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03 14 17 entire issue hi res

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Corne¬ Daily Sun

Gingrich to Address Future of Trump’s Presidency at Cornell

e n t l y, Gi n g r i c h w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t p ro m in e n t f i g u re s i n Pre s i d e n t Tr u m p ’ s c a m p a i g n i n 2 0 1 6 a n d i s n ow e x p e c t e d t o t a k e a n e ve n m o re a c t i ve ro l e i n t h e G O P - d o m i n

Prof Remembered as ‘Cherished Friend to All’

Prof Gregory Poe, applied economics and management, passed away at his residence over the weekend, according to the University

Before he started working at Cornell, Poe served in the Peace Corps and earned h i s Ph D f ro m t h e Un i ve r s i t y o f Wisconsin Madison Poe taught environmental and resource economics, and was involved in research and outreach pro-

grams focused on applied welfare and economics, non-market valuation, experimental economics and water pollution policy

Matthew Utterback, M S candidate in AEM, who took Poe’s Master’s level Environmental and Resource economics class and was his Teaching Assistant, commented on Poe’s enthusiasm to teach students about the intersection of human action and the environment

Collegetown Fire Displaces Athletes

After a fire caused moderate damage to a Collegetown house and displaced nine Cornell track and field athletes who rented the building, team members said the team ’ s ability to cope with the unexpected event showed the closeness of the group

No one was injured in the fire, which began around 3 p m on Monday in a corner of the third floor near the roof of the house at 804 East State St , Ithaca Fire Chief Tom Parsons said Flames extended from the roof shortly after 3, but the fire was put out in about 30 minutes, Parsons said The nine athletes in the house are all long-distance runners for the team, a resident said Parsons said investigators have not yet determined how the fire began, but several residents told The Sun it was likely an electrical fire, noting that it occurred in a little-used crawl space

“We had practice right after the fire happened and everyone was offering houses and favors ”

Patrick Murphy ’19 was one of two track and field athletes inside the house when the fire began, and said by the time he smelled smoke, firefighters were already at his front door, preparing to enter

Law School Attracts Fewer Applicants After Economic Downturn

The number of applicants to American Bar Associationapproved law schools declined by about 36 percent from 2010 to 2016, and Cornell is no exception to this trend, according to Rebecca Sparrow, executive director of Cornell Career Services

“If interest is measured in applications numbers, then yes, there has been a decline nationally over the past nine years due to a number

of factors including the economic downturn in 2008,” said Dean of Cornell Law School Monica

Ingram

S p a r r o w added that the number of Cornell undergraduates who apply to law school after graduation has also decreased

“The number of Cornell students and alumni applying to law school has decreased significantly,”

Sparrow said “For Cornell seniors and alumni applying to law schools during that time, the decline was even greater at 53 percent ” But despite diminishing applicant numbers, Cornell Law has not seen significant changes in class size or post-graduate employment

numbers, according to Ingram

“For many applicants there’s never been a better time to attend an elite law school like Cornell,”

Ingram said

“Our post-

numbers are almost as high as they were before the financial crash in 2008, and they are among the very best of all law schools ”

Ingram also added that the

school resources and the future prospects will make law school desirable to attend again

“Scholarships for competitive applicants and financial aid help mitigate the cost of attending law school,” Ingram said “Our

immersed in leading legal issues such as immigration, global

Sun Assitant News Ed tor
By NICHOLAS BOGEL-BURROUGHS
City Editor

Daybook

Land O’Lakes Ag-Tech Symposium

8 - 10:15 a m , 148 Stocking Hall

The Anatomy of New Public Transit: The Opportunities and Challenges Of the Brooklyn Queens Express Streetcar

12:20 p m , Abby and Howard Milstein Auditorium

Turkey: A State of Emergency

12:20 - 1:45 p m , 186 Myron Taylor Hall

Strategies to Replace Pesticides with Biodeterrence: Modification of Acylsugar Chemistry 12:20 - 1:10 p m , 135 Emerson Hall

MAE Colloquium: “Multiscale Modeling and Simulation: Some Challenges and New Perspectives” 4 p m , B11 Kimball Hall

Revolutionary: Breaking Boundaries To Be a Force for Change: Alex Myers

4:20 - 6:30 p m , 101 Warren Hall

Classical Mythmaking in the African Diaspora: Samples From the Io Project 4:30 p m , G22 Goldwin Smith Hall

ILR Book Project Lecture: New Institutions for a New Economic Order 4:30 - 5:30 p m , 305 Ives Hall

“All Who Go Do Not Return:” Living In and Leaving A Hasidic Community 5:30 - 7 p m , 165 McGraw Hall

RecycleMania: Kick the Cup Coffee 10 - Noon, Willard Straight Hall, Ho Plaza

Employee Assembly Meeting 12:15 - 1:30 p m , 401 Physical Sciences Building

NES Undergraduate Lunch Series 12:15 - 1:15 p m , 410 White Hall

Aerial Dispersal of Plant Pathogens: Near and Far 12:20 p m , 404 Plant Science Building

Leading Difficult Discussions in the Classroom 3:45 - 4:30 p m , 145 McGraw Hall

Open Discussion With Investment Professioal Alex Popov ’98 4:30 - 5:30 p m , 341 Statler Hall To m o r r o

Cornell’s Seismic Design Team Judged Best in Competition

Cornell University outperformed Stanford University and California State Polytechnic University while unseating three-time winner Technical University of ClujNapoca, Romania during the 2017 EERI Seismic Design Competition in Portland, Oregon this Friday

Zoe Chan ’18, who is the head of publicity for the project team, mentioned that while she was proud of what the team had achieved, there was a degree of difficulty involved in producing a poster that engaged a larger audience

“It is important for the poster to combine the architectural renderings and designs to convey information and still be aesthetically pleasing, which can often be tough,” Chan said “Our poster managed to do that effectively, and that’s why we won

Juan Meriles ’18, the design lead of the team, added that he had put in over 130 hours of work to ensure the predictions for the model would be correct just within the past two months While the predictions were higher than what were obtained during the competition, he saw this as scope for improvement “ We did ver y well in most categories this year, but in

predictions we ranked around 15th When the model returns, I plan on testing it to see why my predictions went wrong so that we can come first in ever y categor y, ” said Meriles, who now plans on majoring in Earthquake Engineering due to his work on the project team

When asked what the team did different and better this year, Meriles explained that a scripted performance, a well-timed presentation and the fact that other engineers do not do too well in public speaking in general contributed to the success of the team ’ s presentation

For the year ahead, Kaufman said that he is looking for ward to maintaining the good standard under his leadership, but for now, he is excited about “getting there [to the first position] in the first place ”

Girisha Arora can be reached at garora@cornellsun com

The annual Seismic Design Competition is a weeklong event organized by the Seismic Leadership Council, which is a part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute The aim of the competition is to provide undergraduate students with “practical experience in the earthquake engineering field,” according to the website

During the competition, each team had to ensure its building sur vived three-different categories of ground motions, which the team ’ s captain Scott Kaufmann ’18 called “ a ner vous yet exciting time ” The teams whose buildings did not sur vive the shake test were automatically knocked down to a lower categor y

This is what happened to the Cornellians who came in 21st in 2015, and Kaufman and his team members were not ready to relive that experience

Last year, the team placed third in the competition, and Kaufman said that this year ’ s win is commendable considering that it is only the fourth year that Cornell has participated in the competition

“In only four competitions we ’ ve gotten to first place,” Kaufman said “It is a truly remarkable feat In our first year we got ninth place, after that we had a setback Last year we managed to come third, and since then, we have been pushing for ward ”

Student Lecturer Discusses

‘Psychology of Vegetarianism’

Daniel Rosenfeld ’18, a published researcher and human development major, discussed the “psychology of vegetarianism” in relations to identities on Monday Rosenfeld, who took a class on racial and ethnic identity development at Cornell, saw connections between the psychology of race and vegetarianism

“In the class, we learned about these theories of racial identity and how race is not just a product of our biology but rather a socially constructed aspect of the self,” he said “The underlying concepts of stereotypes and intergroup relations are very similar for vegetarianism as they are for race ”

During this class Rosenfeld was inspired to begin research and use concepts commonly used in psychology, such as social constructs, self identity, social categorization and morality as a way of defining “the role of vegetarianism in an individual's self context ” Rosenfeld defined social categorization as the sorting of people into the “them” and the “ us, ” as well as something that underlies race, religion, gender and sexual orientation

This concept of categorization can be applied to vegetarianism as well, according to Rosenfeld For example,

Rosenfeld stated a scenario many vegetarians and omnivores can relate to a meal at a steakhouse where some friends might choose to order meat while others order tofu

“ This is a categorization process that we divide our world into,” Rosenfeld said “Our minds automatically, in many contexts, sort people into those who eat meats and those who don’t And when meat becomes a relative basis for defining these groups, it can shape how we see ourselves in a social situation ”

However, this idea of of vegetarian identity can also be put in the broader context of our cultural and general identities

“A guy at a bar with his friends, all eating hamburgers and hotdogs, [who] orders a salad or tofu might be quite the deviant from the norm, ” Rosenfeld explained

But looking at the intersection of vegetarian and cultural identities, there are many places around the world where being vegetarian is not deviant from the norm, such as in India, where around 30 to 40 percent of people are vegetarian, according to Rosenfeld

“ There you might hear instead of ‘I’m a vegetarian,’ the reverse of ‘I’m an omnivore,’” Rosenfeld said “It sounds crazy to us!”

Marin Langlieb can be reached at mlanglieb@cornellsun com

Ithaca Faces Winter Storm Stella

Storm expected to dump over a foot of snow on campus

Cornellians, Ithaca residents and people all along the Northeast are bracing for Winter Storm Stella, which could dump a foot and a half of snow on campus Tuesday, almost exactly 24 years after Cornell’s most recent snow day in 1993

The National Weather Service predicted on Monday night that Ithaca will see between 12 and 18 inches of snow over the next few days, with most of the snow piling up on Tuesday “ This doesn’t happen ever y year, ” said Marc Alessi ’18, secretary and forecasting chair of the American Meteorological Society’s Cornell chapter “It’s most like the 2007 Valentine’s Day storm that gave this area 1 to 2 feet of snow ”

The Valentine’s Day snow in 2007 forced Cornell to cancel afternoon classes, but the last fullday shutdown was on Monday, March 15, 1993, when a headline in The Sun declared, “Massive Blizzard Closes Cornell Campus” and 30 inches of snow blanketed the region over the weekend

Alessi, who is studying atmospheric science, said snow is expected to fall at a rate of 1 to 3 inches per hour and most of the snow will accumulate between the morning and evening hours on Tuesday

Tompkins County is under a winter storm warning until 8 p m on Wednesday, and the National Weather Service’s Binghamton station which also serves Ithaca issued its first blizzard warning since 2001, for the Scranton and

Catskills areas

Cornell took the unusual step on Monday of issuing a storm message, noting that Cornell rarely closes during adverse weather, but adding that intensity and duration are considered in that decision

Ultimately, William Sitzabee, vice president for infrastructure, properties and planning, will have the final say as to whether or not Cornell classrooms and facilities shut their doors on Monday

The National Weather Service predicted about 14 inches of snow to hit Ithaca, but said a maximum of 23 inches could hit the area Alessi forecast between 10 and 15 inches, but said 18 inches is more than possible

There is a 66 percent chance that Ithaca will be hit with at least a foot of snow, the National Weather Service said, and a 34 percent chance of 18 inches or more

The City of Ithaca issued a statement urging residents to avoid unnecessary travel so that plows can easily navigate what are likely to be treacherous roads Ithaca is also offering free overnight parking in the Dryden Road, Green Street and Seneca Street parking garages on Tuesday night, and cars must be removed by 9 a m on Wednesday to avoid parking fees

Many school districts in the county including the Ithaca City School District cancelled Tuesday classes on Monday night Gov Andrew Cuomo (D-N Y ) declared a statewide state of emergency beginning at midnight on Tuesday, about an hour before snow is expected to begin accumu-

lating in Ithaca

Wednesday will bring cold winds with gusts up to 40 m p h , Alessi said, creating a “blustery and snowy ” day that “will blow the snow around and make travel very difficult ”

A nor ’ easter, Alessi explained, is created by a low-pressure system of air along the coast The system was somewhat far out at sea a few days ago, making forecasters believe that the heavy snow would be in New York City and other coastal areas

