Glassology

The Becker/Rose Cafe on Dr. Drew Harvell’s “Fragile Legacy” showed the blending of art and science through Cornell’s Blaschka invertebrate models. The cafe was remarkable because it beautifully illustrated how the intricate anatomical features of sea creatures were captured in glass sculptures. The talk was about both the masterful glasswork that had been kept underground for so long at Cornell as well as the importance of the maintenance of the marine ecosystem.

The models created by Blaschka gave an incredibly detailed glass manifestation of the inner workings of various marine animals. Not only were the sculptures fantastic works of art, but they were accurate from an anatomical point of view too. The figures were so realistic that they were used to aid in the study of these sea critters. Because the models were created so long ago, they serve as a picture of sea life from the 1800s. To determine what changes the underwater world has gone through since that time, biologists have decided to compare the structures of current animals to Blaschka’s models. The idea to use the glass models as a time capsule in order to view how marine life has changed is a tribute to Blaschka’s design skills. The fact that biologists can see structural differences shows the detail that was put into the models and underscores the importance of utilizing these models for research. Hopefully this research can lead to a better understanding of how and why marine ecosystems are being affected, so we can help maintain a hospitable sea.

More Than Love

At the Are You a Master of Love event last week, we discussed how and what it means to love a significant other. Love is not merely something one is “in”, but is something that needs to be exercised and nurtured over time. It is easy to become complacent and forget what the purpose of love is. Whether romantic or not, love is about people being fond of each other and making each other happy. People can lose sight of why they have the relationships they do and approach them as things to be gained and had rather than given. To maintain a relationship, each side must have empathy for the other and strive to make the connection work; otherwise, it will surely fail.

GRF Andrew mentioned a couple notable things that I had never thought about before. One thing he said was that he never goes to bed without first resolving the arguments he might have had with his wife. The idea not to go to bed angry or frustrated because of a conflict is enlightening. The nights I am anxious or vexed are the times I get my worst sleep, so it seems that not only is dealing with relationship issues before falling asleep helpful, but physically healthy too. Another valuable tidbit Andrew talked about was how to respond when one’s significant others are irritating. Instead of criticizing them, people should explain how what their partners did makes them feel. This communication creates an environment where each party wants to help the other rather than fight them for being ridiculous. Overall, making one’s feelings clear and being respectful of others’ allows everyone to be honest and able to analyze his or her situation better.

Stagnant Space Race

Last week’s Becker/Rose Cafe about refugees began with spaceships. Professor Holly Case explained the Spaceship Earth world view, which concerns the use of limited resources and the world’s moral obligation to act harmoniously given those resources. A group currently in serious need of any and all types of resources is the Syrian refugees. This crisis has prompted many countries to open their borders to Syrians in need of new homes. However, the mass relocation has not come without controversy. The Hungarian government does not necessarily hold the Spaceship Earth ideology as it is unwilling to lend its resources to those non-Hungarians in need. Billboards have been made which tell foreigners to respect Hungarian jobs, culture, and laws. A significant point that was brought up by professor Case is that those signs are written in Hungarian, which means they are really meant for Hungarians to see and understand. The country’s government wants to instill in its people a jingoistic, cultural preservationist philosophy. Hungary should have the right to maintain its policies, but many people, even within the country itself, whole-heartedly disagree with the messages presented to them. The Two-tailed Dog Party is one such group of people that does not hold this belief in conservation. The so-called Party is a satirical faction that makes its own political posters, graffitis the streets, and, most importantly, pokes caustic fun at the government. They vandalize oh-so-important government billboards and spread a more accepting message. While back and forth discussions on these sorts of issues are important to have, people should not lose sight of who are in immediate need of help — the Syrian refugees. I think the administrative authorities have no right to enforce their xenophobia and must ultimately let the population decide on whether they think their past is more important than others’ futures.

