To watch the recent debate was both painful and a reinforcement of the raging misogyny rampant and ubiquitous in society today.  Not only is Donald Trump wildly unqualified to be a Presidential candidate, he also acts inappropriately on stage time and time again, which is not a quality that someone who leads should have.

Trump repeatedly interrupts, yells, and the substantive content of his speech is always extremely misogynistic. The fact that he brought up Bill Clinton’s actions to smear Hillary Clinton’s name on national television was ridiculous. Especially given the fact that he was in the process of being held accountable for his “locker room talk.” How is she conflated with the actions her husband takes as an individual? Marriage to another person does not automatically mean that you are directly responsible for that person’s actions.

Another point about Trump’s response is the fact that he dismissed the language on tape as “locker room talk.” Even if we can all concede (hypothetically) that it was just locker room talk, that he was exaggerating his actions in a private setting, his speech is still offensive and has real, material implications. Bragging about sexual assault serves to uphold toxic ideas.  Nonchalant and casual mention of sexual assault in a dismissive, even in a private setting, is destructive, unhelpful, and reinforces a culture that allows sexual assault to happen.

I have been fascinated by physics since the middle of high school. When I applied to Cornell, I looked into its physics labs and found a place in which I wanted to work, the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). The funny thing is that when I got here as a Freshman, I decided on being a Computer Science major and never worked in the CHESS lab. A couple years later I visited the lab I thought I wanted to work at for the first time. While I love the physics behind how the particle accelerator works, I was not as excited as I thought I might be while on the tour. I guess I just did not see the use of colliding electrons. Sure they find elementary particles, but why is it important? My high school self would start screaming about discovering how the world works, but I guess I’ve changed since then. These experiments are done to test a theory that seems inconsequential to me. Obviously the theory is why everything exists, but I feel like there are better things I personally can be doing with my time than proving or disproving an arcane theory. That being said, plenty of other research in biology and materials science goes on that is more practical. I don’t even necessarily think that practical is better; I am just not inspired as I once was with particle physics. Lucky I found Computer Science I suppose.

Andy Zepp came to talk about natural land in the Finger Lakes. One aspect of his lecture that made me think about something I hadn’t before was how something as seemingly benign as a hiking trail can actually be fairly intrusive to an ecosystem. One might expect an environmentalist to support more hiking trails, so that people can enjoy the beautiful world around them, but little would they know that these trails and people stomping on the ground, making noise, displace wildlife and affect their habitats. While gross acts of ecological negligence, such as one he showed where the top of a beautiful, arborous, mountain was decimated to make way for fracking frackers, are the usual targets for people who like to live on Earth, less obviously detrimental acts can still have significant impacts on our world.

Every time I venture down to Schwartz to see a play I am always amazed. I leave the venue feeling like I experienced something that I will never get to fully appreciate in that time and space ever again. This play left a different after taste in my mouth. I was looking forward to seeing it because it was so heavily advertised and a friend of mine had a substantial role in the play, so I was looking forward to seeing all of his hard work pay off. The woman who played the wife in the play did such a great job that afterwards when all the actors were outside I was afraid to talk to her because she did such a good job embodying her character that in real life I thought she was the same mentally ill and lost woman. When in actuality she was very sweet and easy to talk to. My favorite actor would have to be the young woman who played Hattie, Jim’s sister. Hattie was played by a freshmen that I have known since the summer. She went to a performing arts high school in New York City, but I did not know she would knock my socks off. She did such an amazing job acting that the audience could feel her carrying the heavy burden of her character. I remember telling her the next day what great of a job she did and how she definitely stole the show. So I asked her how long they had been rehearsing for the play. I assumed that they started preparing for the shows since last semester, but she told me that they only started rehearsing in March. I was shocked that in such a short amount of time they could pull off  such a well done show!

The issue of rape culture has become increasingly prominent on college campuses. Kate Harding conducted a dinner conversation on this topic and addressed multiple facets of the topic such as what constitutes consent. Rape has become far too common in today’s society and the language that surrounds the issue is considered to be rape culture. In media, rape can often be portrayed as a joke or a way for males to assert dominance over females. Somehow in some way, people have started to think that rape is ok. As a woman, I have always been told to never walk home alone, and never wear clothing that is too revealing. The pattern of these statements is that females are often told to avoid making themselves a victim of rape while the pattern should be that people should simply know not to rape.

