Cornell Insider

a blog by the writers of the Cornell Review

Archive for December, 2009

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Top Five News Stories of the Decade

Posted by Dennis Shiraev on December 31, 2009

Happy New Year’s! For me, today marks the last day of what was, for all intents and purposes, the first full decade of my life. I know this is also the case for many of our readers.

I encourage you all to look back on the personal events of the last decade that have had and will continue to have the greatest impact on your lives. On a national level, these are the events of the past decade have most dramatically impacted the lives of Americans, shaped the course of American foreign and domestic policy, and will continue to have a lasting impact on our lives in decades to come.

1) September 11, 2001. “We have slain a large dragon. But we live now in a jungle filled with a bewildering variety of poisonous snakes. And in many ways, the dragon was easier to keep track of.” So spoke former CIA Director James Woolsey in the early 1990′s after the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War. The reality of this treacherous post-Cold War  jungle arrived on a peaceful September morning in 2001. I don’t think anyone will ever forget exactly where they were when they heard that two jumbo jets had hit the World Trade Center, that the Pentagon was in flames, and that there was fear of more planes heading towards Washington. Our world changed on 9/11, and it will never be the same.

September 11, 2001.

2) Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. War became a constant in the 2000′s. It has become so much of a norm in our daily lives that most people would be shocked when reminded that American military operations in Afghanistan are entering their eighth year, with no clear end in sight.

3) Election of Barack Obama as 44th President of the United States. My fellow conservatives and I do not feel that the 2008 election represented a significant realignment of American politics or a unique popular mobilization of American voters. We view the election of Obama as a consequence of eight years of an unpopular administration and a weak Republican nominee in John McCain. But even though we disagree with his positions and policies, we would be wrong not to underscore the tremendous significance of his election on American politics.

4) Internet Growth. While the 1990′s may have witnessed the PC explosion and the nascent stages of the internet, the 2000′s will be remembered as a decade of unprecedented internet growth. Can you even imagine what your life would be like without Facebook, Youtube, Google, or even this wonderful blog?

5) Hurricane Katrina. The worst natural disaster of this decade devastated many Gulf states, displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and sparked many debates on the failures of bureaucracy and growing societal inequality.

Posted in National News | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Top 5 Cornell News Stories of 2009

Posted by Dennis Shiraev on December 30, 2009

1) Reimagining Cornell: The financial crisis of 2008 made a significant dent in Cornell’s endowment, prompting an initiative to cut costs and restructure the budgets, faculties, and operations of all seven colleges. This story is still unfinished, and will likely be among our list of top stories for 2010 as well. Here is just a brief overview of the news and commentary.

2) Swine Flu: By the middle of September, more than 600 students had been diagnosed with probable cases of swine flu. In addition to increased anxiety and stress, this miniature pandemic resulted in an IFC moratorium on open parties, new hand sanitizer stations all over campus, scared townies, and the tragic death of a Cornell student. Even though most of us emerged unscathed (minus a missed week of classes and several rescheduled prelims, in my case), the H1N1 virus left a permanent mark on our campus this fall. After 1600+ reported cases (and many other unreported cases), Cornell looks ahead to a healthier spring semester.

3) The Program House Debate: It all started with the announcement that program houses would be put under review, which instantly sparked a symbolic funeral march for the death of program houses in early April (followed by Review commentary). Over the summer, there was the Ken Glover debacle/reassignment, then the re-reassignement, which was followed by another reinstatement (followed by more Review commentary). Then there was the Program House panel, which was followed by even more Cornell Review commentary and input. In the end, nothing changed. Program Houses are still here to stay, just as Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy ’73 told Review reporters after the initial protest in April.

4) Sports Disappointments: Despite the innumerable accomplishments of Big Red athletic teams and individual athletes this year, 2009 was also marked by two tremendous shortcomings. Just when we all thought it was over, when we all thought that Cornell would claim its first NCAA Lacrosse title since 1977, the unimaginable happened. Up 9-6 with 5:37 remaining in the game, the Big Red somehow managed to clinch defeat from the jaws of victory and lost 10-9 in overtime. Earlier in the year, the Big Red Ice Hockey team fell short of a Frozen Four appearance when it lost to the surging and energized but clearly under-talented Bemidji State. Two national championships slipped through our fingers tips in 2009.

5) “The Great Ivy-League Snob Off”: Although this probably isn’t the kind of national news attention most Cornellians want, the Ann Coulter-Keith Olbermann argument over the authenticity of Cornell’s different colleges was splattered all over the blogosphere (here, here, and here, for example).  Of course, our opinion of this news story does have a certain bias, what with Coulter’s affiliation with the Cornell Review and the fact that this was our most popular and widely read story of the year.

Posted in Campus Insiders | Tagged: , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Leaving Gitmo? Pack your crayons!

Posted by Oliver Renick on December 29, 2009

Brace yourself.  The two al Qaeda leaders who claim to be behind the Christmas plane bombing attempt were once prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.  At least until November 2007, at which point they were released to Saudi Arabia.  After transferring from Cuba to Arabia, they were enrolled into an “art therapy rehabilitation program.”

