campus come back to life and the quads full of baseball gloves and lacrosse sticks.

a s nice as the weather is now, though, temperatures this weekend are supposed to dip into the 40s. yes, we’ll see if my feelings about the weather are still the same come monday.

A reason for our routines

at mass a couple of mondays ago, we read the g ospel of the parable of the g ood samaritan. a s i proclaimed it during mass, i did so with some worry. we have all heard this parable so many times that i feared the congregation would tune out as soon as i read the parable’s well-known opening line: “a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and was attacked by robbers.” i was afraid others might become distracted, mainly because i found myself doing the same as i read that morning! my mind quickly summarized the remainder: two men pass him by because they’re too busy, then a samaritan, who doesn’t get along with Jews, sees him and takes care of him. “g ot it, we need to be more like him.”

Then, as is often the case when reading the scriptures, i was surprised to find that a little phrase caught my eye. The samaritan takes the beaten man to a local inn, gets him medicines, room and board to heal and then, as he is leaving, says to the innkeeper: “if you spend more than i have given you, i will repay you on my way back.”

“on my way back” grabbed hold of me. on his way back? so, he travelled this road often. For only someone trusted by the innkeeper could have run a credit line at the inn. “i’ll pay you the rest of it later.” The road to Jericho was the samaritan’s turf. he probably walked it monthly, maybe weekly. he probably knew every turn, every ditch

and every establishment along the way. This road was part of the samaritan’s routine.

my interaction with this g ospel had come full circle. i began reading the g ood samaritan with the worry that there was nothing new to be gained. But, i ended with this insight: only because i had read it so many times could my mind and heart grasp something new, something unexpected in it, a surprising little revelation. it all got me thinking …

The routines of our life, the roads and pathways we walk week after week, can have two, totally opposite effects on us. They can become so repetitive, so wellknown, so comforting or so boring that we become deadened to the dynamics that unfold in them. we hardly pay attention to them. if something unexpected happens, it is quickly perceived as something to be avoided.

l ike the first two men, a priest and a l evite, in the parable who encounter the beaten man on the side of their well-trod road. They too, as Temple functionaries, walked that road to the Temple as a matter of routine. a nd when something out-of-the-ordinary appeared on that road — a man, beaten, in a roadside ditch — they did what perhaps we all sometimes do when the unexpected enters our daily routine. They moved quickly to the other side, and kept their comforting or deadening routine uninterrupted.

The g ood samaritan, on the other hand, reveals a quite opposite insight about the remarkable opportunity that lies latent in our routines. precisely

because the g ood samaritan travelled this road so often, he knew every inch better than anyone else. he knew the perils of the road, and so was travelling with oil and bandages. he had established networks along the road, and knew exactly the innkeeper who would watch over this man. routines can be opportunities for extraordinary love. we understand our routines better than anyone in our existence. w ho knows your family, your best friends or an issue you have been researching better than you? yes, our over-familiarity with these routines can deaden us to the dynamics trying to unfold within them. But what if it has not been randomness, but g od’s providence, that has led us to these very people, places and issues? our intimate understanding of the routines also empowers us to love in utterly extraordinary ways. w hat and who are your roads from Jerusalem to Jericho? a s november rolls in, and the routines of our semester start to calcify, beware! They can lock us up, dull our vision and deaden our hearts. or, our daily routines can sharpen our understanding, deepen our gaze and surprise us by calling us to extraordinary acts of love. perhaps g od has been leading us down this road, over and over, for a reason.

Fr. Lou DelFra, CSC, is a campus minister and the Director of Pastoral Life for the ACE Program. He can be reached at Louis.A.DelFra.2@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

running is relatively low key — all you need is a pair of shoes (or no shoes, but that’s another article), and you can run almost anywhere in the world. Just talk to notre dame senior and last year’s holy half champion ian montijo, who often ran at 5 a.m. in the desert heat of oman last summer. one of my favorite ways to explore a new city is by running its streets, and i try to take part in a different race whenever i am home from school. This fall break, i participated in the run l ike hell half marathon, a halloween-themed race in my hometown of portland, ore. having experienced an injury that put me out for a significant period of time at the beginning of my training, i was more nervous than usual for this race. w ith accolades for being one of the best running cities in the country comes more competition, and i found myself standing at the starting line with the young and elite 20-somethings of

lETTEr TO ThE EdiTOr

Trust your training

portland’s thriving running community. a guy standing next to me, acting as if he was just out for a morning jog, casually told another participant that he planned to run “fives.” a s in five-minute miles, and a run l ike hell of a lot faster than i planned to go.

The start of the race was delayed inexplicably, and, as we waited for further information from race officials, a cold rain began to fall. everyone was pretty antsy by the time we received word to move to the starting line. i felt particularly sorry for the man wearing nothing but a Batman speedo and a cape, who looked especially uncomfortable.

i had read in various running magazines about the importance of mantras as a tool for easing race jitters, but i had never utilized a mantra before now, besides maybe imagining my high school cross country coach yelling at me from the sidelines, or picturing the free bagels i would receive at the end of the race. however, a race such as the holy half marathon is a long time to be alone with your thoughts, and, if those thoughts are all negative, you have more worries than

trying to remember whether or not you applied Body glide that morning. so, when the gun finally went off, i took a deep breath, focused ahead and told myself: “Trust your training.” i eased into my desired pace, and even found myself taking the time to enjoy the stunning views of the city along the course. w hen my i pod died about halfway through the race, i did not worry about losing my crutch, but considered its failure an opportunity to become more self-aware and keep repeating my new mantra.

“Trust your training” is a good phrase to consider in all areas of life: before an exam, walking into a job interview, traveling to a new country and on a first date, (well, in that case, maybe trust what your mama taught you), but it is by no means the only mantra a runner should use during a race. Try: “stay steady,” “Be smooth,” “Focus here,” or “keep calm and run on.” i saw a sign during the half marathon that said: “Believe with all your heart that you will become what you were meant to be.” a little long, but good nonetheless.

Thanks to the power of positive thinking and some timely down hills, i finished the race strong and with a smile on my face. i gave a high five to waldo (i had been wondering where he was), and then took a few laps around the block to cool off and recollect.

Telling myself “Trust your training” had worked, and deciding to make a repeated mantra a permanent part of my race strategy. Try repeating a mantra, yourself — yes, when you are out on a run, but also when you are stressing over homework, applying for internships or trying to navigate your bike through rush hour in front of deBartolo. everyone’s mantra will be different, but if it focuses on the positive, it will be effective. maybe we should find out what the football players are telling themselves … it seems to be working.

Carolyn Green is the student director of the Holy Half Marathon. She can be reached at cgreen9@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

Back when i was a young whippersnapper (read-until this semester), The observer ran a hilarious, entertaining and surprisingly informative section.

This section was called “the offbeat” and offered out-of-the-ordinary news from around the country. sadly the offbeat no longer exists. its place has been filled by “The next Five days” and by slightly enlarging the “Question on the day.” please bring back the offbeat. a fter all, the “next Five days” is only really applicable every fifth day. r ight. Best,

Benigno Sandoval senior keenan hall

oct. 25

Monahan

some students, especially those with younger siblings, may know of veggieTales, a children’s animated video series featuring Bob the Tomato and l arry the cucumber. at the end of each video, Bob the Tomato addresses the viewers by saying: “remember kids, g od made you special and he loves you very much.” in addition to being a healthy message for kids, we can use this sentiment to help us in our career planning efforts; indeed, g od did make you special. each person is a unique creation, and we each have special gifts and talents.

a month ago i was addressing a group of students and asked them what differentiated them from their peers. nd education? no, everyone in the room had that. intelligence? no, everyone in the room was of above-average intelligence. l eadership/teamwork/active in clubs? no, no, and no … everyone in the crowd could claim these attributes as well. i prompted the group by asking: “w hat makes you special? w hat are the gifts and talents that g od has given you?”