Harding touched on this subject as well as other things I had not known before. We spoke of the “red zone” which is the first couple weeks of the semester where students, particularly freshmen, are starting to go out to parties for the first time and test their limits with alcohol. During this time period, students are the most vulnerable to rape.

I think it’s incredibly saddening that I have to sometimes worry about rape or be aware of things like the “red zone.” So far the campus has had many great rape prevention programs such as sexual assault awareness week, but a real change can only occur once there is a change in the culture.

Last Sunday was the first time I heard the Cornell symphony orchestra perform. They took their audience on an hour and a half long journey at Bailey hall. I remember seeing their posters all of campus and I was so excited that they would be playing Tchaikovsky. I listen to Tchaikovsky and other classical composers when I need to do some deep mode studying. They played a favorite of mine Romeo and Juliet. It’s one of those pieces that everyone has heard, but they just don’t know the name of it. I even saw some acquaintances in the orchestra that I had no clue would be there. I enjoyed the guest director because he smiled a lot and shook the hands of the first stand each time he came out. I grew up playing the violin so I was excited to see a performance. I love looking at the left hand of the string players because I like seeing their fingers work and how effortlessly and swift the whole process is. Just thinking about how we are able to do two things at once, moving your left hand moving across the four strings doing vebrato and then your right hand has the bow increasing and decreasing the volume and crossing strings, and on top of it all your eyes are reading the music and you are counting without looking at your hands. The whole process seems nonchalant, while doing it, but when you take a minute to reflect on all that is happening you realize just how beautiful it is .

I’m sorry to disappoint, but this blog post has nothing to do with Jeb Bush or politics. It’s far less exciting!

One thing about ‘Aferim!’ I couldn’t help but notice were the many references to folklore. Did people “back then” used to be so boring as to need to relate every event to some absurd story, which had changed five or six times due to being passed down by rote, about how the world started. I feel sorry for those who believe these narratives and use them to justify their dubious actions, namely slave-holding and wife-beating in the film.

At one point in the movie, the priest went on for five minutes describing every possible stereotype from the English to the Romanians to the Gypsies, which in the end warranted the beating of Gypsy slaves. This film took place in the Romanian territory of Wallachia in 1835. For many people during this time, priests were the authority on morality, so when they spewed their ridiculousness and reinforced uninformed generalizations about different types of people they turned their listeners into thoughtless, accepting drones, especially when it favored them, i.e. allowing them to own and beat slaves.

I remind you to question your beliefs and authorities.

I really enjoyed the opportunity to get off campus last Saturday on the Fischer Old-Growth Forest field trip. Special thanks to Rose House Fellow Todd Bittner for leading the trip and for all of the information he shared with us about the geology and history of the forest. One of the things I found most interesting was the differences we were able to see in the vegetation between fields of different ages. The first field on the outside of the forest had been farmed up until fairly recently, so shrubs/trees/etc. hadn’t taken up root yet; the next field had been abandoned earlier than the first, and it had been overgrown by a thicket of invasive shrub; the next field was older still, and was more of a forest than a field by now: it had tall trees and some underbrush; the last environment we saw was the old-growth forest, which was populated by evergreen trees that are hundreds of years old–because of the denseness of the canopy, this section of the forest had little undergrowth, because there wasn’t enough sunlight to support it. The delineation between each of these different environments was very clear as we walked through them. It felt a bit like entering a textbook diagram. Considering that the old-growth forest is one of the spaces Cornell uses as an “outdoor classroom”, I guess it’s pretty ideal that that’s the feeling it gives. At any rate, it was exciting to learn how to read the signs given by the landscape and vegetation to make inferences about their development. I think I will look a the local landscape with a slightly sharper eye now.

Last Thursday I had the opportunity to Cornell cinema to watch a film. I knew that it was going to be about Gypsies. I did not know much, but I knew it was not going to be my big fat American Gypsy wedding or Gypsy sisters. I had a feeling that it was going to be a story of pain, slavery, and salvation. I was unaware that the film was not in English and that subtitles would be available.

One of my favorite movies is a Bollywood film almost entirely in Hindi and some French and smigin of English, it did not deter away from my appreciation of the film because it is such a lively story, a story of hope and growing pains, something that I think we can all relate to.

The film that I watched about Romanian Gypsy was hard to follow, vulgar at many times, and tasteless in more than a few scenes, there was even someone in the row behind me that fell asleep.