But now, the low-pressure sys-

tem is closer to the coast, so inland cities will see more accumulation, Alessi said

The 1993 article in The Sun said the “‘ storm of the century ’ turned Ithaca into a winter carnival” and the Sheriff ’ s Department threatened to arrest anyone driving on the roads

“The once-in-a-lifetime snowfall also provided unusual recreational oppor tunities for the adventurous,” The Sun said, with pictures of students sledding down Libe Slope and Buffalo Street’s steep hill, which became “ a sledder’s paradise ”

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

Shakin’ it up | Cornell’s Seismic Design team competed in the EERI Seismic Competition on Friday, unseating three-time winnee Technical University of Cluj-Napoca

Gingrich to Discuss Trump’s Presidency With ‘Liberal Cornell’

GINGRICH

the “liberal Cornell” community

“We chose Newt Gingrich because we thought he’d be a really good person to come talk to the Cornell community about everything that’s happened with Donald Trump’s election,” Corn said “We’ve been trying to explain [the confusion] to a lot of the community, so I think it’ll be very help-

ful to bring somebody who has worked closely with Donald Trump and somebody who’s going to work very closely with the GOP in the near future ”

In response to the active protest during their last speaker, Rick Santorum, the Cornell Republicans has coordinated with Cornell Police to ensure Gingrich’s safety, according to Corn

“We are expecting a lot of protest, ” Corn said “That’s something we have prepared for and has worked with

Tr a c k Te a m S u p p o r t s

Athletes After House Fire

Continued from page 1 FIRE

Continued from page 1

e t e l y u n s c a t h e d ”

Ma t t h e w Mc Gowe n ’ 1 9 , a re s i d e n t a n d m e m b e r o f t h e t r a c k a n d f i e l d t e a m , t o l d T h e Su n t h a t t h e t h i rd f l o o r c o n s i s t s o f a k i t c h e n a n d a s m a l l c o m m o n a re a , b u t n o b e d ro o m s T h e f i re c h i e f s a i d t h e re i s “ q u i t e a b i t ” o f d a m a g e t o t h e s e c o n d a n d t h i rd f l o o r s o n t h e n o r t h we s t s i d e o f t h e h o u s e L a t e o n Mo n d a y n i g h t , Mc Gowe n s a i d h e a n d o t h e r a t h l e t e s we re t o l d by t h e f i re d e p a r t m e n t t h a t t h e y s h o u l d n o t e n t e r t h e h o u s e , a l t h o u g h h e e x p e c t e d t o b e a b l e t o g a t h e r b e l o n g i n g s s o o n Re s i d e n t s s a i d t h e y we re s t a y i n g e i t h e r i n a c ro s s - c o u n t r y h o u s e n e a r by o r w i t h o t h e r f r i e n d s i n C o l l e g e t ow n f o r t h e n e x t f e w n i g h t s “ T h e b e s t t h i n g i s h ow [ t h e f i re ] h i g h -

l i g h t s h ow we h a ve e a c h o t h e r ’ s b a c k i n t h e s e t y p e o f s i t u a t i o n s , ” Mc Gowe n s a i d

“ We h a d p r a c t i c e r i g h t a f t e r t h e f i re h a pp e n e d a n d e ve r yo n e w a s o f f e r i n g h o u s e s

a n d f a vo r s ” Mu r p h y s a i d t h e h o u s e ’ s l a n d l o rd w a s

a l re a d y w o rk i n g o n l i v i n g a r r a n g e m e n t s

f o r t h e n e x t f e w n i g h t s “ We’ve

g o t a b i g t e a m we ’ ve g o t a

g re a t t e a m a n d we ’ re a l l g o i n g t o b e

s t a y i n g w i t h f r

t h

On e m e m b e r o f t h e t e a m w a s o n t h e

Cornell Police on, but hopefully it’ll be a respectful event and people won ’ t shout over the speaker like they did last time ”

The talk will be limited to 600 Cornell students on a first-come-first-serve basis Students must show their ID before they can enter the auditorium

Stephany Kim can be reached at sohyungkim@cornellsun com

Students Mourn Prof’s Death

“His lectures and dialogue in class encouraged myself and other students to think outside the box of classical economic theory,” Utterback said “He really pushed his students to think of real world scenarios and applications behind the economic equations ”

Utterback added that Poe always had a sincere appreciation and care for others, and was a prominent and well respected figure in his department

“I will never forget a b o u t Gre

n o t h e r w a l l i n s i d e t h e h o u s e w a s c u t o p e n f o r t h e h o s e t o e n t e r, Mc Gowe n s a i d T h e re i s a l s o w a t e r d a m a g e o n t h e f i r s t f l o o r a s w a t e r f ro m t h e f i re f i g h t e r s ’ h o s e s p e rc o l a t e d d ow n f ro m t h e t h i rd a n d s e co n d f l o o r s T h e C o r n e l l Sp r i n g In v i t a t i o n a l i s m o re t h a n a we e k a w a y, b u t t h e f i re c o m e s a t a t i m e w h e n m a n y o f t h e re s id e n t s h a ve m i d t e r m s “ I ’ m h o p i n g m y p ro f e s s o r s w i l l g r a n t m e s o m e e x t e n s i o

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

Law Popularity Decreases Among Undergraduates

said “I think they may be close to a resolution ”

In response to decreasing applicant numbers, the School of Hotel Administration, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Human Ecology and ILR school have all assigned students prelaw advisors through Cornell Career Services

Though the College of Arts and Sciences once had a prelaw advisor, the position has not been filled since the retirement of the last employee, according to Sparrow

“ The [College of Arts and Sciences] has been considering its options for replacing that service,” Sparrow

Law was the fourth most selected graduate field among Cornell undergraduates in 2015, with approximately 8 7 percent of the Class of 2015 choosing the profession, according to the Class of 2015 postgraduate report

However, while law ranking among students has remained relatively consistent over the past few years, it is steadily falling behind professions such as Biological Sciences, Engineering and Medicine

human interaction and had a gift for asking the often uncomfortable but always pertinent question ” Poe was also part of the executive management team of the Dyson School, s e r v i n g a s a re

rd i n a t o r f o

t h e Applied Economics and Policy Area of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

“His wry, frequently irreverent humor was one of the much anticipated and greatly appreciated features of Dyson faculty m e e t i n g s , ” McLaughlin said in the email

“Greg was someone I considered a mentor and a close friend, and I am grateful and thankful.”

asked me how I was doing He was always very sincere ”

Dave Ludwig ’17 called Poe a “light hearted, funny and engaging” professor who remained optimistic while teaching difficult material to his students

“In environmental science, you get a lot of depressing predictions and pessimistic attitudes, but he had an optimistic outlook on the creativity and ability of people to solve environmental problems, which was refreshing,” he said In addition to his research, which focused on designing and implementing incentive programs to reduce emissions from nonpoint and point sources, Poe was also editor of the academic journal “Resource and Energy Economics ”

“Greg was a cherished friend to all,” said Interim Dean Ed McLaughlin in an email to Dyson students “He loved

“Greg was someone I considered a mentor and close friend, and I am grateful and thankful,” Utterman said “I will forever hold him in my memory as Greg Poe, not just as the title of a professor in the applied economics department ”

Funeral Home will be announced shortly, according to the University

Support ser vices are available to all

Students may consult with

Students may speak with

peer counselor by calling EARS at 607 255 3277

Employees may call the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 607 255 2673 The Ithaca-based CrisisLine is available at 607 272 1616 For additional resources, visit http://caringcommunity cornell edu/

Trump during a Women’s Day luncheon at the White House in Washington, March 8 Trump’s jewelry brand confirmed it will focus on
bracelets, necklaces and rings

Independent Since 1880

135TH EDITORIAL BOARD

SOPHIA DENG ’19

Editor in Chief

DAHLIA WILSON ’19

Business Manager

JACOB RUBASHKIN ’19

Associate Editor

PRAJJALITA DEY 18

Web Editor

JOSHUA GIRSKY ’19

Managing Editor

LYDIA KIM ’18

Advertising Manager

ZACHARY SILVER 19

Sports Editor

WORKING ON TODAY’S SUN

DESIGN DESKER Sophie Smith 18 Megan Roche 19

NEWS DESKERS Stephany Kim ’19 Emma Newburger ’18

ARTS DESKER Katie Sims ’20

SCIENCE DESKER Arnav Ghosh 20

SPORTS DESKER Charles Cotton 19

PHOTO DESER Michael Li 20

Letter to the Editor

Why we should value Snap

To t h e E d i t o r :

The basic premise of Soren Malpass’s “ The Value of a Snap” was that we will be looking at another dot-com crash if today’s venture capitalists keep up their current investing habits The author questioned the valuation of a number of well-respected unicorns and specifically targeted newly-public Snap, arguing that the ser vice that Snap offers doesn’t justify its (at the time) $28 billion valuation Frankly, I think the analysis of the industr y, and Snap’s business specifically, was lazy Here are my qualms with the skepticism over Snap’s valuation:

1 The idea that a business cannot be legitimate if it only relies on advertising revenue is ludicrous Two of the six companies with the current largest market cap (Google and Facebook) get over 80 percent of their revenue from advertising The placing of Google based on information that they deduced about you from your internet habits, which can sometimes lead to incorrect assumptions about users Facebook ads are an upgrade on Google ads because all of the information that Facebook uses to target ads is offered up voluntarily by the user and therefore is much more accurate than the information Google uses Snapchat advertisements are better than Facebook ads because they are either video, which allows advertisers to quickly engage viewers, or they are sent from friend to friend as part of a filter or lens, in effect having a friend endorse some product/event This endorsement from someone a customer trusts is an advertisers dream Because Snapchat’s ads are more effective and engaging, they can justifiably charge more for their advertising ser vices than even Google and Facebook

2 The author delegitimizes how important lenses (or bunny ears) are to Snap's overall product roadmap Augmented reality, of which lenses are an example, is going to become a huge part of our day-to-day lives over the next decade You only need to have heard of Pokemon Go to understand the craze that augmented reality can create Snapchat has possibly the best AR technology in the industr y and currently has a huge number of consumers using it The thing that really cements a company as a dominant player in any industr y is when they become a platform that other products are built on top of (see Microsoft Windows; Intel Core i7; Facebook identity management for websites) This is what Snap has the opportunity to do with their current lead in AR: become a platform for the development of AR software by other companies If they can successfully achieve that, Snap will be a Fortune 100 company for years to come

3 A smartphone app is not the long-term focus of Snap Snap has continually defined itself as a camera company Smartphone apps are the easiest way to scale a service if you ' re a poor college student with little money but a great idea you release it to the app store and ever yone can use it immediately It makes sense that Snap’s first product was Snapchat Developing hardware is another stor y altogether Spectacles is Snap's first step in developing a focus on hardware, and now that they have a huge influx of cash from their IPO they will push research and development further in that direction When they start incorporating real-time AR into their glasses/cameras, they will be untouchable on that front

This shallow analysis of valuations extended beyond Snap to the industr y as a whole No investor in their right mind would invest hundreds of millions of dollars into a company that has “ no real means to generate revenue ” The reason these companies are not generating revenue already is because they are focused on growth first and foremost It is much easier to scale a product if the user experience is not impeded by ads or if prices are too high Growth companies focus on adoption first, and only when they are satisfied that a slight drop in user experience will not scare off consumers do companies start to focus on making a profit This is not to say that leaders in these companies do not have a plan for monetization only that their product doesn’t reflect that while they are working hard to expand

While many of these companies don’t currently make any profit, I’d have a hard time believing that none of them ever will In fact, out of the 226 companies listed as unicorns as of March 6, I believe that one of them will get to be the size of the big 5 technology firms (Apple, Microsoft, Google, Amazon and Facebook, all valued at $400 billion or more) and four more will get to one quarter of that valuation If this turns out to be true and the valuation of ever y other unicorn goes to zero, the sum total of those valuations would be $800 billion, which is actually more than what all 226 companies are currently valued at in aggregate, $775 billion With this in mind, it appears to me that our current unicorns are in fact under valued So rest assured that there is no calamity on the scale of the dot-com crash on our horizon

