Author Archives: ORE95

The Business of the Ithaca Beer Co.

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As our taxi approached the Ithaca Beer Co. building, I saw a neat and tidy building with a very large, welcoming sign that indicated that we had arrived at the brewery. As I walked into the building, I was expecting to walk into an area that resembled a factory or plant floor with machines churning, however, I was surprised to be welcomed by a nice sitting area with visitors eating delicious-looking burgers and drinking beer. I believe that the ability of Ithaca Beer Co. make its brewery not just a place to brew beer, but to make it a cozy, welcoming tourist destination, and a place to hang out contributed to its success as a company. By making itself an attractive place to hang out with friends, eat some good food, and tour the workings of the plant, Ithaca Beer Co. is able to earn lots of revenue from not just selling its beer, but also selling its tour, souvenirs, and restaurant services. It is also able to build its brand name and recognition.

Another very interesting business idea that Ithaca Beer Co. implemented was called its “5 barrel beers”. These were new beer flavors that they were testing out. Visitors are able to try their “5 barrel beers”, give them feedback on what they liked and didn’t like, and from the feedback of their customers, Ithaca Beer Co. would then decide what they would like to mass produce and sell on the market. I thought that this was a very interesting way to perform market research while at the same time engaging their customers and showing their customer-oriented focus.

The Heroes in the Refugee Crisis

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When I open the news, there are articles upon articles of detailing the horrors of the Syrian refugee crisis, of families torn apart, of tensions between countries. Today, Professor Holly Case talked about the horrors of the refugee crisis, but she also shined light on the amazing, kind-hearted people who unite the community together to help these refugees. The story of Tibor really stood out to me. The picture of Tibor showed man in his 60’s, wearing yellow volunteer/helper vest, and who was hugging a refugee. Tibor, Professor Case, explained was different from the soldiers that were wearing face masks and gloves and throwing sandwiches to the refugees. Tibor believed in the human connection, the human touch. Thus, he would personally hand each refugee their food, and embrace them with a huge hug before they continued their journey. Professor Case also talked about the group of Chrisitan ministers who would hand out food and water, and the Scripture to traveling refugees. She talked about the man who drove all the way from Switzerland to bring food to the refugees. I really enjoyed Professor Case’s talk because it not only focuses on the atrocities of the Syrian refugee crisis but it talked about the kind-hearted people who came together as a community to help.

Try something at least once

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During the informative, and very interesting dinner conversation, Mr. Marshall Curry had many pieces of wisdom to impart to us, however, one piece of advice particularly resonated with me. Mr. Curry told us to try something that you are interested in at least once, even if it seems almost impossible to accomplish. In his example, he was very interested in producing a documentary although he had little to no experience in doing so. Furthermore, many people who aspire to produce documentaries put in lots of time, money, and effort, only to see a low payoff. Thus, for Mr. Curry, producing a documentary was a risky move but he tried anyways because he did not want to look back 30 years later and regret not trying, and asking himself “what if”. Mr. Curry started filming the local election of Cory Booker and got hours and hours of film, but the editors and publishers refused to help him edit and publish his film. So, he had to teach himself how to edit and structure the film. Through all of these hardships, Mr. Curry was able to eventually get his documentary published and screened, and even got an Academy Award nomination!

Collateral Damage

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Professor Ohlins gave a very informative, and interesting talk regarding international criminal law today. One thing from his talk really stood out to me:

Professor Ohlins talked about how killing an enemy combatant is lawful during times of war, but targeting civilians is not (unless they are part of collateral damage). I found it very shocking how thin and ambiguous the line between the lawful amount of collateral damage and the unlawful amount is. Whether the amount of civilians killed is lawful is subject to the rule of proportionality. E.g, is the amount of collateral damage proportional to the amount of war enemies killed? I find this very shocking because after we label the innocent civilians killed as “collateral damage”, I feel like we sort of lose touch with the tragic deaths of these innocent people. These people could have been loving mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters. Furthermore, the proportionality of collateral damage is up-to-interpretation.

The Secret Lives of Migrant Workers

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After eating a delicious dinner tonight, I came to this insightful Rose Scholars talk that opened my eyes as to where the food I am eating comes from. As a West Campus resident, I am able to swipe into any of the dining halls and eat food already prepared and waiting for consumption. Getting access to food seems so simple. Until today, I have never really thought about who the farmers who grow the vegetables and fruits that I am eating are, and what their lives are like.

I never thought about the fact that around half of the farm worker in the U.S are undocumented workers who work long, strenuous hours on the farm to cultivate the crops that we eat now. I never thought about the fact that these migrant workers have to live a life in hiding because if they are caught by government officials, they risk being deported back to the country they just left. Thus, government immigration policies can have a big impact on our agriculture and our food. It was really amazing to gather insight today into how food is so connected to different aspects of our lives, from our health to even government politics and the upcoming presidential elections.

Forms of Genocide

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During my high school history classes, I learned of the atrocities committed against Native American tribes, but never to the extent of what I learned during Professor Cheyfitz’s talk. Professor Cheyfitz opened my eyes to the amount of discrimination Native Americans faced both in the past and even today. I thought it was really interesting how Professor Cheyfitz defined genocide. It is not just the killing of a large group of people, but also as the deliberate wiping out of the culture and way of life of these people. For example, Professor Cheyfitz talked about the deliberate attempts to “westernize” Native Americans by sticking needles through the tribal members’ tongues if they spoke in their native language instead of English; he classified this as genocide. He also talked about genocide as full wars to wipe out the Native American race as genocide. Professor Cheyfitz also talked about how the government withheld smallpox medicine from the Native Americans and classified this as another form of genocide. Professor Cheyfitz’s talk was not only eye-opening into the atrocities faced by Native Americans, but also brings up a very interesting definition of genocide.

Remember to have fun!

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Professor Dan Schwarz gave an inspirational and practical talk about life in college and beyond. He talked gave advice that ranged from how to begin and continue college with the end goal in mind, to time is time, do not waste it, to laugh everyday. Among all of the advice that he imparted to us, two of them really resonated with me. 

  1. Get to know one professor every term. 

This is a goal that I still need to work on. During the first two years at Cornell, I have been in large introductory science and engineering courses. In these core classes, it is very hard to get to know your professor on a more personal level. It is definitely a challenge, but it is a challenge worth taking on. Professor Schwarz has motivated me to attend the professor’s office hours, and talk to my faculty advisor about my career goals.

2. Do not forget to have fun.

Cornell students are all very busy people, and it is very easy to forget to take time out of our busy schedules to have fun once in a while. This advice made me think of a friend’s advice to me. She asked: What memories do you want to take with you after you graduate? A few years from now, all of those all-nighters that you pulled trying to finish your problem set will not matter anymore. What you will remember are all of the friendships that you made, and the memories that you make with your friends here will be with you forever.