Author Archives: taxel

The Rising Costs of Healthcare

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As a financial dependent who has not needed anything beyond regular checkups, I’ve have remained largely ignorant to the price of healthcare in this country. I follow the news and I know that many people are struggling, but I was not aware how much of health care costs exist just because someone somewhere wants a bigger profit. I’ve heard about Martin Skhreli and his absurd price hike for one drug, but I was surprised to hear how common big price hikes for life-saving drugs/operations are and the lack of legislation prohibiting such actions.

Some of the price is explained by the cost of facilities, but it is clear that many design choices in hospital construction were not made in order to deliver better care. It’s ridiculous to charge a patient for a fancy chair they’ll never sit in or their families for an experience they clearly didn’t want in the first place.

I’m definitely in agreement with Dr. Rosenthal that the healthcare system is dysfunctional, but I don’t think her tips for patient questions would have quite as big an effect as she hopes. Many patients and their families don’t have time to go looking up any information they might need, and they clearly can’t always rely on their doctors or hospitals to tell them the full truth. Dr. Rosenthal’s advice may spread awareness and get patients and doctors more knowledgeable about pricing, but some kind of reform is necessary on a higher level to punish predatory business practices or else change just won’t happen. As she brought up, individual patients are just not significant enough for insurers or pharmaceutical companies to care.

North by Northwest- a film for the rich white man

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While viewing North by Northwest today, I was struck by how clearly the film catered to wealthy white men (understandably, since they would have been Hitchcock’s customers). Firstly, the “everyman” main character is a white business executive with enough money to go on tipping and bribing pretty much anyone he meets, just from his pocket money (since he wouldn’t have access to a bank as a federal fugitive). Not only that, he’s athletic enough to climb wherever he wants in full business attire, clever (enough to get out of the auction), and supposedly handsome enough to attract at least 4 women (the two instances we see being pretty blondes and apparently at first sight). This is pretty much the standard white male power fantasy.

Then there’s the dismissal of the entire public (composed entirely of white people) as a actual threat to him, with absolutely no one recognizing him and taking action at any point except the main cast and law enforcement (and even the police need prompting outside NYC). And then there’s the fact Roger (the MC) steals a presumably poorer man’s truck (and with it his livelihood) and we’re supposed to root for him anyways. Roger is just generally rude and demanding of everyone the film has marked unimportant, from the various hotel staff he questions to the two policemen who get him out of the auction.

Finally, Roger has ridiculous amounts of plot armor (because of course the ideal rich white man can’t fail). First is his luck avoiding all obstacles driving drunk in the dark. Then there’s the aforementioned failure of the entire public to recognize him. Neither train conductor checks the toilet to ask for tickets. The crop-dusting plane flies over his head in the second pass when the first pass showed it clearly could have flown lower, then crashes into the oil tanker (why does the pilot have no sense of self-preservation? There must have been a pilot because they didn’t have drones.) The oil tanker conveniently doesn’t explode in any direction except up, and there happens to be someone to stop and gape so Roger can steal his truck. Roger’s box of matches manages to survive all his ordeals immaculately enough not to look out of place in Vandamn’s Mt. Rushmore house. The knife-wielding villain (and isn’t it odd none of them have their own guns?) conveniently decides to throw himself at Roger (risking missing and falling) when we know he’s confident in his knife-throwing (since he killed the UN diplomat that way) and he was presented both Roger’s and Eve’s backs as targets. Finally, Roger manages to hold on to the monument after having his hand crushed long enough for rescue despite starting to slip even before getting stepped on. And, of course, the mysterious organization the FBI was so worried about is completely ignored in the end.

 

If one was willing to turn off one’s brain, I guess the film was enjoyable enough. As is, it was mostly just laughably unrealistic and cringe-worthy.

Pather Panchali- a character study

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While this film lacks the kind of action favored in Hollywood movies, I can definitely see why Pather Panchali is so celebrated. You really get to understand each character’s motivations. Durga steals because she sees her family struggling and wants to help (and maybe also because she’s a little jealous of the other girls). Apu is an innocent and playful child, though we see him become more serious at the end. He’s fascinated with things like trains and bows and arrows, and when Durga dies he asks if she’s just sleeping. Harihar, their father, is a scholar who dreams of supporting his family off of his own original writings and always believes (a little naively) that everything will work itself out. He is ultimately proven wrong, but largely by chance (the consecutive storms and the delays in his finding work). Sarbajaya, the mother, has given up her own dreams to take up the responsibility of raising her children. She “nags” the others because of the pressure of seemingly failing in that responsibility, as she sees her children dressed in rags and Durga resorting to thievery. The old “Auntie” just wants to live her last days freely and die on her own terms. Her end is particularly sad because she dies alone and outside instead of in her ancestral home with her family, as she wished.