This idea and subsequent questions shocked most of the audience. a notre dame degree did not separate the students from each other nor guarantee a job. w hen they looked around, students began to realize the room was full of individuals who had the same degree, grades and academic background — and who were applying for the same jobs. it dawned on them that each person had to discover the unique gifts and talents they could offer an employer, the unique gifts and talents that would

make them memorable and valued to the hiring manager. They needed a personal brand.

some readers may doubt the seriousness of personal branding. is this is a new fad or buzzword in career management circles? no, it is a concept that has been around for years. Tom peters wrote a provocative article for Fast company magazine entitled “The Brand called you” (8/31/97). peters’ message is timeless: you are the ceo of me, inc., and it is crucial to identify the attributes that differentiate you from the masses and identify the way you wish to communicate this message. no one else can or will market you as well as you can. you need to be in charge of promoting your skills and articulating the experience you seek.

The concept of personal branding is even more important today than it was fifteen years ago when the peters’ article was published. w ith massive job boards and online resume submissions, it is more difficult each day to get noticed. recently, an hr manager from a large aerospace firm mentioned they had received over 1,000 applications for an engineering opening. l ast year, a recruiter in the pr industry relayed that she received over 600 resumes from individuals vying for six spots. Job and internship seekers need to think about how they can stand out from the resume pile. This is accomplished by communicating one’s brand: a clear message of who you are, what makes you unique and what you can offer. personal branding is not relegated to the corporate world. Being unique in the eyes of hiring managers at non-profits, government agencies or Fortune 500 companies help you get noticed.

so, how does one identify and manage

his/her personal brand and how can the career center help?

Firstly, identify your skills and passions: The career center offers assessments that can help you identify some of your gifts and talents. Talk to friends, family and mentors who can provide an external perspective on your unique attributes.

hone your marketing materials: refine your resume and cover letter to communicate a positive image of you, what type of opportunity you desire and what skills you can offer.

craft an online presence: l inked in, blogs, Twitter and other social media sites can help craft an online image to support your unique brand.

network: many of the items we buy are ones that have been recommended to us by others. reach out to your network and share your gifts, talents and dreams. These people can help communicate your brand to their circles of influence.

Thinking of one’s career search through the lens of personal branding can give a sense of ownership and control to one’s career path. you influence how you are perceived, what opportunities you decide to pursue and how you react to setbacks as well as the opportunities. in short, you are the ceo of me, inc. specializing in the brand called “you.” remember, g od made you special. celebrate the unique aspects of you.

Welcome to the @NDCareerCenter Column. Please let us know if you have any questions you would like covered in the column. Email us at ndcps@nd.edu

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

By PATRICK McMANUS

scene writer

This weekend the pasquerilla east musical company presents “next to normal.” The musical tells the story of a mother’s chronic mental illness and the effects it has on her and her family.

it is not exactly typical musical fare. That seriousness, however, earned “next to normal” the pulitzer prize for drama in 2010, one of only eight musicals to win that award. The show also took home three Tony awards when it opened on Broadway in 2009.

director charlie o’leary was at first hesitant to take on such a lauded and serious show but felt compelled to do so.

“[it was]one of the most powerful musicals

i’ve seen,” he said.

he also knew that there would be a lot of interest in the show. The cast of six has been tirelessly rehearsing for only the past four weeks, not including fall break, to put on this amazing production, which is entirely the result of the vision and talent of passionate students.

producer nathan williams was confident that even though it is a difficult show dramatically, emotionally and musically, the cast was able to handle it and turn in great performances.

graduate student will docimo ,who plays dan, the father and husband character, said he likes how the musical is untraditional.

“it’s a good example of how musicals can be a serious medium, rather than just lights and flash,” docimo said.

indeed, by taking on a more solemn subject matter than most musicals and handling it in a responsible and engaging way, “next to normal” proves to be a unique theatrical experience.

The plot, though full of revelations, is not really the point. rather, the feel of the musical becomes paramount. more than a story, it is a sense of what certain things feel like

and it does it very well.

“next to normal” is a moving show that does not allow the audience to forget the mental anguish or fragility of its characters. it is held back from being an outright depressing experience by deft direction and acting, and its beating heart, the rock score. The music, composed by Tom kitt, with lyrics by Brian yorkey, has an eclectic feel that can set different moods. yet, it moves with a fluidity that never really makes you feel comfortable. although o’leary says “characters and story remain forefront,” the show’s subject matter and portrayal of a character living with bipolar disorder creates an opportunity for this show to not just raise awareness, but start a dialogue across the campus community. To that end, the production is partnering with the national alliance on mental illness chapter of notre dame, who will have a booth at the show.

put-off by sillier and more chipper musicals, this production of “next to normal’ is a must see. honestly, it is nothing like, and so much better, than when my high school did “Bye Bye Birdie.”

Tickets are available for purchase ($6 for students, $8 for the public) at the laFortune Box office and at the door. performances will take place in washington hall on Thursday, oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m. and saturday, oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m.

For people who like musicals and even people who traditionally have been

Contact Patrick McManus at pmcmanu1@nd.edu

Know thy shelf literature is not dead

“i always wanted to be a novelist. i just never wanted to write a novel.”

so said kathleen parker when she visited campus oct. 2 to talk about journalism in the age of “Twitterature.” with those words she gave a voice to the moral dilemma my inner Jane austen wrestled with for years. i had all the right ingredients: an insatiable appetite for books, an inordinate vocabulary and an insane obsession with used bookstores, not to mention a major in english.

But when it came to whipping out a “heartbreaking work of staggering genius,” every idea fell flat. i would spend random afternoons crafting characters and plotlines in my head, only to have them fall apart on the rare occasion

i tried to put them on the page. eking out word after word was like carving into a chalkboard. every sentence sounded painful and forced, and once composed, seemed irreversible.

eventually i gave up, crammed my half-filled notebooks into the bottom of my bookshelf, and tried to accept my fate. i was never going to write a novel. it wasn’t until last week, however, that i realized i was doing it wrong. over fall break, i went to west virginia as a part of the center for social concern’s appalachia program. The trip was awesome, my group was wonderful and i will never forget some of the things we saw or did. one of the goals of the program was to change preconceptions about poverty, the environment and social responsibility. at nazareth Farm, the staff encouraged us to put away our phones when with friends, spend daily quiet time with

god and be better stewards of our environment. so far, these habits have stuck with me. granted, it’s been less than a week, but i’m hopeful these changes are long-lasting.

one of the changes was truly unexpected. during one of our precious downtime periods, one of the volunteers from another college started telling me about how much he loves to write. at first i thought he had just another runof-the-mill blog about life or politics or how much he loves the packers. But i could not have been more wrong. To demonstrate his point, he reached into his backpack and pulled out a stack of manuscripts, covered in the red ink of his own comments.

This kid actually wrote a 200-page novel on his own accord, all while juggling the responsibilities of a student. he said his writing process consisted of sitting

down and just doing a little bit each day. it sounded hard, but he was able to write something substantial just because he felt like it. For him, writing was more of a habit than an inspired, earth-shattering revelation. he also said he didn’t worry too much about getting each sentence perfect — he could spend forever being nitpicky about diction and structure. i found a strange amount of comfort in his dedication, as well as a challenge. There are few things i can commit to doing every day. But to see his reward of a fascinating and personal body of work showed how it’s the daily habit that makes the novelist.

Contact Meghan Thomassen at mthomass@nd.edu

The views in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer.

WEEk ENd E VENTS CALENdAr

THURSDAY FRIDAY

What: “Thriller”

Where: rockne memorial

When: 8 p.m. - 10 p.m.

how Much: reserve your spot for free at recregister

a re you ready for h alloween? s tart getting ready for the weekend and learn the steps to m ichael Jackson’s famous “Thriller” dance at The r ock. r ec s ports will provide food and Thriller-themed prizes. d on’t miss it!

What: rock musical: “next to normal,” presented by pemco

Where: washington hall, mainstage auditorium

When: 7:30 p.m. - 10 p.m. how Much: $6 for students

pemco is back with what promises to be a great performance of award-winning musical “next to normal”. a lthough not a typical musical, the show will definitely capture the audience’s attention. it’s a must-see!

