Author Archives: ctc95

Sunset Blvd

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On Friday, I joined the Rose Scholars and watched Sunset Boulevard, which I really enjoyed. I liked how the gender roles of the time were challenged in a sense. At first, when Joe Gillis, a young screenwriter looking for work, is trying to get his screen play turned into a film, a young woman is asked to review it, and she critiques it, calling it tired and boring, that it had no message. Gillis obviously challenged this, but her opinion obviously meant a lot to the opinion of the producer, who turned down the screenplay.

Later on in the film, Gillis attempts to manipulate a washed up starlet who hires him to write a screenplay. She refuses to allow the new Hollywood age her out, and holds on to her stardom fiercely. She reflects a strong woman figure who not only refuses to be forgotten, but also refuses to be manipulated. Gillis finds out that it is more difficult than he originally thought to control a powerful woman. I thought this concept was very interesting for the 1950s.

The Women of NASA

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I remember seeing snippets on social media about former president Barack Obama granting a medal of honor to former NASA pioneer Katherine Goble Johnson, and, reading further into it, I was shocked. This woman had calculated and verified the travel trajectories that first took Americans to space, and this was the first time I had heard her name before. Perhaps some of this could be owed to ignorance on my part, but there has definitely been a lack of publicity regarding the mathematician to keep the United States in the “star wars” that captivated the country. I joined other Rose Scholars to watch “Hidden Figures,” a film based on her story as well as Mary Jackson and Dorothy Vaughan, two other NASA engineers who made huge strides for their country during this trying time in history. Being women of color, the three faced remarkable challenges throughout their careers, dealing with the racism and sexism that dominated the United States during this period. I found myself with goosebumps throughout almost the entire film as I watched them overcome barrier after barrier. I think it is so important that people know the names of these women; Katherine Goble Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan. They served their country when they knew that they wouldn’t get “credit” for it, and that is one of the strongest acts of patriotism.

Jude Law and Jury Law

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On Friday night, I joined Judge Scott Miller as well as other Rose Scholars to watch The Talented Mr. Ripley and discuss the different degrees of murder. The movie followed Tom Ripley and his obsession with Dickie Greenleaf, the son of a successful businessman who frolics around Italy spending his father’s money and living the high life. Ripley falls in love with Greenleaf and creates a whole persona that he thinks Dickie will want to be with. However, the two have a falling out and Ripley ends up killing Greenleaf. The events leading up to the death of Dickie Greenleaf define whether the killing was second degree murder, manslaughter, or self defense. Murder involves actively choosing to kill someone and then carrying it out, while manslaughter is more recklessness. The different opinions of the “prosecutors” and the “defense attorneys” showed to me how, even when all the evidence is laid out in front of us, even when we know all the events leading up to the killing, there is still room to argue whether it was murder, manslaughter, or self defense. I can’t imagine how many more factors, more arguments, and more gray area there is in a court of law with a real crime, without the entire story.

Extraterrestrial Examples

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On Friday night, I saw WallE for probably what was the tenth time. I didn’t really expect to get anything new out of it, but I actually found myself comparing the movie to today’s culture. In addition to the refusal to believe that the climate is changing, which could result in the wasteland of an Earth that WallE portrayed, there is an overall resistance to change. Just like the people on the space craft, who were constantly being bombarded with propaganda and were under the illusion that they were living fulfilling lives, we sometimes are so absorbed with the media in today’s social climate that it is difficult to realize what is going on around us. And similar to the forces that tried to stop WallE, the little robot who, contrary to his rusty old appearance, represented change, there always seems to be someone resistant to change.

A Nightmare Before Christmas; A Struggle for Identity

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On Friday night, I joined the Rose Scholars to watch “A Nightmare Before Christmas,” an interesting take on traditional Christmas stories. I had never seen the movie before, which my friends found unbelievable, but I enjoyed it a lot. I found it strange and eerie, and shocking at points, but interesting because it really delved into topics that went beyond a children’s movie. It was about Jack Skellington’s struggle for identity, an identity that society held to be “normal,” and “good.” While Christmas was seen as wholesome and good, Halloween became something on the outskirts. Jack Skellington attempted to become a part of a world that wasn’t who he truly was, all because of an appearance of the “perfect” holiday. It was when Jack accepted the imperfections and messiness of his home in Halloween that he was able to be happy. I really enjoyed the film and watching it with my friends.