There are no truly dis-likable characters in this story. There’s no villain. Instead, the conflict arises because each character is struggling to do more than just survive (which is already difficult considering their poverty and isolation). Each person just wants to live how they want to live, and circumstances unfortunately get in the way.

Overall, I would definitely say this is the best film I’ve seen in the last two years. To anyone who likes to focus on characters as complex people, with their struggles and aspirations, I would recommend this film. When I find the time, I look forward to viewing the later two films of the trilogy.

 

Note: placed in the “Film” section in the absence of a more specific category

Defining Fake News

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In today’s Rose Cafe with Professor Schwarz, we discussed the importance of careful consumption of information with much attention focused on the different kinds of fake news and biased news we might encounter. This is an issue that recent events have brought into focus, though inaccurate or premature news stories are by no means new.

 

I was interested to hear about Okrent’s Law, which states that certain opinions are not worth reporting on because they argue without evidence against something that is clearly true. When Professor Schwarz introduced this idea, I was initially a little concerned that this could be used as justification for censorship of the kind that the church once imposed on thinkers like Galileo who challenged the universally accepted “truth” of a geocentric universe. However, I realized as Professor Schwarz continued that what we’re talking about in this case are arguments without scientific basis, such as denials of evolution or climate change. This relieved some of my concerns about the suppression of new ideas (which is also something we touched on a little).

 

It was also interesting to consider CV padding as a kind of fake news that students and faculty might create to advance their own goals. While this particularly brand of misinformation is certainly not as malicious as inventions like McCarthyism and Pizzagate, it is perhaps more relevant to us at Cornell. It is valuable to consider our own contributions to the truth in how we present ourselves and the world around us.

Unresolved questions from The King’s Speech

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After my first viewing tonight, I can see why The King’s Speech is such a celebrated film. It is a compelling story of trust, courage, and friendship. However, I find that I am dissatisfied with the information missing. Some of my concerns are below:

  1. Lionel Logue
    • We never get to see any interaction between Lionel and his son about going to war. Shouldn’t Lionel have something to say to his son, having treated veterans in the past?
    • Did Lionel himself ever have any trouble speaking? That was my first thought after the audition scene. The insecurities we see in that scene also apparently disappear afterwards.
  2. David (Edward VIII)
    • David’s behavior strongly suggests that his relationships with his family was strained long before the marriage fiasco, but we only see him interact with Bertie and, with a stretch, his mother.
    • We are clearly not supposed to like his character, since he mocks Bertie’s speech impediment. Why are we told that he and Bertie are close?
  3. Other brothers
    • “Bertie has more guts than all his brothers combined” suggests that he has more brothers than David and Johnny. Where are they during all of this?

A quick Google search tells me that Bertie’s speech problems were largely resolved before he ever ascended to the throne. To what extent is this movie a dramatization/fictionalization of events? Does that detract from the film’s messages?

Putting the “Flora” in Rose House

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Visited the botanic gardens today! I wish I had known about the gardens last year when I was living on North and they were much closer. The walk from West to the gardens and back is a little much for regular visits.

Anyways, we got to see a lot of exotic and local plants, with our friendly guide Betty pointing out practical uses for each as well as sharing some stories. I particularly liked the edible plants area because my mother also has a vegetable/herb garden and I saw both familiar plants and plants I might suggest to her. It was also interesting to hear about the language of flowers and how the meanings of certain flowers have changed over time, sometimes drastically (as in the case of the yellow rose).

Overall, this was a great experience I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. I’ll take my parents to visit next time they’re here.

 

P.S. The title of this category says “gardnes” instead of “gardens” right now.

Bathrooms and Gothics Renovation (Rose Cafe 9/6)

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As a student living in Rose Main, it was enlightening to hear about the issues residents of the gothics are facing, particularly with bathrooms. It puts the rather minor problems we have in Main in perspective. I was glad to hear that Professor Blalock is very willing to be our voice and take any complaints to the highest levels of the administration (and that he has successfully done so in the past). I’m looking forward to seeing some of the proposals we came up with for future activities, such as the meetings with maintenance and Chef Hans, get put into practice.

Another takeaway is that Bethe House generally has more science-oriented speakers, for anyone who is interested.