SATURDAY SUNDAY

What: salsaween

Where: legends

When: 12 a.m.

how Much: Free for students

dance the night away in your favorite halloween costumes saturday night. gather a group of friends and enjoy good music and a fun time at l egends.

What: “The Blob” Where: deBartolo performing a rts center

When: 3 p.m. how Much: $4 for students

Take a break on s unday and watch i rvin yeaworth’s “The Blob” at dpac . The movie tells the story of a mysterious creature that lands on e arth and as time goes by keeps growing and destroying the land.

By JESUS MENDOZA scene writer

mention iowa in any conversation, and, well, good luck keeping anyone’s attention. it’s not that the state is bad or anything, it’s just that one can’t help but think of cornfields, cornfields, and oh look, more cornfields.

hopefully, though, these thoughts won’t deter you from sampling indie band unknown component, which hails from central iowa. not so much a band, unknown component is the brainchild of solo artist keith lynch. he alone is responsible for all the instruments you hear in his music, as well as recording and mixing, truly earning himself the title of one-man band. unknown component’s latest album “Blood v. electricity,” released oct. 23, provides exactly the moody, melancholic sound one would expect from the jagged grays, blacks and purples that make up the cover art.

The first track off the album, “intuition,” quickly introduces the listener to the mix of instruments with electronic ambience lynch seems to employ throughout the entire album. here, slow piano builds into a steady guitar riff, backing up lynch’s echoed vocals. ending with a haunting string set, this track sets a sense of hopelessness that pervades through other tracks. next up, “nowhere is alone” picks up the tempo with more guitars, eerie chant-like vocals, and introduces lynch on the drum set. lynch now appears to empower the listener, saying how “you can forget about your enemies / and all the damage they can do tonight,” odd considering the imminent demise he then suggests in “gypsies of the apocalypse.” Built upon a booming electronic beat, drums and the occasional guitar effect, this track is dark and foreboding — chaotic to say the least; people don’t just throw around the word “apocalypse” without wanting to insinuate some ominous tone.

“pendulum” returns us to a more instrumental sound, focusing on a pounding drum and guitar line. This beat gets to a point of redundancy, steady and everlasting, much like the namesake pendulum being used as a metaphor for man’s backand-forth hypocrisy. yet, lynch suggests some hope for our human condition in that a pendulum always corrects itself back to center, no matter how far it has swung in either direction.

“sensory deprivation” begins with an ethereal sound from

lynch’s fingerpicked guitar, mixed with electronic ambience, moving into his standard drumming and strumming. here again he provides some cautious, optimistic words, reminding the listener to not fall victim to the “sensory deprivation” others may impose on you, and to keep open eyes, living for the moment.

more gloom and doom are abundant in lynch’s next couple tracks “moral vultures,” “For all intents and purposes” and “dust and the shadows.” at this point in the album, i’m looking for some sense of joy to climb out of the pit of despair lynch has successfully thrown me in. Thankfully, i find some of this respite in a pair of tracks at the end of the album.

“painting the weather” and “Through the surface,” my favorite track on the album, are centered around lynch’s acoustic guitar, already a happier sounding instrument than the usual electric effects lynch is so fond of. really, the content of these songs deals with familiar themes of disillusionment and unresolved questions prevalent in the album. Frankly, they succeed thanks to the uplifting sound of the guitar.

while maybe not exactly everyone’s cup of tea, unknown component has created a well recorded and professional sounding album, especially considering it’s a one-man operation in the middle of iowa. Fans of nine inch nails, another solo musical project, and some of linkin park’s work will find themselves at home with unknown component. as for me, i’ll stick to some more upbeat tunes.

Contact Jesus Mendoza at jmendoz6@nd.edu

“Blood v. Electricity” Unknown Component

Label: Independent

Tracks: “Intuition,” “Pendulum,” “Painting the Weather,” Through the Surface”

If you like: Ghostriders, Radiohead and Coldplay

athletes win at the lying game

i f there is one thing my mom emphasized to me when i was a kid, it was never to lie. she always would say she would find out i was lying, in a halfthreatening, half-kidding way.

“i would rather you tell me the truth, that you did something bad,” she would say, “then to find out later you were lying.”

well, it’s a good thing i stink at sports, because by following my mom’s advice, i would never be able to compete with the top professional athletes who also are frequently professional liars.

it seems to be that if you’re a coach or athlete nowadays, you better be able to lie your pants off. it doesn’t matter what you are not telling the truth about — you just cannot be honest. Tiger woods and Bobby petrino lied about their infidelity. Jim Tressel and pete carroll lied about recruiting violations. pete rose lied about betting on baseball. g eorge o’l eary lied on his resume when he was hired by notre dame — and then resigned five days later.

But perhaps the most prevalent lie in all of sports is covering up doping — steroids, hgh, blood transfusions and so on. w hen p inocchio lied in the classic disney cartoon, his nose grew, and the audience knew he was telling a lie. w hen athletes cheat, they too change physically — yet fans seem to ignore the fact they clearly aren’t clean.

Barry Bonds? roger c lemens? sammy sosa? They lied to fans. They lied to the press. They even lied under oath to the united states government. i n the age of the i nternet, of Twitter, of cell phone cameras and factchecking, you would think athletes would know they will be caught and punished. it may not be punishment in the physical sense, but in terms of legacy, some things can never be recovered. Tiger woods may be able to keep his millions and his trophies, but his status in the sports world will never be the same.

The most tragic liar is none other than (former) seven-time Tour de France winner l ance a rmstrong. unlike woods, a rmstrong’s trophy room took a hit when the truth came forward. The cyclist has been stripped of his titles, and on monday, the i nternational c ycling union announced it would not appeal the united states a nti-doping a gency’s verdict to bar a rmstrong from

life from olympic sports for blood-doping.

The punishment didn’t end there. a rmstrong was found instrumental in organizing doping for his Tour cycling squads — a team bully, if you will. nike and other sponsors ended their affiliation with the cyclist, and a rmstrong resigned from his seat as chairman at his l ivestrong charity foundation.

But the damage done goes far beyond the titles and sponsorship money a rmstrong lost. The cyclist was a beacon of hope, having overcome testicular cancer to become one of the most successful athletes of all time. he inspired countless fans and raised millions of dollars for cancer research. now, however, that image is tarnished. a hero was lost.

For a while, i wanted to believe a rmstrong — while cycling has a long history of doping, i gave him the benefit of the doubt. a fter a while, the allegations seemed to resonate more. But still, this was l ance a rmstrong. The man overcame cancer to become the best cyclist ever, and besides, didn’t all cyclists cheat?

But now l ance is an outright liar. he has denied allegations of doping countless times, but at this point, the evidence is irrefutable. l ance also has taken us for fools. he hasn’t apologized. he hasn’t owned up to what he did. The closest he has come to admitting any wrongdoing is removing from his Twitter bio that he was a seven-time Tour champion. That isn’t enough. he may have raised millions for cancer research — but he did so under the guise he was a clean champion who overcame the odds. he was selling a wholesome image, and once again, sports fans fell for it. part of the joy of sports is escapism. g oing to the ballpark, watching a match on television or playing a game of pickup is about leaving the troubles of real life behind, even if for a few minutes. we shouldn’t have to be cynical about the sports world, but by now, that is the nature of the game. luckily for fans, there are plenty of admirable athletes and coaches still out there — the Jeters, messis and Federers. we just have to root that much harder for them to succeed.

a nd for all you athletes out there, follow my mom’s advice: don’t lie.

Contact Sam Stryker at sstryke1@nd.edu

The views expressed in this Sports Authority are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Observer

Teams grow playoff beards

Associated Press

san Francisco — This is going to be a very hairy world series.

giants outfielder hunter pence is looking seriously scraggly. same goes for teammate sergio romo, whose facial fuzz has its own Twitter account. Tigers slugger prince Fielder goes for a double — dreadlocks and an overgrown beard.

a nd not to forget injured san Francisco closer Brian wilson. his dyed, jet-black thicket inspired a “Fear the Beard” campaign in the Bay a rea and beyond.

