Author Archives: jtc284

The Blues Brothers, Forty Years Later

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Prior to deciding to come to this past Friday’s showing of John Landis’ The Blues Brothers, I did a cursory skim of its Wikipedia page. I had remembered my parents mentioning it once or twice so I figured it was an older film somewhere between Die Hard and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. When, within the first two paragraphs of its wiki page, the plot was described as a “redemption story” for ex-convict Jake Blues, I had subconsciously judged a book (movie?) by its cover and labeled it a wholesome buddy comedy to watch right before finals, something that I very much needed.

While I don’t feel that this initial assessment was entirely incorrect, it certainly doesn’t capture the entire essence of the movie. What I didn’t expect going in was biting commentary—commentary that is still strikingly relevant today, some forty years later—in between the jokes and musical numbers.

Looking back, I find it funny that film billed flatly as a “redemption story” has the police as one of the primary antagonists. Throughout the movie, this stance is unmoving. Until the very end, the police are out to get the brothers, and the film even ends with the band in jail after finally having been caught. While on some level this does play a very comedic role in the story, I can’t help but see parallels to the way police are viewed in society today. There is an increasing divisiveness with how society perceives the police, especially after events like the shootings of Eric Garner, Dedric Colvin, and Michael Brown. It’s interesting to see how this has evolved since the early 80’s when this movie was first released—even moreso to see how relevant it still is today.

In a similar vein, the other major antagonist of the story is the Nazi Party. Similar to the role of the police in the film, this seems as first to be played comically. However, there are some interesting parallels to today’s society. With the startling resurgence of white supremacy in the past year (e.g. Charlottesville), this hits close to home. While the idea that there are people who still feel this way may seem ridiculous, the bigotry showcased in the movie is still alive and well today.

We have definitely progressed as a society in a lot of different ways since the year 1980 when The Blues Brothers was released. But sometimes films like this can’t help but make you wonder if we’ve truly come as far as we think we have in the last forty years.

A Commentary on Human Desire

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Last night I attended my first “Flora’s Friday film”. We watched the movie Fire, a film directed by Deepa Mehta about two women from loveless marriages who grow close and later fall in love in spite of the societal stigma against woman-on-woman love. I really enjoyed this film because it felt like a very candid look in the life of an LGBT individual on the other side of the globe. By nature of living here in the United States, it often feels like everything we learn and experience has a very americentric lens, and I genuinely enjoy learning about other cultures through powerful, emotionally evocative movies like this one. There is a very high chance that I would never have been exposed to this movie otherwise, so I’m very glad I was able to attend this event.

Beyond the multicultural perspective, however, I really enjoyed this movie because it provided an interesting commentary on the nature of human desire. Even the comparison of the two brothers– one very conservative with an intense need to be in control of his desires, the other who succumbs to his desires to the extent of visibly and shamelessly cheating on his wife–offers a very interesting juxtaposition of two different ideologies. I feel, this film spoke to the human necessity for communication. We all have desires, but if we simply suffer in silence then nothing will come of them. Working toward being more open and willing to speak with one another candidly is a necessity for humanity as we become increasingly globalized, and I believe this film speaks to this idea.

GMO Salmon and the Environment

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Last Monday I attended the Table Talk about the impact of GMO Animals. Admittedly, this is a topic that I know very little about. I am not very uneducated about the more scientific side of genetically modified foods, but I know enough to hold the opinion that they are a largely positive thing. Upon reading about genetically modified animals, however—specifically salmon—I was immediately a little bit skeptical.

As a self-described environmentalist, my first concern always lies in how something could negatively impact the global ecosystem. Introducing a fish to the environment that grows twice as fast could have potentially devastating effects on the entire food web surrounding it. After voicing this concern, however, I was informed that the company pioneering the effort to make these genetically engineered fish has put in many different precautions to prevent this exact scenario. The eggs are produced in a completely different hemisphere from the farm itself, and they are also triploid which effectively renders them sterile. Additionally, the farm is in central Panama, away from the coast. In the small chance that one were to escape the facility, it wouldn’t be able to reach the ocean anyway.

This fear assuaged, my next concern was for the fish themselves. What are the conditions like at these farms? Are the fish treated fairly? Though information is difficult to find, it seems (to me, at least) safe to assume that the answer is no. The industry standard not just for fish but meat tends to be sub-optimal for the animals. This is less a qualm with the genetically engineered salmon than it is for the food industry as a whole, however.

Despite this, I do hope that the GMO salmon reach the global market. They are a much more sustainable solution for getting protein, as other protein sources (especially beef) come with a huge carbon footprint. If used correctly, this could not only be a win for the reduction of overall emissions, but for the movement to end world hunger too. Unfortunately, the fact that these salmon have taken upwards of twenty years (and counting!) to reach US supermarkets makes me wonder if this might just be wishful thinking on my part.

Drawing Goldwin Smith Hall

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This past weekend I attended the “Sketching Event,” where each of us picked a building on the arts quad and attempted to draw it. I was unsure about signing up for this event because (1) I am far from anything that could be considered artistic, and (2) because I have never been one to enjoy at least trying to draw—I simply find it frustrating. However, I’m very glad I decided to attend this event. It was decidedly casual and fun, and it was a very pleasant and relaxing way to start my Homecoming weekend.