There were parts that I was able to digest such as when the king’s wife has an affair with her slave who happens to be a Gypsy. This Gypsy ends up escaping so the king sets a bail for him. A man and son go after the Gypsy to restore the king’s honor in order for the king to disgrace and torture the Gypsy. The king ends up cutting off the Gypsy’s manhood so that he can never have another affair, even though people have told him that his wife lured the Gypsy man and not the other way around. I was saddened by the little Gypsy boy who was also captured that just wanted to be sold to a good master, he advertised himself in public promoting his good cooking skills and loyalty.

Tonight’s Rose Cafe was a surprise: instead of hearing a talk on China and the US Economy, Professor Andrew Mertha spoke about Cambodia and the influence (or lack thereof) of Chinese foreign policy on the Southeast Asian nation during the Khmer Rouge. What I found most interesting, however, was what precipitated the rise of the Khmer Rouge: US military action.

At this point, it should hardly be surprising. As Professor Mertha pointed out, the US has an awful track record of nation building in the (alleged) attempt to promote democracy since the 1950s. In Vietnam, we facilitated a free election – and then propped up an unpopular candidate when the communists won the election, leading to the Vietnam conflict, which caused over 1.3 million deaths. Spillover from this conflict in neighboring Cambodia, in the form of more bombs dropped on the country than in all of World War II, scarred and battle hardened the Khmer Rouge, one of the most extreme and self-destructive political entities ever to control a modern country. Excessive violence sparked more excessive violence. After seizing power, the Khmer Rouge killed a fantastic amount of the Cambodian population, including intellectuals, supposed dissenters, and the religious, in the attempt to establish agricultural communes. Basic life was obliterated: families were basically outlawed; currency was abolished; medical care and education were removed; everything was done communally-or you were killed. Almost a quarter of the population died.

We see the unanticipated effects of US foreign military involvement in the Middle East as well. The CIA’s training of guerilla militias in Afghanistan, indoctrinated to hate the invading USSR, lead to the formation of Al Qaeda. More recently, the CIA’s funding of Islamic fundamentalist groups in Syria to fight against Assad supported the rise of ISIS.

Who can tell what shocking and unforseen consequences US military involvement will have in unstable regions? We need to be mindful: human life is not cheap, and it is often the price paid due to the way we get involved to support our immediate agenda (even if this agenda is positive and moral in many ways, such as taking down a bloodthirsty tyrant). The world is a complicated place, so we need to understand, respect, and make decisions based on the perspectives of those on all sides of any given equation. This is likely one of the greatest struggles we will have to grapple with in the fight to promote peace throughout the world.

This past week, Professor Daniel Schwarz spoke about how to succeed in college and make the four years we spend here the best they can be. I went to the Rose Cafe that he spoke at last semester and enjoyed it, so I decided to attend it this semester as well. He gave some very good advice and guidance on what to do and what kinds of activities to join. I find it truly interesting how much he embraces the American education system, even when acknowledging its flaws. My favorite part about his talk was when he stated that we are not necessarily lazier than the generations before us, we are just much more involved in extracurricular activities. I think that this is important as we are often scoffed at by older generations who think we spend significantly less time studying.

As a first generation student, it is interesting to hear all of the advice that he would give to seniors in high school. I did not have anyone to guide me in this manner and I ended up here. I think that the advice is great, but not completely necessary. I do, however, believe that it is important for students to have mentors that come from similar backgrounds or socioeconomic status. Each student has a different experience, and those that can advise them best are people who have had an experience that has been similar thus far.

Last Wednesday, I had the privilege of receiving advice on reducing stress and optimizing our time from Sarah Rubenstein-Gillis and Andrea Gerding. I found their recommendations extremely helpful, especially because the month before final exams tends to be hectic for all students. I have put a few of their suggestions into practice and found not only a boost in my productivity, but also an increase in my well-being.

Their first suggestion was to establish a pre-work routine in order to enhance productivity. Because I am easily distracted, many times I do not finish my homework or studying until the last minute. Last week, I began to spend a little time preparing myself for a study session such as drinking tea or listening to a song. This brief activity puts me in the right mindset and prevents me from becoming as easily distracted; it signals that I had a break and am ready to undertake my academic endeavors.

I also heeded their recommendation to use the Pomodoro Technique, a management method that uses a timer to break down work in intervals. I downloaded it on my computer and have found that it discourages me from taking “unofficial” breaks (i.e. checking my phone every 5-10 minutes when I am anticipating a text message).

Moreover, I began to meditate and take more “idle” breaks during which I refrain from using technology. Sarah and Andrea said that social media breaks do not constitute as breaks because activities such as scrolling through Facebook can in fact increase our stress and anxiety levels.