“They’re good beards this series — i think they’re all good,” Fielder said. “mine’s just my wife won’t let me shave it off. she just likes the way it looks.”

There have been a bushel of beards, mustaches and flowing locks throughout the postseason, from the wildhaired oakland athletics to st. louis closer Jason motte to washington outfielder Jayson werth.

superstition, busy schedules, hectic cross-country travel, there are all sorts of reasons for ditching the razor. k ind of like hockey, where playoff beards have long been tradition.

“maybe people are just paying more attention,” wilson said. “i think every postseason has beards, every sport they do the playoff beard. i remember watching as a kid all the playoffs, and guys would grow beards. it’s kind of like when you buy a new car and you realize everyone has it on the road.

“it’s facial hair. you either have it or you don’t. There’s only a 50 percent chance you’re going to have a beard,” he said. so, who is sporting the best

look this fall? That’s a tough one going into wednesday night’s game 1 at aT&T park.

romo’s hair has the Twitter account of (at)romosBeard. wilson’s growth has three different Twitter handles.

“we’re just a little weird. we’re a little wacky,” romo said. “i just think we’ve got no shame. i wear mine confidently and i’m pretty sure he does as well.”

wilson is still recovering from elbow surgery in april. yet the quirky reliever continues to attract some of the loudest cheers from the home crowd.

wilson can’t remember when he last trimmed the beard. he figures it’s been at least a year.

“he hasn’t cut it in three years,” fellow reliever santiago casilla offered.

giants general manager Brian sabean — he has a small beard, too — recently watched some old clips of wilson from the team’s 2010 run to the world series championship, the year the right-hander led the majors

with 48 saves.

“he looked very groomed compared to (this) look,” sabean said. “as he’ll tell you, the beard has its own checking account. romo, romo’s tightened himself up. pence, not so good, bad look. it’s like ‘The a xeman’ or something.” a ny other grooming critiques?

“i’m not going to get into other people’s beards,” sabean said. if wilson were healthy and available to pitch, sabean kids that the beard might get in the way.

“it’s not as aerodynamic,” the gm said. “maybe things would fly out of it and be a distraction to the hitter.”

a ll over baseball, facial hair has become a hot topic.

last weekend, former giants pitcher Brad hennessey posted this as his status on Facebook: “pence needs to shave that awful thing on his face! a re u saying that it grows in all white trashy like that all on its own?”

PART

UNPLANNED PREGNANCY?

Don’t go it alone. Notre Dame has many resources in place to assist you. If you or someone you love needs confidential support or assistance, please call Ann Whitall at 1-0084 or Karen Kennedy at 1-5550. For more information, visit ND’s website at: http://pregnancysupport@nd.edu

Lyrics: It’s Time By Imagine Dragons

So this is what you meant When you said that you were spent

And now it’s time to build from the bottom of the pit

Right to the top

Don’t hold back

Packing my bags and giving the academy a rain check

I don’t ever want to let you down I don’t ever want to leave this town

‘Cause after all This city never sleeps at night

It’s time to begin, isn’t it? I get a little bit bigger, but then I’ll admit

I’m just the same as I was

Now don’t you understand

That I’m never changing who I am

So this is where you fell

And I am left to sell

The path to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell

Right to the top

Don’t look back

Turning to rags and giving the commodities a rain check

I don’t ever want to let you down

I don’t ever want to leave this town

‘Cause after all

This city never sleeps at night

It’s time to begin, isn’t it?

I get a little bit bigger but then I’ll admit

Associated Press

Ryan calls for apology from Bush

Florham park, n.J. — rex ryan already said he’s sorry. he thinks it’s about time reggie Bush did, too.

The new york Jets coach is still bothered by the miami dolphins running back’s comments a few weeks ago that darrelle revis’ season-ending knee injury was a case of “what goes around comes around.”

“i apologized for my comment,” ryan said wednesday. “i expect him to do the same.”

ryan drew the ire of the dolphins star when the coach said the Jets were going to put “hot sauce” — saying he meant lots of attention, not intent to injure — on Bush before new york’s 23-20 overtime win last month. Bush hurt his left knee in the game on a hit by la ron landry, and later implied it was karma that revis also hurt his knee and was lost for the season.

Bush told reporters in miami that he wasn’t concerned that the Jets might try to get him back sunday when the teams meet at metlife stadium.

“it’s a divisional opponent. That’s the great thing about playing divisional opponents. you get to play them twice. it’ll be fun this time around.”

landry was told of Bush’s comments, and said he didn’t want to add to a war of words — but then added fuel to the fire.

“w hen guys yap back and forth, obviously you’ve done a great job,” landry said. “no matter if it was a bonehead play or whatever, i mean, you got to them in some type of way that they had to speak on it. i don’t really get into all that and the Twitter and everything. we’ll see on sunday.

“i’m grateful for another opportunity to play this guy, and he will remember that hit. every time he sees me, he will

“retaliation? They’re the ones who started this,” Bush said. “if there was ever any retaliation, it would come from us. But this team and the caliber of guys and the character we have are guys who play with respect for the game and play hard. it’s football. i didn’t go and complain or whine about being a target of the Jets. i expect that every game. i don’t expect for it to be any different this game. i expect it to be a tough game, probably some trash talking going on. it’s going to be a physical, tough game.

remember that hit. if i’m in the box or i’m coming downhill, whatever, he will remember that hit. i don’t worry about what those guys say.”

landry, known for his physical and aggressive style of tackling, says it’s clear when a team has gotten into an opposing player’s head. a nd, he thinks, Bush will be the perfect example of that.

“Just watch the way he runs,” landry said. “we’ll see when he comes out here this sunday. i don’t want to say too much and i’m not going to overtalk it and make a story.”

ryan said after the teams last played on sept. 23 that his “hot sauce” comment was misinterpreted and he never coaches to hurt another player. linebacker calvin pace raised some eyebrows, though, saying the Jets planned to “put him on out,” but later apologized and insisted there was no “bounty” on Bush or anything malicious meant by his comment.

Bush, whose injury wasn’t serious, was angry, though, saying during a radio interview: “They talked all week about putting hot sauce and this and that, and they ended up losing their best player for the rest of the season. so, it’s

paid a dverT isemen T

sad that it happened because of that, but i’m going to be back.”

revis had surgery last week to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, and hopes to be back in time for training camp next summer.

ryan said he wasn’t worried about miami retaliating, either, and again reiterated that his comments were taken out of context.

“i never said we were trying to injure reggie Bush, that’s not

even close,” ryan said. “he’s going to get our attention. i’m sorry, but he’s a player that’s going to warrant a lot of attention and that’s what i meant by my comments. if it was taken differently, i apologized for that. But trust me, we know when he’s in the game.”

ryan added that he respects Bush’s abilities and “that’s bad for football” when any player of his caliber is injured for any period of time.

k nicks top nets in exhibition

Associated Press

uniondale , n y. — o nce their extended preseason finale was over, the k nicks and nets could look ahead to the one that counts next week in Brooklyn in the season opener.

The k nicks hope their frontcourt is ready by then. a lready without a mare stoudemire, new york lost center Tyson c handler to a left knee injury less than a minute into the game in a 97-95 overtime victory over the nets on wednesday night.

steve novak made two 3-pointers in overtime, including the go-ahead shot with 1:26 left, in the final tuneup before the teams meet in their hyped, nationally televised regular-season opener on nov. 1 at the new Barclays c enter.

The k nicks expect to play that night without stoudemire, who has a cyst behind his left knee and is out a couple of weeks. c handler left on crutches and said he would have an mri exam Thursday, but said he didn’t have much concern after his injury, which occurred when he fell to the court after a collision with the nets’ g erald wallace.