Again for emphasis: “art therapy rehabilitation program.”

The prisoners, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi and Said Ali Shari, prisoners #333 and #372, respectively, were released from all forms detainment shortly thereafter.  Upon release, they rejoined al Qaeda, became ‘military commanders,’ and began to plot the attempted bombing on Northwest Flight 253.  Or so they claim.  But maybe they’re lying.  The reality is that it doesn’t matter.  Even if the role they attained after their release was merely ‘dude on camera who makes false claims,’ we still have a problem.  These were just two guys that were released under the Bush administration.  As of yet, I have been unable to find (on the internet) any speculation on why they were let go, but it seems reasonable to assume it was due to some level of political pressure (as we all know how fond the Bush admin. was of letting terrorists loose).

So what can we assume will happen when Obama decides to shut down the entire prison? The worst part about this is that the “art rehabilitation program” was not experimental, or a ‘trial-run’, on this specific group of Gitmo transfers.  It is an established and long-running system that has been and will continue to be employed.  Maybe I’m shallow or uncultured, or maybe I just don’t understand the philosophical impact of art, but what kind of blind idiocy is behind this scheme? Or rather, who is the mastermind terrorist that coordinated this incredible facade?

I’m just curious, what constitutes a ‘passing grade’ in this art class?  If the student doesn’t draw a turban-toting stick figure with some jockeys full of pentaerythritol tetranitrate does he get let go?  I encourage you to watch the video linked below – it is absolutely horrifying, yet darkly comedic at the same time.  It is footage from the Saudi’s art rehab which they say has “had its failures but  overall, the effort has helped return potential terrorists to a meaningful life.”  You don’t make a terrorist rehab program that “has failures.”  Better yet, you don’t make terrorist rehab programs.  My favorite part of the video is when they all pass around a box of donuts.

It is your civic duty to click this image

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Face of Terrorism

Posted by Oliver Renick on December 29, 2009

Ralph Peters, ex-Army Colonel and outspoken advocate of the U.S. Military and counter-terrorism efforts, writes about how political correctness is encouraging Americans to lie to themselves about the connections between Islam and terrorism.  Peters writes in his traditional polemical style, so his piece is sure to get some people heated.  Nevertheless, I think he hits the nail on the head a few times.  He first points out how our enemies do not share the same sensitivity we do through political correctness – a simple observation, but too often people forget this.

Contrast our political correctness with Abdulmutallab’s choice of Christmas for his intended massacre. Our troops stand down on Muslim holidays. A captive terrorist merely has to claim that a soldier dog-eared a Koran, and it’s courts-martial all around.

But more importantly, Peters addresses the most crucial aspect of the terrorism scenario: Americans’ fear of labeling Islam as a religion that produces violence.  I have written on this subject before, and still embrace my original conclusion that the public’s conception of Islam can only be determined by the actions of its followers: this image will not change until the zealots are silenced by the religion’s real practitioners.  Peters writes:

We proclaim that the terrorists “don’t represent Islam.” OK, whom do they represent? The Franciscans? We don’t get to decide what’s Islam and what isn’t. Muslims do. And far too many of them approve of violent jihad.

He also brings up something that has been bothering me since the attempted attack.  If you were to turn on the TV over the course of the week following the incident, you would see commentators and terrorism analysts trying to determine whether or not Abdulmuttalab was really acting on behalf of Al Qaeda as he claimed.  As Peters points out, “al Qaeda’s far more than a formal organization; it’s an idea, a cause. If a terrorist says he’s al Qaeda, he is, even if he doesn’t have a union card from Jihadi Local 632.”  Peters also discusses the reality of the socio-economic role in breeding terrorists.  I highly recommend the article, as well as Peters’ analysis of the Fort Hood attack, where he says that “there’s no such thing as ‘Islamist terrorism’ in ObamaWorld.”

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MRM #29

Posted by Dennis Shiraev on December 28, 2009

After two weeks of interrupted posting, Monday Reading Madness is back!

- Bilmes has the preview for tomorrow’s matchup between Cornell (4)  and Colorado College (3).

A big week for the Big Red

- Statistics on ED applications and acceptances.

- Cornell drops a few spots but still finishes high in…some rankings.

- Christopher Hitchens provides commentary on the attempted Christmas bombing over Michigan.

- For all of you who call for an immediate closing of Guantanamo, this should make you rethink your opinion and/or make you sick to your stomach.

- More on why the 2000′s sucked.

- Finally, 2009 in pictures from the Cornell Chronicle.

Posted in Campus Insiders, National News | Leave a Comment »

The 2000′s Sucked

Posted by Dennis Shiraev on December 26, 2009

According to public opinion data collected by Pew Research, at least. Before I publish my annual list of top five national news stories of the year- which will be supplemented this year by a list of top five Cornell-related news stories of the year and top ten national news stories of the decade- here are some data that should convince you that the 2000′s really did suck:

Those who have read Bryan Caplan’s book The Myth of the Rational Voter will probably point out that these data can be explained by the pessimistic bias, or systematic tendency to overestimate the severity of economic problems and underestimate the past, present, and future performance of the economy. Still, it is shocking to see that more than twice as many respondents had negative impressions of the 2000′s than the 1990′s.

