ithacation

Last weekend was Cornell’s annual trustee weekend, during which the board of trustees and lots of VIP alumni return to campus to learn about what’s going on and to make decisions about the University’s future. One of those trustees was trustee emeritus H. Fisk Johnson, current chairman and CEO of S.C. Johnson (”a family company”), and notably one of two people in Cornell’s history to receive five degrees from the University. That’s some serious loyalty to your alma mater.

While Fisk was in town, he gave a talk on global consumption trends and screened a film produced by his family and his company about ten years ago. While I wanted to attend both events, a class got in the way of his consumption talk, so I made it a point to attend the film screening. The movie, Carnaúba: A Son’s Memoir dealt with Fisk’s father, Samuel C. Johnson, who decided in the 1990s to retrace his father’s footsteps; Herbert F. Johnson, Sam’s father and Fisk’s grandfather, had taken a trip to Brazil in 1935 in search of a sustainable source of Carnaúba wax, which was the main ingredient in the company’s wax products. The Carnaúba Palm was found in the northern parts of Brazil, and during his trip down there, Herbert Johnson set up research and production facilities along with schools for local populations in Recife.

I was immediately drawn to the film after reading the two-line description in a Daily Sun ad earlier in the week; here was a movie that dealt with so many of my interests: aviation, travel, Brazil, agriculture, Cornell, and the list went on. Entering Bailey Hall, I noticed that very few (maybe five at most) students had shown up for this screening. I was surrounded by Cornell administrators, trustees, and VIP alumni, and I was expecting something along the lines of a glorified, lengthened advertisement for S.C. Johnson. Sure, it definitely painted the company in a positive light, but the underlying theme of the importance of connections between parents and their children, paralleled by beautiful cinematography and an incredible story of adventure, all combined to produce a surprisingly striking production that left many in the audience teary-eyed by the time the lights came back on.

I had the opportunity to speak briefly with Fisk following the screening and I took the opportunity to explain how I could connect with the film on so many different levels; my experiences and observations in the Amazonian state of Pará played a significant role in my decision to study International Agriculture & Rural Development at Cornell. Fisk gave me a copy of the DVD to share with my friends and family, and I plan on doing just that; my rave reviews have generated some interest among those I know, and not just those who are fascinated by things like reconstructing a Sikorsky floatplane from the 1930s and flying it to Brazil.

If you ever come across the film or have the opportunity to view it, I highly recommend it. It’s a great story of family, adventure, discovery, and legacy.

There we are. The 127th editorial board of The Cornell Daily Sun. To get a better understanding of who we all are, see the article that ran in the Daily Sun today.

Last week, my Latin American Politics, Economy, and Society professor mentioned to my class that the former mayor of Medellín, Colombia would be paying a visit to Cornell; it seemed like an interesting-enough topic, so I planned on attending, under the assumption that my packed schedule last week would allow it. Fortunately, I did end up having time to go, and covered the event for the Daily Sun while I was at it.

After a really long introduction (longer than any speech at my high school graduation) by a Cornell professor who has studied extensively in Colombia, Sergio Fajardo took center stage in the Plant Science building lecture hall that the talk was held in. The crowd consisted of mostly grad students; this was, after all, a talk that was a part of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs (CIPA) colloquium series. I took a seat at the edge of the room at the front, right next to one of two suited bodyguards keeping an eye on the crowd. That was the first sign that this guy was a big deal — and from Colombia.

While I don’t really consider myself knowledgeable on Colombian affairs besides what I hear occasionally on the BBC Mundo podcast (gotta keep up my Spanish skills somehow), it was obvious from the get-go that Sergio Fajardo could someday be considered for Colombian sainthood. During his four years in office from 2003 until 2007, Fajardo completely transformed Medellín from an urban center considered the most dangerous city in the world to one that now has a murder rate lower that that of Washington DC, Atlanta, and Detroit. His approaches were far from anything I heard mayoral candidates promising in Chile last October; he decided that the best way to understand how to bring about change in the plagued city was to walk and to talk. So he and his aides did just that. They went to soccer games, movie theatres, and front doors to ask people what they wanted from their city’s government.

Fajardo, the son of a high-profile Colombian architect, had to deal with revitalizing the poorest sections of the most dangerous city in the world, in a country that’s constantly engaged in fighting the drug trade. (Full disclosure: If I had been in his position, I probably would have given up before taking office.)