“it’s frustrating, because like i say i felt great before the game,” c handler said. “i was excited, team’s looking good and we were up for this game to try to set the tempo moving into the first game of the year. a nd i mean i look at the stat sheet, i played 44 seconds, so it’s just disappointing to happen at all.” c handler got up and walked to the locker room, but the k nicks said there was no reason to risk the d efensive player of the year’s return in calling his injury a sore left knee.

“i was just hoping that it wasn’t too serious. a fter talking to him, seeing him at halftime, after the game, doesn’t seem like it’s too serious,” k nicks forward c armelo a nthony said. “p robably a real bad bruise, i don’t know how they’re going to call it. g ood thing is now preseason is over with, we got a week before the real thing starts, so hopefully he gets himself back ready.”

a nthony and r aymond Felton each scored 15 points for the k nicks before leaving things to the reserves, who blew a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter but pulled out the victory to finish 3-3. rookie c hris c opeland, who has played well in the preseason, led new york with 16 points.

d eron w illiams scored 22 points for the nets, who dropped their final three games and also finished 3-3.

Brooklyn had a chance to force a second overtime, but reserve m ar s hon Brooks missed a runner in the final seconds.

“o ur young guys that were in there at the end helped get the game into overtime, unfortunately we just didn’t have that last one go down for us to go into double-overtime,” nets coach avery Johnson said.

The nets, who have watched their home games against the k nicks feel like road contests for years in new Jersey, are hoping the blue jerseys will turn to Brooklyn black-andwhite, with their new arena giving them a real home-court advantage.

They sure didn’t have one here.

The nets were technically the home team, playing in a nassau c oliseum that they once called home when they were a power in the a B a . But the court was surrounded by fans in k nicks jerseys, and the nets were booed during pregame introductions and early in the game.

p art of the anger could have been left over from the press conference earlier wednesday that the nhl’s new york i slanders will be leaving this arena to begin playing with the nets in Barclays c enter starting in 2015. a n announcement during the game about the move was greeted with scattered boos.

The k nicks are also without backup m arcus c amby (strained left calf). a nother forward, r asheed wallace, still isn’t ready to play as he works himself back into shape following a two-year retirement. w ithout them, the k nicks could choose to use a nthony as a power forward, especially since Johnson said last week his team struggles to defend teams when they go small at that spot.

The nets jumped to a 23-16 lead after one quarter behind 12 points from w illiams, but the k nicks shot 9 of 14 (64 percent) in the second, outscoring Brooklyn 30-20 to take a 46-43 advantage into the half.

The k nicks were ahead by six after three and pushed the lead into double digits early in the fourth as both teams went mostly with bench players in the final period. The nets rallied to grab an 86-84 lead on Brooks’ three-point play with 1:01 left before c opeland’s free throws tied it with 47 seconds to go and neither team scored again in regulation.

sandoval lifts giants

san Francisco — w ith three mighty swings, pablo sandoval put the san Francisco giants ahead in this world series and put himself in a class with m r. october. sandoval hit three home runs and joined reggie Jackson, Babe ruth and a lbert p ujols as the only sluggers to do it in the series, and the giants jolted Justin verlander the detroit Tigers 8-3 on wednesday night in game 1. a rollicking aT&T park crowd — a sea of black and orange outfits — roared as sandoval connected in his first three at-bats. popular in the Bay a rea as the kung Fu panda for his roly-poly shape, he went 4 for 4 and drove in four runs. a giant panda for sure.

verlander, the reigning c y young winner so dominant in this postseason, looked uncomfortable from the get-go and constantly pawed at the mound.

The final score raised a nagging question for manager Jim l eyland and his favored Tigers: did too much rest after a playoff sweep of the yankees mean too much rust?

Tagged by sandoval for a solo shot in the first inning, verlander could only mouth ‘wow!’ after the giants star launched a two-run drive in the third. sandoval reprised his power show from this year’s a ll-star game, when his bases-loaded triple highlighted a five-run first inning against verlander.

a nd if there was any doubt that verlander was shaky, the best sign came in the fourth. That’s when pitcher Barry Zito, a career .099 hitter, sliced an r Bi single with two outs off the current al mvp for a 6-0 lead.

The festive crowd stood and

applauded when it was announced that verlander was being pulled for a pinch hitter in the fifth. sandoval gave them another reason to get up moments later when he hit a solo homer off reliever a l a lburquerque in the fifth, answering the cheers by waving his batting helmet in a curtain call.

p ujols homered three times last year, Jackson accomplished the feat in 1977 and ruth did it in 1926 and again in 1928.

For good measure, sandoval lined a single his last time up.

From start to finish, it was basically a perfect game by the giants. coming off a game 7 win over st. l ouis on monday night, they looked totally fresh.

Zito shut out the Tigers until Triple crown winner m iguel cabrera hit an r Bi single in the sixth, and Tim l incecum came out of the bullpen to prevent further damage.

nl championship series mvp marco scutaro hit r Bi singles after doubles by a ngel pagan. nl batting champion Buster posey contributed two hits and left fielder gregor Blanco made diving catches to rob cabrera and p rince Fielder.

game 2 is Thursday night, with doug Fister starting for the Tigers against madison Bumgarner.

The Tigers seemed out of sync in their first game following a five-game layoff. That was an issue in 2006, too, when verlander and his teammates had nearly a week off before getting wiped out by the cardinals.

alcs mvp delmon young failed to run after a tapper in front of the plate that the giants turned into a double play. The giants, meanwhile, kept getting good bounces,

with pagan hitting a double that hopped off the third-base bag.

p itching in san Francisco for the first time since 2008, verlander scuffed at the rubber while warming up for the first inning, pulled off his glove after badly overthrowing a curve and kept taking deep breaths. he hardly resembled the guy who was 3-0 with an 0.74 era in three playoff starts this year.

ever since two poor outings in the 2006 series against st. l ouis — punctuated by two throwing errors — verlander has worked hard to harness his emotions and 100 mph in the early going.

verlander was trying to settle in when sandoval tagged him, pouncing on an 0-2 fastball and lining it into the front row over the center-field wall. Quite a start for the team that finished last in the majors in home runs.

g et this: it was the first three-homer game at the stadium originally known as pac Bell park since the very first one, when kevin e lster did it for the dodgers in 2000. nope, not even home run king Barry Bonds had done this. it was certainly a moment of retribution of sandoval. he was benched during the 2010 world series, his production and confidence down, his weight up. i n the stands on this night, fans wearing furry panda hats celebrated with him.

verlander got into trouble again the third, and pitching coach Jeff Jones strolled to the mound when the count went to 2-0 on sandoval. verlander stared at Jones and shook his head. on the next pitch, verlander could do little but watch the ball sail into the front row in left.

sMc vOllE ybAll | sainT mary’s 3, alma 0

saint mary’s tops a lma in a three-set sweep

By AARON SANT-MILLER sports writer

w hile locked in a close race for the fourth and final spot into the miaa tournament, s aint mary’s won in a threeset sweep over conference rival a lma. The Belles won three close sets, winning the match 25-21, 25-20, 25-19.

“ we had a magnificent game [yesterday]. we just played great volleyball,” Belles coach Toni kuschel said. “ we were so composed and under control. we’ve been very focused on control and consistency this week in practice and that really shined through.”

o ffensively, sophomore outside hitter k ati s chneider paced the Belles (13-12, 7-7 miaa) with had 17 kills. c lose behind s chneider was freshman outside hitter k atie hecklinski, who had 12 kills. s ophomore middle hitter melanie kuczek also managed to get into the double digits, as she finished with 11 while hitting at an impressive 55 percent.

“ we had some phenomenal performances,” kuschel said.

“Three double-doubles with k ati, k atie and [senior setter] danie [Brink} is just awesome.”

Brink led all players with 34 assists while also providing 12

digs in a strong defensive effort. s chneider and hecklinski each had 16 and 24 digs, respectively.

kuschel said that the Belles’ defense was key to the win. s aint mary’s had a total of five players get into the double digits for digs, including sophomore defensive specialists meredith mersits and s amantha grady. mersits had 14 digs, while grady was second on the team with 19.

