Author Archives: Aaheli

More than Coffee

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As a busy college student, I have never relied on coffee to help me stay awake, alert, or energized for my day to day work. Everyone around me has an opinion about coffee. From what coffee brands taste the best, to how much milk and sugar should be allowed with coffee, to how coffee beans should be roasted, I have heard it all. The way people like to take their coffee is a reflection of who they are and what qualities look for in the beverage. However, I learned this week that coffee is more than a satisfying brewed drink, it is a source of income for many laborers who work tirelessly to cultivate coffee beans and ground coffee for commercial use. During the last rose café talk, Keith Lemnios, the founder of Sun Coffee Roasters, showed how the best products represent more than their brand, they represent a mission to make the world a better place.

Lemnios told us that he makes coffee in order to support the households and educate the children of families on the Nicaraguan farm that cultivate the Sun Coffee Roasters products. Coffee with a mission is exactly how I would describe Sun Coffee Roasters. It’s a company that believes in giving back to underprivileged communities around the world while making a high quality product. By standing behind socially responsible companies like Sun Coffee and buying their products, consumers can support important causes such as environmental protection, poverty alleviation, and education. Even though buying coffee from Sun Roasters might seem like a small step towards mitigating poverty, each pound of coffee purchased actually takes 3 months of labor from each worker. In those months, the workers get paid to cultivate the coffee and then use the money to feed their families and send their children to school. By purchasing products that impact the world positively, consumers can lend a hand towards saving our planet and its people.

 

Why use Torture?

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The art of torture has a long and evil precedence in our society, and it continues to be used today in various professions. Torture tactics are designed to illicit a specific reaction or response from the victim who might or might not be involved with the pertinent issue at hand. I have always wondered if torture is acceptable to use on some people more than others. For example, do terrorists deserve to be tortured for committing some of the most heinous crimes in the world more than a regular criminal? The inability to justify torture is what proposes the question is torture really necessary? Dr. Chessman’s talk about the use of torture in southern Thailand and Myanmar raised some important questions like why people use torture and what kinds of issues does it raise?

Dr. Chessman and his colleague Pornpern, a human rights activist, described the the intention behind torture and its catastrophic effects on the victims. Pornpern, who interviewed several victims of torture in southeast Asia, raised a very important question about the intention behind torture. He asked if it was worth dehumanizing another person to obtain a piece of information? Is information superior to one’s morality? More importantly is fake information worth torturing people over because many times torture victims are completely unaware of the information being asked of them and are coerced into lying. I think it is unacceptable to torture human beings regardless of whether or not they are innocent and it is even more unacceptable to justify torture as an efficient means of retrieving important information. Torturers create their own scapegoats and put them through physical and emotional pain to satisfy their own demands and needs. In the end the torturers become the so called criminals that they are interviewing and sacrifice their own morality for what might be a small piece of information.

Uniting the Scholars

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This is my second year in the Rose Scholars program, so you could say I’m sort of a veteran when it comes to choosing events to attend and arranging my schedule around them. I have attended everything from the artifacts tour in Olin Library to the Cascadilla gorge hike to a non profit tour in Ithaca commons. I really enjoy the events that allow me to explore the rich culture and history of Cornell and Ithaca and go to places that I’ve never been before. The Rose Scholars program has really allowed me to branch into the Cornell and Ithaca community and take some really amazing study breaks. It’s so refreshing to go to a café talk for an hour after working all day and coming home from classes. It’s exhilarating to go on a hike or nature walk on a Saturday morning and start the weekend on a pleasant note. The Rose Scholars program continues to offer wonderful events for the students to attend, but I find myself falling into the same routine every week and attending the same types of events.

To be honest, I really do like that the events have a routine this semester. I know that the table talks are on Mondays, cafes are on Wednesdays, and the films are on Fridays. Usually, I can only make it to the cafes due to my schedule but sometimes I wish that I could make it to the other events as well. Charlotte proposed a great idea about rotating the events around so that they take place on different days during the week but at the same weekly times designated for an event. In this way, the scholars would get to experience all the different events that the program has to offer and not be restricted by the same event every week. I also think it would be beneficial for the program if the scholars got to decide what events they wanted to see every week. If there was some way for us to vote on at least one event every week, that event would probably get a higher turnout due to the high demand for it. I personally would like to have more social events that allows the scholars to bond, get to know each other, and eat some delicious food too. I really hope that the students take an active role in deciding the Rose scholars events next year and organize more social events to unite the scholars community.