Among the approaches he detailed in his 90 minute presentation was a Library Parks program, in which he ordered the construction of community libraries and common spaces in the city’s most destitute comunas (neighborhoods). Not only do these areas now have access to safe public plazas, but the plazas are filled with stands run by microentrepreneurs (mainly women) who have been trained by Fajardo’s city government to own and operate microenterprises. While the function of these Library Parks is what matters most to the underserved communities, Fajardo managed to make nearly every school, park, plaza, and health center built under his watch an architectural wonder. The stream of photos and renderings proved his point; the Library Park in the poorest part of Medellín actually won the Ibero-American Architecture competition a couple of years back.

Fajardo took a break from his campaign for Colombia’s presidency to complete a short tour in the United States and Mexico. If I were a Colombian citizen, I think I’d know who I’d be voting for next year.

Related Links

Medellín Mayor Tells Tale of Change [via The Cornell Daily Sun]
Medellín’s Nonconformist Mayor Turns Blight to Beauty [via The New York Times]
Sergio Fajardo – Official Site (Spanish) [SergioFajardo.com]

Last Friday, the Canadian Indie-pop band Stars paid a visit to the State Theatre in downtown Ithaca. Friends of mine in Montréal, where the band is based, went to a concert of theirs last year and later exposed me to some of their music. I’m not much of an indie fan, but I liked what I heard. When I got back to Ithaca last month and heard that the band would be coming through town, I decided to jump on the opportunity to cover the event for the Daily Sun. It would be the first indoor indie/rock concert I’ve ever been to and my first time in the State Theatre.

My primary goal of the night was to leave with some decent photographs of the band; having never dealt with constantly-changing colors, I was faced with a challenge. Especially during the times when intense red lights were shining on the stage, the group members’ faces were blown out, sometimes beyond recognition (not too flattering, in my opinion). Fortunately the emotions were strong throughout the show, allowing me to get some expressive shots when the lights were more photographically flattering.

Before the band took the stage, every piece of equipment from microphones to the drum set was decorated with fresh flowers that were gradually thrown out to the crowd and thrown into the air throughout the performance (see photo above). Another highlight was when Torquil Campbell, the band’s lead singer, broke out a crazy instrument I had never seen before: a melodica (see photo below).

From start to finish, the nearly-packed house was on its feet and a bunch of the more enthusiastic fans stood at the stage’s edge. The whole vibe was a lot more civilized than it might be on the drunker, more crazy Slope Day, and I thought it was a great show overall. Others I talked to weren’t as excited by the performance, claiming it was a bit slower and less exciting than other concerts they’ve seen at the State. I wouldn’t know, seeing as how this was my first time. Maybe I’ll just have to go again. Gomez and Josh Ritter will be there on April 1st.

…players on Cornell’s men’s lacrosse team are preparing themselves for a first-round NCAA playoff match-up against Ohio State this Saturday on top of studying for and taking their final exams. Senior midfielder Danny Nathan is blogging for The New York Times during the week to give readers a behind-the-scenes peek at life on the Big Red men’s lacrosse team and the preparations for Saturday’s game here in Ithaca. It’s an entertaining read, to say the least. Check it out here.

One more week ’til summer…

And that’s exactly what I did.

With the mercury breaking 85 degrees on Saturday and with unquestionable shorts-wearing weather dominating the IthaClimate over the past week or so, overall happiness has basically skyrocketed (not to say that Cornellians are a cold, depressed bunch the rest of the year, because we aren’t) to generate the perfect end-of-year atmosphere. Not to mention these were the perfect conditions for Cornell Days. While working at a Cornell Days event on Saturday, a prospective student asked me, “It’s not always this warm here, right?”. Right. During the peak period of last year’s Cornell Days, Ithaca was pounded with a foot of snow. Ew.

On Thursday night, Israel’s DJ Yahel took the stage in Barton Hall to perform a set from 10:30PM until 1:30AM in celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday. Adam Vana from Cornell’s Electronic Music Collective DJ-ed before Yahel took over. Situated under a gigantic Israeli flag, Yahel got a huge reaction from the crowd. It took a good hour or so for everyone in attendance to understand that standing and staring at the DJ isn’t the point of a rave. Given that hour, nearly everyone was moving in some way, shape, or form. The other learning curve presented itself when some people tried to crowd surf. Needless to say, they didn’t get very far before they fell to the ground. Key element of the night: free glowsticks. Made for much cooler photos, at least.