“Both of them played great,” kuschel said. “it was just an all-around fantastic defensive performance for our team.”

Based off of their conference record, s aint mary’s is now tied for fourth in the miaa with a lma (14-12, 7-7). yet, a lma holds the tiebreaker over the Belles, as the s cots have a halfgame lead in overall record.

g oing forward, the Belles have three matches left in the season, including matches against two miaa opponents. o n Friday, the Belles play miaa leader c alvin (242, 12-0). Then, on s aturday, s aint mary’s wraps up its season against conference rival hope (24-3, 12-2) before facing w heaton (11-20, 2-5 cciw ). hope currently sits right behind c alvin in the miaa rankings. Both conference foes are ranked in the top-five

nationally — c alvin is no. 2 in the nation while hope is no. 4. “ we have a tough road ahead of us. we’re very excited to play them,” kuschel said. “They are two of the best teams in our conference, and we’re excited for the remainder of our season. we just want to finish our season very strong.”

For the Belles, the team’s performance against a lma acts as model for how to play in those critical conference

matches, kuschel said.

“i think we need to play like we did [last night]. we hit extremely well,” kuschel said. “ we came up with big kills when we needed them and we played extremely tough defense.”

still, kuschel said that the Belles have plenty of room for improvement heading into their final weekend of the regular season.

“o ur blocking does need to

come along. we did get a lot of touches tonight, which bodes well for our defense,” kuschel said. “still, we will need to come up with some kill-blocks on Friday and s aturday to slow their hitters down.”

The Belles will first look to do just that against c alvin. o n Friday, s aint mary’s travels to c alvin for a 7 p.m. match.

Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu

Belles prepare for conference competition

By PETER STEINER

s ports w riter

The Belles will enter their official miaa schedule with

two scoring events this weekend, competing in the a lbion dual meet on Friday, followed by a double dual meet with h ope and a lma on s aturday.

paid a dverT isemen T

a fter swimming in the miaa r elays — a non-scoring, warmup event — last Friday, the Belles are excited to compete in their first conference meets, Belles coach m ark Benishek said.

“ we’ve been training hard this week and we are look-

“We should be pretty competitive on Friday with Albion. Across the board, we should see some strong swims.”

Mark Benishek Belles coach

ing forward to the end of this week,” Benishek said. “ we are going to back off a little bit on our training as we head into the back half of this week because we have back-to-back meets with a Friday meet and a double dual meet s aturday as well.

“ we should be pretty competitive on Friday with a lbion. a cross the board, we should see some strong swims.”

i n addition to kicking off

the fall season, the miaa r elays provided the Belles a chance to evaluate the makeup of their relay teams. The relay lineup will have a different look when s aint m ary’s competes this weekend, Benishek said.

“ i ’m really curious about what our relays can pull out this weekend,” Benishek said.

“ we kind of retooled them all after last weekend. i t’s a whole new lineup and different swimmers with each other so i think we should see some fast swims.”

o f all the swimmers competing this weekend, Benishek is particularly interested in the newest members of the Belles squad.

s even freshmen make up s aint m ary’s 14-person roster, which does not include a junior swimmer.

“ i ’m really curious to see how our entire freshmen class does,” Benishek said.

“ i ’m looking forward to seeing them in action and seeing how they respond to their first dual meet.

“ i think there are some nerves and i think we may see a little bit of that, but we’ve been trying to prepare them

for this first meet. s o i think they’ll be able to keep those in check and swim strong.” s aint m ary’s is also eager to see how its first diver in three years performs in the one and three meter diving events. Freshman diver a ndrea c anacci will finally help the team receive points in the diving categories.

“ we haven’t had a diver in the last three years for the school so it’s great to have somebody on the boards,” Benishek said. “ we’ve been missing out on points in the one meter and three meter events so this year we’ll someone there. s he did a great job last weekend as her introduction to diving [at the collegiate level] so i think she’s excited about this weekend and being able to get out there and compete.”

The Belles will travel to a lbion, m ich., on Friday to swim in their first conference dual meet with a lbion, before heading to h olland, m ich., on s aturday to swim in a double dual meet with h ope and a lma.

Contact Peter Steiner at psteiner@nd.edu

saint mary’s prepares for hope

By KATIE HEIT s ports w riter

a s the season rounds to a close, every point will count as the Belles square up against h ope in an attempt to gain a spot in postseason competition.

s aint m ary’s (11-4-2, 8-41 miaa ) is currently ranked fifth in the miaa standings. o nly the top four teams are given the chance to compete for a spot in the ncaa tournament.

s enior midfielder and captain m addie m eckes said her team has a good chance to come out on top in the matchup.

“ o ur game [Thursday] will be very challenging,” m eckes said. “ h ope is a quick team with a lot of talent, but i believe we can beat them.”

The Belles are neck-andneck in the rankings heading into their game against h ope (11-4-2, 8-3-2), who is currently ranked second in the conference. h ope,

in s aint m ary’s postseason bid.

“The win is basically essential for our chances of making the postseason conference,” m eckes said. “ w e really need to focus tomorrow and play a full 90 minutes.”

m eckes said the Belles 2-0 loss against a lma on Tuesday taught them the type of focus they will need for a victory against h ope.

“ e very person on the field needs to be on top of their game,” m eckes said. “ i know that all of us are prepared to do just that.”

m eckes said the team’s devotion to success will play a key factor in their performance.

“ o ur team has a lot of heart, and all of us want all of our hard work this season to pay off as a post season berth,” m eckes said.

The two teams last met o ct. 6 when s aint m ary’s claimed the 1-0 victory early in the match. s ophomore goalkeeper c hanler

“Every person on the field needs to be on top of their game. I know that all of us are prepared to do just that.”

Maddie Meckes

Belles Captain

k alamazoo (10-5-2, 8-4-2) and a lma (11-5-2, 8-4-2) are all tied for second in the conference, with only one more point than s aint m ary’s.

a victory over h ope should give the Belles the boost they need to reach the postseason tournament which could qualify them for the ncaa tournament.

m eckes said the game against h ope will be key

Belles prepare for miaa meet

By BRIAN HARTNETT s ports w riter

s aint m ary’s will look for a strong showing against its conference competition when the Belles travel to a lbion, m ich., to compete in the miaa championships on s aturday.

s aint m ary’s returns to competition after having last weekend off. The Belles last competed o ct. 13, when the team finished 28th at the u niversity of w isconsin- o shkosh

turn its attention to the miaa championships, which are hosted by a lbion. Belles coach Jackie Bauters said she feels her team is prepared to compete against the best of the conference competition.

“ i n preparation for [the conference] championships, i ’m feeling very confident in our team’s ability to put out their best performances of the season,” Bauters said. “ w e had a productive fall break and put in quality miles. w e

“Having three teams ranked in the top 10 of the region is an indication of the talent we compete with on a regular basis.”

Jackie Bauters Belles coach

Brooks i nvitational.

Junior Jessica Biek was the top finisher for the Belles at the Brooks i nvitational, as she finished 74th in a field of 500 runners with a time of 23:31.50. s ophomore s amee c hittenden placed second for the Belles, as she set a personal record in the collegiate 6-kilomter event with a time of 24:52.30.

s aint m ary’s will now

are doing final tune-ups this week for championships and the final results will be a function of where our best lies against what other teams put out.”

The miaa cross-country champion is determined by the miaa Jamboree, which counts toward one-third of the final standings, and the miaa championships, which account for the other two-thirds of the final standings. The Belles

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currently sit in sixth place in the standings after the Jamboree, which they hosted on s ept. 21.

Bauters said the team is looking to move up a few positions in the standings but noted she was more concerned about the team’s ability to turn in consistent performances.

“ w hile we would love the fifth spot, if we are putting out personal records and keeping our pack tight, it is going to be a successful day,” she said.

m oving up in the standings will be a tall order for s aint m ary’s. The Belles will face three teams ranked in the top 10 in the g reat l akes region, including n o. 1 c alvin, n o. 3 h ope and n o. 9 a lma.

