09 24 14 entire issue lo res

The Corne¬ Daily Sun

City Approves C-Town Development After Years of Deliberation

By ZOE FERGUSON

Sun Senior Writer

After years of planning and evaluation, the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board finally approved the new multipurpose building Collegetown Crossing to begin work at a meeting on Tuesday evening

Collegetown Crossing will be a mixed-use building project that will combine residential and commercial properties in one 8,600

See CROSSING page 4

Crossing over | A rendering depicts Collegetown Crossing, which was approved by the City of Ithaca Planning and Development Board Tuesday It will be located at 307 College Ave

Ginsburg ’56 Discusses Her Experience at C.U. Nearly 60 Years Ago

By ANNIE BUI Sun News Editor

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’54 spoke about her time on the Hill and religious polarization on campus in a conversation Thursday with Gretchen Ritter ’83, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at The NewYork Historical Society

Ginsburg, a member of the Democratic Party, is a strong proponent of women ’ s rights and same-sex marriage In August 2013, became the first Supreme Court justice to officiate a same-sex wedding

During her speech, Ginsburg who came to the University as a first-generation college student from a work-

ing-class neighborhood in Brooklyn said she had only heard of Cornell through the summer camp she attended “I had heard about Cornell from the waitresses who worked at the lodge at the summer camp, ” she said “But I wasn ’ t prepared for the incredible beauty of the place, especially in the fall and in the spring ”

could have been “happenstance,” or in fact intentional

“I wasn’t prepared for the incredible beauty of the place, especially in the fall.” R u t h B a d e r G i n s b u r g ’ 5 4

When asked by Ritter what it was like to be a Jewish woman at Cornell 60 years ago and housed with other women along the same hallway in Clara Dickson Hall Ginsburg said that this arrangement

“It could have been that whoever arranged for housing wanted us to be comfortable, or it could’ve been that they wanted to set us apart from the others,” she said “But there was great chemistry among the seven of us [housed together] and we have remained friends through the years ” Ginsburg, a member of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, also said she “did not appreciate” the extent to which there was reli-

See GINSBURG page 5

Profs, Businesses Address Global Food Supply Issues

By SOPHIA HO Sun Contributor

Six food industr y leaders and more than 60 faculty members have partnered with the newly established Cornell Institute of Food Systems to tackle issues regarding the global food supply over the past four months

The Cornell Institute of Food Sy s t e m s In d u s t r y Pa r t n e r s h i p Programs which launched this s u m m e r c o n n e c t s a w i d e range of Cornell students and faculty with businesses to create i n t e rd i s c i p l i n a r y s o l u t i o n s t o problems in the food industr y, according to a University press release

According to Julie Stafford, industr y liaison officer for the In d u s t r y Pa r t n e r s h i p Pro g r a m ,

the new program seeks to utilize the skill sets of Cornellians and industr y professionals to increase the safety and accessibility of the global food supply “ The institute aims to foster solution-oriented scientific discoveries and advance technologies and strategies that will lead to a safer, more nutritious and more accessible global food supply,” Stafford said Ac c o rd i n g t o St a f f o rd , t h e program was inspired by a large demand from the food industr y as well as the interest of various Cornell faculty members from a wide range of academic departm e n t s i n c l u d i n g Fo o d Science, the Dyson School of Business and Biological and Civil

FOOD page 5

Today Wednesday, September 24, 2014

weather FORECAST

Today

The Basics: Memory Loss, Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

Policy Analysis and Management Seminar 1:15 - 2:45 p m , G87 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall

What Have We Learned From Developing MOOCs? 3 - 4:15 p m , 229 ILR Conference Center

Battlefield Trauma: Vietnam to Afghanistan

3:30 - 5 p m , 2B48 Kroch Library, Olin Library

Biophysics Colloquium

Tomorrow

Visiting Speaker Thomas Sugrue 3 - 4:30 p m , 165 McGraaw Hall

Weird News of the Week

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Ohio College President Backs Skunk Safety

OXFORD, Ohio (AP) An Ohio college president says the school supports safety for skunks and for other furry creatures, too Miami University President David Hodge has thanked People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals for its offer to send safety posters after a skunk recently got its head stuck in a beer can near a fraternity house The posters urge people to crush cans for animal safety Hodge wrote to PETA to say that the Advocates for Animals student group will work on the poster safety campaign He says the school appreciates the effort to remind the community to crush and recycle cans, not only to preserve resources but to protect animals from harm

“We share your desire to have no more stuck skunks!” Hodge wrote

Leaked Lime Juice Sends Responders to Jet

KETCHIKAN, Alaska (AP) A mysterious liquid leaking on a cargo jet sent emergency responders to the

ReCYcLE.

island that is home to the Ketchikan, Alaska, airport Turns out, a bartender with a dish towel could have handled the problem

The Ketchikan Daily News reports the leak Tuesday on the Alaska Airlines 737-700 was traced to a container of lime juice that broke open during a flight from Seattle

Lonely Man Makes Repeated 911 Calls

HARRISON CITY, Pa (AP) A Pennsylvania man has been charged with making three 911 calls to report bogus emergencies simply because he was lonely and wanted paramedics to show up

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports 52-year-old Gregor y Shaffer was jailed after his arraignment Wednesday on charges of making false reports to authorities

Penn Township police say Shaffer called Westmoreland County’s 911 center three times over about four hours on July 30 with various false complaints The first time, Shaffer claimed he had fallen down some stairs and injured his head and neck Paramedics say they found him intoxicated but otherwise well and calmly waiting inside his home

Spotify Explores C.U. Student Trends

By AIMEE CHO Sun Senior Writer

On average, Cornell students wake up at 6:15 a m , get five hours of sleep less than the typical college student and listen to pop music, a study by Spotify recently found Spotify, a music streaming service, analyzed the listening data for the 40 schools whose students signed up for the student discount at the highest rates last semester because “that plan appeals to students who love music,” according to Spotify’s website The 40 schools were ranked by how many songs each student listens to Cornell came in 14th on the list

The study found that though the peak time for morning listenership among all 40 schools was 9:15 a m , there were spikes at 6 and 7 a m for Cornell students

“One possibility: [Cornell’s] students wake up and exercise before class more than those at other schools,” the study said

Students have various explanations for the early average listening period

Kevin Chan ’17 said he usually wakes up early, around 7 or 8 a m , to do homework

“I’m not that productive at night, so I’ll wake up in the morning to get my work done I listen to music when I’m showering to get a jumpstart to my day,” he said

Ashley Vincent ’17 suggested students listening in the early morning are still up studying from the night before

“I listen to music when I study, and I stayed up until 5:30 a m studying yesterday,” she said

The study also found that Cornell students sleep approximately five hours each night, significantly less than students at other universities

Femi Adegunloye ’16 said the earliest he ever goes to bed

We can manage

is 2 a m and that he pulls all-nighters one to two nights a week

“If I’m working really hard, I’ll just keep going until it’s time for class and then take a nap later,” he said

In addition to sleeping habits, the study analyzed the types of music that students like

Pop, dance, electronic dance music and hip hop were the most-listened to genres at Cornell, and the most popular artists were Lana Del Rey, Kanye West, Calvin Harris and Coldplay

Cornell also ranked first out of the 40 schools in how

Danielle Mericle discusses work at C.U. Digital Media Group, personal passion for photography publishing

By ARIELLE CRUZ Sun Senior Editor

Whether she is exploring the University’s archives for digitization projects or photographing the forest in the middle of the night, Danielle Mericle, a production coordinator for the digital media group at Cornell, said she is always inspired by the world around her Mericle, who has a background that blends both photography and library work, works to preserve rare and fragile media This involves interviewing professors to find out how much Cornell media including photographs, text and cassette recordings of famous visitors is unique and fragile

“It’s a pretty wide variety,” she said “That’s what makes it interesting, right?”