Overall, I found this talk not only useful, but also very relaxing. Saran and Andrea concluded with a 5-minute meditation session which I found energizing.

We all face stress at some point. It is difficult to avoid it but at the same time there is no need to completely avoid stress. In fact, stress plays a huge role in my everyday life as I try to get work done. The last Rose Cafe Series talked about how we, as college students, can combat high levels of stress. The talk was well-timed because we are entering the final weeks of this semester. As usual the final weeks are the most stressful in the semester. The most important thing we discussed from the talk was to get enough sleep. We can’t underestimate the role of a good night sleep in our goal of retaining knowledge. I have to confess that I am not a good example for a person with good night sleep. Although I do not get much sleep, I understand the value of it. I do realize that my productivity drastically decreases when I’ve only had 4 hours of sleep. I could definitely use more sleep. We also discussed meditation techniques to combat stress. Although I do enjoy the idea of doing meditation, I cannot imagine myself making it a daily routine. Overall, I really enjoyed the talk and it was very relevant to my situation.

I really enjoyed Saturday’s  tour (/discussion) of Cinemapolis! I was particularly interested to learn about the difference in film distribution models between chain commercial cinemas (i.e., AMC, Regal) on the one hand and independent or not-for-profit cinemas like Cinemapolis on the other. For those who weren’t at the tour, the director explained to us that commercial cinemas tend to play big Hollywood blockbusters (the example the cinema he gave was the new Superman v. Batman movie) and make huge amounts of money in ticket sales in the first few weekends, after which point interest in the movie and revenue quickly drop. To raise such interest for the opening weekend, the film distribution companies, which own the rights to show the movie, have to launch an extensive marketing campaign for the film many weeks or months in advance. To cover these marketing costs, they charge the theaters showing the movie a higher percentage of their sales. Smaller films, on the other hand, tend to be produced by smaller production companies, bought by smaller distribution companies (often just arms of larger companies), and less heavily advertised. Rather than their own internal marketing, these films rely on media coverage by newspaper and magazine critics, word of mouth, etc. To allow time to generate this kind of buzz, the distribution companies introduce the films over a longer period of time – say, several months – starting in large cities like New York and L.A. (where there is a thriving media scene to give coverage) and then trickling down to smaller cities. Because this approach requires less marketing effort and thus lower costs, the distribution companies charge the independent theaters a lower percentage of their ticket revenue. I haven’t given that kind of thought to the movie industry when I’ve gone to see movies in theaters in the past. It was really interesting to hear about the process that brings the movies to us and it was particularly relevant to me this semester because I am currently taking a marketing course, so much of the framework was familiar. I wonder if there is a similar distinction between how the different types of movies (blockbusters vs. smaller indie films) are marketed online.

On Wednesday evening, I went to hear a great lecture on soil science. The lecturer started off by asking as what we think soil is. He later explained that soil is a complex bio-material that contain all the elements we can think of. When we talk about soil, the earliest form of it is rock. As time goes, rock become soil and it differentiates by separating into various layers, which share different colors as well.

Then he goes on and ask: Why are we interested in soil? He explained that soil is crucial in climate change and food resource, also related to genetics and many very important fields. For how soil is related to climate change, he offers a more in-depth explanation. I didn’t fully get his explanation here so I went to check online. So the burning of fossil fuels such as coal and oil has been the main source of climate change. Interestingly, soil is one of the largest sources of carbon in the world. It helps fix the carbon dioxide in the air and absorb the carbon as plant decay.  Another aspect that shows the important of soil is in its great influence on agriculture. If soil erodes, agricultural production immediately drops. The researcher is interested in building a system where high soil quality can be achieved in a way to improve food quality and environment, but it sound to me that it take a lot careful planning and years to achieve such a goal in certain area.

He goes on talk about the work he is doing to improve soil. Of the many pictures he showed, I was fascinated by how much carbon can be stored in the soil while the whole eco-system can still run smoothly. From the pile of pictures of Amazon soil, he also showed us how to examine the age of soil and climate that happened. By looking closely at the soil, he can find out what is happening in the whole system and I found it truly fascinating.

He mentioned that there are a lot of people trying to manage soil. Yet there is a kind of soil in Iowa that nobody has managed to fix. This is the first time I learn about soil science and it has been truly eye-opening. Now when I go out and step on the grass, I feel serious because the earth under my feet is what that helps build the environment I live in today.