Technologically Shook

Ih a ve h i t t h e p o i n t i n t h e s e m e s t e r

w h e re I c o u l d n o t b r i n g m y s e l f t o c a re

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a m , e a t i n g i c e c re a m o u t o f a t u b i n t h e

m i d d l e o f K l a r m a n At r i u m I c a n f e e l

e ve n t h e s t a t u e s f row n i n g a t m y l i f e d e c i -

s i o n s Tw o w e e k s a g o , I w r o t e a h o r r i f i c c o l -

u m n o n s o m e t h i n g r e l a t e d t o t e c h n o l o -

g y a n d h o w p e o p l e m a k e i t o u t t o b e

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r o w w a y t o l o o k a t a c o m p l e x t o p i c , e s p e c i a l l y o n e t h a t i s n o t g o i n g a n y -

w h e r e j u s t b y h a v i n g u s w i s h i t a w a y

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l i k e t o a p o l o g i z e t o a n y o n e w h o ’ s e y e s m i g h t h a v e p e r u s e d t h o s e p a r t i c u l a r s e t

o f w o rd s It w a s n ’ t s o m u c h t h a t I d i d n ’ t

a g r e e w i t h w h a t I h a d w r i t t e n I v e r y

s t r o n g l y b e l i e v e t h a t w e t e n d t o c l a s s i f y

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o f h o w I b e l i e v e t e c h i n t e r a c t s w i t h o u r

l i v e s t o d a y

A s a c o l u m n i s t , I a l w a y s s t r u g g l e w i t h

r a i s i n g t o p i c s u p a g a i n t h a t I h a ve a l re a d y

s p o k e n t o i n t h e p a s t I d o n ’ t b e l i e ve I

h a ve a c t u a l l y e ve r d o n e i t , n o t n e c e s s a r i l y

b e c a u s e I d o n ’ t b e l i e ve yo u s h o u l d n ’ t b e a b l e t o a d d re s s t h e s a m e i s s u e t w i c e , b u t b e c a u s e I h a ve f o u n d o t h e r q u e s t i o n s t o o c c u p y m y m i n d a n d s u b s e q u e n t l y m y

p l a c e i n T h e Su n ’ s o p i n i o n s e c t i o n e ve r y

o t h e r we e k T h e re a re t w o t o p i c s , h owe v -

e r, I k n ow I w i l l a d d re s s m u l t i p l e t i m e s ove r t h e c o u r s e o f t h e l a s t t w o s e m e s t e r s I h a ve l e f t w i t h T h e Su n : t e c h n o l o g y a n d m a k e u p I ’ ve w r i t t e n a r t i c l e s o n b o t h

b e f o re , b u t I ’ m j u s t n o t d o n e t a l k i n g a b o u t t h e m T h i s w e e k , h o w e v e r, w e a r e r ea d d re s s i n g t e c h Tr u s t m e , I w a n t e d t o b r i n g u p m a k e u p a g a i n , b u t g i ve n h ow l i t e r a l l y S H O O K I a m f ro m C o r n e l l Fa s h i o n We e k , I n e e d a t l e a s t a we e k t o re c ove r b e f o re I m a y c o n t r i b u t e we l l f o r m e d o p i n i o n s a b o u t t h e we e k o n c a mp u s ( s t a y t u n e d , s h a m e l e s s p i t c h i n g w i l l n e v e r e n d ) I e n d e d u p d e c i d i n g t o e x p a n d o n s o m e t h o u g h t s I h o l d a b o u t t e c h t o d a y a f t e r a re c e n t c o n ve r s a t i o n w i t h a f r i e n d “ Gi ve n t h e c h o i c e t o w o rk a t A i r b n b, Sn a p c h a t o r U b e r, w h e re w o u l d y o u w o rk ? ” L e t m e b e g i n by f i r s t s t a t i n g t h a t s h o u l d I e ve r b e c h o o s i n g b e t we e n s u c h o p t i o n s , s o m e o n e p l e a s e re m i n d m e t o p i n c h m y s e l f a n d t h e n p ro c e e d t o e n j oy s e ve r a l w i n e n i g h t s w i t h f r i e n d s A l s o t o a t t e m p t t o n e g o t i a t e f o r a s m u c h a s I p o s s i b l y c a n b e f o re t h e y re a l i ze I d o n o t d e s e r ve t h e s e o f f e r s a n d re s c i n d t h e m i m m e d i a t e l y A f t e r a l l t h a t h a s o c c u r re d , I b e l i e ve I w o u l d b e i n c l i n e d t o c h o o s e A i r b n b

, h owe ve r, h i s w o e s d i d n o t e n d t h e re A v i r a l b l o g p o s t by a f o r m e r f e m a l e Ub e r e n g i n e e r re l a ye d s t o r i e s o f r a m p a n t s e x u a l h a r a s s m e n t a n d H R n i g h t m a re s w i t h i n t h e c o m p a n y Da y s l a t e r, N P R re p o r t e d t h a t Wa y m o , t h e o r ig i n o f Go o g l e ’ s s e l f - d r i v i n g c a r p ro j e c t , h a d f i l e d t o s u e Ub e r ove r c l a i m s t h a t “ t h o u s a n d s o f d e s i g n f i l e s t h a t h a d b e e n i n a p p r o p r i a t e l y d o w n l o a d e d f r o m [ Wa y m o ] s e r ve r s ” Oh , a n d t h i s i s a l l i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e c r i t i c i s m Ub e r a n d i t s b u s i n e s s m o d e l a l re a d y f a c e s f o r i t s l a b o r a b u s e s My p o i n t h e re i s n o t t o o u t l i n e s i m p l y t h e w a y s i n w h i c h Ub e r i s t h e w o r s t In f a c t , yo u c o u l d e ve n a r g u e t h a t f o r a l l o f A i r b n b’s g re a t “ c o m p a n y va l u e s , ” t h e i r b u s i n e s s m o d e l c o n t r i b u t e s t o a n i n c re a s e i n n e g a t i ve we a l t h d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d f e e d s i n t o g re a t e r i n c o m e e q u a l i t y w i t h i n t h e A m e r i c a n e c o n o m y My p o i n t , r a t h e r, i s t o h i g h l i g h t t h a t a s n i c e a s i t i s t o p ro f i l e Si l i c o n Va l l e y s t a r t u p s by t h e va l u e t h e y a n d t h e i r t o p e xe c u t i ve s s e e m t o p ro m o t e , i t i s n o t e n t i re l y a c c u r a t e We m u s t re c o g n i ze t h a t e v e n c o m p a n i e s t h a t s t r i v e t o c r e a t e a t m o s p h e re s o f d i ve r s i t y a n d a c c e p t a n c e a re s u s c e p t i b l e t o t h e s a m e v i c e s a s m a n y o t h e r t e c h c o m p a n i e s s h a re t h e l a c k o f w o m e n i n t h e i r w o rk f o rc e , c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o a g re a t e r e c o n o m i c d i s p a r i t y n o t o n l y w i t h i n Si

A f t e r h a v i n g g i v e n i t a c o u p l e d a y s o f t h o u g h t , I d o n ’ t a c t u a l l y b e l i e v e i t w a s t

Hebani Duggal is a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at hduggal@cornellsun com Teach Me How to Duggal appears alternate Tuesdays this semester Comments and responses may be sent to associate-editor@cornellsun com

“ W h y ? ” a s k e d m y f r i e n d “ We l l , b e c a u s e I l i k e t h e i r va l u e s , ” I s l ow l y re p l i e d T h e i r va l u e s I c h o s e A i r b n b a s m y t e c h w o rk p l a c e o f c h o i c e b e c a u s e I l i k e d t h a t t h e i r Su p e r b ow l a d a n d t h e i r re c e n t s t a n c e a g a i n s t t r a n s p h o b i c h o m e ow n e r s d e m o n s t r a t e d a p ro g re s s i ve t re n

Guest Room | Andres Vaamonde

A Breakdown of the ‘Turkey: A State of Emergency’ Talk

Do o m w a s a d o m i n a n t t h e m e i n My r o n Ta y l o r H a l l t h i s p a s t Fr i d a y T h i s w a s u n s u r p r i s i n g ,

c o n s i d e r i n g t h e s u b j e c t o f t h e e ve n t t h e re

“ Tu rk e y : A St a t e o f Em e r g e n c y ” T h e

s p e a k e r p a n e l , h o s t e d j o i n t l y b y t h e

C l a r k e I n i t i a t i v e f o r L a w a n d

De ve l o p m e n t i n t h e Mi d d l e E a s t a n d

No r t h A f r i c a a n d t h e O t t o m a n a n d

Tu rk i s h St u d i e s In i t i a t i ve , a i re d o u t s o m e

o f Tu r k e y ’ s d i r t i e s t p o l i t i c a l l a u n d r y

E a c h o f t h e p a n e l i s t s ze ro e d i n o n o n e p a r t i c u l a r u n d e m o c r a t i c f a c e t o f t h e Mi d d l e E a s t e r n n a t i o n ’ s re c e n t p o l i t i c a l t u m u l t , f ro m e x t r a j u d i -

c i a l d e t a i n m e n t s t o g row i n g a n t ii n t e l l i

n c

s i n g l y p r e c a r i o u s l i v e l ih o o d s o f t h e f o

trol of the slowly Islamizing countr y

Including diver ting from a parliamentar y system to an executive presidential sys-

t e m , t h e a m e n d m e n t s w o u l d l e n d

Erd o g a n f

national budget, disallow calls for censorship on members of parliament, expand and complicate the legal prerequisites for impeachment and permit the president to declare future “ state of emergencies” at his own discretion As Howard Eissenstat, a professor of histor y at St Lawrence

c u l t t o s w a l l ow St r i n g e n t d i v i s i o n s h a ve

b e e n d e ve l o p i n g i n Tu rk i s h c u l t u re A s

M i n a w i c l a i m e d a n d m a n y a u d i e n c e

m e m b e r s a g re e d , a s e n s e o f e m e r g e n c y h a s i m b u e d a l l f a c e t s o f d a i l y l i f e T h i s

d y n a m i c e ve n t u a l l y m a t e r i a l i ze d a t t h e

t a l k A n g u i s h e d s i g h s f i l l e d t h e ro o m

T h e f r u s t r a t i o n e ve n b e g a n c re a t i n g a r i f t

b e t we e n a u d i e n c e a n d p a n e l Du r i n g t h e

q u e s t i o n a n d a n s we r s e g m e n t m a n y a u d i -

e n c e m e m b e r s m o s t o f t h e m yo u n g

Tu r k i s h n a t i o n a l s c o n f r o n t e d t h e

E v e n i f h e w e r e t o d i s a p p e a r i n a p r o v e r b i a l p u f f o f

s m o k e , t h e i s s u e s T u r k e y f a c e s w o u l d n o t . “ T h e

j u d i c i a r y i s s t i l l b r o k e n [ a n d ] t h e p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m

i s s t i l l b r o k e n , ” E i s s e n s t a t l a m e n t e d .