Mericle said one of her favorite parts of her job is forming relationships with professors and continuing to work with them and collaborate with them over the years

“Its really kind if fantastic to see how their research evolves and how the library can partner with them to make it accessible broadly to the world,” she said “It’s a really interesting process ”

The Library of Congress has stated that only five to 10 years remain before media such as VHS and cassette tapes are no longer accessible due to degradation or loss of technology

Mericle, who has done a number of photo book projects one focusing on an archive site in Peru, another on a herd of white deer in an upstate army depot

said she is a strong believer that photo lends itself well to the printed page In 2006, Mericle and her husband founded their own small publishing company called A-Jump Books, which distributes across the United States and Europe

Other subjects of the company ’ s photo books include decaying manuscripts she has digitized as well as those from an archaeological site and an indigenous agrarian worker’s strike According to Mericle, though it might not be obvious, the pieces serve as “ a meditation on lessons learned and lost ”

A-Jump’s most recent book was published with the interim art department chair Michael Ashkin, who Mericle says she has admired for a long time Last weekend, Mericle and her husband went down to a book fair at MoMA’s PS1 a contemporary arts museum in Queens,

much students listen to acoustic and instrumental songs and came in last placewhen it came to listening to energetic, high-tempo songs Cornellians also listened to the shortest songs out of all the students

Nicole Edelstein ’15 said she usually listens to classical music when she is doing work

“When I study I listen to piano quartets, which are slow and not very energetic, because it is good background music,” Edelstein said

com

New York City for the official release

“There is a lot of great work being done out there,” Mericle said “Its a fun community ”

Mericle said she first became interested in photography when she went to an Ed Westin exhibit in Tucson, Arizona, as a child Though her parents were not artists, they always had cameras around, and it was not long before her and her sister picked them up and began taking photos together According to Mericle, photography now keeps her sane

“[Cultural theorist] Susan Sontag argued that the camera separates you from the world, and I really disagree on a personal level,” she said “It’s what connects me, what keeps me engaged, what keeps me looking ” Mericle advises burgeoning photographers to not “take it too seriously ”

“Keep close to what’s important to you, ” she said “It’s really easy to get enveloped with the idea of the art world or what you want to do with that, that whole thing, but I think at the end of the day you should love what you do and keep close to that ”

Right now Mericle is preparing to premiere an exhibit in January for the librar y downtown to explore A D White’s cast collection Without the need for plaster casts in classrooms, some of the casts were destroyed at the turn of the 20th century and others ended up scattered across the University, some even

serving as decorations in faculty offices, according to Mericle

Mericle said her plan for her next book is to juxtapose pictures of these casts with pictures of the forest at night, which she is taking at her current favorite photography spot the area between Stewart Park and Ithaca High School

“I know that sounds all really lofty and stuff, but the bottom line is I’m out in the woods in the middle of night taking pictures and trying to see if I can make it work technically, and then what I might do with it on a visual level ”

Mericle says she has no doubt that her son, Charley whose pictures are hung around her desk will end up being an artist, too Though he just entered kindergarten, Mericle says she is in awe of his already-vivid imagination Between Charley and her job at Cornell, Mericle said it is hard to keep up with her own photo projects and the publishing company She says that the in-print company will be the first thing to go, but as she talks about Ashkin’s book release and traveling across the world to check out distributors, it might be hard to believe it will “ go ” anytime soon

“I think I’m doing what I want to be doing now, ” she said

Arielle Cruz can be reached at acruz@cornellsun com

Multi-Use Building Will Open in C-Town

CROSSING

Continued from page 1

immediately south of Ithaca Fire Station No 9 The project will consist of a ne w building at 307 College Ave designed by architect Jagat Sharma with 46 apar tments and 96 residents, according to the project description presented to the Planning Board Tuesday

In addition to apar tments, the building will include several commercial storefronts, including a GreenStar Cooperative Market, according to Josh Lower ’05, the developer of Collegetown Crossing

Lower said that he hopes to begin constr uction in spring 2015 and have the building available for apar tment rentals by the 2016-17 academic year

Lower has been presenting modified proposals for the ne w building since 2010, when The Sun first repor ted his initial request for a Board of Zoning Appeals variance to the city’s parking laws Lower’s requests were rejected in 2013

Without the parking variance, which would have allowed him to move for ward with his project without creating 57 parking spaces on the site, Lower’s project was stalled until the Common Council approved its ne w form-based zoning, which removed the minimum parking requirements on the College Avenue por tion of Lower’s project

Ithacan Stephanie Hayes spoke during the public hearing in favor of Collegetown Crossing

“ This is something that would benefit this community hugely,” Hayes said “ What is proposed would actually do something for the entire community ”

Hayes added Collegetown Crossing would make her feel that she has “ a place that is my home again ”

“ There’s no reason to stay [in Collegetown] anymore, ” she said “ This project actually star ts giving back to what was there ”

After 45 minutes of discussion, the Planning Board unanimously voted to approve the project Lower thanked the board members for devoting their time to the project for the past four years

“I appreciate all the time and energy that you, especially the staff, have put in over the years I think we have a better project,” Lower said “ Thank you for all of the late hours you have put in ”

After the hearing, Prof Garrick Blalock, applied economics and management, a member of the Planning Board, described the magnitude of “excitement” about Collegetown Crossing that he has witnessed among Cornell students

“ The level of excitement when you tell the Cornell undergraduate body that there is going to be a real grocer y store in Collegetown people are really excited about it,” Blalock said “I think that it’s going to be an enormous addition to the character of Collegetown ”

The project site will extend across the block between College and Linden Avenue and will include a public cross-block walkway to provide a pedestrian shor tcut between these two major roads

Collegetown Crossing will also include a ne w heated bus shelter for TCAT passengers within the building’s College Avenue facade

The bus shelter will be to the south of the building, next to the entrance of the GreenStar, Lower said, and will be intended to help improve TCAT passengers ’ experience

“ There are a lot of people in our community that depend on our public transit,” Lower said “Having a bus stop where people can wait in a heated, climate-controlled area is really big We’re tr ying to help improve the system here, and we really want to make this nice ”

Members of the planning board expressed approval for the ne w heated bus shelter, which will be paid for entirely by Collegetown Crossing at no expense to TCAT

“ When I was an undergrad, the principal downtown bus stop was in the Rothschild’s store, ” said, John Schroeder ’74, who is also the production manager of The Sun “ This has happened in the past

There is a histor y, so you ’ re really re-establishing par t of that histor y ” Daniel Keough grad said he had been involved with Collegetown Crossing for several years and was happy to see it approved

“I was a volunteer advocate a number of years ago as the project was being proposed for the Planning Board,” Keough said “I’m ver y excited that it has gone through the Planning Board phase and successfully been approved It’s an incredible transit-oriented development and will bring better access to healthy foods in Collegetown ” “ This Collegetown Crossing project is the one that inspired me to learn about city planning and to apply to Cornell,” Keough said Through tears, Lower thanked his family and friends for their continuing suppor t of the project

“I’m really for tunate that I have this oppor tunity,” Lower said “I can ’ t tell you how lucky I am to be able to build a bus stop, to bring a grocer y store, to build this pedestrian walkway ” Lower said that he sees an increasing “demand for walkable places and spaces where you can have things within a fe w blocks ”

“I think that this is just a shift in our thinking and the demands of our society,” Lower said “I’m just tr ying to give the market what the market’s looking for ”

With the addition of Collegetown Crossing, Lower said he hopes to add an element of community that he feels Collegetown lacks

“I live in Collegetown It’s my neighborhood, and this is something that’s missing from the neighborhood,” Lower said “I have an oppor tunity to provide it ”

Zoe Ferguson can be reached at zferguson@cornellsun com

Ginsburg Recalls In uence of Univ. on Life’s Work

gious separation when it came time to rush fraternities and sororities during her time at Cornell

“There were Jewish fraternities [and] Jewish sororities as well as Christian fraternities and sororities and that’s the way it was, ” she said “I hope that has changed ”

According to Ginsburg, her passion for social justice came from a combination of the period in which she grew up and the research work she conducted under a professor at Cornell

“I suppose that the earliest influence was growing up during World War II There was a red scare, ” she said “At Cornell, a professor was told that he could stay and do research but not teach because he belonged to a socialist group I [also] had a professor for

constitutional law and I worked as his research assistant He wanted me to appreciate that our country was strained from its most basic values ”

Ginsburg who was also a student of well-known novelist Vladimir Nabokov during her time at Cornell also spoke on the influence he had on her life and work