This week I went to the feminism for thought. Going into it, I did not know what to expect. I thought that we would be discussing women in the current age balancing career and personal life and overcoming challenges that hold women back. What we actually discussed was sexually exploited children. When the topic came up I assumed it was regarding sexually exploited children in another country but not in the US. I was completely shocked at the statistics. It is estimated that about 300,000 children are sexually exploited in the United States. My first questions was how could this be? Then I wondered how old these children were and where were their parents, who was protecting them at such a young age? Most of the girls are sought after between the ages of 12-15 years old. There are people actively looking for children that have run away from home, or that are vulnerable. I also learned that in other situations it can happen later in life. There was an instance where a women was a successful CEO but got addicted to drugs and her addiction led her to enter this life. When it comes to children however, they do not have a choice and they do not get any of the money. These kids are cut off from their old life and everything they know becomes controlled by their pimps. I was horrified. I can not imagine someone taking advantage of children in this way, yet it happens right here in our neighborhoods. I think law enforcement and the government need to take a more active role in protecting these children by getting them the support and help they need so that they are not vulnerable in the first place.

I also asked about how long it take for the few who find a way out to leave? It may take a few years before a girl can fully walk away. I think this makes for a dangerous cycle that women can not break free from. Many of these kids came from troubled backgrounds and that is all that they know. Children’s development is so critical between the ages of 12-15 years old. This is when kids are supposed to see what else is out there in the world and start dreaming about what they want to do and what they want to become. Without the support from loved ones and the opportunity to see what the world holds, these kids feel that nothing better exists. Under these conditions they get stuck in a life they never wanted and most likely if they end up having kids they also get stuck. I hope to be a good role model for young women and show them that they could have a future doing anything they want to do.

Dukhtar is a film that everyone has been talking about.  The film won an Oscar for crying out loud! I had very little background knowledge going into this movie. All I knew was that the film was about a child bride from a country in the middle east and that the director of film is a Pakistani woman. This movie was more than just what the reviews of it had to say, this was more or a less a love story. The film exemplified a mother’s love for her child and the extent that one is willing to go to ensure the safety and happiness of their child. This movie did not even focus on the actual child marriage. It showed that the girl’s father was left in a desolate situation where he essentially had to give up his small child for marriage to preserve the honor of their family. The father was not happy to do it, but the film made it seem like he was cornered into that unfortunate situation. I think a lot of the time westerners only get one side of the story, they do not get to see the other side. The film showcased that the daughter and wife are not just disposable members of the family because the father and the daughter’s husband to be are on a desperate hunt to find them. Even though they are portrayed as property, they are sheltered and treated in a delicate manner compared to men. They are not valued equally to men, but it shows that there is a greater complexity to their culture than meets the eye. The end of the film left me satisfied. The mother gets to see her mother again after many years apart, presumably because her husband would not allow her to visit her mother. While visiting her mother she gets shot and it is not known whether she survives or not, but at least she was free for a time.

Last Wednesday I went to my first Rose Cafe. I didn’t really look at the topic of the cafe before I went, so I was really taken aback when GRF Esmeralda launched into the specifics of the DREAM act and DACA. I honestly hadn’t given much thought to illegal immigration, and especially not in the context of children. I have always been very far removed from these kinds of issues having grown up on a military base in Japan.

Esmeralda explained that the DREAM act was a piece of legislation that was intended to allow children who had been brought into the country and grown up in the country, gone through the US school system, etc. to stay in the US, and allow them to apply for a work permit. However, in the process of selling the bill higher education and the idea of graduates was heavily used, and the parents of the children were criminalized. This does not tell the story of all illegal immigrants who came to the country as children, and many did not support it for this reason.

I think The DREAM act may have been a good first step, but we have a long way to go. It needs to be easier to be a legal immigrant to the US to protect people from becoming trapped in extremely low paying jobs and also to allow children who wholly consider the US to be their home an opportunity to become an American in a legal sense as well.

Last weekend I saw the movie “Where to Invade Next.” It was a playful film about claiming good ideas from other countries as American and bringing them back to America. The film featured several countries, mostly in Europe, and Micheal Moore, the writer and director would talk about one aspect of the country that we could claim for America.  Slovenia has free college, France has fantastic food for school children, and Tunisia has progressive women’s rights, etc.