Bauters said the rankings reflect the strength of the miaa “ h aving three teams ranked in the top 10 of the region is an indication of the talent we compete with on a regular basis,” Bauters said.

s aint m ary’s will compete at the miaa c hampionships in a lbion, m ich., on s aturday at 12 p.m.

Contact Brian Hartnett at bhartnet@nd.edu

r osenbaum was a key factor in the win, grabbing back-to-back-to-back saves late in the second half and preventing the Flying d utch from scoring a late equalizer.

The Belles look to secure their place in the postseason as they take on h ope at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Contact Katie Heit at kheit@nd.edu

it was a great experience just to see the looks on my parents’ faces and my whole family because they have sacrificed so much for me.”

didn’t know at first and it has helped me at [the professional level].

“off the field it’s incredible with his morals and his values that he instills in all his players. it’s something he reiterates and he wants us to be quality men with the right morals and the right work ethic and that’s so valuable as players and men in the real world.”

For maund, the real world is now Toronto. The 22-year old was selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2012 mls superdraft in January by Toronto Fc maund said it was thrilling to hear his name called on draft day.

“it was a great experience,” maund said. “i was at home in Boston with my family watching on Tv i thought i would get drafted, but not that high.

But the excitement of being a firstround pick evaporated almost immediately for maund, who found himself stuck on the bench in eight of his first 11 games with the reds.

“[Being drafted] was really rewarding because it made me feel that my hard work had paid off,” maund said. “But it’s short-lived because being a rookie is hard. now i have to make [being drafted] worth something. it is so hard to be a rookie in this league. That was my next thought.” maund said professional soccer has been more difficult due to both mental and physical factors.

“There’s more attention to detail,” maund said. “you have to think a lot faster. There’s really no room for error. in this league if you make

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mistakes you get punished whereas in college there is room for error. That’s not the case at all in [the mls]. it’s a very tough transition physically too, because it’s a very athletic and physical league. we have a longer season that started in January and ends in october, so you have to get your muscles ready. it’s tougher competition day in and day out and you have to take care of your body off the field.”

despite the trials and tribulations of being a rookie facing stiffer competition, maund said he felt well prepared by the professional nature of the irish soccer program.

“The transition could have been a lot harder,” maund said. “Bobby clark runs a very tight ship. The program is very professional with its facilities and the responsibilities you’re given as a player. … my time at notre dame taught me that level of responsibility you have to have to play professionally. as the level of competition gets higher and higher, you always have to be on top of your game. The way things were run at notre dame are not a far cry at all from the professional environment i’ve seen.”

since getting accustomed to the professional ranks, maund has made nine starts and played in a total of 15 games for Toronto Fc. But the 6-foot-1, 185-pound newcomer has been playing a new position: center midfield. and just as in his freshman season in south Bend, maund has been making an impact in his inaugural campaign, albeit in a different role.

Things worked out just fine the first time.

Contact Mike Monaco at jmonaco@nd.edu

freshman midfielder p atrick hodan earned the assist on notre d ame’s third goal in the seven-minute span.

“Some of our stuff was magnificent. Their goalkeeper had some fantastic saves in the second period. But it was still a close game ... so it was just a really good [advertisement] for Big East soccer.”

Bobby Clark Irish coach

“s ome of our stuff was magnificent,” c lark said. “Their goalkeeper had some fantastic saves in the second period. But it was still a close game … so it was just a really good [advertisement] for Big e ast soccer.” notre d ame continued to threaten even with a two-goal lead as the i rish forced lyon to make a number of difficult saves to prevent his team from falling behind by three. The

g olden e agles countered with chances of their own but notre d ame closed out the game in front of junior goalkeeper p atrick wall, who recorded seven saves on the night.

The victory offered a chance for several i rish players to shine, c lark said.

“p atrick hodan came on, really lit things up,” he said. “he’s doing a terrific job as a freshman. a nd, of course, Finley is always there. The great thing about Finley, r yan is now bringing other players into the game. he is not just going himself … he set up several good opportunities. There was a good spell in the second half where we could have had several goals, there could have been more.

“p atrick wall was very good in goal, he had a good save there near the end. i thought both fullbacks did well, because that’s one of the things. They are very good on the flanks, m arquette. They serve great balls and i think our fullbacks did a great job of stopping their service at source.”

notre d ame will conclude regular season play on s aturday when it travels to m arquette for a rematch with the g olden e agles at 8:05 p.m.

Contact Joseph Monardo at jmonardo@nd.edu

continued from page 20

with a then-career high 140 yards on 26 carries while former i rish quarterback Jarious Jackson also topped the century mark on the ground, totaling 107 yards.

Following a third quarter s ooner score that extended the o klahoma lead to 30-14, the i rish faced a daunting task — erase a 16-point deficit against a team that threw the ball 40 times per game.

“ it’s always tough [to come back] when they have a wide open offense,” Fisher said. “a t the same time, when you stick to your game plan and everything starts working for you, you can’t worry about what the other team is doing. you just have to continue to do what you’re doing and just grind it out. h opefully, the chips fall your way.”

The i rish scored the game’s final 20 points to claim a 3430 victory, sealing it with an 11-play, 98-yard drive for the winning score in the fourth quarter.

n otre d ame sputtered to a 5-7 record the rest of the way, ending the season with a four-game losing streak.

Fisher, who also considered o hio s tate, m ichigan s tate and m ichigan, said he chose n otre d ame, in part, because of the weekly exposure the i rish had on n B c

“ it would be s aturday morning cartoons and then when the cartoons were done, it would be n otre d ame football,” Fisher said. “ h ow many schools basically have their own television network like how we’re on n B c every week throughout the whole country? s ome schools could say they have their own network but it’s still only shown in that area. o urs is shown throughout the country.”

Fisher, a former s orin c ollege resident, had the unenviable task of replacing i rish all-time leading rusher a utry d enson, who was a senior when Fisher was a freshman.

“a utry d enson was there when i was a freshman so he was the big brother to me,” Fisher said. “ it wasn’t tough because i had such good leaders to teach me the ropes and what’s going on.”

Fisher followed in d enson’s footsteps and played in the national Football l eague ( n F l ). Fisher was not drafted coming out of n otre d ame but signed a free-agent contract with the g reen Bay p ackers. Fisher said once he got the call from the p ackers, his mindset changed.

“ it’s time to go to work,” Fisher said. “ i was happy and ecstatic about the opportunity because it was another dream that was able to come true.”

Fisher played four years in g reen Bay and likened the atmosphere to the one at n otre

d ame.

“ it was a wonderful situation,” Fisher said. “The way l ambeau Field was set up was a lot like n otre d ame s tadium. it was a professional team in a college town. it was a great atmosphere.”

a fter four years with the p ackers and one with the s t. l ouis r ams, Fisher blew out his knee, tearing his acl , mcl and meniscus in his right knee.

“ i rehabbed, came back, did some workouts with some teams but nothing really matriculated the way i wanted it to,” Fisher said.

Fisher, 33, now coaches running backs at e uclid h igh s chool in o hio, the same high school he was named m r. Football at in 1997.

“ it’s my way of giving back to the community,” Fisher said.