Come 1:30AM, Yahel spun his final track with an audience of about 100 remaining fans who urged him for an encore, which he delivered wholeheartedly. It was the greatest party I’d seen at Cornell…until Saturday came along.

Walking through central campus on my way to Collegetown on Saturday evening, I passed through Ho Plaza, which was in the process of a dream-like transformation. I knew “Rated R II: Escape to Beirut” (read: Lebanese night) would be happening that night, but I hadn’t anticipated much. As I walked through at around 7PM, a big rental truck was unloading lots of equipment, and speakers were already in place around the plaza. Not gonna lie, it was more than exciting to see huge speakers creating a surround sound environment (while blasting “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough”) in the place most Cornellians associate with persistent solicitation by quartercard, rain or shine. Since this was Ho Plaza, I – of course – was handed a quartercard by one of the guys setting up the area. 10PM ’til 2AM? I’d be back.

Walking through Collegetown at around 10:30, I could hear bass pumping in the distance. I passed it off as someone’s car, until it didn’t disappear. Ho Plaza. I was a ten minute walk away and could already hear the music. This was gonna be good.

A line of about fifty-ish people waiting to get in stretched down Ho Plaza from the entrance of the otherwise roped-off venue. I joined some friends in line and soon passed through after showing my Cornell ID. Air mattresses dotted the plaza as a DJ spun deep house music from an elevated stage in one corner. There were hookahs spread about, along with some tables featuring Lebanese snacks. The weather couldn’t have been better: warm and breezy, with clear skies. Everyone was dancing. It was hard not to, given the atmosphere and mind-blowingly good music. There’s not much more to say, so here are some photos.

Coming to Cornell, I knew I was in a musical minority as a fan of trance music. Lots of people couldn’t even describe it if you asked them to, and I didn’t know anyone at home in Connecticut who listened to the genre voluntarily. To my surprise, I came across at least a few fellow freshmen who shared my taste in music at orientation in August ‘06. Any Person, Any Study Genre.

Needless to say, I’ve never been overly excited by the offerings provided to the community by the Cornell Concert Commission (CCC). Nothing against their choices, seeing as how pleasing the masses works best when deciding on who we should be bringing to campus. They’ve brought a lot of big names to the hill, this year and every year. If you want a list, here it is.

Through the wonder that is facebook, the CCC snuck up on me a few weeks ago. What was this? The letters D and J? Could it be!? YES! DJ Yahel, Israel’s #1 DJ, and #28 in the world, is performing a set in Barton Hall! Maybe someone read my post way back in October when I proposed the idea of a Barton Hall rave? Sure, he’s no Tiësto, but it makes no difference to me as long as people are dancing and having a good time. He’s produced an impressive lineup of singles over his career, while he also has worked on a variety of remixes of other trance artists’ work.

I’m hoping the event, which is being held in celebration of Israel’s 60th birthday, will attract more than the ~300 attendees currently listed on facebook, but the timing (a Thursday night) isn’t going to work in anyone’s favor. It is free of charge, however. Cornellians, let’s face it, you’re most likely not doing homework at 10PM on a Thursday anyways. So head over to Barton Hall and enjoy yourself for a couple of hours on April 17th. You won’t regret it.

Related Links:

DJ Yahel [Official Site]
DJ Yahel’s Myspace [Myspace]
Cornell Concert Commission [Official Site]
Yahel @ Cornell (Facebook Event) [Facebook]

[Image: DJYahel.com]

That was my question for Rebecca Weiss, Daily Sun Senior Editor, as the second of two dessert courses was placed in front of us at Cornell’s Statler Hotel on Saturday night. We had delved tastebuds-first into a realm of Cornell that neither of us knew very well: the inner workings of Cornell’s famed Hotel School. Besides having eaten breakfast there a few times when my family has come up to visit, the hotel’s Taverna Banfi is relatively foreign turf for me. I spend more time in the much less glamorous Alfalfa Room on — surprise — the Ag quad.