A few of the countries that stood out to me were Italy and Norway. In Italy they have up to 8 weeks of paid vacation time, as well as 3-5 months of paid maternity leave. When interviewing Italian workers, Moore said that Americans do not get any paid vacation time, and the workers jaws dropped. And when interviewing Italian bosses, they said that their workers happiness was a priority, and that they were happy to give paid vacation time. This complete opposition of the two views is just so shocking to me.

In Norway they have outlawed the death penalty, and the longest time one could spend in jail is 22 years. The jails have minimal security, and the prisoners live like normal people. they even have cells with tvs and individual bathrooms. At first the thought of a 22 year sentence for a murder frightened me, but the interviews with the prisoners showed that norwegian methods are effective and that prisoners want to return to normal lives after their sentences.

The most shocking thing was that most of the countries leaders said that the ideas were originally American. I think maybe all we need to do to better our country is to take a better look at the ideals on which we are founded and reform our laws and practices to better adhere to the original american ideas.

DREAM Cornell is a cohort of students who are undocumented or allies of undocumented students. The round table discussion itself was something that we need to have more on campus. I think that it is important to discuss controversial, uncomfortable , and underrepresented issues so that more students are aware of what people in our community face everyday. I was surprised to learn that there are more undocumented Asians on campus than any other ethnic group. I enjoyed how the panel discussed the differences in their community from others and how that affects whether or not they come out as undocumented.  I was aware that the DREAM act and DACA are far from perfect, but I did not know how much of a burden the paper work is. Students that apply are not guaranteed approval. I particularly enjoyed the conversation about our administrations recent financial aid reform. In it undocumented students that grew up in America receive federal aid just like a documented student would, but as this progress occurred international students were thrown under the bus. Now international students are not accepted on a need blind basis, but on a need aware basis. This means that when international students apply to Cornell they have to demonstrate that they can pay tuition. This change is disgusting and undermines the mantra of our university, “any person any study”. DREAM Cornell discussed how depriving international students was wrong and did not align with the groups overall cause. DREAM Cornell also does outreach with the greater Ithaca community. It was so inspiring to meet such eloquent students that are able to talk about such an uncomfortable topic with a diverse group.

I went to the Museum of the Earth last Saturday. It was my first time there, and we had a tour guide who took us through most of the exhibits. She told us that the museum was organized in chronological order (starting from the Big Bang).

I really liked how the museum was organized. Having exhibits in chronological order helped a lot. We were able to see specific geologic periods (Devonian, Jurassic, etc.) and concentrate on one at a time. My favorite was the Triassic period because the exhibit featured a giant snake-looking fossil (turns out it was some sort of ammonoid).

I was slightly disappointed by how small the museum was, but I felt that all of the exhibits had some interesting fossils and artifacts. Also, the museum was very kid-friendly and had a lot of signs that explained each collection in great detail. I like how the museum is clearly focused on education young kids about Earth’s history, and I hope to go back again soon.

I had seen a couple Rocky movies with my dad a long time ago, and had for some reason thought Rocky was a real boxer. As a result, I thought Creed was also based on a true story, after briefly reading the movie description. After watching the first several minutes of Creed, however, I began to realize that Rocky and co. were fictional characters. I Googled this after the movie and found that Rocky was actually loosed based on a real person.

As for the movie itself, I thought it was well done. Although it had many of the elements of a generic athletic, underdog movie, it was still engaging. I’m not sure if the movie was directed by the same director who directed the Rocky series, or if all the Rocky movies were even made by the same person, but there were some parallels between Creed and the Rocky movies I had seen before. I also appreciated Sylvester Stallone’s participation in the movie, and he played the role of mentor to the main character well. I typically don’t go out of my way to watch movies out of my comfort zone, but I’m glad I watched this one.

Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra in Bailey Hall. I was awestruck by their powerful renditions of Mozart and superb playing skills. I was especially moved by the soloists whose performances conferred a lot of meaning even though they sang in Italian. The soloists reflected the orchestra’s baroque theme; the desire to express the meaning of words was of more importance than anything else. I was very interested by the contrast between the first soloist Christian Gerhaher’s bold, operatic voice and the second soloist Lorenzo Coppola’s elegant yet strong playing of the historical clarinet.

I also believe that this orchestra has rekindled my appreciation for symphonies. I stopped playing the violin in high school  (and therefore attended fewer “String Nights” in school) because of decreased time, and my watching of the first violinist Gottfried Von Der Goltz’s repertoire made me remember the amount of fun I had when I played.

