THE The Independent Newspaper Serving Notre Dame and Saint Mary's VOLUME 43: ISSUE 81 WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2009 . NDSMCOBSERVER.COM ND Olympics results released Professor Keough, Welsh Family team wins by 1,000 points, while event raises over $4,500 defends pope Special Olympians trounced the By SARAH MERVOSH Athletic Department and News Writer Rectors in the basketball on disputed game." Keough Hall and Welsh Family "Fr. Pete McCormick; [rector] Hall defended their title as of Keough Hall, was the one bishop issue champions of RecSports' Late bright spot of Notre Dame's bas­ Night Olympics on Saturday, an ketball team, but turnovers, event which raised just over poor teamwork, and tempers did their team in," Beven said. By ROBERT SINGER $4,500 for St. Joseph's County News Writer Special Olympics, according to McCormick said that his John Beven, Facilities and favorite part of the night was Student Development Intern for "playing against the Olympians Pope Benedict XVI's recent de.ci­ RecSports. and seeing ... the excitement· sion to lift an excommunication Beven said that the $4,599.62 and energy they had during the order on four radical bishops, one of raised does not include the game." whom denied the Holocaust, has donations made at the door and "You could just<Jell that they focused worldwide criticism on the ~6 ..... ~ T-shirt sales, so the amount were so excited to be there Vatican. But Lawrence Cunningham, profes­ raised will likely increase once playing the game and the stu­ 12. Sorin-Howard 560.7 that money is added. dent body was so supportive of sor of Theology, Beven said that the highlight 13. Knott-Pasquerilla East 314-3 supported ·the of the night was when "the see OLYMIPICS/page 4 pope's decision, AARON STEINER/Observer Graphic helping to clarify the reasons for the action amid criti­ cism from Jewish groups and liberal Groups react to abortion-funds ban-reversal Catholics. "The pope's desire to reconcile C I h these people was unn ng am Right to Life Club, Feminist Club presidents disagree on Obama's decision to lift ban good but it was handled very badly from a public relations stand point," U.S. would begin funding abor­ he said~ By TESS CIVANTOS tions. · According to Cunningham, the four News Writer "When I first heard that men reinstated by the pope were Obama overturned the policy, I part of a rogue sect - the Society of In one of his first ar.ts as thought it meant we would St. Pius X - that had been operating president, Barack Obama start giving money to fund without the .church's permission. signed an executive order on abortions. Really, though, it's Radically traditional in their views, Jan. 23 that put a stop to the more that ... organizations that members of this group reject reli­ so-called Mexico City policy. receive government funding gious liberty and have supported The overturned policy pro­ 'are no longer banned from authoritarian political rulers in the hibited U.S. government fund­ promoting and providing abor­ past, such as General Franco in ing from going to clinics or tions," she said. "There's no Spain and Augusto Pinochet in Chile, groups that provide abortion­ movement of money. just a ban he said. related services or that lobby lifted." · "The Vatican is in a tough situa­ for abortion in other countries. With this act, Obama is fail­ tion," Cunningham said. "They want Mary Daly, president of Notre ing to live up to his campaign these people back under the authori­ A man wearing a President Barack Obama mask Dame's Right to Life Club, said, promises, Daly said. ty of the church. becayse they don't throws fake money into the air during an anti-abortion she originally thought the poli­ protest at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City on Tuesday. cy's end would mean that the see BAN /page 3 see POPE/page 3 COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES SMC Human Rights­ COR discusses new Web site panel discusses peace focused on of~-campus life immigration issues, and Laura By ALICIA SMITH Snider, a Notre Dame graduate stu­ By LIZ O'DONNELL News Writer dent who worked in Sri Lanka as well News Writer as Chile. Leguro spoke of her experiences in Three panelists told first hand sto­ The Council of the Philippines. She comes from the ries of armed conflict in the Representatives (COR) dis­ island of Mindanao, and discussed Philippines. helping Chilean psychi­ cussed the new off-campus the problems related to human rights atric patients, and working with Web site in their meeting on found there. including conflict refugees in Pennsylvania during a Tuesday evening. between