A Different Way of Looking at Sports

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My only connection with Track and Field is watching it as a spectator during the Olympic games. I enjoy watching the sprints-100m,200m because the athletes have such high energy and look like they are flying across the track in a matter of seconds. The endurance and strength of the athletes are reflected in the sport as they are forced to battle against some of the best and fastest athletes from around the world. Since track and field is not a team sport, each athlete is left on their own to reach the finish line before anyone else. I always found it fascinating that no matter where you are in the world, track and field is a common sport in every country. Paul Wilcox’s talk about the transatlantic series showed how track and field helped connect students from different colleges and countries in order to participate in a sport that they were all passionate about.

The historic rivalries between Oxford and Cambridge and Harvard and Yale are broken during the transatlantic games which encourage teamwork among different colleges who are participating to win together. Oxford are Cambridge are usually paired up along with Harvard and Yale and Cornell and Penn. The games allow either the American teams to travel to England or the English teams to come to America in order to participate in the event. Both the English and the Americans face a culture shock while traveling to the other country; however, they bridge the culture gap through their mutual passion for track and field. The athletes not only get the opportunity to participate in one of the most prestigious events for track and field, but also get the opportunity to form long lasting friendships. Wilcox is still on the board of the transatlantic series committee and fondly reminisced about his track and field days. The series is more than just a competition among the best track and field athletes, it is a coming together of different minds and cultures and the positive relationships that grow out of these interactions.

Environmental Diversity in Brazil

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Watching the 2016 Summer Olympics, I was fascinated by the culture and landscape of Rio de Janiero, Brazil. The beautiful coastlines, colorful art, and the tropical climate showed the vibrant and warm atmosphere of Brazil’s people and their surroundings. Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world by area and population and has one of the largest economies in the world. The country’s rich history and breathtaking natural reserves make it the ideal tourist destination and one of the most popular countries in South America. Even though I was aware of the Brazil’s contribution to world tourism, I was more interested in learning about Brazil’s economy and the lifestyle of its citizens. Andre Simores’s talk about Brazil opened my eyes to the modern economy and society in Brazil and how land and climate affect day to day living in the country.

Andre started out by mentioning that the work culture in Brazil is slightly different that in the US. People usually get a two-hour break for lunch during which they go home to have a heavy meal full of rice, beans, and meat, and then return to work. The hot and humid climate in Brazil is not conducive to working outdoors for long periods of time, therefore workers usually take long lunch breaks to cool down before starting work again. Andre works in the agriculture industry mainly with dairy production. His area of expertise deals with dairy supply chains and the diffusion of innovation among dairy farmers and technology. Andre showed us different images of regions across Brazil. The terrain and landscape varied through each of these regions and I was surprised to see how the climate and environment changed from one region to another. While Andre and his family, reside in a hot and humid region, there are wetlands, deserts, and tropical lands scattered all over Brazil. The diversity of Brazil’s land truly makes it one of the most desirable places to visit in the world.

Home Economists to the Rescue

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Nutrition is a topic that I recently became interested in once one of my closest friends got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Watching her change her lifestyle through the food that she ate really made me conscious about what I was putting into my own body. Eating can be a pleasure but at the end of the day it’s about nourishing your body with minerals and vitamins so that you can sustain a healthy and happy lifestyle. Most of us are always on the go, which makes us prone to grabbing quick bites in between the few breaks that we get. In that rush, we tend to go for foods that will fill us up quickly, so we eat a lot of carbs and fat to satisfy our hunger. We’re so lucky to have access to fresh dairy and produce which we can consume everyday, but the American food habits have changed a lot over the last century. Jane Ziegelman’s talk about the rise of home economics during the American Great Depression made me aware of the fact that food intake is not solely for pleasure, it more

The great depression was a trying time for many American citizens. The rampant shortage of foods like bread, butter, and milk took a toll on people’s health. In order to combat the paucity and cost of these foods, home economists developed recipes that were economical and healthy for the public. Most of the home economists were women who believed that housework should be treated as regular jobs, so they used their culinary skills to innovate new recipes and dishes for the public. One such person as Flora Rose, who created a light white sauce recipe for everyday cooking. Since dairy was such a big part of the American diet, this recipe allowed any food to be paired with the white sauce, and so the recipe became very popular. Home economists like Flora Rose truly revolutionized cooking at a time when food supplies were draining, and taught others how they could be economical and still eat healthy with the few resources that they had.