“Professor Nabokov changed the way I read [and] write,” she said “Even when I’m drafting [High Court] opinions, thinking about how the word order should go, I remember him ”

When asked by Ritter if she had any words of advice to give students, Ginsburg said students should take advantage of the “diverse education” Cornell has to offer

“Cornell is a school blessed with a feminist faculty and I would

More Than 60 Faculty Join New Food Institute

and Environmental Engineering

“Many challenges in the Food System are big and involve many disciplines,” Stafford said “The institute is a place where different members of the system come together to develop new ideas and it does not matter what discipline you actually have ”

The diversity of the experts affiliated with the program is what makes Cornell “uniquely” equipped to address these challenges, according to Stafford

“Faculty [involved in the program] of different disciplines across the campus all share a passion for the Food System,” she said

Faculty fellows partnered with the program are concentrating on issues within the food system that are aligned with their research interests, Stafford said

Another faculty fellow Prof Oliver Gao, civil and environmental engineering is addressing food issues related to public health and the industry’s infrastructure

“We are examining the environmental and economic impact of localizing food supply chains like dair y supply in Northeast U S , ” Gao said

According to Stafford, the institute plans to grow by attracting more partners throughout the year

“This is a year for grow, to get

the word out, we have really just started,” Stafford said Industr y partners who have already signed on include food and beverage company PepsiCo, International Food Network and E & J Gallo Winery, one of the world’s largest producers of wine

According to Stafford, the institute is looking toward having Industr y Partnership Program members convene at the Global Summit, the annual forum held at Cornell to discuss the potential effects of advanced technologies and scientific discoveries and continuing to develop the Cornell Institute of Food Systems

advise students to take advantage of that [as well],” she said “I went to law school after Cornell, but I’m very glad that I didn’t specialize in pre-law or anything like that [My advice is] don’t be concerned

even if you ’ re in the engineering school, try to take advantage of a diverse education ”

The talk, which was invitationonly and took place at the NewYork Historical Society in New

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Tom the Dancing Bug By Ruben Bolling

Michael Alter | Guest Room

Eyewitness to History: A Cornellian’s Trip To Scotland

Partly due to my Irish heritage, I’m fascinated with the British Isles As a student of government, I’ve learned that to truly understand contemporar y politics, you need more than a cursor y knowledge of a place’s histor y I’ve taken classes and independently researched the histor y of those Isles, so when I heard about the S c o t t i s h In d e p e n d e n c e Re f e r e n d u m , I knew I wanted to do more than just watch it on the BBC Thankfully, my parents know me well enough that they weren ’ t t o t a l l y s u r p r i s e d w h e n I t o l d t h e m –although, I probably should’ve given them more than one month’s notice I arrived in Edinburgh on Thursday at 11 a m ; the polls had been open for four hours already After reminding myself that people here are supposed to drive on the other side of the road, I went to my first polling station On the taxi ride over, we drove past the Scottish Parliament The scene was controlled chaos: News crews from across the world had set up a threestor y tent, traffic was slowed to a crawl and the space in the plaza outside the doors was f i l l e d w i t h a c t i v i s t s , some holding “Honk for Yes!” signs, others f l y i n g St A n d r e w ’ s Cross and the Union Jack in a sort of literal expression of “Better To g e t h e r ” Po l i c e were there, but off to the side and in small n u m b e r, r e a d y t o inter vene but seeing no need to (and they were, as a Scotsman p r o u d l y r e m i n d e d me, unarmed)

another flew back from Ireland that day just to cast his ballot Inside of ever y polling place, there was a table with the names list staffed by two people, a stack of blank ballots, a table with privacy dividers, and a black plastic bin with a slit cut in the zip-tied-shut lid It was one of the simplest expressions of democracy I’ve ever seen

Which, to me, helped make it also one o

Assembly can

dream for 85 percent campus involvement However, the comparison is improper, as I can ’ t think of anything the S A could be considering that compares to a national independence vote (College of Engineering seceding?) However, perhaps the sense of “specialness” accompanying the referendum which led to more turnout could be extended to the S A , maybe by cutting back on the number of meetings or allocating more time during them solely for campus-wide causes or concerns I’m a member of the Cornell Forensics Society, Cornell Democrats and Cornell Republicans I consume political debate, w

Besides how willing they were to answer my questions even after I explained I couldn’t vote, the most refreshing thing was how willing they were to talk, debate, joke and laugh with each other

I went to four polling places that day: two church halls in busy areas, plus a conference center and a primar y school in areas less busy Each station had one sign for “ Yes” and one for “No,” sometimes more Then in a fantastic display of quarter carding two volunteers, one from each campaign, stood outside the door with little cards ready to give out They were there to answer last minute questions, talk to you about their side and get people through the door They worked in shifts, with volunteers coming and going throughout the day

Besides how willing they were to answer my questions even after I explained I couldn’t vote, the most refreshing thing was how willing they were to talk, debate, joke and laugh with each other These are people who are publically saying which side they are on, sides which contain diametrically opposing viewpoints and offer ver y different futures for Scotland, and who are so committed to their side that they volunteered to stand in the gray cold for hours to help convince people to vote with them And yet, nowhere did I see acrimony between these campaigners; I never saw them shout at each other, or tr y to outdo each other in giving out cards to passersby Quite often, if not for the buttons on their j a c k e t s , I c o u l d’v e a s s u m e d t h e y w e re friends from the same campaign

These individuals helped contribute to a tremendous civic vibe throughout the city, and given the 85 percent turnout figure, it apparently was nationwide Election officers inside the stations were ordinar y citizens; many had never worked an election before One voter told me it was the first time he’s voted since the Thatcher era;

refreshing Yes, it had all the usual negative

tions of underhanded tricks and media bias, etc But on the 18th, p e o p l e w

s t i l l enthusiastic and part i c i p a t o r y, a n d t h a t day and the next I h e

e say that they were all S

d work together to build a better Scotland, independent or not I’ve seen many debates during my two years here, and heard about many others, and it pains me to say that too many have fallen short of this Scottish example

If the debate is between the student body and the administration, I don’t think there’s much mutual respect to speak of: The administration doesn’t take the students seriously, and the students don’t reco g n i ze t h a t t h o u g h t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n m i g h t p u b l i c a l l y a p p e a r m o n

behind closed doors they are people who debate and disagree too And when the debate is between different student groups, the base assumption that all Cornellians are committed to open and respectful dialogue is quite often ignored and non-extant Mutual respect should only be given when earned, yes, but it should be actively sought by the participants, not merely taken for granted that since they are on opposing sides they’ll never agree on anything We talk about the Cornell Community all the time; do we really believe in it? And if so, have we done anything to make it thrive?

My research trip to Edinburgh was an amazing experience, one which Cornell had a part in making happen After witnessing such an amazing historical event as the Scottish Independence Referendum, I felt it was my responsibility to share some of it with the Cornell Community I merely hope that term means as much to my fellow members as it does to me

Blame It On The Television Remote

Although by reading this column you are proving you are an extremely genteel and obviously highly evolved individual, at times things in your life will probably go wrong Sometimes, the things going wrong will be your fault and could have been avoided if you had paused to think before acting Maybe you decided it would be a good idea to make and post ill-advised videos on YouTube early in high school and never considered an 18 year-old, college freshman version of yourself being more than a little embarrassed when someone quotes to him midst lady wooing from his “Hannah Montana Rap” at a Collegetown annex hypothetically speaking, of course

It is also possible that when life goes wrong, the blame can be placed elsewhere Pretend you are spending another Saturday night at home in your jammies maybe by choice This time, however, it could be much worse because USC is playing Oregon in football on TV The only issue is you cannot find the remote Rather than simply having a button on the actual television to change the channel, it is a seven-step pneumatic actuation process, and the instructions for use are written in Martian hieroglyphics In that case, watching the Home Shopping Network until you eventually fall asleep is not your fault also obviously hypothetically speaking

Sometimes, the the arrival of a faux-turquoise belt buckle in the mail is the television’s fault Wearing that same faux-turquoise belt buckle to a Collegetown party where you are heckled as a result of your ex-stardom, however, falls all on you

It may seem like the high-definition television is a perfectly designed device, but when changing the channel becomes more of a challenge than swimming the English Channel, it is clear the engineers at Samsung or

If it is a problem that you are experiencin Apple product related or otherwise doubtlessly many other people have face or are facing something similar.

