After watching the Friday film of “Pick of the Litter” on Netflix, I have never really known how strict it was for a dog to become a guide dog for the blind. First, the dogs have to pass through different phases of a test to see if they are capable of becoming one, so they would have to graduate from a previous stage in order to move on in the process. It was quite heartbreaking to witness the guide dog candidates leave the sides of the people who have been raising them for many years, but it was eventually overlooked by the fact that they will be moving on to a greater cause. Much sympathy was given when I was hearing the stories of blind people and how they manage to get around, but by the end of the film I was almost left in tears by how cheerful one of the blind people within the program was to receive a guide dog. Overall it was a very engaging and heartwarming experience and I would highly recommend adding this documentary to your list of films to watch.
Author Archives: ndr44
Sympathy for the People
After experiencing the film of the Pruitt-Igoe Myth, the people that lived there and suffered definitely have my sympathy, as the things that happened to them are just horrible. With the rise in racism and discrimination after the era of World War II, the housing complex of Pruitt-Igoe was subjected to a lack of attention to sanitary or structural conditions. With the white flight going on, the overall population of St. Louis was declining and maintenance of the complex was declining as well, leading to people to fend for themselves without any assistance. The implosion of the building was for the better, since living conditions there were now intolerable. After hearing the firsthand experiences of people trying to make it through life living at the building, it became possible that a person’s worst nightmares can become true for these people.
The King of Comedy
After attending the Thursday seminar “How to Tell a Joke”, I have gained a lot of insight into how to make jokes better and even the history behind jokes itself. Professor Fontaine was so kind as to be the speaker for this event and he really enlightened me on many ways to make a joke, and when to make it. Because I would consider myself a naturally funny guy, I would say that I am a perfectly fine comedian. However, no comedian has a 100% success rate, as humor is within the eyes of the audience. After listening in to the many things Prof. Fontaine had to say, I would say that learning when not to tell a joke is the most important thing to me because I am not the most mature person to be around. Therefore I learned that every comedian is subject to criticism, and that I aspire to become the king of comedy.
The Arts across many stages
After attending the talk by Hassan Mahamdallie, I have come out of the event learning a lot more about the arts and what the arts is really supposed to be. The diversity in the field of Arts is misrepresented according to Mahamdallie, that throughout many works of art only the Western plays are supported and many others are undervalued over history. Another important outcome of this talk is the explanation of the standpoint theory, where people that are marginalized have a larger view of diversity than those that are not. Overall, it was an eye-opening discussion about diversity and the arts and my perspectives about Art have widened.
Things are heating up in The Queen’s Gambit
After watching episode 4 of the Queen’s Gambit, I notice that chess is really becoming less and less of a physical game and more of a psychological, strategical game. The way Beth and Georgi play chess is really interesting because while Georgi is completely focused on the game, Beth walks away and it really throws off his game because while Georgi is focusing on strict strategy and trying to figure out what Beth is doing, Beth is a type of player that plays in the moment rather than plan ahead to deter the opponent’s strategy. Overall, the episode was quite interesting however saddening as Beth seemingly attempts to cope with the loss of Alma by obtaining tranquilizers at the end of the episode.
The spread of zoonotic disease
After attending the table talk on One Health and Zoonotic Disease, I have gained a significant amount of insight about the spread of zoonotic diseases. After engaging in a discussion about the transmission of salmonella, we really dissected the methods of how salmonella spreads first from the raising of animals to the processing of the meats in a factory, and then to the distribution of goods over markets. In addition, the issue of the spread of coronavirus was more overlooked than I’ve known, because there is a lack of agreement in how fast it takes for coronavirus to dissipate on surface, in air, etc. Overall, this table talk was very enlightening in informing me about the issues of zoonotic diseases and with more modern issues today like covid-19.
Reflection of Cornell Fellows
After attending the fellow interview with Mary Opperman and Angela Cornell, human resources as whole really stood out to me. I have never really stepped into the shoes of those who would be greatly affected by the pandemic, so I learned a lot from the conversation going on. However, losing a job or having difficulties while currently in a job has definitely been an issue within my family as one of my parents has had a problem and to hear about it all the time years ago with nothing to do about it makes everyone feel so helpless. This makes human resources stand out as a group and it makes what they do seem so important to many of individuals. They stories they both told really emphasize the amount of greatness they have achieved in their careers leading up to being a Cornell faculty member and has inspired me to have a great legacy as well.
Sounds so interesting
After I have attended the Sounding Out Ithaca webinar, it has come to my realization that music is more nonlinear than I have previously imaged. The diversity of the songs I’ve listened to really inspired me to believe that music can really be anything and that to be a musician it takes talent as well as dedication. I also think that the artists are very underrated in what they do and that this is especially seen in minority groups. This event has inspired me to listen to a greater variety of music and even (maybe) produce my own music as well.
What an intriguing show
After attending a Bridgerton discussion which was practically a “book club” except with a tv series, it became clear to me that the series Bridgerton was more interesting than I thought. I was in a difficult place because I had heard of the show but had never had the time to watch it yet but as everyone was engaging in leading conversations about the drama that went on in the show, I was just itching to want to binge watch the show now. After the discussion, I immediately watched the first two episodes and I was definitely not disappointed with what I have seen so far. Overall I am thankful that I attended the discussion on Bridgerton and I look forward to finishing the rest of the series hopefully not too soon for the sake of my health.