The occasion was the Hotel School’s prestigious Guest Chefs Series, in which a prominent chef comes to Cornell for a weekend to prepare a menu of his or her creation for paying guests ($150 a head), with most of the help coming from undergrad hotelies themselves. This weekend’s guest chef was Daryl Schembeck, Executive Chef of the United Nations Delegates Dining Room in New York City. To be honest, I had never heard of the Guest Chefs Series until Rebecca called me up earlier in the week asking if I could tag along as a Sun photographer. As media representatives, the cost of the meal was taken off our hands, which made the whole situation even better. A top-notch meal…for free!

Before the pre-dinner cocktail reception started, Rebecca and I had been led to the kitchen by a couple of the hostesses, who gave us some background info on how the event was going to work. I juggled two camera bodies and snapped photos of the hotelies in action preparing the various hors d’oeuvres as I tried not to bump into anyone. Daryl came to introduce himself to Rebecca and me, and we had a brief conversation before he got back to work. Heading back out to the reception, Rebecca and I joined a growing group of about 100 or so gastronomically-inclined members of the Cornell community. She took notes as I took photos of people I don’t know…all in a day’s work for the Sun. The people I did know were a bunch of the hotel students staffing the event, both in the kitchen on food prep duties and in the restaurant on serving duties.

Come 7PM, Rebecca and I joined the wave of guests from the reception area to the restaurant, where we sat down at our table and glanced at the menu.

Duck and foie gras terrine with a pink peppercorn-pear sorbet

Seared black bass with collard greens, pecans, and sweet potato coulis

Roasted veal cheek Schnitzel with egg Spätzel, and sauerkraut vinaigrette

Cappuccino Napoleon with caramel sauce; ginger-milk chocolate truffles; and gingerbread cupcakes with chai cream cheese icing

“Whatever this is, I want to smear it all over my face”

Needless to say, each course was better than the last. Between the fish course and the meat course, I went back into the kitchen to visually document the intense process of preparing the veal dish with an assembly line of hotelies working hard under the supervision of Chef Schembeck and a couple of Hotel School professors. The atmosphere was tense, as servers formed a line to pick up entrees and the culinary students worked to make sure they weren’t holding up the preparation process. At a couple of points, Chef Schembeck and the professors interjected with suggestions or urgings-on to keep the food flowing smoothly from the kitchen into the dining room. I returned to my table to eat my veal with a profound appreciation for the work these culinary students do. While I can’t speak for them, I’d guess that the Guest Chefs Series is one of their most rewarding experiences as hotelies, seeing as how it’s a completely real-world situation with high-profile figures; not just cooking lab.

I must say the highlight of the night was the Cappuccino Napoleon dessert. It was so good that Rebecca and I were grinning uncontrollably for a while afterwards, probably looking ridiculous, but that’s okay. In reference to the sauce on the dessert’s plate, Rebecca remarked, “Whatever this is, I want to smear it all over my face”. Yeah, it brought out Rebecca’s more ravenous side, as well. It was that good.

Turns out the logo was edible. Multilateral cooperation has never tasted so good.

Update: Rebecca’s article and my slideshow have been posted on CornellSun.com

Related Links

United Nations Executive Chef Daryl Schembeck to prepare a meal fit for a king at Cornell [Cornell University School of Hotel Administration]
Slideshow of my photos from the event [The Cornell Daily Sun]
Be Our Guests, Be Our Guests, Put Our Service to the Test [The Cornell Daily Sun]

Slope Day 2008:
Gym Class Heroes & Hot Hot Heat

Cornell’s annual end-of-classes / let’s get smashed / it’s-finally-done-snowing spring festival will be headlining these two acts, as was announced by the Student Assembly on Thursday afternoon. I, for one, am excited. Both are a big upgrade from last spring’s headlining act of T.I., who flipped out and didn’t do much actual performing. Gym Class Heroes guitarist Disashi Lumumba-Kasongo is also an Ithaca native and Cornell alum (Class of 2004).

Gym Class Heroes [Photo: Daniel Arnold]

Hot Hot Heat [Photo: mrmatt]

Related Links

Gym Class Heroes to Headline Slope Day [The Cornell Daily Sun]
Gym Class Heroes [MySpace]
Hot Hot Heat [MySpace]
The Evolution of the Slope Day Tradition at Cornell [The Cornell Daily Sun]

As I mentioned in my previous post, former US Attorney General John Ashcroft paid a visit to Cornell on Thursday to deliver a talk entitled “The Politics of National Security”. Needless to say, he met quite a bit of resistance, with this being Ithaca and all.