Memories of Sweet Salad

At the Love Your Body event, the first thing we talked about was how our favorite foods and their tastes affect the way we feel. The discussion was enlightening because I realized that people have very different sentiments regarding foods and the memories they evoke. One person said he loved pasta and that the tomato sauce reminded him of the fact that he used to hate tomatoes when he was a child, but was forced to eat pasta anyway. The speaker said that fruit cake brings forth memories of her mother’s concern for her weight. She said that she was a stout kid, so her mother always gave her fruit cake for her birthday as a healthy alternative to standard birthday cakes. Another person said that his favorite Indian chicken dish reminded him of his home and heritage in India. I talked about the pomegranate Waldorf salad that my uncle always makes. The salad reminds me of the relationship my uncle and I have and my first introduction to the delicious pomegranate seed. For me, the fruit in the salad invokes cheerfulness while the walnuts give an earthy, homey feel. Food can be something we eat as a means to survive, but it can also elicit all sorts of memories. I appreciated how the definition of “body” was broadened to encapsulate senses, emotions, and thoughts as well.

I’m not that busy

The second most important thing I want to get out of the Rose Scholars Program is seeing the natural world of Ithaca. With that in mind, last week I went to see the Cascadilla Gorge for the first time. I was expecting to amble through and learn a few facts about it, but I actually got something much more. The tour guide, Todd Bittner, was an expert and explained its history. I appreciated how he was able to specifically describe the differences between the current gorge and the one before reconstruction at each part of the trail. Not only did Mr. Bittner know of the man-made changes the gorge went through, he was also able to detail the geological events that happened within it.

One fact I thought was cool was how the rocks change shape due to stress from ice. Water gets between the walls of the gorge and when the weather gets cold enough for the water to form into ice, it expands and cracks the rocks. The continuous warming and cooling of the water over however many years within the gorge creates the fracture lines.

I appreciate how everything at Cornell, even and especially the natural world, is incessantly working. It makes me wonder about all of the things I don’t know about that are happening while I’m doing whatever it is I do.

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“Yah mahn, like, this is totally next level stuff — you don’t even know.” This is the mentality I felt I was faced with at the Made in Chicago concert. Any person who pulled pleasure from tonight’s painfully pitiful performance is a paragon of a proudly pretentious, pontificating pot-smoker. As a jazz drummer, I can tell you it sucked. Any five people can go on stage and strike various strings or plastics and blow into some metals or woods, but I guess I’m supposed to believe that it takes true masters to do it fast. All the players were doing was soloing over each other. When one got more vociferous than the rest, the next had to assert his dissonant dominance. There was even a concerted effort to rid the pieces of any modicum of musicality. Whenever two musicians accidentally banged out something melodious, the other actors made sure to squeak a little louder and bury it in a cacophony of chaos to remind the damning duo why they were there. That being said, I don’t think these musicians aren’t practiced; they’ve just been practicing the wrong things recently. Jack DeJohnette has played with all the greats of jazz, and I like a lot of his earlier work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QTf8Yjn7Hk. His new stuff is not up to snuff and, frankly, is enervating. I was waiting for the performers to start playing the Rick Roll music after I actually saw the piano player and one of the saxophonists fall asleep during the madness. They must just be growing weary and senile in their old age as the youngest was 71. Their minds have probably congealed into putty if that’s the best they can come up with nowadays. Lastly, I don’t understand how avant-garde jazz constitutes jazz music. Just because the band uses an upright bass and saxophones and improvises doesn’t mean the sound it makes is anything like jazz. It was nothing like jazz. You might say I just don’t get it. You’d be right.

Yarbles! Bolshy great yarblockos to thee and thine!

Last Wednesday, I went to Nicholas Carbanaro’s art show. The piece that stuck out to me was the painting of the weighty wench. What initially caught my attention was the patch of hair on her left bosom. As I got closer, I realized it was a set of eyelashes, so I looked up to her face and saw that indeed her eyes weren’t equally clothed. Her false eyelashes were reminiscent of those of Alex from A Clockwork Orange. I then noticed that her skin was colored orange and thought, “All right, this is what I’m writing about.” (Cassaro, 237) From then on, I couldn’t separate the sinister vision of Alex from this woman. Although her image was intense instead of ill-meaning, her fake eyelashes, sun skin, and naked nipples kept reminding me of Alex’s perverse pleasures. The woman’s aloof and laid-back attitude made her less terrifying than Alex, but, whether supercilious or sardonic, both characters were intimidating in their own ways.