Vizio or Panasonic could have spent a little more time doing usability testing What’s worse is people will tend to blame themselves when they struggle to properly use an object

Ourselves included, we live in a flawed world Everything from your skin, to your resume, to your smartphone has room for improvement (Although there is a young lady I see in my sociology course whose skin is so clear, I am convinced that it is just one poreless cell ) Consider the iPhone 6, released last week Apple is a company that prides itself on innovation and unparalleled user experience, both in terms of software and hardware Some of the finest human factors professionals in the world collaborated to put together what they thought would be the best smartphone available Why, then, are the speakers bottom-facing rather than user-facing? Why is there no tactile feedback to actually let the user know when the receiver is on the ear? Why is that U2 album on there? Just like you are self-conscious about the fact that sometimes you sneeze so hard that you poop in your pants a little bit, so too is the iPhone 6 worried about the many tiny things that may have been overlooked in the design process

The Apple Watch announced the same day as the new iPhone aims to be a consumer product game-changer as technology and fashion collide What did they overlook? As Cambridge philosopher John McTaggart Ellis McTaggart (real name) described in a 1908 article, every event is said to exist in the past, present and future at various points it time Can an event exist in both the past and future? I’m afraid we either have to have our cake or eat it not both So yes, the biggest flaw with the Apple Watch is time is not real

Does this mean you should not go out and spend $350 on a wristworn device you can use to automate your home’s entire lighting system? Not at all As I said earlier, ever ything is flawed The Earth-shattering realization that time is merely a human construct and does not actually exist should not be enough to stop you from waiting in line or camping out for a watch with a glass touch-screen Just keep in mind that nothing perfect exists when the vibrating navigation commands from the device are confusing or ambiguous If it is a problem that you are experiencing Apple product related or other wise doubtlessly many other people have faced or are facing something similar Remember that at the end of the day, there is only one critic who you will ever have to answer to, and it’s yourself Feel comfortable knowing sometimes it is acceptable to blame an inanimate object for your problems Keep in mind also, though, the designers of ever y product you ever misuse intended for its operation to be clear, and pause to think about how your own actions could be misinterpreted by those around you before carr ying them out Most importantly, however, know that if you think you look cool wearing a faux-turquoise belt buckle, then wear the damn belt buckle

Web

Comm en t of

the day

Re: “LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In Support of California’s Proposed “Yes Means Yes” Law,” Opinion published September 22, 2014

| A Weisman Once Said

Career Fair Stole My Heart

e s s a t t h e C a re e r Fa i r B e y o n d b e i n g a p l a c e w h e r e I c o u l d l e a r n a b o u t p o t e n t i a l j o b s , t h e C a re e r Fa i r re a l l y h e l p e d m e h o n e

m y s k i l l s i n s e v e r a l i m p o r t a n t a re a s A f t e r

e x p e r i e n c i n g t h e c h a o s o f m ov i n g t h ro u g h t h e a i s l e s , I n o w f e e l

e x t re m e l y e q u i p p e d t o p u s h t h r o u g h l a r g e c rowd s o f p e o p l e w i t h o u t c a u s i n g m a j o r i n j u r y T h e o n l y o t h e r t i m e s i n m y l i f e I ’ v e e x p e r ie n c e d t h i s m a d n e s s w e r e a t C l u b Fe s t a n d D u n b a r ’ s Howe ve r, I n e ve r we a r b u s i n e s s c l o t h e s t o C l u b Fe s t o r Du n b a r ’ s , s o n ow I k n ow w h a t i t w i l l b e l i k e t o m ove t h r o u g h t h e c r o w d e d s t r e e t s o f Ne w Yo r k C i t y i n s h o r t h e e l s a n d a b u s i n e s s s u i t A n o t h e r s k i l l I w a s a b l e t o d e v e l o p w a s n e t w o r k i n g I g o t t o p r a c t i c e s p e a k i n g t o b u s i n e s s e x e c u t i v e s w i t h a g o a l i n m i n d : f r e e s t u f f I t r a i n e d m y s e l f t o h a v e t h e s h o r t e s t , m o s t e f f i c i e n t c o n v e r s a t i o n p o s s i b l e i n o rd e r t o l e a r n t h e l e a s t a b o u t t h e c o m p an i e s , b u t s t i l l s e e m e d l i k e I c a re d s o t h a t t h e y w o u l d s t i l l o f f e r m e f re e K - c u p s o r a h i g hl i g h t e r By t h e e n d o f t h e f a i r, m y c o n ve r s at i o n s b e c a m e s o a u t om a t i c t h a t I b l a c k e d o u t , s o I d o n ’ t e v e n re m e m b e r w h i c h c o mp a n i e s I s p o k e t o u n t i l I s t a r t e d u s i n g a n e w p e n T h e l o g o s re m i n d m e o f m y n e w b u l l s h i tt i n g s k i l l a n d e n c o u ra g e m e n e ve r t o g i ve u p Pe r h a p s m y g re a t e s t s u c c e s s a t t h e C a re e r Fa i r w a s d i s c ove r i n g a n e w d r e a m c a r e e r W h e n I g o t b o re d o f h a v i n g a c t u a l c o n ve r s at i o n s w i t h c o m p a n i e s , I s t a r t e d j u s t t a k i n g t h e f r e e t h i n g s w i t h o u t a s k i n g A f t e r o b t a i n i n g m a n y b a g s f u l l o f f re e m e rc h a n d i s e , I a m c o nf i d e n t t h a t I w o u l d m a k e a n e x c e l l e n t t h i e f I w a s a b l e t o m o v e b e t w e e n t a b l e s w i t h e a s e , g r a b b i n g

I spoke to a few companies, but not a many as some of my friends ... and I c tainly would not call it a success for m if you don’t count theft as success that is

w h a t e ve r e xc i t i n g s w a g I l a i d m y e ye s o n , a n d u s u a l l y w i t h o u t t h e p e o p l e a t t h e t a b l e s n o t i c i n g I t h i n k a t o n e p o i n t , I e ve n b e c a m e i n v i s i b l e My n e w s k i l l p a r t i c u l a r l y c a m e i n h a n d y o n t h e E n g i n e e r i n g a n d Te c h n i c a l S k i l l s d a y, w h e re I c o u l d n o t b e l e s s q u a l i f i e d f o r a n y o f t h e j o b s t h e y w e r e a d ve r t i s i n g I s t i l l m a na g e d t o s n a g a Go o g l e s c a r f, Go o g l e s o c k s , a Hu l u b a s k e t b a l l h o o p, h e a d p h o n e s , T- s h i r t s , Sn a p c h a t c u p c a k e s , va r i o u s i Ph o n e c h a r ge r s a n d s e v e r a l o t h e r u s e l e s s , ye t m e a n i n g f u l o b j e c t s I s a y m e a n i n gf u l b e c a u s e t h e y r e m i n d m e t o p e r s eve re , a n d t h a t w h e n I f e e l l i k e I h a v e l o s t e ve r y t h i n g , I w i l l s t i l l h a v e m y E r n s t a n d Yo u n g t o t e b a g Si n c e t h i e f a p p l i c at i o n s o n C C Ne t a r e c l o s i n g s o o n , I a l re a d y m a d e a n a p p o i n t m e n t a t t h e C a re e r Of f i c e t o w o rk o n m y n e w c ove r l e t t e r If a n y t h i e v i n g g a n g s a re l o o k i n g f o r a n e w r e c r u i t , p l e a s e e m a i l m e I h a ve re f e re n c e s a n d a f a n c y n e w A c c e n t u r e b a c kp a c k I f y o u m a d e i t t h r o u g h m y p o o r a t t e m p t a t s a rc a s m a n d t o t h i s p o i n t i n t h e c o lu m n f i r s t o f a l l I a m i m p re s s e d b u t s e co n d o f a l l , m a y b e I a c t u a l l y d o h a ve a s h o t a t g e t t i n g a j o b Wr i t i n g i s t h e m o s t u n i q u e , h i g h l y c ove t e d s k i l l s t h a t e m p l o y e r s we re l o o k i n g f o r a t t h e f a i r, s o I e x p e c t t o b e a s h o o - i n So r r y, o n c e I s t a r t w i t h t h e s a rc a s m i t ’ s h a rd t o t u r n i t o f f C l e a r l y, I w a s n o t a b l e t o t a k e t h e C a re e r Fa i r s e r i o u s l y T h i s i s n o t t o s a y t h a t p e o p l e i n t e re s t e d i n b u s i n e s s , c o n s u l t i n g o r b i g - n a m e t e c h c o m p a n i e s d i d n o t h a ve g re a t o p p o r t u n it i e s a t t h e f a i r, b u t t h a t p e o p l e l i k e m e d i d n o t W h i l e I d o t h i n k i t i s i m p o r t a n t t o b e a b l e t o p r a c t i c e n e t w o r k i n g a n d l e a r n a b o u t o t h e r o p p o r t u n i t i e s , l i k e m a n y p e o p l e , I w a s d i sa p p o i n t e d by t h e s m a l l r a n g e o f c o m p a n i e s a n d c a re e r o p t i o n s p res e n t e d I s p o k e t o a f e w c o m p a n i e s , b u t n o t a s m a n y a s s o m e o f m y f r i e n d s w i t h d i f f e re n t a s p i r a t i o n s , a n d I c e rt a i n l y w o u l d n o t c a l l i t a s u c c e s s f o r m e i f yo u d o n ’ t c o u n t t h e f t a s s u c c e s s , t h a t i s Se ve r a l o f t h e j o b s I a m i n t e r e s t e d i n m a n y t e l e v i s i o n a n d m e d i a p o s i t i o n s o n l y h i r e o n a n a sn e e d e d b a s i s , s o I u n d e r s t a n d w h y t h e y c a n n o t t a k e re s u m e s o r re c r u i