Half-jokingly, I asked the GRAs which building was the easiest to draw because of my lack of skill. They suggested drawing the side of Uris Library since it was mostly just boxes. After contemplating this for a few minutes, I ended up choosing to try to draw Goldwin Smith Hall instead; Uris, while simpler, was much less aesthetically interesting, and I thought it would be fun to try to capture the trees and plants around Goldwin Smith, even if the end result didn’t actually look like the scene in real life. I ended up really enjoying myself. In letting go of any expectations of what my drawing both could and should be, I was able to enjoy the process much more. Before I even realized what had happened, and hour and a half had flown by. In this way, I really do think that it’s valuable to students—especially those in entirely unrelated fields—to force themselves to tackle artistic projects every once in awhile. It truly does challenge you in a completely different way from science-heavy classes, and I feel better and more well-rounded as a person for having pushed myself to the event and try something out of my comfort zone.

Learning History Through Nature

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I was initially reluctant to sign up for the tour of the Cascadilla Gorge Trail with Todd Bittner, Cornell Botanic Gardens Director of Natural Areas and Rose House Fellow. Admittedly a large part of that reluctance came from a desire to sleep in (9:30 AM is early for a college student!), but still part of it came from the fact that I had been on the hike before. It was a pretty trial, sure, but what would this hike add to the experience? And why was it going take two hours?

My trepidation was wholly unfounded, however. While I have hiked the trail plenty of times in the past, Mr. Bittner’s input, be it scientific, historical, or anecdotal, truly added to the experience in my eyes. Above all else, my favorite part of the tour was how he was able to teach us about history, both of Cornell and of the earth on a geological timescale, through the environment. Firstly, the creation of the gorge was extremely interesting to me. I have no background in geology, so knowing that some of the rock visible to us was up to four million years old was unfathomable. Additionally, the way that the gorge, especially the lower section, was carved out by glaciers is equally interesting. The way you can see the different layers, alternating hard and soft, was very cool.

I also greatly enjoyed learning about the history of Cornell through the hike. As someone new to the university this semester, it was my first exposure to any of this information. For example, I did not know that Cascadilla Hall was the first building of the university, and that it even predates the establishment of Cornell. Similarly, seeing pictures from the early 1900s was very cool—seeing just how much erosion occurred over that time really spoke to the raw power of water. Without a doubt I feel that learning about our history through nature is far more intriguing than simply sitting in a classroom could ever be.

Love From Many Different Perspectives

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This conversation, led by SA Andrew, was a lot different than I had initially expected. The context was a little peculiar, which made me trepidatious of signing up for the event initially—we’ve all been through middle school health class, and I personally didn’t feel a need to go through that again. However, my expectations ended up being entirely wrong. The event was interesting and there was an solid dialogue between the many students who attended, and I’m glad that I took the opportunity.

Initially, as expected, there was an awkwardness, a tension, in the air. Not many people wanted to speak up, which is understandable—it can be difficult to bring yourself to contribute in the context of something like this. To that point, I feel that there were too many people present. Perhaps it would’ve been more effective if it were broken up into two groups rather than one large one. I know that I personally would have spoken up more than I did if there were less people present; it makes the atmosphere more conversational.

Even given the circumstances though, it was still a very interesting event. Given how diverse everyone’s backgrounds are, it’s important to discuss topics like love and relationships in a meaningful way. With the stress of performing well, especially during prelims when I type this, social lives can sometimes fall by the wayside. It’s important not to ignore just how important it is.

History of the Botanic Gardens

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This past Saturday I attended the tour of the Botanic Gardens with Rose House. As someone who has a fascination with plant ecology, particularly wildflowers, I have explored the gardens by myself in the past. They truly are beautiful, and I would recommend anyone and everyone—even if it isn’t typically their sort of thing—check them out as soon as possible, especially while the weather is still so incredible. Touring the gardens with a guide, however, was an entirely new experience. Suffice to say, I hope I get the chance to do it again!

The biggest thing the tour provided me that exploring the gardens by myself didn’t was historical context. There is so much more culture surrounding the Botanical Gardens than I had realized, and even in the brief hour we spent there I feel as though I learned so much. For example, I learned that the house with all the ivy growing over it used to be a schoolhouse for children in the Ithaca community, and that frequently people will come back to visit and see the place they spent so much time in as a kid. I also learned that the first woman to be independently awarded the nobel prize in medicine was a Barbara McClintock, an instructor noted for her research in “jumping genes.” Also, I learned that two of the central garden beds were dedicated to women who, in life, were very close friends. In a sense, they are still together even in death, which I find charmingly poetic.

I really enjoyed the experience, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to attend this tour. I would also love to tour the wildflower garden at some point in the future—the Botanical Gardens are so much bigger than people realize, and there is still so much left to explore.

A Strong Sense of Community

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This past Saturday I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to go to the Ithaca Farmer’s Market. Being a transfer student new to Cornell University this semester, I was excited to get a feel for the Ithaca community. What I didn’t know when signing up for this event, however, was that Ithaca’s Farmer’s Market is consistently ranked among the best in the nation—and for good reason.

I come from a small, suburban town in southwestern Connecticut. Being vaguely similar in size to Ithaca, I had wrongfully assumed that the farmer’s market here would be identical to the one in my home: a few pop-up tents with vendors from the surrounding community, and not much else. In Ithaca, however, it was much more lively. There was live music, people sitting and enjoying their food everywhere, and hundreds of different craftsmen and women all with smiles on their faces. I was surprised to learn that over the years, several weddings have been held in the pavilion, which just goes to show how much of a staple of the community this event is. Being my first time outside of Cornell campus, this event provided me my first taste of the Ithaca community—and it has only made me more excited to be here for the next three years. I definitely plan to visit the farmer’s market again, only this time with a backpack perhaps, so I have a way to carry my new possessions back to campus.