Overall, I was very excited about attending the performance, and the orchestra exceeded my expectations. I am grateful that they visited Ithaca to play since they are from Germany. One question I had was how they were able to transport their instruments (particularly the basses) from one city to another. Do they travel by bus? If so, where do they sleep – it does not seem financially feasible for them to stay at a hotel every night.I hope there are more musicians such as these at Cornell! This was not only very satisfying and enjoyable, but also educational.

I hadn’t considered the relationship between humor and environmental concerns before last week’s Rose Cafe with Prof. Sachs. In his talk, Prof. Sachs noted that environmentalists rarely poke fun at themselves or their campaigns. To go by the stereotypes, at least, they prefer a preachy and serious self-righteousness. Noting that other groups who are fighting for change still take a step back to laugh at themselves, Prof. Sachs wondered why this might not be equally true of environmentalists. I wonder if maybe it is because, being a long-term and gradual problem, climate change so often takes a back burner to more pressing issues. Maybe activists feel that by cracking jokes about their concern and their efforts, they might be trivializing the topic and letting it slip even further down the list of priorities. Maybe the best way to continually emphasize the seriousness of climate change is continual seriousness. What do you guys think?

a lot of pixar movies have said moments in them, all the toys joining hands, ready to die in toy story 3, marlin’s breakdown in finding nemo when he thinks he won’t ever be able to find his son, the first 15 minutes of up, etc. none of those really hold a candle to the rapid-fire sledgehammer blows inside out slams into your heart though. i liked that this event gave us an opportunity to pick up apart the film’s psychology, but honestly, i signed up mainly because inside out is an amazing movie and i wanted to watch it again.  it’s a russian nesting doll of beautiful images and stories. i love how this film simultaneously says a great deal about depression and growing up, while also telling a compelling, subversive story. It’s a common misconception that depression is just being sad all the time, when in reality it’s more akin to not feeling anything. this film does an excellent job at finding a powerful and original way to get this across, while also teaching a valuable lesson on the importance of sadness and grief. i really like that this is a coming of age story for joy as much as it is for riley. it’s fascinating too, how universal inside out feels. it truly encapsulates the proper execution of a family movie. it’s smart enough for the children and silly enough for the adults. it doesn’t shy away from themes of loss, sacrifice, depression, or growing up, instead it paints a vivid canvass that any person of any age can empathize with and learn from.

i love inside out. naturally i’d give it 10/10 and would recommend it to a top ten friend.

Last week’s Rose Cafe featured Lisa Nicholas, one of the city planners of Ithaca. She gave a really great talk about some of the different projects happening in the city right now – the new hotels in the Commons, the student housing plans in Collegetown, and the potential development of the polluted gun factory site (near Ithaca College). Additionally, she talked about the reasons behind the growing housing problem in Ithaca (low vacancy rate + very expensive).

Ms. Nicholas spent most of the time talking about the newly revamped Commons. I’ve really enjoyed the new Commons, but I never thought about how much work went into revitalizing it. Ms. Nicholas talked about how the general vibe of the Commons affects the inclusion of any future buildings. For example, the construction plans of the future Marriott/Hilton hotels promise a “homey” and welcoming feeling. A student housing project was shut down because the proposed building didn’t fit in with the rest of the Commons. Clearly, a lot of effort goes into maintaining the growth and development of the downtown area!

Tonight I attended a very interesting talk by Lisa Nicholas regarding the future development of Ithaca. It was very interesting to learn that the Tompkins County is growing at a pretty fast pace while the city of Ithaca itself is not really growing but rather staying constant. This, Ms. Nicholas, explained was due to a few reasons, but a big one being that Ithaca does not have a lot of vacant residencies, and thus rent and housing prices are very high. In order to attract the growing population of Tompkins County to settle in Ithaca, the city is undergoing a lot of planning and development, such as the addition of hotels and space-saving residences that are located above stores.

This got me thinking. My hometown, The Woodlands, is a very fast-growing, master-planned town like Ithaca. The Woodlands prides itself on its proximity to nature, and serene environment. When buildings are built, they have to undergo lots of regulations, and only a limited number of trees can be cut down for the purpose of building, with the goal of preserving the environment and the unique woodlands vibe. Now, as the population in The Woodlands is growing at a tremendous rate, much of the forest has been cut down to build residences, schools, and shopping centers, sometimes to the dismay of current residents who really valued the natural setting in which The Woodlands was built upon. How would the fast growth in Ithaca, accompanied by the building of hotels, and residences affect the current residents? I am really glad to hear that as Ithaca is building and growing that they really involve the locals with the decision-making process. I really look forward to see the growth of Ithaca and its effects in the near future!