various groups. discussion on human rights Tuesday After a recommendation "In the island of Mindanao we have evening at Saint Mary's. made by the Campus Life four key armed groups that are wag­ The College's Justice Education Council (CLC) last year, a spe- . Department hosted the panel, titled ing their own wars. The other armed groups are actually engaged in a war cific committee was assigned "Speak Truth to Power: Voices for the task of creating a Web site of power, " Leguro said. Peace and Human Rights." focused on off-campus life. The panelists. who spoke about According to Leguro, there has been "armed conflict" in the Members of the committee their experiences with human rights, who had worked on the devel­ included Mayla Leguro, a Nobel Philippines since the 1970s. "The sit­ uation in Mindanao is not ... unique opment of the Web site were Peace Prize nominee, Andrew Masak, on hand to present their plans a senior at Notre Dame who has in terms of armed conflict. 91 per- FILE PHTOTOfThe Observer experience with refugee rights and Student Body Vice President Grant Schmidt listens see PEACE/ page 3 to discussions at a COR meeting In December. see CO Rpage 4 page 2 The Observer+ PAGE 2 Wednesday, February 4, 2009 INSIDE COLUMN QUESTION OF THE'DAY: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PICKUP LINE? Mt. Rushmore As is their nature, ESPN recently asked another meaningless and com­ pletely subjective question of its audi­ Bobby Graham Chris Adcock Kerry Casey Maggie Slavin Griffin Ashkin Don Whitley ence: Who belongs on the Mt. Hushmure of Sports? And, as is my Freshman Junior Freshman Freshman Junior Junior nature, I had to come up with my own Stanford Stanford Howard McCandless Stanford Stanford idea of who belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of Sports, and discuss (or , "Are you a "Fmfrom "Check your tag "Hi, you'[[ do. "Parietals end "If you were a argue) with anyone who is willing (or ,, ,, even unwilling) to listen. By no means ninja? Because Texas. ... just what I in ten minutes. yogurt, would do I consider my opinion to be infalli­ your body is thought. Made you be fruit at ble, but I do think , that my knowledge Eric Prister kickin '!" in heaven. the bottom or of sports is suffi- stirred?'' cient to at least allow myself an Sports Writer opinion. I have talked to multiple people about my own opinion and have heard the opin- · ions of many others. I have heard responses that vary from Jackie Robinson to Arnaz Battle to Barry Bonds. Robinson, because of the IN BRIEF impact he had on baseball, and on sports itself. Battle, because he is my cousin's favorite player, and what bet­ At 5:30 p.m. today in the ter criteria for one's mvn personal Mt. Hammes Student Lounge of the Rushmore of Sports than the athletes Coleman-Morse Center, pan­ you like best? And Bonds, because if elists from Wabruda, Shades of one goes purely by stats alone, then no Ebony, Sister of Nefertiti and the one has dominated the game as our University Counseling Center will favorite steroid-ridden home run king. discuss the impact of the inau­ For me, though, one deserves to be guration of the nation's first on the Mt. Hushmore of Sports ifhe (or black president. she) transcends his sport. He must have not only been an athlete, if not the Keenan Hall's annual comedy greatest of all time, but must also have show "The Keenan Revue" will meant more to the image of his sport take place Thursday. Friday and than any other. Therefore, I have cho­ Saturday at 7p.m. in the sen four athletes who I think are most o•taughlin Auditorium at Saint deserving of the honor: Michael Mary's College. Jordan, Tiger Woods, Muhammad Ali and Babe Ruth. The Baseball Eighth Annual In my opinion, Jordan is the most Opening Night Dinner will be at deserving of the honor. Not only is the 7 p.m. in the Joyce Center unquestioned greatest basketball play­ Fieldhouse. Mike Sciascia of the er of all time, but he also did more for I A Angels and Notre Dame alum the sport than it ever could have done Jeff Samardzija will speak. Notre for him. One only needs to look at the ALLISON AMBROSE!fhe Observer Dame team members, who will state of the NBA post-Jordan to see A student uses one of the many recycling bins on campus to dispose of her be seated at tables with the rest what I mean. Jordan is the greatest waste. A new recycling program, Miraculous Metals, focuses on recycling of the attendees, will be available basketball player of all time, and may aluminum cans and proceeds go to the poor. for autographs prior to the din­ even be the greatest athlete of all time. ner, from 6 - 6:45 p.m.