Author Archives: gw277

Out Planet: Jungle Reaction

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When watching Out Planet, the Episode on Jungles, I noticed something interesting. There was a ritual where some of the male birds on Borneo cleaned off a plot of land and did a dance to attract mates. This interested me due to the nature of courtship in the animal kingdom. It seems as though, just like with people, many animal males traditionally do the attracting. The lengths that these birds go to attract mates is intense. Not only was the bird notably dogged in his efforts, but the dance he displayed was also exceptionally unique and entertaining to watch. The bird exerted himself to perform it and did so with much precision. The dance was so unique and intriguing that I wondered if it was real or just CGI edited.

Similarly, watching the ant get infected with the parasitic fungus was eye-opening. I audibly noted that I hope that no parasitic organisms like this affect humans. If anyone in the comments can verify this, I would very much appreciate it!

Quintessential Advice

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The life story that Andre Kessler described at the fellow interview tonight was remarkable. He explains how he managed to avoid entering into the East German army and still received the benefits of being able to go to high school there. This is all because the East German government fell and reintegrated with West Germany under democracy. He also explains how he then got to study many things he would have never otherwise been able to, such as life sciences.

He then explained what his paramount advice is to the Cornell students. He stated that it is imperative to figure out their career passion because once one does, they will always be good enough to make money. I find this to be true due to the incredible benefit that comes with the added motivation that comes with doing what you find meaningful. Mark Twain once said, “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I find myself so fortunate to have found my passion in Law because I wholeheartedly believe in the legal and justice system. I hope the rest of the Cornell community can make more benevolent change in the world due to this advice in their respective areas of study.

Cornell’s Chance to Set the Tone

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When watching the virtual talk, Social Justice on America’s Campuses: Reflections on the Past and Leading in the Present, I found it extremely interesting how Cornell fits into the equation of campus orientation. When thinking about the speakers’ points, being an ivy league institution means that Cornell stands as a leading force for change and direction among universities in the country. Thus, we have a chance to help beneficially set the tone for the rest of the academic community as one of the staple leaders in higher education along with the other ivy league colleges.

I find this to be important because of the current precipice of higher education we sit on. One primary way I think that Cornell can lead the way in this sense is by recognizing and instigating the change we want to see at the highest levels. If Cornell makes strides to aid the community of color at a new level, other institutions will follow by virtue. This is proven by the previous methods of dictating the college education system through determining the value of standardized testing, general education requirements and many other facets of the college experience we know today. I hope Cornell takes this opportunity and makes a more equitable college experience for all.

The Best of Humanity, the Worst of Humanity

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When watching Chernobyl Episode 3, the thing that shocked me most was the demeanor and actions of the coal miners. When the coal miners arrived to dig that relief tunnel to prevent a more massive catastrophe from occurring in the city, they seemed to not waver in their willingness to put their own lives on the line to save others. The willingness these coal miners had to go out and do their jobs regardless of the dangers, all while having an attitude of “who else will do it if not me?” commands a great deal of admiration for their courage. When witnessing other daunting times in human history, it is evident that this attitude can manifest in the most severe of circumstances when needed, but only in those strong enough to step up and sacrifice for the greater good.

During the pandemic, I noticed this occurred with many of the essential and healthcare workers. Despite most of these laborers working sans-hazard pay, many still showed up to work to keep the economy running. Similarly, I remember hearing a story on the news about a woman who had just retired from working in a hospital before widespread COVID-19 hospitalizations hit New York State. She came out of retirement to help the hospital during the most overstressed times in recent months. A piece of adage says that a crisis can bring out the best in humanity or the worst. However, within both this movie and the current catastrophe, we are thankfully seeing much more of the better sides of humankind shine through the dark rain clouds above us.

