“The Pruitt-Igoe Myth” was eye-opening to me because the housing complex had so much promise, yet fell into disarray and ultimately failed. The original promotion video of Pruitt-Igoe contrasted sharply with the actual experiences of Pruitt-Igoe’s tenants. It saddened me to hear about the problems tenants faced as Pruitt-Igoe declined. The stories of murder and robbery were alarming and are something no family should have to endure. I liked how the movie looked at the issue from a wider perspective. Earlier explanations of the failure of Pruitt-Igoe talked mainly about architectural problems, but the documentary shed light on broader issues that plagued St. Louis such as the economic decline of the city, racism, and white flight. I appreciated this context because it would feel off to me to attribute decades of issues to bad building design. Overall, I hope future public housing initiatives will not repeat the mistakes of Pruitt-Igoe.
Author Archives: lam376
Episode 5 of “The Queen’s Gambit”
In this week’s episode of “The Queen’s Gambit,” it was really interesting to see how Beth’s personal relationships affected how she plays chess. It surprised me when Harry offered to train Beth. I thought it was bittersweet when Harry admitted he didn’t love chess as much as he used to. This was a reminder to me that some interests or hobbies in our lives are only temporary, which is perfectly alright; in Beth’s case, however, I hope she doesn’t lose her drive for chess since she is very talented. Another point I thought was interesting was how Beth’s view of herself as unbeatable affects the way she plays chess; her hubris makes her worse at the game. This allows her opponents to easily get inside her head, like how Benny took a lot of money from Beth through speed chess. As a side note, I thought it was really impressive how the actors memorized which moves to make because those moves all had to happen in quick succession. I can’t imagine how many takes they had to go through or how much time they put into practicing that sequence. Overall, I’m excited to see what happens next in the Moscow Invitational in future episodes.
Kiki’s Delivery Service
This week, I really enjoyed watching “Kiki’s Delivery Service.” I had high expectations for the movie going in because I loved watching other Studio Ghibli movies like “Spirited Away” and “Howl’s Moving Castle,” and this movie did not disappoint. I resonated with Kiki when she lost her ability to fly as a result of her self-doubt after the negative feedback she got. However, it was inspiring to see her find a new purpose and regain her powers after saving Tombo from the blimp. Part of the reason why I enjoy watching animated shows and movies is that I find it easier to identify with the characters since they don’t exist outside of the show. For example, sometimes I can’t help but associate Spiderman with Tom Holland, which makes it harder to see myself in Spiderman’s character. Overall, I thought watching “Kiki’s Delivery Service” was refreshing and a great study break. I will definitely be watching this movie again in the future.
The Importance of Climate Justice
I was very fortunate to attend tonight’s talk about justice and equality as it relates to climate change. The impacts of climate change are not far off in the future; they are here right now in the form of extreme weather, failing infrastructure, increasing wildfires, dilution of the planet’s micronutrients, and more. One thing that stuck with me was the way the speakers talked about the urgency of climate change action. I appreciated their wording that to avoid global warming, our last best chance is now and that we need to create policies for survival. One speaker referenced the statistic that to avoid irreversible global warming, we must prevent the average temperature of the planet from rising beyond 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius more than pre-industrial times. Even though it sounds like a very small number, a 1.5-degree rise in temperature will lead to a doubling of global crop failures, which will affect the most vulnerable communities. I think this context is something many people are not aware of and is essential for getting people to care about this issue.
This talk was very informative and helped me understand the intersectionality of environmental and social justice. One thing that impacted me greatly was that the technological challenge of decarbonizing manufacturing and transportation pales in comparison to helping people who bear the brunt of climate change. More often than not, it is the people who have contributed very little to climate change who experience the most consequences of it. This social inequity is partially rooted in inequities in the distribution of land and of resources like clean water. The speakers referenced America’s racist agricultural model as a source of this inequity in terms of lack of access to technology and rich land. Historically, land was taken away from African-Americans, Latinx farmers, and Native American tribes. In modern times, minoritized communities experience inequities like food deserts as a result of continual systemic racism. The statistics were eye-opening to me. For example, low-income neighborhoods are 5 to 12 degrees hotter than high-income neighborhoods because of a lack of resources like fewer trees. Furthermore, 11% of white people are food insecure in America compared to 22% of BIPOC; this disparity in food insecurity is indicative of environmental and social injustice.
Overall, I think one speaker put it best when they posed the question “How do we improve the human condition?” While the answer is multi-faceted and involves the intersection of many fields, I think it is a great way to contextualize the problem of climate change and the need for action in terms of improving people’s lives. I appreciated the speakers’ honesty when they talked about hope since they could not do their work if they weren’t at least a little bit optimistic about the future. I hope we are able to mitigate the problems of climate change, for our sake and the sake of future generations.