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

SCIENCE

Weill Cor nell Study Shows Anesthesia May Not Cause Long-Ter m Damage as Thought

By YVONNE HUANG Sun Staff Writer

A recent study out of Weill Cornell Medical College has found that a commonly-used general anesthetic may not have negative long-term effects on chil-

d r e n a n d t h e e l d e r l y a s p r e v i o u s l y thought

Led by Jimcy Platholi, a researcher and instr uctor of pharmacology in anesthesiology, and Prof Hugh Hemmings, anesthesiology, the study provides ne w information about the effects of isoflurane, a common inhalation anesthetic used in surgical practices

It has been suspected that the use of anesthetics in both infants and the elderly can be detrimental due to the effects that anesthesia can have on the connections between neurons

“Recently, concerns have arisen that anesthetic exposure early in childhood might irreversibly affect brain development during a critical period by altering synaptic plasticity and increasing brain cell death,” Hemmings said “And that anesthetic exposure in the elderly might lead to long-term cognitive deficits ”

According to Hemmings, infants’ neurons are still developing, and neurons in the elderly are slower to regenerate, making both groups more susceptible to cognitive changes caused by anesthesia

Isoflurane is commonly used as a general anesthetic, or par t of a cocktail of different anesthetics used during major surgeries The complete picture of how e x a c t l

g pieced together, Hemmings said Though

it is being replaced by other anesthetics for treatment in humans, isoflurane is still widely used in veterinar y medicine

Post-surgical cognitive effects, even in adults, have been commonly obser ved, though in most cases the effects are not severe and any effects disappear within a reasonable time frame, Hemmings said

Anesthesia will remain in the body and continue to exer t an effect as long as

proven to be directly caused by anesthetics alone Painkillers are often used after major surgeries to relieve any lingering pain and may have an effect on cognition

In addition, the anesthetic may still be present in the body even after its effects have worn off, Hemmings said As such,

painkillers and stress, patients can experience detrimental cognitive effects postsurger y According to Hemmings, the use of

unavoidable, so it is necessar y to fully understand any potential negative effects the dr ugs could have on the brain and its connections in the long term There are some ongoing clinical studies hoping to shed more light on both the shor t and long-term cognitive effects of anesthetics in adult and developing brains

As par t of the study led by Platholi and Hemmings, researchers used neurons from young mice in order to study the shor t and long-term effects of isoflurane

“ We used hippocampal cell cultures from embr yonic day 18 mice that are

grown in vitro for three weeks in order to

Platholi said

because they are known to be responsible f

long-term memor y as well as encoding ne w memories, Platholi said

A

mouse neurons showed reduced number and volume of dendritic spines However, spines regre w once the culture was no longer exposed to isoflurane, according to Hemmings

Dendritic spines ser ve as connection points between neurons and are important for memor y and learning They are considered to be plastic and will change in both number and specific connections throughout a human’s normal lifespan, according to Hemmings

In early development, dendritic spines are eliminated and regrown at a high rate, according to Hemmings This turnover rate stabilizes once adulthood is reached

Changes in dendritic spine dynamics have shown considerable correlation to many neurological diseases, leading many researchers to believe that the elimination and regrowth equilibrium of dendritic s p i n e s i s i m p o r t a n t i n u n d e r s t a n d i n g these diseases, Hemmings said

“Our finding shows that anesthetics disr upt synaptic connections in neurons b y d e s t a b i l i z i n g s p i n e s , b u t t h a t t h e spines are reformed when the anesthetic i s e l i m i n a t e d , ” H e m m i n g s s a i d

Nifty neurons | This image shows dendrites, the signal-transporting parts of neurons, in green and dendritic spines in yellow Dendritic spines serve as the contact points between dentrites and allow signals to travel between neurons A recent study from Weill Cornell Medical College showed that while the general anesthetic isoflurane reduces the number of dendritic spines, once the anesthetic wears off the spines do return, indicating that the cognitive changes caused by isoflurane may be only temporary

According to He m m

n g s , t h e findings suggest t

temporar y effect

o f i s o f l

and may not be a long-term effect

Fur ther studies on whether the ne w synapses formed are both functional and the same as prior to isoflurane exposure w

Hemmings said

“ Whether the ne w synapses formed are the same as those before anesthetic exposure is unclear, but this effect on synapse s t a b i l i t y i s potentially fully reversible ”

It is impor tant to note, however, that the increased cell death that results from isoflurane exposure could also cause longterm effects, according to Hemmings

While the finding does indicate that the regeneration of dendritic spines is possible as long as isoflurane is removed, Platholi said, the underlying mechanism will need to be connected to cognitive results from the clinical studies to produce any concrete conclusions about the long-term effects of isoflurane as anesthesia

“Future studies will determine if the spines restored after removal of isoflurane form functional synapses and what molecular mechanisms are at work to destabilize the spines initially under isoflurane,” Platholi said

By KATHLEEN BITTER Sun Science Editor

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

w i t h t h e d i s e a s e t h a t ’ s d e p i c t e d i n t h e b o o k , a n d I w o n -

d e re d a b o u t t h e f a m i l y W h a t t h i s b i o p s y m e a n t f o r t h e m A n d t h a t c re a t e d t h e s t o r y ” Ge l l e r s a i d h e s p e n t s i x o r s e ve n ye a r s w o rk i n g o n t h e

b o o k w h i l e w o rk i n g a s a p a t h o l o g i s t f u l l t i m e , w h i c h

o f t e n m e a n t 1 0 - o r 1 2 - h o u r - l o n g d a y s “ W h e n e ve r I g o t a b re a k o r va c a t i o n o r s o m e t i m e o f f

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

t i m e I d e vo t e d m y s e l f f u l l y t o i t , ” h e s a i d

Ac c o rd i n g t o Ge l l e r, h i s e x p e r i e n c e a s a p a t h o l o g i s t g a ve h i m t h e b a c k g ro u n d k n ow l e d g e t o w r i t e a b o u t d i se a s e , b u t u l t i m a t e l y h e d i d n o t w a n t t h e b o o k t o b e d i ff i c u l t f o r a l a y p e r s o n t o u n d e r s t a n d “ T h e s t o r y i s re a l l y a b o u t t h i s yo u n g w o m a n a n d t h e c h a l l e n g e o f h e r l i f e w h e n h e r s o n g e t s s i c k w i t h a r a re l i ve r d i s e a s e t h a t w i l l m o s t l i k e l y re q u i re a l i ve r t r a n sp l a n t , a n d h ow s h e d e a l s w i t h t h a t , ” Ge l l e r s a i d T h e p r o t a g o n i s t , Ma r c i a K l e i n m a n , i s t h e d a u g h t e r o f a w e l l - k n ow n c o n c e r t p i a n i s t , a n d G e l l e r s a i d s h e u s e s m u s i c a s a n e s c a p e f r o m t h e s t re s s e s o f l i f e d u r i n g h e r s o n ’ s i l l n e s s Ma r c i a d e v o t e s h e r s e l f t o l e a r n i n g o n e

o f G e l l e r ’ s f a v o r i t e p i e c e s , B e e t h ov e n ’ s Ap p a s s i o n a t a

s o n a t a “ [ T h e Ap p a s s i o n a t a ] i s n o t t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t o f