The statistics are jarring As moderator Mostafa Minawi illuminated, conser vative estimates claim that since a state of emergency was declared in the failed coup fallout, 125,000 individuals have been p o l i t i c a l l y p u r g e d Tu r k e y, M i n a w i lamented, “holds the dubious honor” of leading the globe in incarcerated journalists In addition, burgeoning domestic violence with Kurdish minority groups in southeastern Turkey has claimed 2,000 lives and displaced around 500,000 persons Perhaps most distressing, the nation will vote on a constitutional referendum this upcoming April 16 which, if passed, will grant Erdogan near-totalitarian con-

Letter to the Editor

University and an affiliate with Amnesty In t

gone disastrously wrong in Turkey

o n e c o u l d n o t r e d i r e c t t h e n a t i o n ’ s u n d e m o c r a t i c c o u r s e Eve n i f h e we re t o d i s a p p e a r i n a p r o v e r b i a l p u f f o f s m o k e , t h e i s s u e s Tu rk e y f a c e s w o u l d n o t “ T h e j u d i c i a r y i s s t i l l b ro k e n [ a n d ] t h e p o l i t i c a l s y s t e m i s s t i l l b ro k e n , ” Ei s s e n s t a t l a m e n t e d

T h e d i re n e s s o f Tu rk e y ’ s s t r i f e i s d i f f i -

p a n e l f o r e x p re s s i n g u n n e c e s s a r i l y p e ss i m i s t i c p e r s p e c t i ve s Ac c u s a t o r y m u rm u r s r i p p l e d t h ro u g h o u t t h e c rowd I m i g h t h a ve c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e m u r -

m u r i n g m y s e l f De m o c r a c y i n Tu rk e y i s w a n i n g , ye s Bu t h o p e s t i l l e x i s t s Fo r e x a m p l e , a s p a ne l i s t El i f Sa r i p o i n t e d o u t , Ma rc h 8 t h’s Wo m e n ’ s St r i k e f o u n d i t s w a y t o Tu rk e y d e s p i t e t h e g ove r n m e n t ’ s e x p l i c i t o b j e ct i o n c u r re n t l y t o n o n - a p p rove d d e m o n -

s t r a t i o n Ei s s e n s t a t a l s o o f f e re d a q u a s i -

h o p e f u l p ro s p e c t by re c a l l i n g Tu rk e y ’ s t u m u l t u o u s 1 9 7 0 ’ s On e re a s o n t h a t t h e

Ei s s e n s t a t t o o k s o l a c e i n k n ow i n g t h a t t h e re i s a “ p a

As someone who visited Turkey this past summer in the weeks following the failed coup, I am optimistic Most Turks I met were largely unfazed, despite having been rocked by a most unusual and unexpected attempt to disr upt daily life They were

course, but they were not deterred from continuing life at normal operating procedure For example, from a rooftop perch in one evening I sat in awe while a fully-

across the Bosphor us I watched, entirely flabbergasted, as the color ful counter feit explosions soared over the Hagia Sophia mere weeks after ver y real explosions shook Istanbul to its core Where I sat, people were drinking and socializing and enjoying the fire works They were living their lives It was then that I realized: Turkey might be a divided nation roiling in political and social turmoil, yes But damn if Turks don’t have a h i g h s t r e s s

through

n a t i o n b o u n c e d b a c k f ro m t h a t i n c re d ib l y p o l a r i ze d a n d v i o l e n t p e r i o d w a s b e c a u s e “ t h e y re a l i ze d t h e y n e e d e d t o b e c o m e a n i n

T h e y w

Andres Vaamonde is a senior in the College of Arts and Sceinces Guest Room appears periodically throughout the semester Comments may be sent to associate-editor@cornellsun com

Confict-free university contracts increase militia-led violence

tracts my colleagues talk about are really company disclosures to the Security and Exchange C o m m i s s i o n C o m p a n i e s spend extra money to comply w i t h t h

charge us more for their prod-

l e g e d l y a d voc a t e d i t s s u s p e n s i o n Sp ec i f i c a l l y, m y c o l l e a g u e s b e l i e ve § 1 5 0 2 d e c re a s e d m i l i t i a - l e d v i ol e n c e i n t h e D e m o c r a t i c Re p u b l i c o f C o n g o It d i d n o t T h e y c o r re c t l y j u d g e d t h e i n t e n t o f § 1 5 0 2 a n d I a g re e w i t h t h e s t a t u t e ’ s i n t e n t b u t n o t i t s re s u l t My re s p o n s e w i l l e x p l a i n t h e re g u l a t i o n , e x p o s e i t s f a i l u re , a n d a r g u e a g a i n s t t h e i r m a n d a t e t h a t C o r n e l l Un i ve r s i t y w a s t e i t s e n d ow m e n t a n d o u r t u i t i o n o n u s e l e s s a u d i t s My colleagues asser ted that § 1 5 0 2 “ p r e v e n t s A m e r i c a n c o m p a n i e s f r o m p u r c h a s i n g conflict minerals ” Well, that’s a ver y simplified picture of what t h e s t a t u t e d o e s A m o r e nuanced vie w is this: the statute requires companies using con-

f l i c t m i n e r a l s , o r c o m p a n i e s contracting the procurement of conflict minerals, spend millions of dollars on costly disclosures and independent audits to ensure their conflict minerals

a r e “ c o n f l i c t - f r e e ” T h e c o n -

N o w l e t ’ s a p p l y t h e s e f a c t s t o C o r n e l l U n i v e r s i t y . A c

U n i v e r s i t y a l l o c a t e s $ 5 0 m i l l i o n t o p u r c h a s e t e c h n o l o g y f r o m c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e c o n f l i c t m i n e r a l s i n t h e i r s u p p l y c h a i n . I n

2 0 1 0 , w h e n t h i s r e s o l u t i o n w a s p a s s e d , I w o u l d h a v e c o m p l e t e l y

a g r e e d w i t h t h e i n t e n t I s t i l l a g r e e w i t h t h e i n t e n t

ucts as a result Sp

d o e s

t T

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m e n t A c c o u n t a b i l i t y O f f i c e p u bl i s h e d a 2 0 1 5 re p o r t w i t h a t e l l i n g t i t l e : “ S E C C o n f l i c t M i n e r a l s R u l e : I n i t i a l D i s c l o s u r e s I n d i c a t e Mo s t C o m p a n i e s We r e Un a b l e t o De t e r m i n e t h e So u rc e o f T h e i r C o n f l i c t Mi n e r a l s ” Eve n a f t e r t h e s e e x p e n s i v e , i n d e p e n d e n t a u d i t s , m o s t c o m p a n i e s s t i l l d o n ’ t k n ow i f t h e y ’ re f u n d i n g t h e D RC m i l i t i a s A 2 0 1 5 q u a n t i t a t i v e s t u d y f r o m t h e Un i ve r s i t y o f Wi s c o n s i n g o e s e ve n f u r t h e r : “ In s t e a d o f re d u ci n g v i o l e n c e , t h e e v i d e n c e h e re i n d i c a t e s t h e p o l i c i e s i n c re a s e d t h e i n c i d e n t s i n w h i c h a r m e d g r o u p s l o o t e d c i v i l i a n s a n d c o m m i t t e d v i o l e n c e a g a i n s t t h e m ” T h i s c o s t l y s t a t u t e d i d m o re t h a n c o s t A m e r i c a n c o mp a n i e s b i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s i t c o s t D RC c i t i ze n s t h e i r l i ve s W h y d i d t h e i n c i d e n t s o f v i o l e n c e i n c re a s e ? We l l , w h e n Do d d - Fr a n k’s Ti t l e X V re g u l at i o n s c a m e i n t o p l a c e , c o m p an i e s re d u c e d t h e a m o u n t o f c o n f l i c t m i n e r a l s t h e y b o u g h t

H o w d i d m i l i t i a s r e s p o n d ? T h e y m ov e d t o u n r e g u l a t e d m i n e s , k i l l e d c i v i l i a n s , l o o t e d i n n o c e n t s ’ h o m e s a n d s o l d c o nf l i c t m i n e r a l s t o E u r o p e a n c o m p a n i e s w i t h o u t o u r re g u l at i o n s § 1 5 0 2 i s a n u t t e r d i s a st e r, a l b e i t w e l l i n t e n t i o n e d , w h i c h d e s e r ve s re p u d i a t i o n a n d re vo c a t i o n Now l e t ’ s a p p l y t h e s e f a c t s t o C o r n e l l Un i v e r s i t y Ac c o rd i n g t o a n S A re s o l u t i o n p a s s e d t o m a k e o u r c a m p u s c o n f l i c t - f r e e , C o r n e l l Un i ve r s i t y a l l o c a t e s $ 5 0 m i ll i o n t o p u r c h a s e t e c h n o l o g y f ro m c o m p a n i e s t h a t u s e c o nf l i c t m i n e r a l s i n t h e i r s u p p l y c h a i n In 2 0 1 0 , w h e n t h i s re s ol u t i o n w a s p a s s e d , I w o u l d h a ve c o m p l e t e l y a g r e e d w i t h t h e i n t e n t I s t i l l a g re e w i t h t h e i n t e n t Bu t a s we ’ ve s e e n s i n c e t h e s t a t u t e w a s p a s s e d i n 2 0 1 0 , we h a ve n o w a y o f k n ow i n g w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e c o m p a n y ' s c o n f l i c t m i n e r a l s a re a c t u a l l y c o n f l i c t - f re e T h a t ’ s w h a t t h e G A O r e p o r t s h o w s a n d t h o s e a re c o m p a n i e s t h a t a re d o i n g t h e i r d u e d i l i g e n c e ! Eve n m o re w o r r y i n g , t h e re f e re n c e d s t u d y c o n c l u d e s t h a t t h i s p o l i c y i s a c t u a l l y c o n t r i b u t i n g t o a s p i k e o f c i v i l i a n m u rd e r s a n d l o o t i n g s

The Ubiquity Of Ethics And Software

Th e p r e s s i n g t o p i c o f c y b e r s e c u r i t y h a s r e s u r f a c e d

i n t h e p u b l i c c o n s c i o u s f o l l ow i n g t h e n e w s o f Ru s s i a n h a c k e r s l e a k i n g t h o u s a n d s o f e m a i l s

b e l o n g i n g t o t h e D e m o c r a t i c Na t i o n a l C o m m i t t e e

So f t w a r e m i g h t b e d e v e l o p e d f o r o n e c l e a r - c u t p u rp o s e , b u t m o r e o f t e n t h a n n o t , t h e t e c h n o l o g y ’ s e t h i c a l r a m i f i c a t i o n s a r e d i s r e g a rd e d b y e n g i n e e r s In t h e c a s e o f t h e Ru s s i a n h a c k i n g , t h e i n d i v i d u a l s t h a t p e r p e t r a te d t h e c y b e r a t t a c k b r o k e a m o r a l c o d e b y i n t e n t i o n a l l y h a c k i n g t o c o m m i t a n i l l e g a l a c t Fo r s o f t w a r e e n g in e e r s , t h e i r i n n ov a t i v e s k i l l s c o m e w i t h a g r e a t d e a l o f

r e s p o n s i b i l i t y

A l t h o u g h a n e n g i n e e r ’ s t o p p r i o r i t y i s e f f i c i e n c y,

t h e y m u s t n o t ov e r l o o k e t h i c s Ta k i n g i n t o a c c o u n t t h e

h a c

r s f r o m “ r a t t i n g . ”

p r i v a c y o f t h e u s e r, t h e r u l e o f l a w a n d t h e u n f o r e s e e n

c o n s e q u e n c e s o f s o f t w a r e i s a s i m p o r t a n t a s t h e a l g or i t h m i t s e l f A l t h o u g h t h e c o n v e r s a t i o n a b o u t e t h i c s i n t h e t e c h n o l o g y s p h e r e h a s g a i n e d m o m e n t u m , i t i s s t i l l i n i t s i n f a n c y W i t h s o f t w a r e b e c o m i n g u b i q u i t o u s , e v e r y l i n e o f c o d e i n s t i l s a g r e a t d e a l o f p ow e r