Hearing the some of the leaders at the front of the #BlacklivesMatter speak was empowering, encouraging and left me with a sense of hope for the future. The passion that each of them displayed was both heartening and a reminder of what has kept the movement strong for years.

After hearing about the anti-blackness that pervades our society in the United states and the white supremacy that props it up, I began to think critically about the potential of #blacklivesmatter to continue to grow and how colorism impacts societies outside of the United States as well.

By fighting to defend the fundamental rights of people, remind everyone of the shortcomings of the legal system, and promoting conversation this movement will inevitably lead to improvements for everyone.

Moreover, something that I really appreciate about this movement is the fact that it recognizes intersectionality and the issues that people face are multidimensional. One specific movement in the Civil Rights era that comes to mind is the Chicanx movement. Though it worked to remedy the grievances of Chicanxs, it was patriarchal and exclusive to the point that it was a major shortcoming.

However, #blacklivesmatter works to be inclusive, which is a reflection of an evolving strategy and the realization that there is strength in solidarity.

I was looking forward to attending the MLK Commemorative Lecture today. The lecture featured prominent activists who helped created #BlackLivesMatter. Given the impact of #BlackLivesMatter in todays society I was excited to hear the prospective of the creators. Was the reaction they have receive what they had expected? What would they have changed about their campaign with advantage of hindsight? What are the next steps? These are some of the questions that I had hoped to hear the answer to.

However, the lecture was full when the group of Rose Scholars arrived and they would not allow anyone into the lecture. Even after the staff let the crowd of people know that the building was full most people remained outside for upwards of 15 minutes. I think many other people were excited to hear the lecture and were simply in disbelief when they were not able to get in. I wish the lecture was in a larger venue, but I hope that everyone that got into the talk enjoyed it.

I heard that they were audio recording the event and I hope to listen when it is posted online.

For the first week back, my friends and I decided to venture out from the Rose Cafés and do something more adventurous. We brought along two of our friends and took to the ice. While some of us were less experienced, I think we found our way around the rink just fine (but let’s be honest, the pictures were the most important part).

I figure skated for most of my younger life, so I had no issue gliding around, but for two of my friends, it was their second time ever skating. They were in good company, as it seemed half of the event goers hadn’t laced up in a long while. I thought it was particularly interesting to get to skate on the ice the hockey team skates on. I work for the Ivy League Digital Network, so I see the team with all the lights on for game day quite often, making it even more fun. I don’t know if I’ll go skating again for a while, but i’m glad I finally did at Lynah.

The basic requirements for the Rose Scholars program remain the same during the Spring semester: Scholars are expected to attend at least one Scholars event every week, submit a blog about it within 7 days of the event, and submit 5 comments about other Scholars’ posts over the course of the Spring semester.

• The most significant difference this semester is that we count a total of 12 weeks in the Spring semester for the purposes of the Scholars program. The requirement begins January 27 and ends May 11.
• Scholars are expected to attend an event and submit a post every week for a total of 12 posts.
• You may count only one event *per calendar week* (Monday through Sunday) towards your Scholars requirement unless you have prior permission from Assistant Dean Jarrett Anthony.
• Scholars may miss no more than three weeks and still receive an “S” (satisfactory) for the course.  In other words, in order to receive an S for the Spring semester, a Scholar must submit posts that meet the course requirements for at least 9 events held during 9 separate calendar weeks over the course of the Spring semester. Scholars who submit 8 or fewer posts will receive an U (unsatisfactory).
• NEW CLARIFICATION THIS SEMESTER! Scholars are expected to arrive on time at the location designated in the weekly “What’s Happening @ Flora Rose House” email and must attend the event until the *end time* indicated in the event listing.  Sign in sheets will be made available at the end of the event.  If you have a conflict and need to leave early, you must notify and receive written permission (via email) from the organizing SA or GRF in advance.  Rose Café Only: if you need to leave before the listed end time (8PM), you may notify House Professor Garrick Blalock in person before he introduces the Café speaker. (Occasionally events continue after the official end time.  To receive credit for attending, you are expected stay until the end time indicated on the event listing.  If you need to leave before the end of the event, please leave quietly so as not to disturb other participants.)
• The Scholars program is designed to be flexible and accommodate any schedule.  If you have any concerns about your ability to meet the program requirements, please contact Assistant Dean Jarrett Anthony.