First Man, Not First Space Program

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When watching the film First Man, something shocked me. While most films about America’s first expeditions into space place elevated importance on the grander story of the space race or about America’s developing space program, this film took its focus in a different direction. The main difference the plot underwent is that in the movie First Man, the focus was from the viewpoint of Armstrong and his ability to cope with the death of his daughter. This unorthodox focus is fostered while juxtaposing Armstrong’s life struggles with working to get to space with the other astronauts such as Buzz Aldrin. It seemed that by framing the focus of the film in this manner, the movie captured a more relatable experience for the viewer, one which I definitely appreciated.

In my view, the movie elicited a previously nonexistent appreciation for the mortal life concerns that I never knew existed for such a heroic figure in American history as Neil Armstrong. Without this film, I would only have seen him in the version of the mythological man who made it first to space for America during the space race. I hope that anyone who does not already have an understanding of the personal life struggles Neil Armstrong had watches the film First Man by Damien Chazelle.

Where to Invade Next?

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When watching the Webinar Criminal (In)Justice: How Mass Incarceration Disrupts Families and Communities, it reminded me of a movie I saw about this very topic. A couple of years ago, I watched the movie Where to Invade Next, by Michael Moore, Moore detailed what he saw as superior qualities of other countries worldwide compared to the United States. In Europe, one of Moore’s most groundbreaking findings was that the criminal justice system in Norway is based on reforming convicts rather than punishing them. Due to this, the incarceration rate and recidivism rate is exceptionally lower when compared with the United States’ system.

When keeping this in perspective, while the American prison system is significantly worse than that of Norway, I do find something the webinar said very encouraging. I find that mothers being able to have their newborns in prison with them up to age three is a small, but necessary, step to trying to meet Europe’s level of rehabilitation. By doing this, you give the mothers a goal: to give their newborns a better life than they themselves had and work to make that happen. That may help incentivize them to work harder and use their time behind bars more effectively to help foster society upon release.

The Alarming Lack of Privacy The Social Dilemma Alerts us to

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In Jeff Orlowski’s movie, The Social Dilemma, I found two very alarming aspects of the movie that connected to my life. First, I definitely identified with the lack of data security detailed in the film. Just the other day, I noticed an advertisement pop up on my phone that was related to things I had previously searched for to an alarming degree. This terrified me and also alerted me to the data harvesting that many of these companies do. I remember reading a study done many years ago that detailed the disparity in online prices of the same items due to data harvesting of the study participants’ computer search history data. While many of us turn a blind eye to this insidious data manipulation, it is evident when using common sense that this is an enormous underground business that threatens the entire world’s privacy every day.

The second thing I noticed that applied to me was the manipulation tactics social media companies use to addict us to it. When I had taken a hiatus from Snapchat a few days ago, I noticed that I kept getting spammed with tons of messages that desperately tried to make me open the app. I was also alarmed by this since I usually never get notifications from them other than when I get snaps or Snapchat messages. I sincerely hope that there is a way we can work to eliminate these secret data violations and invasions of our mental privacy from the market.

An interesting “judgment” on a Judge

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Attending the Rose Scholars sit down with Judge Scott Miller was one of the highlights of my week. Going in, I wondered what I could expect to hear from a judge for an hour. Rather than simply rattling off information or other uninteresting aspects of his job or the court system, Judge Miller took the interview in a different direction and incited several emotions in me that I didn’t expect to feel last night.

First, he did make some jokes and showed us the 9 and ¾ decal on his inner chambers’ door and how he used it once to connect to a child that he had to make a custody determination on in a bench trial. Considering I want to be a lawyer in the future, it makes me hopeful I can also break the stereotypes of law being boring and uninteresting.

Then Judge Miller explained his life story and how he got into the legal field at such a young age and how he has a connection to many of the children he makes determinations on. I empathize with the fact that Judge Miller explained that Cornell was the first stable community he had growing up when he attended college here. I also grew up in a divorced family and never lived in one place consistently during my childhood until I arrived on campus. I hope that everyone else who attended or viewed the recording enjoys it as much as I did.