O n l i n e p r i v a c y a n d d a t a s e c u r i t y h a v e g e n e r a t e d

c o n c e r n a m o n g m a n y i n t h e p a s t d e c a d e t o t h e p o i n t w h e r e e v e n Ma r k Z u c k e r b e r g c ov e r s h i s l a p t o p c a m e r a t o p r e v e n t h a c k e r s f r o m “ r a t t i n g ” So m e m i g h t

b e l i e v e t h i s b e h a v i o r m i m i c s p a r a n o i a O t h e r s s t r e s s t h e n e e d f o r p r i v a c y c o d e s o f c o n d u c t w i t h i n t h e s o f t -

w a r e e n g i n e e r i n g p r o f e s s i o n W h e n E d w a rd Sn ow d e n l e a k e d e v i d e n c e e x p o s i n g t w o g ov e r n m e n t p r o g r a m s i n t e n d e d t o h a c k i n t o c o m p u t e r m i c r o p h o n e s a n d

c a m e r a s , t e c h n o l o g y c o m p a n i e s s t a r t e d r e t h i n k i n g t h e e t h i c a l i m p a c t o f t h e i r s o f t w a r e Pr i v a c y p o l i c i e s a r e o f t e n t h e b e s t w a y f o r s o f t w a r e e n g i n e e r s t o c h e c k h ow t h e i r s o f t w a r e g a t h e r s i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t c o n s u m e r s Fo r i n s t a n c e , a s o f t w a r e e n g i n e e r a t Fa c e b o o k m u s t t h i n k n o t o n l y a b o u t h ow t o d e v e l o p a n e w a n d i n n ov a t i v e f e a t u r e f o r “ Ne w s Fe e d , ” b u t a l s o h ow t h a t f e at u r e m u s t n o t c o l l e c t i n f o r m a t i o n t h a t t h e u s e r w o u l d n o t w a n t p u b l i c o r d i d n o t c o n s e n t t o r e l e a s e T h e “ o n l y m e ” o p t i o n f o r p h o t o a l b u m s i s c o n s t a n t l y u s e d

b y Fa c e b o o k m e m b e r s ; s o f t w a r e e n g i n e e r s m u s t e n s u r e t h i s o p t i o n h o l d s t r u e t o i t s n a m e A s m o r e a n d m o r e p e o p l e a r e g o i n g i n t o t e c h n o l og y, t h e r e h a s b e e n a h e i g h t e n e d s e n s e o f u r g e n c y f o r e n g i n e e r s t o t h i n k a b o u t t h e l e g a l i t y, i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e e f f i c i e n c y a n d q u a l i t y, o f t h e i r s o f t w a r e Me e t i n g l e g a l s t a n d a rd s i s o f u t m o s t i m p o r t a n c e w h e n m a r k e t i n g a n e w p r o d u c t How e v e r, m o s t s o f t w a r e e n g i n e e r s r u n o n t i g h t d e a d l i n e s T h e y m u s t b e a b l e t o r e s p o n d t o p r e s s u r e w i t h t h e s a m e v e l o c i t y a s t h e y w o u l d b e w h e n d ow n i n g a c u p o f c o f f e e W h e n Fa c e b o o k w a s c r i t ic i z e d a f t e r t h e 2 0 1 6 p r e s i d e n t i a l e l e c t i o n f o r a l l ow i n g f a k e n e w s s t o r i e s t o s p r e a d t h r o u g h i t s i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , t h e c o m p a n y q u i c k l y r e s p o n d e d t o t h e s c r u t i n y b y i n t r o d u c i n g a n e w f a c t - c h e c k i n g f e a t u r e B e c a u s e s o f tw a r e e n g i n e e r s c a n n o t f o r e s e e e v e r y c o n s e q u e n c e t h a t c o u l d r e s u l t f r o m t h e i r w o r k , t h e y m u s t b e r e a d y t o d e a l w i t h e t h i c a l i s s u e s w h e n t h e y a r i s e e v e n w h e n e y e s t r a i n i s b e c o m i n g a n i s s u e A s a s t u d e n t s t u d y i n g t e c h n o l o g y, I r e c o g n i z e t h e n e e d f o r t r a n s p a r e n c y I s u p p o r t t h e n o t i o n t h a t a g r e a t e r e m p h a s i s s h o u l d b e p l a c e d o n t h e e t h i c a l i m p l i c a t i o n s o f s o f t w a r e d e v e l o p m e n t A n y t y p e o f s o f t w a r e h a s b r o a d e t h i c a l r a m i f i c a t i o n s ; i t i s t h e e n g in e e r s w h o h a v e t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o t a k e h u m a n i t y i n t o a c c o u n t w h e n d e v e l o p i n g t e c h n o l o g i e s

Jury Comm en t of the day

“The Hyde Amendment forbids the federal government from funding abortions already, so Trump did not make any such offer. He offered to fund P P if they stopped offering abortions (which they fund with money that does NOT come from the federal government). This is essentially blackmail. In January, 2017 a Quinnipiac University National poll found that 69 percent of American voters oppose eliminating federal funding to Planned Parenthood.”

j. t. fullard

Re: “Jeers, Protests Greet Republican Tom Reed in Ithaca” News March 11, 2017

Democracy’s

In The People v O J Simpson, Johnnie Cochran, a member of O J Simpson’s dream team legal s q u a d , t e l l s h i s c o l l e a g u e s , “ Ev i d e n c e d o e s n ’ t

y Jurors go with the narrative that makes sense ” The show presents DNA analysis as being so ne w that m

r head nor tail of solid evidence presented that tied Simpson directly to t h e s c e n e o f t w o m u r d e r s Simpson’s defence relied on muddying the waters with accusations of systemic racism i n t h e L o s A n g e l e s Po

order to prevent

beyond a reason-

w a s e nthralled by show

t r i c k s a n d r h etoric, smoke and m i r r o r s a r o u n d the fire of what actually happened

tion Information’s instant diffusion would broadcast the plight of the downtrodden or the abuses of t h e p o w e r f u l W i t h d e n d r i t e s s p r e a d i n g t o f a r a w a y l a n d s , t h e a v e r a g e p e r s o n c o u l d m a k e informed decisions on issues that were once inaccessible Instead, the tide of ne w information has over whelmed the average citizen Encountering this, it is easier to retreat into what Willard Van Orman Quine termed a “web of belief ” the set of intercon-

reality and retaining security in our understanding of the world

C o n s t a n t l y a l t e r i n g o u r v i e w s would unmoor the individual from any reference point Considering t o d a y ’ s i n f o r m a t i o n l a n d s c a p e i n light of the mind’s web of belief, it seems reasonable, almost sensible, that citizens choose to follow the stories that ring true rather than the evidence so solid it makes no sound Narratives retain some hollowness to them in order to resonate with us whereas facts are too certain to pro-

I n s t e a d , t h e t i d e o f n e w i n f o r m a t i o n h a s o v e rw h e l m e d t h e a v e r a g e c i t i z e n . E n c o u n t e r i n g

t h i s , i t i s e a s i e r t o r e t r e a t i n t o w h a t W

V a n O r m a n Q u i n e t e r m e d a “ w e b o f b

t h e s e t o f i n t e r c o n n e c t e d i d e a s a n u n d e r s t a n d i n g t h a t h e l p u s m a k e s e n s e o f t h e w o r l d .

o n t h e n i g h t o f the murders for which Simpson stood trial Such seems to be the state of much political discourse The facts of which policies will benefit citizens are sacrificed to the stor y that fits their beliefs Tariffs on tequila, c o n f i

r

s i d i e s , and polluted water ways are so quot i d i a n w h e n c o m p a re d w i t h t h e feeling of knowing that Mexico is hur ting or that your taxes won ’ t be paying for those skiving bottom feeders any longer W h i l e h o t - b l o o d e d n a r r a t i v e s have always held greater sway than cold facts, it was only recently that our era offered the promise of movi n g d

T

technological promises of the ne w millennium a computer in ever y home, the internet connecting us all across borders heralded an erosion of boundaries to informa-

n e c t e d i d e a s a n d u n d e r s t a n d i n g that help us make sense of the world At the core of this web are foundational beliefs while on the p e r i p h e r y r e s i d e l e s s s u b s t a n t i a l vie ws Because of their centrality the core beliefs are seldom altered, for doing so would require reconstr ucting large areas of understanding that rely upon them Peripheral beliefs are more flimsy given the ease with which we can plug any gap with a comparable belief

Fa c e d w i t h t h e b r e a d t h a n d depth of information now afforded to us, individual confirmation bias seems a natural development The Internet allows us access to a vast set of competing ideas to make up and shape our worldview With an infinity of competitors for space in our web of belief, we each require some heuristic that allows us to balance the competing requirements of conforming our beliefs to some external

duce the right melody

This “stickiness” of understanding suggests that polities cannot

merely on the merits of fact The ivor y tower and the halls of power must offer some cogent narrative that persuades citizens Politicians on the pro-openness side of recent political debates (Hillar y Clinton, David Cameron) have failed to do this, instead believing that tr uth is enough to win the day We need ne w narratives if we are not to cede ground to those who spin the old yarns of tribe and nation It is

democracy, however removed we may consider ourselves to be, we are all jurors

SCIENCE

A n i m a l s c i e n c e G M O S S c i e n c e P o l i c y

T h e S a l a m a n d e r P i l g r i m a g e

Thousands emerge from woods for breeding season

p

T h o u s a n d s o f s a l a m a n d e r s e m e r g e d

f r o m t h e w o o d s o f To m p k i n s C o u n t y ov e r t h e l a s t f e w w e e k s a n d c r a w l e d t o

v e r n a l p o n d s t o r e p r o d u c e

T h e s a l a m a n d e r p i l g r i m a g e o f t e n o n l y a c r a w l o f a b o u t a f e w h u n -

d r e d y a rd s i s a n a n n u a l e v e n t t o p r o c r e a t e , s a i d Pr o f K e l l y Z a m u d i o ,

e c o l o g y a n d e v o l u t i o n a r y b i o l o g y T h e t w o s p e c i e s o f s a l a m a n d e r s i n t h i s a r e a t h e Je f f e r s o n s a l a m a n d e r

a n d t h e s p o t t e d s a l a m a n d e r a r e “ e x p l o s i v e b r e e d e r s , ” Z a m u d i o s a i d , m e a n i n g t h e y a l l c o m e o u t o f t h e w o o d s w i t h i n a f e w w e e k s t o r e p r od u c e “ T h e r e ’ s a l o t o f f i d e l i t y, ” Z a m u d i o s a i d “ O n c e a n a d u l t f i n d s a w o o d l o t [ a s m a l l a r e a o f f o r e s t ] t o l i v e i n a n d t h a t ’ s w h e r e h o m e i s i n t h e s u m -

m e r t h e y t e n d t o g o b a c k t o t h e

s a m e p o n d ” Jo e B a r r o n ’ 1 7 a n d Je n G u e r r e r o ’ 1 8 , s o c i a l m e d i a c h a i r a n d v i c e p r e s id e n t o f t h e C o r n e l l He r p e t o l o g i c a l

S o c i e t y, r e s p e c t i v e l y, b r o u g h t a p h ot o g r a p h e r a n d r e p o r t e r f r o m T h e Su n o n a n i g h t t i m e s a l a m a n d e r s e a r c h a t C o r n e l l ’ s R o b e r t Tr e n t

t h h i s

w h i t e g l o b s T h e g l o b s , a t t a c h e d t o t h e l e a f, a r e s p e r m a t o p h o r e p a c k e t s o f s p e r m p l a c e d o n t o v e g e t a t i o n b y m a l e s a l a -

m a n d e r s A f t e r a m a l e s q u i r m s a r o u n d n e a r a f e m a l e s a l a m a n d e r “d a n c e s , ”

“ T h i s i s p a r t o f o u r

l o c a l f a u n a a n d i t ’ s

b e e n l i v i n g l i k e t h i s f o r

2 0 m i l l i o n y e a r s . I n t h a t

s o m a n y m i l l i o n y e a r s ,

t h e r e ’ s b e e n q u i t e a l o t

o f e n v i r o n m e n t a l

c h a n g e , b u t i t ' s n e v e r

b e e n t h i s f a s t . ”

P r o f K e l l y Z a m u d i o

B a r r o n s a i d t h e y d e p o s i t s p e r -

m a t o p h o r e o n t o v e g e t a t i o n f o r t h e f e m a l e s a l a m a n d e r, w h o p l a c e s h e r c l o a c a o n t o t h e s p e r m p a c k e t T h e w a r m Fe b r u a r y t h i s y e a r u p t o 7 3 d e g r e e s a t o n e p o i n t l e d t o

a l c h a n g e , b u t i t ' s n e v e r b e e n t h i s f a s t a n d i t ' s n e v e r b e e n i n t h e d i r e c t i o n o f c o mp l e t e e x t r e m e s ” I f c l i m a t e c h a n g e c r e a t e s m o r e e x t r e m e w e a t h e r c

i s n o t y e t c l e a r t h a t t h o s e e v e n t s w i l l h a p p e n a n y t i m e s o o n , b u t , s h e s a i d , “ t h a t ’ s w h e r e t h e d a n g e r l i e s ”

t h e s t a t e D e p a r t m e n t o f E n v i r o n m e n t a l C o n s e r v a t i o n i s s u i n g a n o t i c e t h a t s a l a m a n d e r s m a y e m e r g e f r o m t h e g r o u n d s e s p e c i a l l y e a r l y “ W i t h t h i s w e e k’s u n s e a s o n a b l y w a r m t e m p e r a t u r e s a n d t h e r a i n y w e e k e n d f o r e c a s t , t h e 2 0 1 7 m i g r a t i o n m a y h a v e a n u n u s u a l l y e a r l y s t a r t , ” t h e D E C s a i d i n a s t a t e m e n t i n Fe b r u a r y T h e s a l a m a n d e r s n e a r C o r n e l l b e g a n t h e i r m i g r a t i o n a r o u n d Fe b 2 8 t h i s y e a r, w h i c h i s h i g h l y u n u s u a l , Z a m u d i o s a i d , a d d i n g t h a t s h e c o u l d n o t r e c a l l s u c h a n e a r l y m i g r a t i o n s i n c e t h e e a r l y 2 0 0 0 s S o m e t i m e s t h e s

Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs can be reached at nbogel-burroughs@cornellsun com

O n E t h i c s, F a k e N e w s a n d S c i e n c e

D i s c u s s i o n s o n s c i e n c e ’ s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o p o l i c y - m a k i n g d o m i n a t e A A A S C o n f e r e n c e

Science is not about standalone disc ove r i e s S c i e n t i s t s s h a re h y p o t h e s e s , findings and conclusions to help build a concrete picture of the world To enable such discussion and deliberate science’s r o l e i n s h a p i n g p u b l i c p o l i c y, t h e

A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n f o r t h e

Advancement of Science held its annual conference on Feb 16 in Boston The theme this year was ‘ ser ving society through science policy ’

Discussions such as these r un the r i s k o f h a r b o r i n g a p o l i t i c a l s l a n t

Indeed, this was how the AAAS conference began, with AAAS President, Dr Barbara Schaal, commenting on recent immigration restrictions One of her main concerns was the possibility of the executive order disr upting scientific collaboration between nations

Prof Br uce Le wenstein, communicat i o n , a l o n g t i m e m e m b e r o f A A A S , e c h o e s s o m e o f S c h a a l’s s e n t i m e n t s ;

d e s c r i b i n g t h e o r g a n i z a t i o n a s o n e

devoted to maintaining the connection between scientific communities in the United States and the public According to Le wenstein, the conference plays an impor tant role in bringing scientists from different disciplines together

“It’s a meeting intended to reach out to a broader audience at these spaces, ” Le wenstein said

“ What happens at the meeting is r a re l y t h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g If you ’ re a geneticist, you will not necessarily be as informed as an ethicist

There are a lot of productive meetings for all kinds of scientists ”

One of the conference’s key goals was to address the growing challenges that scientists face in sharing their findi n g s w i t h t h e p u b l i c , e s p ecially with the d i s s e m i

‘fake ne ws ’ An impor tant seminar that set the t o n e f o r s u c h discussions was l e d b y Pr o f D a n K a h

“W h a t h a p p e n s a t

t h e m e e t i n g i s

r a r e l y t h e m o s t

processes by which we evaluate inform a t i o n , K a h a n p r e s e n t e d f u r t h e r research on the topic According to him, most people fully comprehend the scientific facts shown to them, regardless of their politi c a l s t a n c e s , b u t t h e i r a c c e p t a n c e of such information depends on how it challenges t h e i r e x i s t i n g beliefs

i m p o r t a n t t h i n g . I f

y o u ’ r e a

g e n e t i c i s t , y o u w i l l

n o t b e a s i n f o r m e d

facts

According to K a h a n , t h e e f f e c t o f a n i n d i v i d u a l ’ s beliefs on their acceptance of scientific facts can be modelled in two ways The first, the information aggregator account model, sees our beliefs as the sum total of the information we are exposed to while the second, motivated processor account, s u g g e s t

a s a n e t h i c i s t .”

P r o f B r u c e L e w e n s t e i n

Cornell librarian Kelee Pacion, a n e x p e r t o n methods used to c r i t i c a l l y a n a l y z e i n f o r m a t i o n , echoes these sent i m e n t s a n d e m p h a s i z e s t h e need to help peop l e d e v e l o p t h e skills to critically evaluate the quali t y o f i n f o r m ation

“ So c i a l m e d i a m o v e s f a s t , ” Pa c i o n s a i d

“High school education could help by implementing ne w methods for dealing with fact analysis ” While concerns regarding fake ne ws h a v e o n l y r e c e n t l y s u r f a c e d , e t h i c a l issues in science have always been under discussion Par t of the conference’s mission was to provide a for um to discuss these issues

O n e c o n t r o v e r s i a l d i s c o v e r y, CRISPR gene-editing, has been under t h e s p o t l i g h t s i n c e t h e Na t i o n a l

Academy of Sciences passed a resolution in Febr uar y that called for the development of technology that aids the study of medical conditions The tool enables researchers to remove, add or alter sections of the genome and could potentially help treat genetic conditions The controversy lies in the possibility of altering reproductive cells, an act with re p

t by future generations “ The technology is urgently needed but if we ’ re targeting a larger population, the regulations should be tight so it needs tighter security We’re potentially polluting our genetic pools The resolution was the right decision to proceed for ward with caution,” said Prof A i l o n g K

o g y a n d genetics and an exper t on CRISPR systems While these ethical questions are far from being answered, the conference did shed light on impor tant issues that the scientific community needs to consider Fur thermore, as the event came to a close, scientists from all disciplines came together to create a video stor y Despite the different points of focus, each shared a common theme: science is shaped by more than facts and experiments, but the people who conduct them and their role in informing the wider world

Victor Aguilar can be reached at va233@cornell edu

O n a l i s t o f t h e m o s t c o n t r o v e r s i a l

t o p i c s i n s c i e n c e , g e n e t i c a l l y m o d i f i e d o r g a n i s m s w o u l d e a s i l y b e c l o s e t o t h e t o p C o n c e r n s a b o u t t h e i r s a f e t y a n d e f f e c t o n n a t u r a l l y b r e d s p e c i e s c o nt i n u e t o d o m i n a t e s c i e n t i f i c a n d p o l ic y d i s c u s s i o n s Pr o f S a r a h D a v i d s o n

Ev a n e g a , p l a n t b r e e d i n g a n d g e n e t i c s , h o w e v e r, i s a s s u r e d o f t h e i r s a f e t y a n d m a i n t a i n s t h a t t h e y c o u l d p l a y a n i m p o r t a n t r o l e i n f i g h t i n g g l o b a l f o o d i n s e c u r i t y Sp e a k i n g a t t h e Fo o d S e c u r i t y a n d

“Y

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P r o f S a r a h D a v i d s o n E v a n e g a

A c c o r d i n g t o Ev a n e g a , e f f e c t i v e m a rk e t i n g s t r a t e g i e s c o u l d c o n t r i b u t e t o t h e m i s i n f o r m a t i o n o n G M O s “ S u p p o s e y o u a r e a t a g r o c e r y s t o re I f y o u w e re a f r a i d o r u n c e r t a i n a b o u t G M O s a n d y o u c o u l d a f f o r d i t , y o u w o u l d p r o b a b l y s p e n d t h a t e x t r a d o l l a r o n a n o n - G M O v e r i f i e d p r o du c t Bu t m a n y t h i n g s l a b e l e d ‘ n o n - G M O ’ h a v e n o G M O c o u n t e r p a r t s Ma r k e t e r s t a k e a d v a n t a g e o f b u s y c u s t o m e r s l i k e y o u a n d m e , ” Ev a n e g a s a i d A s a m o t h e r o f t h r e e c h i ld re n , a n e n v ir o n m e n t a l i s t a n d a p l a n t s c ie n t i s t , Ev a n e g a u r g e s p e o p l e t o re e x a mi n e t h e i r v i e w s o f G M O s “ I c a n n o t a t t h e s a m e t i m e c a l l m y s e l f a n e n v i r o n m e n t a l i s t a n d s t a n d i n t h e w a y o f t e c h n o l o g y t h a t r e d u c e s p e s t i c i d e u s e s u c h a s B t c r o p s , ” Ev a n e g a s a i d “ Yo u c a n n o t a t t h e s a m e t i m e u p h o l d t h e s c i e n t i f i c c o n s e n s u s a r o u n d c l i m a t e c h a n g e a n d d e n y t h e s c i e n t i f i c c o n s e n s u s o f t h e s a f e t y o f G M c r o p s ” E v a n e g a e n c o u r a g e d p e o p l e t o e v a l u a t e e a c h G M O o n a c a s e b y c a s e b a s i s , a s s e s s i n g r i s k s a n d b e n e f i t s t o c o n s u m e r s a n d t h e e n v i r o n m e n t W i t h h e r c o l l e a g u e s a t C o r n e l l A l l i a n c e f o r S c i e n c e , Ev a n e g a i s w o r ki n g t o h e l p p e o p l e u n d e r s t a n d h o w a g r i c u l t u r a l b i o t e c h n o l o g y c a n h e l p e n h a n c e f o o d s e c u r i t y w h i l e m i n i m i zi n g t h e n e g a t i v e i m p a c t o f a g r i c u l t u r e o n t h e e n v i r o n m e n t “ We w a n t t o t e l l s t o r i e s a b o u t t h e t e c h n o l o g y a b o u t t h e l o w - m e t h a n e r i c e t h a t r e d u c e s g r e e n h o u s e g a s e m i ss i o n s , t h e i n s e c t - r e s i s t a n t c r o p s t h a t r e d u c e i n s e c t i c i d e u s e , t h e d r o u g h tt o l e r a n t m a i z e t h a t s u r v i v e s b e t t e r i n e x t r e m e e n v i r o n m e n t a n d a l l e v i a t e s t h e b u r d e n o n f a r m e r s a l r e a d y s t r u gg l i n g i n t h e f a c e o f c l i m a t e c h a n g e , ” Ev a n e g a s a i d Ev a n e g a b e l i e v e s t h a t t r a n s p a r e n c y i s t h e k e y t o e a r n i n g p u b l i c t r u s t a n d s u g g e s t s t h a t c o r p o r a t i o

Trang Dau can be reached at tld68@cornell edu C o r n e l l P r o f e s s o r A d v o c a t e s f o r H i g h e r C o n s u m p t i o n o f G e n e t i c a l l y M o d i f i e d C r o p s

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

L o g a n C u t s D e e p

Ever since Bryan Singer’s first X-Men flick in 2000, the ubiquitous desire of hardcore comic book fans everywhere was for a solo Wolverine film, and for one that captured the character’s dark personality, brutal fighting style and vulgar lingo, which many felt could not be done within the confines of a PG-13 rating Though previous efforts X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine were modest attempts, it was not until the critical and financial success of 2016’s licentious, violent and hedonic Deadpool that the groundwork was set for 20th Century Fox to acquiesce to that desire and grace cinema screens with the Rrated Logan Although Logan is filled with enough f-bombs and dismembered limbs to satiate even the most ravenous of Quentin Tarantino fans, contrary to popular belief, these aspects are not the sole points of the film’s strengths To say that Logan is a great Wolverine film purely because of its R-rating would do it a disservice As superhero films become much more focused on creating cohesive cinematic worlds instead of stand-alone stories, Logan succeeds through its simplistic, emotional and characterdriven narrative (carried by the raw talent of its brilliant cast) and serves as a rousing and faithful conclusion to a character whom Hugh Jackman has played for 17 years

In contrast to the brighter palette of previous X-Men films, the world of Logan is bleak, barren and grim The film starts in the year 2029, where no new mutants have been born for the past 25 years The X-men are solely survived by an elderly and decrepit Professor X/Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) who suffers from a neurodegenerative disease that makes him lose control of his telepathic powers, and a grizzled and bitter Wolverine/Logan (Hugh Jackman) who is slowly dying due to his reduced healing factor and adamantium skeleton which is slowly poisoning him Logan spends his days as a limo driver, saving his earnings to buy medication to mitigate Professor X’s dangerous seizures One day however, Gabriella, a nurse who works for the Transigen Corporation, visits Logan, bringing with her a girl named Laura (Dafne Keen) Gabriella begs Logan to help her and Laura escape from the Reavers, Transigen’s cybernetically-enhanced elite soldiers, while also revealing that Laura was experimented upon by Transigen and shares the same mutant DNA as him The film then steps into high gear as Logan, Professor X, and Laura embark on a road trip towards “Eden,” a safe haven for the last of mutant kind, while trying to avoid being attacked by Pierce and the rest of Transigen Individuals looking for a reason why Logan is so dark and austere in comparison to the happy ending of X-Men: Days of Future Past will not find an explanation, though director James Mangold subtly drops hints through old radio recordings and brief bits of dialogue The fact that Logan asks more questions than it gives answers may be frustrating for some, but Mangold chooses to focus on fleshing out the personalities and character traits of the main characters, deliberately making the backstory of the plot a secondary concern It works to great effect; having grown up with these characters since 2000, it is heartbreaking to see their current dismal state Mangold pushes the characters to the limit, making them twisted and mangled alterations of their