B e e t h ov e n ’ s s o n a t a s t o p l a y i n t e r m s o f t e c h n i c a l

d e m a n d s b u t p e r h a p s o n e o f t h e m o s t d i f f i c u l t p i e c e s i n t e r m

Stephen Geller Published A Novel About Family

f t h e e m o

n d s

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

” Ge l l e r s a i d Ge l l e r s a i d h e e n j oye d t h e s t o r y t e l l i n g a s p e c t o f w r i ti n g c re a t i ve l y “ T h e c h a r a c t e r s t e l l yo u w h a t t o w r i t e i n a s e n

Jack of all trades | Prof Stephen Geller, pathology and laboratory medicine, Weill Cornell Medical College, recently published his first novel, about a family’s struggle when their child is diagnosed with a serious liver disease

” h e s a i d “A n d t h a t w a s g re a t f u n ” Ge l l e r ’ s d a u g h t e r h e l p e d h i m w i t h p ro o f re a d i n g h i s d r a f t s , w h i c h w a s h i s l e a s t f a vo r i t e p a r t o f n ove l w r i t i n g , h

g n o s t i c

u t yo u ’ re

c h e r ” Ge l l e r s a i d h e i s c u r re n t l y w o rk i n g o n a n e w n ove l a b o u t a p a t h o l o g y d e p a r t m e n t u n d e r p o o r l e a d e r s h i p a n d h ow t h e m e m b e r s o f t h e d e p a r t m e n t re s p o n d “ I t h i n k i t’l l b e a n i n t e re s t i n g b o o k , ”

Kathleen Bitter can be reached at science-editor@cornellsun com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Love in Stop-Motion: Mood Indigo

What’s more real than the things that occur in our imagination? Mood Indigo is a French film based on the novel L’Écume des jours by Boris Vian and opens with a quote from the book itself: “This story is entirely true, because I imagined it from one end to the other ” With clips of stop-motion animation, actions that defy the laws of physics and a lot of whimsy, Mood Indigo transcends the boundary of reality by inundating it with the fantastic, posing the question as to whether there is something extraordinary about our everyday lives While I enjoyed the film, I wouldn’t say it quite accomplishes the feat of convincing the audience that there is power in make-believe Visually, it’s a novelty a refreshing departure from the mundane, but in my opinion, it wasn t unique on every account

If you strip Mood Indigo of everything imaginary, the plot resembles that of a typical, sappy romance movie The leading man, Colin (Romain Duris), sets out on a mission to find what everybody but him seems to have: love As soon as he makes this resolution, he meets Chloé (Audrey Tautou) and, of course, makes a fool out of his normally cool and composed self because she isn’t just any pretty girl, she’s the ultimate pretty girl The rest of the movie unfolds rather swiftly: They fall in love; they marry; Chloé becomes sick; things start to look better, and then everything goes terribly wrong On the sideline is Colin’s best friend, Chick (Gad Elmaleh), who is too preoccupied with his own interests to propose to the woman growing increasingly impatient for the question, Alise (AÏssa MaÏga) Of course this is all mixed in with surreal inventions like a piano that spouts cocktails when played and unexplainable phenomena like rapid aging and shrinking rooms, but at the core of Mood Indigo is a story arc we ’ ve seen time after time Colin loves Chloé with every fiber of his being she’s his precious flower, beautiful and full of life, until her vivacity slowly starts to fade Colin, though concerned, never loses hope; he does everything in his power to nudge her toward recovery, but sometimes everything we can offer just isn’t enough Although

the far-fetched details illustrate the importance of imagination, I didn’t get the sense that that’s what the film is about Book-to-movie adaptations are always tricky not having read the novel, I can ’ t say for sure, but I suspect that the film might have disproportionately emphasized the love story and diminished some of the other themes in the process

Despite its somewhat underwhelming plot, Mood Indigo is an absolute marvel to watch It s unabashedly whimsical and silly without becoming overly self-indulgent

Whether it’s the shot of Chloé’s knitted, beating heart or the delectable, wriggling dishes cooked by Nicolas (Omar Sy), the cartoonish stop-motion animation is a subtle way of reminding the audience that the story is inherently unbelievable they’re not trying to make everything look realistic It s fun to imagine outlandish possibilities, and that’s what I found so appealing about Mood Indigo Inhabitants of this world can in no way travel by floating cloud-car or change clothes by simply jumping out of bed, but we can sure see what it might be like All you can imagine is possible and you’ll never predict what bizarre situation will come next, which makes for a viewing experience that will undoubtedly keep you awake

Without revealing anything major, I must admit that I was very unsatisfied by the ending As Chloé’s illness becomes increasingly serious and every character turns desperate and desolate, the film’s remarkable colorfulness gently slips into black and white This in itself was an interesting touch, but what accompanied it was, well, depressing While I can deal with in fact, even like poignant endings, the story finishes on a flat-

out pessimistic note Not every film should have a happy ending by any means, but I was expecting a more lighthearted conclusion from a film that looked so fanciful in the trailer That being said, there is a short series of drawings at the end that essentially brings us back to the idea that Colin and Chloé are part of a story that will always be the same and in which their love will be eternal Though I appreciate that little speck of optimism, I still found myself disappointed with how things wound up

In spite of its shortcomings, I enjoyed Mood Indigo It’d probably be more accurate to say I truly enjoyed the first half and grudgingly accepted the second, but on the whole, I don’t regret the time I spent watching it Mood Indigo is entirely unlike any feature length film I’ve seen in the past few years It fuses creative and outlandish elements with the often-exasperating redundancy of life and, in this respect, offers something new and exciting Mood Indigo will be playing at Cornell Cinema on Thursday at 9:45 p m , Friday at 7:00 p m and Saturday at 9:30 p m

Natalie Tsay is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences She can be reached at ntsay@cornellsun com

Life and Death: Nanoessence at Sibley Hall

BY SHAY COLLINS Sun Contributor

According to their artist statement, Paul Thomas and Kevin Raxwor thy explore “biological phenomena of difference revealed at a nano level in topographical visualizations and sonic str uctures between life and death,” through the Nanoessence exhibit The exhibit successfully illuminates infinitesimal images that usually escape most peoples’ interest, but also seems vague, challenging and confusing Nanoessence is currently exhibited in the John Hartell Gallery in Sibley Dome, a small, simple space next to the Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning’s office After reading Thomas and Raxworthy’s artist statement, which described how the exhibit “allows for the user to breathe on the model of a HaCat cell and then enter visually the projection of an envelope between life and death,” the simplicity of the exhibit intrigued me

Amidst plain white walls and wooden flooring, the pedestal in the middle of the room first attracted my attention A wooden, flower-press-like box stood on top of the pedestal and held a green, seemingly luminous structure, resembling a miniature topographical map Wiring extended from the first pedestal to

a second, taller pedestal, which held a speaker, hard drives and a projector transmitting a blurred, yet textured, yellow-green image on to the wall

Often, unspoken rules exist in galleries undisclosed, yet discernable These codes govern how a visitor should proceed through an exhibition For example, other visitors wordlessly imply how long one should linger in front of one work or curators arrange pieces in a certain manner in order to suggest a path through the exhibit The presentation of Nanoessence eschews such aids, displaying only one work, without an artist statement and in a space barely removed from Sibley Hall’s academic and administrative activities Except for an occasional student or faculty member passing through from one corridor to another, I stood entirely alone in the gallery