I was shooting photos for the Daily Sun of the protest outside of Statler Hall before his talk. I’m guessing there were about 70 people there, most of whom not really paying attention to the often inaudible people attempting to speak through the megaphone. It didn’t help that it was freezing outside (many protesters stood quietly while sipping coffee, hot chocolate, etc). I saw about three or four signs in the crowd, and while the protesters did get riled up at certain times, their last chant before heading inside still confounds me. “John Ashcroft has got to go! John Ashcroft has got to go!”. Where do they want him to go? He’s already out of the government, is he not?

Getting in line to enter Statler Auditorium, I was prepared to dislike Ashcroft from the get-go, owing to a personal run-in with the Patriot Act thanks to my hobby of aviation photography. However, I was curious to hear his justifications for certain measures that he had helped to enact during his time in the Bush administration.

While I made my way closer to the entrance, I noticed a secret service agent (earpiece and all) standing and keeping guard in that stolid secret service way they’re known for. No bags or backpacks were allowed in the auditorium, but we didn’t have to pass through any sort of security screening before finding our seats. That surprised me. Secret service, but no security checkpoint?

The auditorium filled to capacity and everything got underway when a representative of the university read from the university’s code of conduct regarding the rights of visitors / speakers and of audience members / protesters. After being introduced by Ahmed Salem ‘08, president of the Cornell Republicans, Ashcroft took to the stage and his reception was mixed. Some booed, some sat and clapped (myself included), and others gave him a standing ovation. Some heckling started as he took the stage, and that continued at random intervals throughout the entire talk. Lined up at the back of the auditorium were a bunch of Cornell Police officers, ready to calm down those who just wouldn’t shut up (responding to a particularly unruly member of the audience, a fed up guy near me shouted “TASER HIM!” to a positive crowd response).

Regarding Ashcroft himself, I found him to be a very good and engaging speaker, and I wasn’t alone in my surprise at how impressed I was with him. Most importantly, many of the rationalizations he made for policy decisions were eye-opening in a sense. By the end of the talk, I found myself agreeing with him more than disagreeing with him, or at least understanding where he was coming from. I realize that he came to Cornell to defend his actions and inactions, but I still was happy to have gained a different viewpoint on many of the controversial issues he discussed, including the Patriot Act, Guantánamo Bay, and immigration.

Those not willing to agree or listen included the ~100 protesters who donned black pillowcases, stood up at their seats, and faced the back of the room to express their opinions on the US secret torture scandal. While this did interrupt Ashcroft’s talk, the always-on-his-toes (former) Attorney General shot back with “I didn’t know you had a seminary here!” to some hearty laughs from the audience. After standing in silence and blocking a lot of people’s views for about 15 to 20 minutes, the protesters exited the auditorium to the sound of a (really obnoxious) whistle. As they left, they received a round of applause from those sick of their presence, along with some comments along the lines of “I’m embarrassed I go to the same school as you!”. I have to say, I was kind of embarrassed at that point, as well. It only seems logical to me that if you’re going to disapprove of someone else’s beliefs, you should at least have the decency to hear the reasons behind those beliefs.

With an emptier Statler Auditorium, Ashcroft continued his talk, and after he finished, the Q&A session started. While most of the questions were pretty thought-provoking, one student who asked a question about Ashcroft’s support of a certain piece of security legislation didn’t represent Cornell in the brightest light. When Ashcroft denied supporting the legislation in question, the student retorted with “But you authored it!”. Ashcroft, somewhat astounded by this student’s persistence (he had asked Ashcroft the same question earlier in the day), explained, “I don’t know what they teach you in government, but the Attorney General can’t author any legislation”. That was the end of that question.

Come the end of the talk, there was again a mixed reaction among the audience. Standing and applauding, sitting and applauding, and some nay-saying. Quite the event.

Related Links

100 Walk Out on Ashcroft Talk [Ithaca Journal]
Former Attorney General Ashcroft, Protestors Speak [Cornell Daily Sun]
Ashcroft Speaks to Divided Audience [Cornell Chronicle]