The Observer is a Student-run, daily print & online newspaper serving Notre Dame & Saint Mary's. Learn more about us.
-Stephen Raab | Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Friedrich Nietzsche once observed, “The most perfidious way of harming a cause consists of defending it deliberately with faulty arguments.” Even when your intentions are noble, making your case with flawed reasoning serves only to dissuade those who might otherwise be able to get on board. Such was the case a few days ago, when
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, April 4, 2017
At time of writing, about 3.5 million men and women work as professional truck drivers in the United States. Combined, they move more than 10 billion tons of freight each year, with a combined estimated value of $671 billion. Whether you call it a big rig, a semi, a tractor trailer, or an eighteen-wheeler, the
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, March 21, 2017
While on the eight-hour spring break bus ride (after time change) from Notre Dame to Minnesota, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when I came across a New York Times opinion piece by Gloria Steinem. The piece, titled “Women Have ‘Chick Flicks.’ What About Men?” is largely a reprint of a 2007 essay. In it,
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, February 28, 2017
As anyone who knows me can tell you, I love root beer. I never had a taste for Coke nor Pepsi, and so I spent most of my childhood searching for alternative soda options. It’s my favorite beverage to get at any restaurant casual enough to permit it. If such a thing exists, I consider
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, February 14, 2017
The coming end to the school year brings with it the annual challenge of finding a suitable speaker for Notre Dame’s Commencement. The announcement is always a lightning rod for controversy, with speakers routinely criticized on their commitment to sharing our values — Catholicism, love of education and antipathy towards Michigan. Of course, I simply
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, January 31, 2017
It’s a cliche at this point to note that a lot of celebrities died in 2016 (though from a purely numerical perspective, the past year is far from anomalous). Since we all know the big names, I’d like to focus on one that many of us, myself included, missed. On May 1, Madeleine Lebeau, the
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, December 6, 2016
We’ve heard a lot in the past months of election coverage about working-class jobs. Candidates from both sides of the aisle have courted the blue-collar vote by promising to create or return the 4.5 million manufacturing jobs that have left the United States since 1994, with Democrats and Republicans alike running against free trade for
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, November 15, 2016
In the aftermath of last week’s presidential election, social media has been abuzz with all sorts of information. Spirited assaults on and defenses of various political ideologies have saturated Facebook and Twitter like never before. And all of that is great; the free flow and exchange of information is essential to a free society. The
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, November 1, 2016
There are a few talking points that make their way around the various talk shows and debate circuits that really set me off. While waiting for a flight in South Bend International Airport a few weeks ago, I heard one of them from vice presidential candidate Mike Pence. On Fox News Sunday, Pence told Bret Baier,
Stephen Raab | Tuesday, October 11, 2016
From time to time, I’ve had various friends and relatives come up to me and ask, “What is the best thing about going to the University of Notre Dame?” Competition for this title is stiff. I could speak at length about the strong academic programs, which I’ve now experienced across two colleges at two different