From Thomas and Raxworthy’s online artist statement, I knew that if I breathed on the small green sculpture, a “breath and moisture interface” would cause “cellular automatons start to grow and spin ” Tentatively, I approached the shorter pedestal and, glancing over my shoulder into the Dean’s office, exhaled a deep breath over the sculpture In the image projected on the wall, the viewpoint abruptly dove into the topographies, passing through contours that decreased in opacity as they neared the viewer A second breath of air revealed the cellular automatons, which looked like tightly winding and contor ting spotted adders partially visible against the muddled background Simultaneously, a sound similar to the pounding of ocean waves or murmuring of thunderclouds emanated from the back of the second pedestal, consisting of “ c o m p a r a t i v e analysis of data between alive and

dead that is converted into sound files auditory work consisting of sonic vibrations that occur at the nano level ”

Although Thomas and Raxworthy’s work, along with the work of many other contributors, represents a great amount of technical prowess and devotion, Nanoessence fails to impress Certainly great art can pose difficult questions, challenge the viewer’s consciousness and predispositions and leave the viewer with a feeling of disquiet Yet after viewing Nanoessence, I did not have questions about the thesis or purpose of the work, but rather the execution

Thomas and Raxworthy’s artist statement discussed their focus on atomic str uctures, usage of an Atomic Force Microscope and transmittance of atomic vibration into visual and auditory presentations When I stood in the Hartell Gallery, however, I felt that I simply saw a dynamic, distorted image coupled with similarly perplexing and cryptic sounds, not a manifestation of the infinitesimal processes within me Nanoessence provided no heartbeat, no pulse, no pattern or motif through which the viewer could interpret the stimuli of the undeniably complex exhibit Even the fascinating and imaginative “breath and moisture” interface felt disjointed from the manipulation of the images projected on to the wall of the gallery

Perhaps the fault lies not in any aspect or construction of Nanoessence, but rather in a disconnect between the subject matter and the viewer’s consciousness Nanoessence attempts to explore a peculiar niche atomic interactions that, while present in the biological functioning of every viewer, rarely come under day-to-day contemplation Unlike the palpable emotion of surrealism or the pronounced narrative of romanticism, the average viewer (myself included) simply does not possess the mental images or past experiences to interpret or connect with Nanoessence on an emotional level

Nanoessence presents an intelligent, intellectual work that represents massive technical effort, but viewers will likely find it difficult to experience the “psychological shift in viewers' consciousness, ” or “formation of an empathetic connection to be made with the work,” that Thomas and Raxworthy strove to affect

Shay Collins is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences He can be reached at scollins@cornellsun com

How to Read a Movie

“It ’ s ironic that a critic trying to establish simple objective’ rules as a guide for critics who he thinks aren t gifted enough to use taste and intelligence, ends up where, actually, he began with a theory based on mystical insight ”

I quote Pauline Kael to remind myself how ridiculous a column like this is In 1963, the New Yorker film critic took on her contemporary Andrew Sarris, whose auteur theory, she claimed, reduced criticism to a game of readymade formulas and minutiae (i e , “Because Howard Hawks directed this, it, by default, has value and speaks to and with his other works, inspirations, obsessions, etc ”) Kael valued her visceral response to a film over any post-viewing theoretical posturing, be it astute or not

It is wrong to praise a film that leaves you cold just because it has neat camerawork or you find in it some interesting commentary A good movie involves you in its stakes and in its world even a stark, “cold” movie like Caché does such a thing I don’t think there is one movie I’d call a masterpiece that does not, at least, bring me close to tears

applied to all the movies And the “Well, that sucked!” response does us little good, either, as easy and satisfying as it is to say If we hope to be discerning consumers and reasonable thinkers, we can start by bringing to movies high, nuanced standards of evaluation (“That was good/bad because ”) and analysis (“That said [insert theme here] by ”)

There is no one way to go about this But I know my way, so how about I list it, as if it’s fact:

(Okay: Hot Fuzz is an exception) Writing about a masterpiece is so tough because to attempt to translate its effect not its story, images or sounds, but the whole package into words is to butcher it Most of the time, the secret to appreciating great art is to let it be its own witness

But, by virtue of the bell curve, most movies we watch are not masterpieces That sacred, silent response to Vertigo gets real tiresome if

1 Stor y i s n ot en oug h The tighter and more decisive a protagonist’s arc, the less I take it seriously Not many agree with me, and it’s an especially contentious position to take in this golden age of “quality TV,” or serialized narrative Perhaps I’m suspicious of the possibility of true heroism, or else bored by it Whatever the reason, I find most meticulously plotted movies to gloss over human qualities like doubt, fear and contemplation A story needs to halt for quietude to set in, and that pause can be jolting when it arrives The rapid-fire Grand Budapest Hotel defines itself in its plotless moments, like when Zero dutifully recites Gustave’s poetry at dinner or when a key light switches on by the dinner table to illuminate old Zero’s crying face A film’s worldview can click through such a throwaway gesture

2 Che ris h move me n t In the end, a director ’ s most basic job is to make a film look interesting Sometimes, he accomplishes this by wringing a manic energy from his actors, as Mike Leigh does, or she coasts her camera over

objects and bodies in a sensuous way, as in the case of Claire Denis We are watching “moving pictures,” so there better be movement within and across frames Movement can take its time, as it does in the little-seen 2010 western Meek’s Cutoff, where protracted dissolves morph landscapes, people and colors to hypnotizing effect Action movies and art films alike should flow from one image to the next; if that flow breaks, it should betray a twist in the story or, better yet, a character’s psychology, not sloppy filmmaking

3 Ha ve f un w it h color s Color cinematography may appear more real” than black-and-white, but there is no reason filmmakers, at least fiction ones, should feel obligated to capturing doors, walls and jackets as they actually look Two of this year ’ s finest thrillers, Non-Stop and A Most Wanted Man, set their moods and tell their stories through colors alone: The former’s ocean blue airplane cabin speaks to modern slickness yet brings out the disparate colors of the passengers ’ skin, which fits its critique, while the latter film color codes its settings (stifling office quarters are fluorescent yellow and streets are melancholy blue) to match the perspective of Philip Seymour Hoffman’s protagonist When a movie with the resources fails to toy with its palette, like the new Captain America, it is a

letdown indeed

I have more items in mind (“Good movies don’t need to be P C ” ; “Sometimes, ambiguity is just bullshit”; “Anything with Dwayne Johnson is automatically great”) but I sense I am running out of space It must be reiterated that the most important evidence of a film’s quality comes from the gut While these parameters provide a loose system for evincing one ’ s enthusiasm or disapproval, they still kowtow to that initial response It can be disheartening to know that words will always fail to do justice to the most transcendent experience, but at least most of the movies out there aren ’ t so perfect, and therefore leave us with plenty to quarrel about

Zachar y Zahos is a senior in the College of Ar ts and Sciences He can be reached at zzahos@cornellsun com A L ove r s Qu a r re l w i t h t h e Wo r l d r uns alternate Wednesdays this semester

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Red Sets Ultimate Goal: Thriving at NCAA Champs

CROSS COUNTRY

Continued from page 16

“I’ve learned a lot throughout the years from previous captains just what has worked on the team and what hasn’t,” she said “It’s been cool to see our team develop because they’re getting better and better and more nationally competitive each year It’s really cool to be a part of that growth ”

Three captains may seem like a lot, but since the Red has one of the largest cross country teams in the nation, it makes sense Each captain has been able to take on her own role to form a comprehensive leadership team

“I think it’s really great that we have three captains because we definitely all have different strengths and different things we ’ re really excited about and focus on, ” Kellner said “I would say I’m probably more quiet but I hope that my determination and hard work at practice or lifting and trying to plan a lifestyle that’s conducive to running well I hope that shines through and inspires my teammates to do the same thing ”

Collard said she looks out for her teammates by making sure that they aren ’ t pushed beyond their limits

“I guess I’m probably the more honest one, ” she said “I’m not afraid to tell the coach if something is going wrong or people are really sore and we shouldn’t be doing this workout ”

Phlegar sees herself as the one who pulls the team together and encourages them to stay strong even when things get a little rough

“I kind of am a unifier of the group, ” she said “I just keep people positive throughout our tough workouts and on races when we get nervous ”