I recommend reading through the entire article, but this chart is of particular interest. Apparently Facebook, tattoos, reality TV shows, and the Cornell Insider are disproportionately responsible for people’s misfortunes in the past decade:

Posted in Miscellaneous, National News | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

Merry Christmas!

Posted by Oliver Renick on December 25, 2009

Merry Christmas!  As I said last year, I do not conform to the politically correct, vague ‘happy holidays’ expression.  I believe that everyone wishing each other their own personal holiday greeting is the most conducive to a welcoming and tolerant environment – I’ll be more than happy to accept your Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or whatever happens to float your boat.

On a related note – here is a link to an interesting Christmas article which covers a subject we rarely see reported on. At Cornell, we often hear the narrative of greedy, intolerant Christian white men and privileged WASPy students.  The image is often conveyed that Christians have no experience with the receiving end of oppression, prejudice and violence.  Nothing could be more false – the article by Jeff Jacoby encapsulates this subject well, as he discusses extreme Christian persecution that is ever-present in the Middle East, Africa, and especially, Asia.

It has been more than 2,000 years since the shepherds abiding in the fields near Bethlehem were told by an angel of the Lord, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy.’’ But for millions of persecuted Christians, the fears are all too real. And so is their need for prayer and solidarity from all of us, Christian and non-Christian alike, who seek to be our brother’s keeper.

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Christmas at Cornell: shale, quitters, and armless babies

Posted by Oliver Renick on December 24, 2009

Since we’ve been out of the loop due to exam week, here’s a little recap of where Cornell has made the news:

Football coach Knowles cuts contract short – goes to Duke for big $$

Jim Knowles, Cornell’s football coach and ex-lineman for the Big Red, resigned from his job to pursue a long-term offer at Duke University. In his six seasons as Cornell’s head coach the team has gone 26-34, with this past year seeing a 2-8 record.  While he said being a Cornellian is “in his blood” and that he is passionate about Cornell’s football, it seems the Blue Devils had a better way to fill his coffers.  Ithaca Journal reports there are no hard feelings.

In other news… sports that Cornellians actually care about

The New York Daily News has labeled Cornell’s basketball team as ‘blossoming.’  How sweet.  Dick Weiss writes a good article profiling the rise of Big Red basketball.  I liked head coach Steve Donahue’s quote saying “Our league has been beaten up the last couple years by the national announcers.  I think everyone likes to take a shot at the Ivy League – the elitist system.”  That’s right, our simple-minded opponents may be able to steal victories on the court, but in the big picture, we’re still better than they are.  Most recently, Cornell conquered over St. John’s in Madison Square Garden.

Return of the Johnsons: Peggy Preheim exhibit garners attention at Art Museum

'KidNapping'

The Johnson schools are back in the news, but this time in a more culturally enriching manner.  Turns out the Business School’s artsy counterparts are less interested in sex banter and more interested in throwing a darn good art-party.  The Johnson Museum of Art has garnered some positive recognition for its current exhibit on Peggy Preheim, a contemporary artist who specializes in very detailed small people and defacing American currency.  I like ‘Kid Napping’ but I’m not sure about the pseudo-transsexual Andrew Jackson or the fohawk-sporting armless baby Washington.  Also, why doesn’t she have a Wiki page?

'Contact'

‘Frack is Whack’ protesters get a nice stocking stuffer: no Marcellus Shale leasing by Cornell… yet

Representatives from Cornell have made it clear that no land will be leased for drilling into Marcellus shale unless companies conform to the “high environmental standards [upheld by the University].”  Student groups such as KyotoNOW! and Green Guerrillas have recently protested the method of hydrofracking used to extract natural gas from a certain type of dark mineral known as Marcellus Shale that is prevalent in Ithaca’s landscape.  Although other states such as Pennsylvania and Virginia have begun to successfully tap into the 262 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas that runs up the eastern seaboard, the shale around Ithaca may have higher levels of radiation that could poison the water system.

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And We’re Back

Posted by Dennis Shiraev on December 21, 2009

Many apologies for the lack of blogging over the past week. While we had hoped to bring you as much Cornell related news and analysis during study week, a combined total of 9 finals between me and Oliver prevented us from doing so.

Before we get back to regular and frequent blogging, we do want to take this opportunity to thank our readers for a great first year for the Cornell Insider. We started blogging here exactly one year ago, and from our humble beginnings of single digit page views per day, we now generate hundreds of views every day and have totaled more than 200,000 views over the past year. Thanks, Cornellians! Enjoy your breaks and be sure to keep checking the Insider for daily updates.

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The Exam Week Post

Posted by Oliver Renick on December 13, 2009

This is the exam week post, where we apologize for being Cornellians and having rather rigorous schedules during Finals Week in Ithaca.  Our posting has been slow, and this will probably be maintained until the beginning of winter break, starting this Saturday.  So, in the meantime, read up on our old issues and study for your tests!  Also, thanks to all the viewers who have frequented Cornell Insider and browsed the pages of the Review this semester!

- Insider staff

Posted in Miscellaneous | Leave a Comment »

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