Contact Matthew DeFranks at mdefrank@nd.edu

hOrOscOPE | eugenia lasT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: kyla ross, 16; shenae grimes, 23; B.d wong, 52; kevin kline, 65. Happy Birthday: you must take action and make things happen if you want to readjust your life to suit your needs. a change in the way you do things or present what you have to offer will lead to a better lifestyle and greater opportunities. love and romance are highlighted. your numbers are 7, 12, 19, 27, 35, 43, 47.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): a sudden change in your financial situation looks positive. check over investments and contracts carefully, and don’t be afraid to revise small details that favor you. attending a celebration will result in an interesting conversation.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): enjoy pastimes that let you use your skills and interact with people who share your concerns. a chance to move ahead professionally or to find a position that suits your lifestyle will develop through a conversation with an influential individual.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): don’t make physical changes based on what someone else suggests. g et the lowdown on procedures before moving forward. deception is apparent and will lead to an unsavory situation if you are not upfront about what you want and what you have to offer.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): rework an old plan or pick up new skills and you will be able to raise your earning potential. creative collaboration will bring good results. your intuition will lead you down the right path. socializing will be rewarding.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): don’t make a promise you cannot keep. additional responsibilities will cost you mentally, physically and emotionally. overspending to keep the peace will lead to stress and worry regarding your future. look for alternative ways to cut corners. do the work yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Talks will lead to solutions. your dedication and hard work will inspire others to help. steer clear of those looking for handouts or excess in any way. a change at home can be good if it stifles someone’s poor habits.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): mixing the old with the new will result in an interesting payoff. you’ll attract someone from your past if you attend a reunion or visit places you used to frequent years ago. an emotional issue regarding money can be resolved.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): share your talent, skills and knowledge with others. you will attract attention and interest in what you have to offer. romance is in the stars, and planning a late-night celebration will ensure that you enhance your love life. enjoy the moment.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): you’ll upset someone if you neglect your duties or you don’t show appreciation. a force play at home may appear detrimental at first, but in the end, it will help you move forward and follow a path better suited to your needs.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): pull in favors. suggest different ways to use your skills more effectively and you will advance professionally. a financial gain is heading in your direction. a commitment made to someone you have something to share with will bring high returns.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): don’t question what everyone else is doing. Take care of business and do what’s expected of you without complaint. putting up a fuss will make you look bad and could cost you financially. stick close to home and honor your word.

PISCES (Feb. 19- March 20): arguing will be a waste of time. do everything in your power to develop your interests and negotiate deals that promise a brighter future. Travel or expanding an interest you have will also enhance your personal life and important relationships.

Birthday Baby: you are sensitive, intuitive, a helper, a giver and a dedicated lobbyist.

WAkinG ThE EchOEs | Tony Fisher

running back reflects on win over oklahoma

By MATTHEW DeFRANKS s ports w riter

Tony Fisher’s favorite n otre d ame memory was not a 196yard outburst against Boston c ollege his junior season. it was not leading the i rish in rushing in 1999 nor was it a Fiesta Bowl appearance in 2000. it was Bookstore Basketball.

“ i used to love when Bookstore Basketball came around,” Fisher said in a phone interview with The o bserver.

Fisher’s team — named c oco Butter — consisted of cornerback l ee l afayette, tight end John o wens and track athletes r ed c roker, d oug c onners and m arshaun west. c oco Butter never won the title but made it to the semifinals.

“That’s all part of the n otre d ame, college experience,”

Fisher said.

w hile Fisher fondly remembers his days on the outdoor courts next to the bookstore, some i rish fans note him for his career game in a 1999 win over o klahoma, the last time n otre d ame faced the s ooners.

c oming into the showdown with the s ooners, n otre d ame had lost three consecutive games, bringing its record to a lowly 1-3 after starting the year ranked no. 18.

“ l osing three straight games is never really acceptable at n otre d ame,” Fisher said. “ we had to do whatever we had to do to right the ship. a t the same time, we had to go out there, stay focused and handle your business and everything else will take shape. it was a real big game for us during that time.”

o klahoma entered the game undefeated and ranked

in the top 25 under new coach Bob s toops and his wideopen offense. The teams had not played since 1968.

“ n otre d ame, o klahoma, they’re two storied schools in college football, there was a lot of hype going into that game,” Fisher said. “ r egardless of how both teams had been playing, there was still a whole lot of hype going into that game.”

o n the opening play, Fisher took the handoff and darted to the right before rumbling 55 yards to the o klahoma 21yard line.

“a ny big play in any football game of that magnitude is definitely a tone-setter, especially when it’s the first play of the game,” Fisher said. “That’s how you set the tone and give the other team the mindset that it’s going to be a long day when we’re coming out the first play of the game

i rish finish strong at home

By JOSEPH MONARDO

s ports w riter

no. 7 notre d ame saved the best for last as it closed out the home portion of its regular season schedule wednesday with a thrilling, come-frombehind 3-1 victory over no. 3 m arquette.

The i rish (13-3, 5-2 Big e ast) unleashed a three-goal barrage in the second half to erase a 1-0 first-half deficit and improve their standing in the Big e ast Blue d ivision.

w ith the win, notre d ame moves into a three-way tie with no. 6 g eorgetown and no. 2 c onnecticut for first place in the division with only one game remaining.

notre d ame controlled play in the opening minutes of the game, jumping out to an 8-2 advantage in shots while generating multiple scoring chances. however, it was m arquette that began the scoring with a goal from redshirt freshman defender a xel sjoberg in the 25th minute.

The g olden e agles found the 6-foot-7 defender on the doorstep of the i rish goal off a corner kick to set up the go-ahead goal. a fter allowing the goal, notre d ame failed to compile long possessions and generate scoring chances heading into halftime.

“i think we opened the game very well,” i rish coach Bobby c lark said. “The first

15 minutes, i thought we were very good, we could have had two or three goals at that point. a nd then we just lost our way. w hen they got the goal we just went into a funk. you know, they are a good team and they’ve got some very good players … it was a hard little spell there but then the second half we came out, i thought we got back to how we started playing.”

The i rish reasserted control in the second half as the teams spent much of the first 10 minutes in the area of the m arquette box. notre d ame netted the equalizer in the 55th minute when senior midfielder kyle r ichard gathered

like that.

“The offensive line did a great job and it was a good call. we caught them in the right defense and we had the right play called and i was

the ball at the top of the 18yard box and sent a shot past m arquette redshirt sophomore goalkeeper c harlie lyon and inside the left post. it was r ichard’s first career goal. i n the 60th minute i rish senior forward r yan Finley drew a penalty kick after being on the receiving end of a tackle from lyon. Finley converted his second penalty shot in as many games to give notre d ame the 2-1 lead. l ess than two minutes later, Finley accepted a pass deep in the opposition’s box and slid in a 61st-minute goal, his 16th of the season. i rish

able to make a play.” Fisher, a 6-foot-2, 220-pound back, did not stop there. h e finished the game

Standout moves on to MLS

By MIKE MONACO sports writer

one thousand, nine hundred and thirty-six. at the end of his freshman season in 2008, former notre dame star and current Toronto Fc rookie aaron maund had played every possible minute for the irish. maund was one of just two irish players to log the maximum. The other: then-senior all-american matt Besler.

given his successful freshman campaign, it may seem maund had easily transitioned to collegiate soccer. That, however, was not the case, maund said. after joining the team as an outside midfielder as an incoming freshman before the 2008 season, maund was quickly switched to center back. The dorchester, mass., native said the move was a difficult one at first, but he acclimated gradually to his new position.

“That transition wasn’t easy,” maund said. “it was tough. it was really tough. But i was lucky. i’m athletic and a lot of times i would make up for not knowing how to play the position with my athleticism. i had a lot of good role models and leaders around me my freshman year, guys like [then-seniors] alex [yoshinaga], [Jack Traynor], [andrew Quinn] and Besler. They showed me the ropes and made the transition a lot easier than it could have been.”

it ended up being a smooth transition for maund to both Big east

soccer and the back line. maund helped lead the irish to seven shutouts and the ncaa tournament, where they eventually lost in the second round to northwestern.

maund started 77 of 83 possible games in his career at notre dame and earned all-Big east honors in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons. in 2011, maund was a captain, played every possible minute again and landed on the all-Big east first team. despite all his accomplishments, maund said his overall development during the course of his four years at notre dame was his greatest achievement.

“i think personally, just the strides i made as a player while playing at notre dame over four years and the way i developed [is my greatest accomplishment],” maund said. “my knowledge as a player and my abilities as a player gradually increased by a lot. That’s a testament to my teammates and the coaching staff.” maund specifically praised irish coach Bobby clark for his role in developing him as a player and as a person.

“There’s a lot that [clark] did,” maund said. “Technically he’s so good with defenses and just that understanding he gave me of how defenses work and how other teams work and how the back four is supposed to move and drop and work together. That’s something that i