Smith said he was very impressed by how well the captains have been working together

“It’s clear that all three of them care deeply about their teammates and they care deeply about their teammates success but also about their teammates wellbeing ”

Another benefit to having three captains is that it gives each teammate multiple people to turn to if she is struggling or needs some advice

“Having three women with different experiences, different backgrounds, different strengths, really makes it more likely that everybody on the team has someone they can come speak to, look up to, and feel comfortable working with,” Smith said

As upperclassmen, both Collard and Phlegar hope to be a positive influence on the freshmen

“I really like being a captain and being able to help my teammates whether it’s with racing or just with school Especially the freshmen you really realize how much they look up to you, ” Collard said

“It’s been really great to positively influence [the freshmen] and kind of guide their transition to college,” Phlegar added

Kellner also enjoys interacting with her teammates as a captain

“One of the best parts is just being able to talk to everyone and make sure everyone ’ s doing okay,” she said

Last season, the women ’ s team placed second behind Dartmouth at the Ivy League championship meet and 23rd at the NCAA championship Collard, Phlegar and Kellner all have their sights set on having strong performances at both the Ivy meet and the NCAA championship this season To illustrate their goals, the women sat down and created a poster that showed their individual goals as pieces of a puzzle that made up the overall team goal, according to Phlegar

As coach, Smith said that his goal was for the team to simply do its best at each meet and that he relies on the captains to set the team ’ s own goals

“I think these three captains recognize that this team is capable of those things and they’ve been great in reminding people that as they give their best that they want to point their talents and energies towards those things,” he said “Having team leaders that are really pushing for everybody’s success, looking out for everybody’s well being, it’s really paramount ”

Ariel Cooper can be reached at acooper@cornellsun com

Zagorski Puts Team First

MEN’S SOCCER

Continued from page 16

exceptional per formance his junior year, only allowing appearances His 60 goals against average during the 2013 season is tied for the best in program history with Pflasterer’s 60 average from 2011 Despite missing six games during that season, his phenomenal performances over the year earned him Honorable Mention All Ivy League

Over the past four years, the Cornell goalie has cemented his role as a leader on the team and has matured as a player immensely

“Mentally, I don’t let the little things bother me during games

anymore, which helps me stay focused,” he said

Currently the senior has the fourth best career goals against average in Cornell history, but the seasoned keeper knows that individual accolades are bittersweet if the team does not do well

“Every game is important for us whether its a league game or not, so we take it one game at a time and try not to look too far ahead With that mentality we can string a few positive results together and hopefully end up in a good position to extend our season, ” he said

Tucker Maggio-Hucek can be reached at thucek@cornellsun com

Captain Kligman Sees Bright Future for Red

i o n a g

In a d d i t i o n t o t u r n i n g t o c o a c h Ba u g h n a s a re s o u rc e f o r s u pp o r t a n d g u i d a n c e , Gr a b oye s s a i d t h a t t h e p l a ye r s a l s o re l y o n e a c h

o t h e r f o r c o n s t r u c t i ve c r i t i c i s m “ Eve r y d a y p l a ye r s w o rk w i t h e a c h o t h e r a n d u s e e a c h o t h e r a s re s o u rc e s t o f i g u re o u t w h a t t h e i r s w i n g o r p u t t i n g s t ro k e l o o k s l i k e , ” h e s a i d “ It’s o f t e n d i f f i c u l t t o t r a n s l a t e w h a t yo u ’ re f e e l i n g i n t o w h a t ’ s a c t u a l l y h a p p e n i n g i n yo u r s w i n g We h a ve b e e n w o rk i n g i n p a i r s o r g ro u p s re c e n t l y a n d i t t a k e s a l o t o f g u e s s w o rk o u t o f i m p rove m e n t ” Ac c o rd i n g t o Gr a b oye s , t h e Re d s h o u l d a l s o f o s t e r a c o m p e t i t i ve s p i r i t w i t h i n t h e t e a m t o k e e p e ve r yo n e m o t i va t e d a n d c o n s t a n t l y s t r i v i n g f o r i m p rove m e n t “ T h e m o s t i m p o r t a n t t h i n g t h e t e a m c a n d o t o c o n t i n u e t o h a ve s u c c e s s i s c o n t i n u e t o c o m p e t e a g a i n s t e a c h o t h e r, ” h e s a i d “ We a re a m o re f o c u s e d t e a m w h e n we a re n o t o n l y t r y i n g t o s h o o t l owe r t h a n o u r p l a y i n g c o m p e t i t o r s , b u t a l s o o u r ow n t e a m m a t e s

Ex p e c t i n g t o h a ve t o p l a y yo u r b e s t j u s t t o h a ve yo u r s c o re c o u n

Red Places Sixth at Cornell Invite

Cornell

By JOHN MCGRORTY Sun Staff Writer

The Cornell University men ’ s Golf team competed this past weekend in the Cornell Invitational at the par71 Robert Trent Jones Golf Course The Red closed out the Invitational on Sunday with a sixth-place overall finish Dartmouth College finished first overall, one stroke ahead of Delaware University and the University of Pennsylvania who finished tied for second

Overall the Red finished with a total of 299 team points in the final round With phenomenal rounds from freshmen Mike Graboyes and Christopher Troy as well as sopomore Luke Graboyes, the Red still has a lot to show for after the home event

Despite playing in tough conditions, Senior captain Jonathan Kligman said the squad was not content with its results

“ We were disappointed by our finish Although the conditions were tough we were expecting to play a lot better,” he said

Sophomore Luke Graboyes said that the team was competitive in each round, despite ultimately falling

Zagorski Will Leave Behind Lasting Legacy

By TUCKER MAGGIO-HUCEK

Staff Writer

C o r n e l l g o a l k e e p e r Z a c h

Zagorski has been able to make quite a name for himself despite

t a k i

from one of the best goalies to ever represent the Red The senior captain came to Ithaca in 2011, only to find then junior Rick

P f l a s t e r e r h o l d i n g t h e s t a r t i n g spot

Pflasterer proceeded to earn First Team All Ivy League Honors for two straight seasons Along the way, he went on to etch his name into the record books of Cornell Soccer, earning the second most shutouts in program histor y He was also recognized for having the third lowest goals against average So for two seas o n s , Z a g o r s k i w a s f o r c e d t o watch from the sidelines, all the while keenly obser ving Pflasterer “ He c o n s i s t e n t l y p l a y e d a t

such a high level from game to game, which is difficult to do as a k e e p

y s o m ething I took from watching Rick play and tr y to do it myself,” said the senior goalkeeper Zagorski got his chance to s h i n e d u r i n g h i s f r e s h m a n campaign when Pflasterer went down with an i n j u r y Fi l l i n g in for the vetera n k e e p e r, h e made five saves in the last game o f t h e s e a s o n against Dartmouth, which earned him Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors

Although the 2012 season was primarily one of learning for Zagorski, the Red had one of the best seasons in the program ’ s history “ Winning the Ivy League title

at Columbia my sophomore year was really special We also had a huge group of alumni there that were just as excited to be a part of it,” he said

After the team won the 2012 Ivy League title and the former starter, Pflasterer, had graduated, it was time for Zagorski to take the reins All of the time spent learning the past two years ended up ser ving him quite well, especially when the Red took to the road

“It was great to be on the road experiencing the environment at different schools When we go back to those schools two years down the road I know exactly what to expect, ” he said

short of a top finish

“Our team takes away a mixture of feelings from the Cornell Invite,” he said “ We finished only eight shots out of first place even though we finished 6th overall We played well enough to be in contention but fell just a few shots shy of one of our best finishes in the past year ”

According to Graboyes, based on strong practice results, the Red is confident in its abilities and believes it can improve upon the outcome from this weekend in future events

“From our practice rounds we know that as a team we are capable of beating our scores from this weekend by a considerable amount, ” he said “ This is a positive because if we keep improving and stay focused for all 54 holes, we have a great chance to take home our first team title in a few years ”

The Red’s roster is brimming with talent, according to Kligman, and the younger golfers just need to gain more experience playing at the competitive, collegiate level in order to reach their full potential this season “ The main thing the team needs to focus on is playing

There may be no “I” in team, but ever y team needs a leader The Cornell women ’