Lorde is an icon She’s the voice of our generation, and old folks are jealous for it David Brooks and the rest of the fake news media don’t actually think of millennials as hopelessly privileged social media zombies Instead, they resent that we had Pure Heroine, Lorde’s 2013 opus, where they had disco or whatever your parents promote as “real music ” With Heroine, Lorde delivered an album-length testament to teenage glory, told not by an aged folk singer nostalgic for his pink carnations and his pickup truck, but rather by one of our peers a precocious 17-year-old already wise about her formative years Lorde’s age at the time suggested something akin to a child

old selves Professor X is merely a shell of the great mentor and visionary that he once was, and his altruism and tenderness have been replaced with selfishness and astringence His ramblings, once thought of as revered teachings by his students, are now merely seen as the inane diatribes of an old man He retains his signature optimism, but even that is viewed as wishful thinking Although Logan himself is no stranger to affliction, he is as cynical as ever, and is largely a weary creature of habit Gone are his witty wisecracks and avant-garde leadership skills; he is a lone wolf who self-medicates with booze and cigars The two are aided by another mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant) but even he is somber and despondent

Fittingly, in contrast to these characters who have been bogged down by life’s hardships, Laura/X-23 injects a dark, youthful exuberance Actress Dafne Keen is not given many lines in the film, but she nonetheless proves that actions speak louder than words She communicates Laura’s ferocity and independence through her guttural shrieks and stoic demeanor, but also retains a childlike curiosity towards the hostile environment around her It is through Laura’s eyes that we see how broken the world is, yet we are also given hope that mutant kind may thrive once again Due to Mangold’s conscious focus on Logan, Professor X and Laura, unfortunately, the villains are underdeveloped The primary antagonist Zander Rice (Richard E Grant) is given too little screen time, with not enough groundwork set to establish him as a truly threatening antagonist Donald Pierce is the only member of the Reavers who is given any sort of character development and Boyd Holbrook does the best with what he is given, but at the end of the day, the character comes off as yet another glorified, snide and mordant henchman

Mexico Camera angles on Logan s lethargic movements, hands hanging to the side of him, against the fading sunset, almost painting him as a cowboy (but with claws instead of revolvers)

Indeed, when it comes to Logan’ s action sequences, Mangold pulls no punches and shows no restraint as he uses the R-rating to full effect After being teased with a brief sequence in X-Men: Apocalypse, viewers finally see Logan go into full berserker mode on multiple occasions Hugh Jackman transforms the character into a snarling, unstoppable beast who bludgeons, slashes and hacks his assailants without mercy, with even the most heavily armored and armed soldiers not standing a chance against his adamantium claws Mangold histrionically focuses on Logan’s frenzied onslaughts, ensuring that fans can gorge themselves on the onscreen carnage with almost vampire-like glee Impalement, decapitation and skewering are all used with equal measure, always with gory and bloody after effects Logan himself suffers as well, with gunshots and blade wounds often marring his decaying form In contrast to Logan’s brawler fight style, Laura is much more agile She leaps and somersaults through the air with her own claws outstretched, often mowing down many more assailants than Logan himself

Although Mangold chooses to focus mainly on the characters, the pace of the narrative does not suffer as a result Logan moves at breakneck speed, taking the protagonists from Mexico to Oklahoma City to North Dakota But brief moments of levity and introspection help rein back the pace It is refreshing to see the characters interact with one another throughout the duration of their extended road trip, whether it is Professor X scolding Logan or Laura remaining laconic to Logan’s probing questions Likewise, Mangold layers and weaves social commentar y throughout the film, akining mutants to “immigrants” and stressing the fact that America should not reject them but accept them Respectively, Mangold achieves tonal consistency by channeling the spirit of Western movies, especially in the film’s first act, with the backdrop being set in the acrid and arenaceous

Later in the film, Laura pulls out old X-Men comics from her backpack, which Logan berates as mere romanticized accounts of the team ’ s endeavors, stating “maybe a quarter of it happened, but not like this ” To this, Professor X soberingly replies that Laura “does not need to be reminded of life’s irreverence ” At first Logan is taken aback because he realizes that he has let life’s adversities shape him into a calloused and pessimistic individual Both he and Professor X realize that though it may be too late to change themselves, hope lies in Laura It is a heartbreaking and bittersweet revelation, but one that Logan fights for He does want Laura to be like him; he wants her to be different As he tells her to overcome her tragic upbringing, Logan is almost speaking to the audience, reminding viewers that they are not a slave to their circumstances or history; there is always an opportunity to start anew and fight for what is right This compelling message transforms Logan into a timeless, thoughtful and genre-defying epic, and proves that adamantium claws alone are not enough to tell a story that cuts deep

Zachar y Lee is a freshman in the College of Ar ts and Sciences He can be reached at zjl14@cornell edu

prodigy, but it also proved an essential component to her songwriting George Orwell once said that whoever writes about their childhood “ must beware of exaggeration and selfpity” On Heroine, Lorde deftly avoided both, treating the alltoo-real emotions of our teenage years with an honesty not yet distorted by nostalgia or dismissed by jadedness

Now at the grand old age of 20, Lorde has reemerged from her extended silence bearing gifts the single “Green Light” and the promise of a ne w album, Melodrama The song is essentially a breakup anthem, but delivered with an alien intensity unique to the young pop star (as embodied by her I-dare-you-to-look-away gaze in

the accompanying music video) It builds in a way that jars the listener, starting slowly as Lorde delivers spiteful blows to a former lover (“She thinks you love the beach, you ’ re such a damn liar”) before shifting into a feverish, admittedly frightening falsetto The transitions might make for a confusing first listen, but all is forgiven by the time that euphoric piano loop kicks in, and the palpable contempt of the verses gives way to pop music catharsis Try as you might, you’ll crank the volume every time

Chris Stanton is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reachd at cms459@cornell edu

J o k e s

Comedians love to talk about themselves So much so, in fact, that one imagines them going out of their way to have noteworthy experiences in life just for the sake of writing new material This real-time autobiography is an essential part of the craft, as the rules of modern stand-up dictate that comics have to reveal an embarrassing experience in every set, or at least throw a few self-deprecating pokes at their own neuroses Whether he intended to birth an undying format or not, Jerry Seinfeld transplanted these autobiographical elements of comedy culture into his TV show, resulting in one of the most popular sitcoms of all time For apparent lack of inspiration, every comedian in the game seems determined to do the exact same thing To quote one Kanye West: “It’s not funny anymore / Try

different jokes ”

up a promising relationship Gillian Jacobs steals the show right out from under Rust, as her character’s selfdestructive tendencies loom heavily over the script’s bright moments, deftly adding layers of emotional complexity to an other wise passable romantic comedy Without her, the show’s thesis might devolve into, “Hey! Nerdy guys without career prospects can get laid by conventionally attractive women, too!”

Really Terrible, And Such Small Portions

In the past month, the digital bloat of online streaming services has witnessed the debut of HBO’s Crashing, as well as the return of Netflix’s Love Comedian Pete Holmes created and stars in the first, portraying a fictionalized version of himself as he struggles to navigate the New York comedy scene after walking in on his wife doing the dirty with another man Appropriately, the show bears the much sought after seal of approval from executive producer Judd Apatow Love, meanwhile, is the brainchild of comedian Paul Rust and Judd Apatow, and stars the former as a fictionalized version of himself struggling to navigate romance and his failing career as a screenwriter in Los Angeles The simultaneous release of the two shows only works to accentuate their similarities

That’s not to say that either of them lacks merit Crashing, in spite of its dramatic set-up, radiates with positivity an almost unsettling concept in 2017 As The Atlantic’s Robert O’Connell wrote of the show, “Comedy need not be only the refuge of the cynic ” Much of this optimism emanates from Holmes himself, as his decidedly unfunny protagonist starts to fail forward only because of his glasshalf-full mentality His character crosses paths with comedians like T J Miller and Artie Lang, playing themselves, who take to Pete’s affable persona and decide to help him out To the show’s benefit, Holmes eschews trends by imagining a gushy sense of communal love in the notoriously difficult world of New York’s comedy scene Still, these cameos recreate the effect of throwing a show-stopping guest verse on a mediocre rap song It helps, sure, but you mostly just wish the song were better

On the other hand, Love’ s first season made for an intriguingly difficult watch, marked by bitterness and its protagonists’ mutual fear of screwing

Hollywood loves to see itself onscreen, and maybe this trend has simply infiltrated the world of comedy Post-1950s, almost ever y “ auteur ” in film has, at one point, made a feature-length analogy about their life as a creative Sometimes, they even write a movie about someone writing a movie, arousing film geeks and alienating everyone else These films can open up more thematic possibilities, though, when they transplant their narratives to another craft, making the protagonist a folk singer (Inside Llewyn Davis) or a food truck owner (Chef )

The time may have come for comedians to learn the same trick

One of the best bits of pop culture to emerge from the wreckage of 2016 was Donald Glover’s Atlanta The show riffs heavily on Louis C K ’ s Louie, incorporating elements of Lynchian surrealism for laughs while remaining generally somber in tone Unlike Louie –which, come to think of it, may have opened the floodgates for comedians making shows about comedians in the 2010s – Atlanta takes place in the world of its eponymous city’s rap scene An Atlanta native and rapper-singer himself, Glover stars as the scrappy tour manager for his cousin, who raps under the name “Paper Boi ” The show benefits greatly from its organic relationship with the world of hip-hop (the songs in Atlanta reflect current music more accurately than say, the Empire soundtrack), and it’s difficult to imagine anyone pulling it off in quite the same way as Glover Even so, the show serves as a shining example of how to improve upon an old format to tell new stories from underrepresented voices

Legend has it that, after the enormous commercial success of John McClane’s first outing, everyone in Hollywood pitched action movies as a variation on the Die Hard formula Thus, Air Force One becomes “Die Hard on a plane,” while Speed is “Die Hard on a bus” and Speed 2 is “Die Hard on a cruise ship” It’s possible, I suppose, that comedians will start to do the same with their TV pitches Your protagonist can be a creative, but make them a fashion designer or a sommelier instead, and also consider pulling from a demographic other than 30-something male Just please, no more comedians

Chris Stanton is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at cms459@cornell edu Really Terrible, and Such Small Portions! runs alternate Tuesdays this semester

Chris Stanton

Fencing Places Three in NCAA Regionals Top 10

After sending 10 fencers to last Sunday’s NCAA Regionals, the Cornell women ’ s fencing team posted successful results, finishing the meet with three individuals in the top 10

Senior Victoria Wines highlighted Cornell’s weekend with her second place finish among 45 epee fencers Her silver medal represented the second consecutive time making the podium at Regionals, and fourth overall time in her career Wines’ finish also qualified her for a spot at the upcoming NCAA Championships

“This will be my fourth trip to the NCAA championships, and I have been excited every time,” Wines said “I'm looking forward to see what happens this year ”

Cornell’s epee squad was rounded out by three freshmen who recorded notable finishes in their first Regionals: Caroline Kleiner at 17th, Rebekah Jones at 18th and Vera Lin at 23rd

The Red also enjoyed success in the foil event, as juniors Luby Kiriakidi and Gabriella Zusin finished fifth and ninth, respectively The duo’s performances placed them into contention for spots at the championship tournament Junior Julia Telischi rounded out the foil squad with a 14th place finish

“I had to remind myself that I've been working hard all season, and I deserved to [make Regionals],” Kiriakidi said “I also kept feeling that I was missing some key secret to fencing well, but I realized there is no key besides getting on the strip, using my tools and watching every moment to outmove and mess with my opponent ”

Juniors Regina Chen and Megan Buteau, and senior Abigail Forth competed in the sabre event and recorded respective finishes of 19th, 25th and 27th

As a whole, the Red exceeded expectations Six of the 10 competitors finished higher than their initial rankings entering the tournament The feat is even

more noteworthy after taking the Red’s circumstances entering the Regionals into account six of Cornell’s competitors had never fenced in a NCAA tournament prior to Sunday, and several members of the Red had been recovering from injuries entering the tournament

“Even though some of the girls had to overcome some injuries leading up to this tournament, [we] felt prepared, physically and tactically,” Chen said “It was a pleasure to see all of the team ' s hard work in the gym and the salle come to fruition ”