The Potency of Law

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Law and justice are two words I associate with criminals, police, and drama television. In my imagination, this world is full of exciting cases, gruesome murders, and nail biting court hearings. Little did I know how this world actually plays out in reality. The defendants and victims are people whose lives have been turned upside down by the actions they have committed or been a recipient of. Despite of whether they committed the crime or not, everyone desires to be innocent, so how does one make the decision of choosing the right person to free? Well according to Jude Scott Miller, justice is based on the law and the law is supreme above anything else. No matter what a person might feel personally, the law might not always support their beliefs as it is based on fairness and constitutional principles. Judge Miller admitted that many decisions that he has made in the court room has not always resonated with his personal beliefs. He has had to follow the law and be objective, so that he could remain fair during trying circumstances.

Judge Miller mentioned how the judicial system is the glue holding the American democracy and keeping it from sliding into Fascism. With recent change in the political climate, it will be interesting to see how the federal and state courts handle cases related to immigration, racial discrimination, and gender inequality. Judges have the power to follow the law or create new laws that will serve as a precedent for future cases. I believe that every judge should treat the law with respect but also use it as an inspiration to produce new precedents that will positively and fairly affect the society that we live in. Every day, judges have to make decisions, some are easy and some are hard, but all of them follow the laws and constitutional rights that the country was founded on. Laws are supreme, but those who enact on the law, amend it, and use it to inspire future generations are truly the flag bearers of the American democracy.

Importance of Feedback

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Over my last three years at Cornell, I have submitted several assignments, projects, and problem sets and received different feedback for each one them. I believe feedback helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses, but can only be useful if a student actually takes the time to read it. Cynthia Hill’s talk about instructor feedback opened our eyes to the value that feedback can add to a student’s education and how it can hinder students from thinking creatively. Often times, instructors try to mold their students into a version of themselves by providing feedback that caters to their own academic criteria. Grading rubrics are the medium through which instructors exert their academic power over their students. By forcing them to adopt the rubric, instructors narrow the students’ thought processes and limit them to producing what is written on the paper. On the other hand, if instructors didn’t give out a grading rubric, students would have more freedom in terms of approaching the assignment but might also be at risk of missing an important component of the assignment.

The controversy that surrounds instructor feedback raises the question if the feedback itself is ineffective or if the student is refusing to look at the feedback in the first place. A lot of students look for the letter grade before looking at the feedback. If they end up getting a good grade, they disregard the feedback assuming that it is mostly positive. However, a high score on an assignment doesn’t always entail positive feedback because the grader can point out the flaws in the students work while addressing the strengths of the assignment. Additionally, sometimes the feedback is insufficient for the student to deduce what they did well or bad in the assignment. If the the grader only focuses on the strengths of the assignment, the student might not be able to figure out his or her weaknesses. It is imperative that instructor feedback provide a balanced review of a student’s work that will enrich their understanding of the concepts and ideas covered in the class.

Fashion With A Cause

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Ithaca prides itself in being a small town and supporting its local businesses. Every time I go to the commons, I am constantly attracted to the small stores that sell antiques, jewelry, paintings, and crafts. These stores have their own unique charm that makes you feel that you are looking at genuine and creative pieces of art rather than manufactured commercial products.  SewGreen is a great example of Ithaca’s local treasure as it not only sells beautiful fabrics and clothes, it’s also a successful non-profit that caters to environmental initiatives. Walking into SewGreen, I was surrounded by a myriad of colored fabrics, cushions, sweaters, and tablecloths that were displayed so nicely around the store. The atmosphere was inviting as were the stores’ founders who gave us a tour of the the entire property.

 

After walking through the store, Wendy Skinner, the director SewGreen, took us to the storage room where she showed us the boxes of clothes and fabric that were accumulated throughout the week. Wendy described how people began donating their sewed products and extra fabric to the store, so that they could be reused. I found this initiative very environmentally friendly as I was aware that popular retail stores engage in unethical practices while making and recycling their clothes. Clothing brands such as H&M and Forever 21 use cheap fabric in order to produce thousands of clothes every year, and they end up throwing away clothes once they are out of season. Therefore, it was refreshing to see a non-profit like SewGreen producing high quality clothes and fabrics that can be reused and worn for several years before being completely worn out. Wendy described how she turned her passion for clothing and environmental protection into a full time job, and encouraged us to take up causes that were close to our hearts. I hope to come back to SewGreen very soon, and maybe even participate in one of the sewing classes that are offered in the store.