Blogs

THE DAPPER MAN | From the Screen

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By JEFFREY BREUER

Inspiration can be a powerful driving force, leading us to take risks we thought we couldn’t deliver on. When we walk down Ho Plaza on a brisk Monday morning or watch television shows and films, we see people who “pull off” outfits, haircuts or even attitudes that we ourselves wish we could replicate. However, we rarely have the opportunity to do anything about it. In the realm of men’s fashion, plenty of movies and television series have tremendous wardrobes for their characters, which we can dissect and look to for fresh ideas. Here are just a few examples of such productions:

This film serves as a great place to start for a few reasons, but is particularly strong in its ability to demonstrate the importance of the essentials.

Blogs

AUDACIOUS | Censorship and Criticism

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By SUTHESHNA MANI

Ever since Donald Trump’s public endorsement of his candidacy in the 2016 Presidential elections, there hasn’t been a phrase that I have heard more often than “PC.”

PC, which stands for “politically correct” is the term used to describe language, rhetoric or actions that are not intended to offend specific groups of people, particularly disadvantaged groups. In recent years however, it has been used as a pejorative term to describe trigger-happy, thin-skinned, bleeding heart liberals who can’t take a joke. It has been the knee jerk reaction to many issues, namely, offensive Halloween costumes and accusations of racism. But recently, accused individuals who have committed acts of insensitivity have banded together to become a beleaguered class whose freedom of speech has been supposedly impinged upon. I, for one, am whole heartedly for the philosophy of Evelyn Beatrice Hall’s famous quote: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Everyone should have the right to say what they want, good, bad or egregious.

Blogs

GUEST BLOG | Where Are You From?

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By RENE TSUKAWAKI

I cannot count the number of times I have been asked the question “Where are you from?” It’s a seemingly innocent question, one that’s in the list of questions people ask the first time they meet someone; along with “What’s your name?”, “Where are you from?” is a reasonable question to ask a stranger since both the question and the answer are simple and straightforward. Except they’re not. At least not for all of us. I personally am never quite sure how to respond to this question. Usually whenever people ask me, they do not actually want my full background story and desire a one-word response.

Blogs

GUEST BLOG | The Sanctuary

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By TINA HE

A legend says that if a couple walks around the entire perimeter of Beebe Lake while holding hands, the two are destined to be engaged. It’s 7:00 and I am sliding my feet into my sneakers. Ferociously sleep deprived — a ubiquitous state of being for Cornell undergraduates — I choose the lake over my bed, and set out without telling my boyfriend. The air is still misty. Dew rests on the tips of the grass; the sun hasn’t started radiating heat.

Blogs

EMOTIONALLY STUNTIN’ | A Bad Depression Day

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By REBECCA KRUGER

Wake up two hours later than intended because in a fun ironic twist, while getting high to forget about how much you hate living, you forgot to set your alarm. Stare at the ceiling for approximately 30 minutes. Acceptable brainwave topics for your daily ceiling stare include but are not limited to: the schoolwork you avoided doing last night, the annoyed glare that one kid in your seminar shot at you when you asked a question two weeks ago, your lack of contributions to the world compared to Einstein or Barbara Streisand or the girl three doors down who really seems to have her shit together. Reach to your desk and unlock your phone. Stare at social media for another 10 minutes in order to compare every aspect of your physical and emotional being to your 1,000 closest friends, and, as usual, come up short in every category.

Blogs

LIBERALLY BLONDE | Movie Ratings and Trigger Warnings

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By KAYLEIGH RUBIN

The familiar green screen and white lettering precede each movie trailer. Before the main attraction can scroll across the screen, the designated rating and following justification first greet the audience. While many viewers choose to ignore the warning, few question its significance. And this makes sense; a second-long movie rating is hardly an inconvenience, yet it presents conscientious viewers with the opportunity to avoid potentially disturbing or inappropriate content. The movie rating is considerate and unobtrusive, constructive and nondescript.

Blogs

STUDY BREAK | Helpful Ways to De-Stress

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By JOYCE LEE

Whether you’re young or old, you’ve probably dealt with stress. Some days, college seems to make my stress level go through the roof. With all the work I have (or know I will have), I almost feel as though I am being irresponsible if I don’t feel stressed out. Other days, I remind myself that stress is not only unnecessary, but that being happy and stress-free actually leads to a more successful academic and personal life. I know – easier said than done.

Blogs

DAVIS | Journalists Against the University

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By ADAM DAVIS

By now, Cornell’s most recent Fox News incident is old news. Jesse Watters and his camera crew came, recorded some ambush interviews of students and cut and pasted a segment together to support their foregone conclusion: that Cornell as an institution is a hotbed of some sort of thought-crushing “liberal indoctrination.”

Many people will also remember Cornell’s last brush with right-wing pseudo-journalism, when an undercover “reporter” from Project Veritas (an organization with less journalistic credibility than Fox News) pulled off his own feat of ambush journalism to make it appear that Cornell would welcome a group which materially supported ISIS. And now Project Veritas has released yet another video, this time portraying Cornell as anti-Constitution. The video follows the same tactics used to obtain the ISIS video: a reporter poses as a student and puts a university employee in an awkward and unrealistic situation; a “gotcha” video is then recorded. Much has been made, especially in the wake of the Fox News incident, of the issues of journalism and what rights the press should have on campus: the journalistic practices were bad, the journalistic practices were bad but the university was wrong for trying to stop the interviews, the university was in the right for following their previously established policy on unannounced campus interviews, etc.

Blogs

HERMAN | Failing the Children

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By HEATHER HERMAN

Often when I return from a night teaching at Auburn Correctional Facility, I’m caught raving about my students for their intelligence, wit and insightful comments. This semester, I’m a TA for an English class through CPEP (Cornell Prison Education Program). My adrenaline-fueled excitement near midnight upon returning is generally countered by my parents scoffing over the phone, or friends rolling their eyes and commenting, “Oh yeah? What crime did this one commit?”

This one’s a murderer. That one’s in for armed burglary.

Blogs

GUEST BLOG | Virgins and Ghosts!

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By YVETTE NDLOVU

They say you never forget your first! My experience consisted of waiting in the cold for an hour to get into a Haunted House (shout out to the guy in the line dressed up as the Fox News Reporter: you know, the one who had a lot of nasty stuff to say about Cornell the other day), theatrical make-up, masks, lots of laughter and very few worries about prelims. Though if the Haunted House had prelims, grades and finals jumping out at me, I would have found it a lot scarier! “Trick or Treat!” was an expression I’ve only heard in movies. For some international students, we are Hallo-gins, or Halloween Virgins. This Saturday was my first Halloween.