While the performances of Wines, Kiriakidi and Zusin will undoubtedly highlight Regionals, the tournament also presented some learning opportunities for the team as a whole In particular, Cornell gained valuable experience fencing in consecutive bouts for long periods of time

“One of the struggles of the long day was remaining engaged mentally throughout all the bouts,” Chen said “The team ' s mantra ‘ one touch at a time’ helped us move past those obstacles and refocus ”

The Regionals also afforded the Red an opportunity to reevaluate its mental toughness

“[Regionals] was a reminder of how big the mental aspect of the sport is to the overall game, ” Kiriakidi said “I hope we as a team can keep discovering that mental talk brings out our best fencing individually ”

While many of the competitors will head home having gained valuable fencing experience in Regionals, at least one member of the Red will compete in the upcoming championships Kiriakidi and Zusin will find out if they will be joining Wines when the official list of NCAA Championship qualifiers is released Tuesday afternoon

The NCAA Championships begin on Friday, March 24 at Notre Dame and continue through Sunday, March 26

Dean Looks for Third NCAA Title

ment Regardless, he is expecting big things out of his senior in his last crack at the national title

The fourth and final EIWA champ making the trip to St Louis is Womack The sophomore was inconsistent in the season ’ s first few meets, but dominated the second half of the season and breezed through his EIWA draw

In his first appearance at NCAAs, Womack knows he will have to keep his emotions in check

“I know the atmosphere will be different than I have ever experienced, but I'm excited,” he said “At the end of the day it's just another tournament, and I have to go out and wrestle my best and

perform ” Seeded 13th, Womack faces a potential second round matchup against No 4 Isaac Jordan of Wisconsin To keep his eight match win streak going, though, he will first need to knock off Iowa’s Joseph Gunther

The final two wrestlers representing the Red are Honis and Grey They are both unranked, but the pair is hoping to earn some points for their team and pull off a few upsets as well Grey will be making his third appearance at NCAAs, while Honis’ first round matchup against No 11

Shawn Scott of Northern Illinois will be his first ever at the national championships

With fe wer wrestlers than some of the other top schools,

Patience Is a Virtue: DeMarcus Cousins’ Role as a Pelican

LOrleans Pelicans sent a shockwave through the NBA when they traded for

team that already boasted the game ’ s best power for ward in

memor y, and perhaps ever

Yet with all this talent in one place, the Pelicans have b

Some nights they play well

Some nights they look completely lost They are turning the ball over and shooting poorly on offense, while on d

comes as a surprise to many who thought the ne w look frontcour t would propel the Pellies to the top of the conference

Head coach Alvin Gentr y likes his team to play quickly, and his up-tempo offense is a unique situation into which Cousins must assimilate The Pelicans are second in the

NBA in defensive reboundsper-game and 27th in offensive rebounds-per-game

This lack of effor t on the o f f e n s i ve g l a s s i s s t a t i s t i c a l e v i d e n c e o f G e n t r y ’ s f a s t paced system in which he instr ucts his players to fall back quickly on defense As in any effective system, taking care of the basketball is a vital aspect in this system ’ s success, and the Pelicans are top 10 in that area

B u t a t f i r s t g l a n c e , Cousins’ tendencies do not e x a c t l y f i t t h i s m o d e l He loafs in transition, and he a v e r a g e s n e a r l y f o u r turnovers per outing Since his arrival in the Crescent C i t y, C o u

u

Koll and his team will rely on contributions from every qualifier

The tournament lasts for five sessions over the course of three days Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights will all be broadcast live on ESPN

“If everyone performs and has a good tournament we should be able to turn some heads,” Womack said “It will be a fun week, and I'm excited to see what we can do ”

Realbuto echoed the enthusiasm of his younger teammate

“ The NCAA tournament is probably the best atmosphere in all of wrestling,” he said “And I'm definitely looking to enjoy it!”

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r

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n o v e r s - p e r - g a m e , and he is shooting the ball about three percentage points w o r s e t h a n h e w a s i n Sacramento Davis, on the other hand, seems to be finding his way in the ne w offense Since the trade, Davis is shooting at a s l i g h t l y w o r s e r a t e , b u t i s scoring more and turning the ball over less Cousins’ presence near the rim has lifted some of the rebounding burden off of Davis, and this has likely allowed Davis to play more aggressively on offense

The biggest inconsistency thus far has been point guard Jr ue Holiday, who has been unable to find a rhythm with the ne w unit Like Cousins,

he is turning the ball over more, and he has been lackadaisical at best on defense

Ho l i d a y h a s a l s o s e e n h i s field goal percentage take a massive drop with Cousins on the floor

Before the trade, Holiday was having success r unning the offense, and the Pelicans were better on defense with Holiday on the cour t than they were without him What appears to be happening here is that the burden is falling heavily on Holiday to make

well

It is not uncommon for point guards to bear the burden of a ne w superstar In order to r un the point effectively, you need to be completely in tune with each of your teammates ’ tendencies Holiday clearly is not yet After all, Cousins is a ver y high usage player; it likely is not easy to learn his style in such a shor t time Holiday is simply str uggling to keep up

Holiday will have to respond t o m o

smoothly transition Cousins into the offense, Holiday and the rest of team will have to work themselves into a system that looks slightly different from the one to which they are accustomed Gentr y ’ s job depends on h i s a b i l i t y t

m

k e t h e s e adjustments Once he does, the players will have to make some of their own If the proper median can be found, and Gentr y slows down the offense to a just-right tempo, C o u

i n s w i l l f l

u

i s h , a n d Holiday will adjust to the ne west elephant in the room Time is the best medicine for this str uggling offense

This was a great trade for the Pellies, but there is a lot

d with the level of talent with which they now find themselves They have the potential to be among the only teams in the West capable of s u s t a i n i

o Golden State As much as they have been losing lately, this ne w team is a treat to watch at times As the system develops and the “big three” find their groove, there’s no telling how much more fun they can be

Dylan McDevitt
Strong showing | The fencing team sent ten women to compete in NCAA Regionals this past Sunday, and the group had quite a succesful day
CAMERON POLLACK / SUN PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Wrestlers Take Lofty Goals to NCAA Tourney

Ivy League title? Check EIWA championship? Check

After winning its record 15th straight Ivy title and 11th consecutive conference title, Cornell wrestling has one more goal to check off its list this weekend in St Louis a trophy at NCAAs with a top-four finish

Head coach Rob Koll is sticking to his early season aspirations, but acknowledged that cracking the top-four will be difficult

With that goal in mind, the Red’s six NCAA qualifiers will head down to St Louis for the three-day tournament against the best of the collegiate wrestling world The contingent is primarily seniors led by Mark Grey (133), Dylan Palacio (157), Brian Realbuto (174) and Gabe Dean (184), along with sophomores Brandon Womack (165) and

Ben Honis (197)

Of the six, four are ranked in their respective brackets Womack, Palacio, Realbuto and Dean all of whom won EIWA individual titles As an NCAA qualifier, each wrestler is entered into a 32-person bracket for his weight class, and the ultimate champion is crowned on Saturday night Each victory earns points for the wrestler’s college, and the team competition is based on the accumulation of these points Although there are no duels, the team component plays a key part in the event

While some schools will take several more wrestlers to NCAAs than Cornell, the Red still has a shot to be competitive However the smaller group adds pressure on each individual to perform

“With only six guys headed to NCAAs, I'm not sure if we have the manpower to keep up with a few of the top schools,” Realbuto said “However, with a solid performance

from all of our guys, I see us in the top five ”

Dean is the undisputed leader of the group The twotime defending NCAA champion is undefeated on the year, a favorite to win the Hodges trophy for the best pound-forpound wrestler in the nation and the number one seed at 184 Dean is also a three-time all-American and a four-time EIWA champ

The Lowell, Mich , native is taking nothing for granted, though, and is making sure to end his time at Cornell the right way According to his coach, anything short of a national title for Dean would be both surprising and disappointing

Dean’s season has been nothing less than perfect 20 of his 31 match victories have come by fall, and he has earned bonus points in all but three While Dean’s path to the championship is by no means easy, a third consecutive NCAA title would put him in quite an elite club

Realbuto comes in as the No 2 seed at 174 in his fourth appearance at the NCAA tournament As only a sophomore, Realbuto was the national runner-up in 2015 This year, he has lost just one match, and earned a hard-fought upset victory over Ohio State’s then-No 1 Bo Jordan His one loss came against Arizona State’s Zahid Valencia who is now the top seed in the bracket

“I'm definitely hungry to win this title,” Realbuto said “I know what it's like to be so close and not get it, and I'm really excited to get back to that stage and have a different outcome I lost to Valencia in a close match at the beginning of the season, so I'm excited to get some revenge ”

Just like everyone else on the team, Realbuto knows better than to look past any early round matchup

“Most importantly though, I'm taking it one match at a time,” he said “I don't want to overlook anyone because each match is just as important ”

Palacio is the Red’s next highest seeded wrestler The allAmerican from last year is seeded No 7 at 157, and will look to build off his second consecutive EIWA title The senior from Long Beach, N Y , has looked dominant at times after missing the fall semester and only wrestling in five meets all season At EIWAs, Palacio set a Cornell record by pinning his first round opponent in 15 seconds

According to Koll, if Palacio had not missed the fall semester, he would likely be a top-five seed at the tourna-

Laxers Fall to 0-4 After Crushing O.T. Loss to UVA

The Cornell men ’ s lacrosse team suffered a narrow 19-18 loss at Saturday’s Pacific Coast Shootout to Virginia in an intense, high-scoring matchup Despite the Red’s tremendous efforts in forcing the Cavaliers into a thrilling overtime period, Cornell suffered its fourth consecutive loss to open the season

Opening a 6-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, the Red (0-4) created an immediate edge for itself against the the Cavaliers (5-2) through its explosive offense

Freshman attacker Jeff Teat had a strong performance on the night, leading the Red’s offense with five goals and four assists Sophomore midfielder Clarke Peterson contributed four goals and one assist, while freshman attack Connor Fletcher contributed by notching two goals and three assists

However, Cornell’s goal differential began to slip in the second quarter, as UVA increasingly ramped up its offensive pressure shown by eight shots in the second quarter compared to the Red’s four The Cavaliers successfully netted four goals in the second, and ended the half with a five goal deficit of 9-4

“The game was pretty back and forth,” said sophomore midfielder Jordan Dowiak

“We got off to a nice lead in the first quarter, and then they made a comeback It’s [all] a game of runs ”

Trailing by five goals at the start of the second half, yet still firmly within striking distance, UVA made a critical defensive change by substituting Griffin Thompson in for Will Railey at goalie Thompson would record several momentum saving goals in the second half for UVA

“We did a good job against their first string goalie, so they ended up pulling him and they put in [Thompson] for the second half,” Dowiak said “He made a couple good saves at the start of the second to get them going and then they went on a little bit of a run ”

The Cavalier’s second-half goalie switch led UVA to larger scoring runs and overall positive point production in the third quarter Limiting the Red to two goals in the third quarter while scoring nine of its own, Virginia leapt back into the game with a 1312 lead to start the final quarter

Down in the final stretch of the fourth quarter, Cornell led by only a single goal, 17-16 UVA seemingly completed its comeback victory after scoring two quick goals in the next minute However, with four seconds remaining on the game clock, a miracle goal off a faceoff from Dowiak sent the game into overtime

“They scored with fourteen seconds left

and we were lucky enough to get a goal with four seconds to tie it up and bring it to overtime,” Dowiak said

Although the Red ventured into overtime hoping to secure its first victory of the season, UVA’s Zed Williams hammered in a game-winning overtime goal at the 2:42 mark to leave the Red winless

While the Red undoubtedly suffered a heartbreaking loss in this game, the team still took away positives

“[On Saturday] we proved that we can pretty play with anyone, ” Dowiak said

“Virginia is one of the best teams in the country and we could’ve won that game if we would’ve made a few different plays It’s definitely a confidence booster going into playing Yale next weekend knowing that we can play at that level ” The Red will have its next chance to record a win as it travels to New Haven this Saturday, March 18, to take on Yale in its first Ivy league matchup

Bobby Marani can be reached at bmarani@cornellsun com

M E N ’ S L A C R O S S E
Show time | After another dominant season that included Ivy League and EIWA titles, the Red’s six NCAA qualifiers are ready for the biggest meet of the year against the best of the best
ADR AN BOTEANU / SUN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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