Manna-Packs for Many People

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On Friday, I joined other Rose Scholars as well as an amazing community of other Cornell students (undergrad and graduates), Ithaca College students, and Ithaca residents at St. Catherine of Siena Church in Ithaca to participate in the “Feed My Starving Children” service event. We prepared and packaged “manna packs,” which were filled with rice, soy, vitamins, and vegetables to supply children in impoverished areas with nutritious meals that would support their physical and mental development.

I was so impressed with how well organized the event was. Stations were set up for scooping rice, soy, vitamins, and vegetables into plastic bags through a funnel. The bags were then weighed, sealed, and packed in boxes. Each person had a job and the system was very efficient. Every time a box was filled with the manna-packs the team would cheer, creating an excited and positive atmosphere. The church also played upbeat music. I was in charge of scooping the vitamins and the vegetables into the bags, and my arms were actually sore at the end of the event but I could barely notice– the amazing people and constant reminder of why we were doing this kept everyone energetic and working hard.

I think we ended up packaging enough meals to feed around 96 children one meal a day for an entire year. (My numbers may be a little off.) It was an overall amazing experience with a wonderful community for a worthwhile cause!

You’re Still Tired, You Just Don’t Know It

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I attended the caffeine table talk on Monday, September 24, and it really opened my eyes about some of the myths and truths about caffeine and the side effects of drinking (or eating!) too much of it.

What I found really interesting was the science of caffeine, and how the molecule looks like one of our neurotransmitters that tells our brain when it’s tired. Caffeine takes the place of those neurotransmitters in our receptors, and thus the brain no longer is able to tell that we are tired. This means that caffeine doesn’t make us LESS tired, it just tricks our brain into thinking that we are not.

One thing that surprised me about that chat was that when we went around the table and talked about how much caffeine we all drank, a lot of the responses were a lot less than I expected. I myself don’t drink much caffeine, my main source is from green tea, but a lot of the people who attended the chat didn’t drink all that much either. I think on a college campus, we are constantly surrounded by people talking about “needing coffee,” listening to students talk about how little they slept the night before. We therefore forget that there are a lot of students who don’t drink caffeine.

I really enjoyed this event! It was my first table talk and I really liked how it was a casual conversation based event that made me feel comfortable and engaged.

 

(Sorry this was so late for some reason my earlier post didn’t publish properly and I didn’t realize until now!)

Do you want him to clean your kitchen too?

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This past Thursday, I joined some fellow Rose Scholars at Cornell Cinema to watch the film “Gary Winogrand; All Things are Photographable.” The film followed photographer Gary Winogrand throughout his career and his personal life and revealed a lot about what goes on behind the camera of some famous photographs. When you look at a photograph, you almost always think about what the characters in the photo are doing, what they are thinking, what they represent. But there is a whole other dimension of analysis few people think of; what the photographer is doing. Where he’s standing, what he’s thinking, how he’s positioned, if he’s saying anything to the people in the photograph. This film offered more insight into that. What resonated with me about the film was when one of Gary’s friends and fellow photographers said that people would ask Gary what his photos meant. The friend remarked, “You want him to clean your kitchen too?” Gary said what he meant and thought clearly with his photographs, not disguising or over analyzing the context, simply snapping a photo and putting it out there. Photography is a simple medium free from the rhetoric and wordiness of a lot of other art forms. It made me want to pick up a camera!

Professionalism and Photos

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On Thursday, I attended a Rose Scholar event where I learned about professionalism and had my headshot taken. While waiting to have my photo taken, I participated in a discussion with Sabrina and other Rose Scholars about what it meant to be professional online. Sabrina showed us her LinkedIn account, and how to appeal to employers specific to your field of interest. She showed us how the bio is your chance to hook a prospective employer and express your interests and skill set. Based on the field that you’re interested in, the biography can differ in level of formality and personality. It is useful to look at other profiles in your field to get a feel for what your profile should include. I had started to create a LinkedIn account before this, but I didn’t have a headshot or any bio information. This session definitely helped give me the momentum to finish the profile and improve my presence in online networking. Thank you to Sabrina and Shiv!