The Queen’s Gambit: Episode 3
Tonight was my first night watching “The Queen’s Gambit,” and I thought the show was very interesting. I loved watching Beth compete in the local and regional chess tournaments—it was really hype when she won! I thought it was cool that she was able to make a lot of money doing what she loves and that she was generous enough to give her stepmom 15% instead of 10%. The scene when Beth’s stepmom makes excuses for Beth to miss school to compete was funny to me because when I had friends in the chess club in high school, they had to miss school frequently to compete in tournaments also. One thing that stuck with me this episode was when Beth was finally able to buy a chess board with the money she won in competitions; it’s definitely a satisfying feeling to reap the fruits of your hard work. Another thing that stuck with me was how fake the girls in the “Apple Pi Club” were. In my opinion, Beth is definitely better off without them. I’m also excited to see where Beth’s first loss takes her in future episodes. I hope she uses it as a chance to improve as a chess player rather than dwell too much on it and lose her self-confidence.
Rose Buzz with Andy Zepp and Todd Bittner
It was great to hear from Andy Zepp, Executive Director for the Finger Lakes Land Trust and Todd Bittner, Director of Natural Areas for the Cornell Botanic Gardens this week. I enjoyed hearing about the environmental work they do. Something I was not expecting was that the land trust Mr. Zepp directs was his masters project. I found it really cool that he loves doing outdoor activities, so it’s super rewarding for him to enjoy his work in that way by being on the land he maintains. I appreciated hearing from Mr. Bittner, as well, because I am also from Illinois. Although I didn’t grow up on a farm, I enjoyed hearing about how his upbringing in the Prairie State led him to choose his current career. I agreed with him that there are still lots of things still to be learned about nature, which is one reason why it is so important to conserve it. I’ve only visited the Botanic Gardens once, but I hope to go back soon! I didn’t know about the Learning by Leading program before, and think it’s cool that the Gardens offer the opportunity to become better advocates for the conservation of plants, natural areas, and biocultural diversity. Mr. Bittner talked about potentially renewing a partnership with GIAC in order to get more children involved outdoors. I think this is a great step toward fostering an environmental consciousness for the next generation of students and leaders, so I was happy to hear about that, as well. I appreciated the advice both Mr. Zepp and Mr. Bittner gave about following their passions at the end of the talk, as well.
Trivia: A Fun Study Break
I’m very grateful to have participated in the Midday Trivia Series. I had fun being able to take a break from studying and destress by playing Kahoot. I also learned a lot of things during the event! For example, I never knew that Cornell had a brains collection in the Department of Psychology or that the unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. It was nice to learn about how Ithaca was the birthplace of the ice cream sundae. I thought it was very fitting considering we have the Dairy Bar on campus. Even though I am lactose intolerant, I love eating Cornell’s ice cream. Thank you to GRF Karina for putting this together!
The Sounds of Ithaca
Before attending this event, I had no idea how rich and diverse the music, art, and social justice communities are in Ithaca. I loved learning about Ithaca Underground and how it exists as a “barrier-breaker” in terms of providing resources and support to local artists, organizers, and community members. It was great to hear about how Ithaca Underground uplifts those in marginalized and underrepresented communities. This program reminded me of the YOUMedia program in Chicago, which provides resources and support for teens to engage with graphic design, photography, video, music, STEM, and more through different Chicago Public Library locations. I was really fond of the YOUMedia program in Chicago and it made me happy to hear that there’s something similar in the Ithaca community. I found it really interesting to hear about some of the speakers’ music creation process, as well. I thought it was cool that they used samples from old video games like Metroid and Blade Runner and were able to apply their background in technology to create music using synthesizers. I thought the speakers brought up a great point about how touring is a key way for small artists to interact with their fans, which places greater importance on having visually appealing performances. The laser jacket and laser-powered synthesizers with light sensors were really amazing ideas. I was so impressed that everything was done DIY by Googling things! It was also nice to hear about the intersection of the music community and social issues. For example, it was really cool to hear about how the music of humpback whales led to a worldwide movement for marine sustainability, as well as a moratorium on commercial whaling.
United Skates
I really enjoyed watching “United Skates” this week. I had no idea how closely connected roller skating was to Black culture. I found it interesting to learn about how skating rinks function as safe space for the nearby community. It was saddening to hear about some of the financial struggles and closures some rinks were going through because it seemed like the presence of these types of community centers were crucial to the vitality of the people. The dedication some people had for skating was inspiring; one person drove 6 hours to get to the rink they wanted and another went to the rink after a fifteen hour shift. I liked the section on Chicago a lot since I’m from Chicago! It was cool to learn about JB (James Brown) skating and moves like the “low shuffle” and “big wheel.” Overall, skating looks like a lot of fun! This documentary definitely makes me want to try it out sometime. I loved watching the intro sequence and watching people freestyle. I like to dance and watching these scenes felt like watching an amazing dance routine. Also, the custom skates were awesome; it was cool that you could take any shoes like Tims and make them skates.