By wpengine February 13, 2004
Elena Poptodorova, ambassador from the Republic of Bulgaria to the United States, visited Cornell this past week. Poptodorova’s stay, which lasted from Tuesday to yesterday, included several lectures and meetings with Cornell students, faculty and administrators. Topics focused on the “changes in Bulgaria during the period after they put aside their Communist government — changes in the law and legal system and how [they] affect broader changes in the economy and society in general,” said Larry Bush, executive director of the Clarke Center for international and comparative legal studies at the Law School. Poptodorova’s visit was sponsored primarily by the Law School and the Einaudi Center for International Studies. On Tuesday, a reception allowed members of the Bulgarian community to meet the ambassador. “I hope that everyone appreciates the great opportunity to interact with her,” said Victor Mikov ’05, president of the Bulgarian Club. Poptodorova was also invited to McGraw Tower to hear the Bulgarian National Anthem played on the chimes that afternoon. Lecture Her lecture on Wednesday, “The Rule of Law in Bulgaria — an Emerging Democracy: New Concepts, New Legal Instruments and New Practices,” was part of the Law School’s Berger International Speaker Series which, according to Bush, brings 10 to 20 speakers a year. “It’s a wonderful opportunity for the law students to engage with a policy maker from Eastern Europe who has been personally active in helping her country develop and evolve from its former Communist status to a free society,” Bush said. Yesterday, Poptodorova spoke on her country’s development at the Einaudi Center’s Peace Studies Seminar in a lecture entitled, “A View From the ‘New Europe.'” She opened by addressing Bulgaria’s rich, but relatively unknown, history. “There is no excessive knowledge of my country in the world,” Poptodorova said. Poptodorova emphasized Bulgaria’s history of ethnic tolerance, particularly towards Jews during World War II. Bulgarians were responsible for saving the lives of approximately 50,000 Jews, she said. In addition, Bulgaria, located in southeastern Europe, has managed to remain peaceful despite the general turmoil and violence of the region. Poptodorova next discussed Bulgaria’s improvements since its elections in 2001. Bulgaria, a primarily agricultural country, now has “continuity in foreign and economic policies,” particularly in the tobacco industry and the banking sector. “Bulgaria is firmly on the road to becoming a really stable solid market economy,” Poptodorova said. She also spoke of Bulgaria’s upcoming membership in NATO and the EU and how Sept. 11 affected her country’s views on membership in those organizations. Sept. 11 “brought realization of the importance of a security alliance, [especially one with NATO],” she said. Poptodorova responded to questions from the audience after her lecture. “There were several questions that came up afterwards, particularly concerning potential losses of sovereignty from joining [NATO and the EU] and her view is that there really is no alternative given the current situation. It was a very informative discussion,” said Prof. Matthew Evangelista, government, also director of the peace studies program. Poptodorova also gave a lecture for the International Political Risk Management class at the business school. Prior to acquiring her position as ambassador in 2002, Poptodorova was a member of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1975 to 1990. Afterwards, she served as a member of the Bulgarian Parliament until her appointment as ambassador.Archived article by Diana Lo
By wpengine February 13, 2004
The wrestling team (6-6, 3-0 Ivy League), ranked No. 15 nationally, will look to wrap up the Ivy title this weekend as it hosts Harvard (1-11, 1-1 Ivy league) tonight at 7 p.m. and Brown (4-9, 1-1 Ivy league) tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Friedman Wrestling Center. The squad is in a good position to defend its title after the Red scored a victory two weeks ago over a Penn team that many considered to be Cornell’s greatest threat. Last week, the Red rolled over Columbia 31-6, leaving the Red two victories away from the Ivy title. Though Harvard and Brown should be more of a challenge than the Lions, many feel that they are not on the same level as Cornell this year. “These matches should be better, but I feel that there is no reason why we can’t come away with the Ivy title this weekend,” said senior captain Tyler Baier. Junior heavyweight Matt Bogumil added, “We line up great against both teams. We want to keep momentum on our side however. We don’t want them getting any upsets.” Harvard’s lone victory this year came against Princeton 22-10. Though the squad does not have many victories, it has faced off against some of the tougher teams in the nation including Lehigh, Michigan, and Wisconsin. The squad includes several ranked wrestlers, most notably senior Jesse Jantzen (22-1), who is ranked No. 1 in the nation in all major polls in the 149-pound weight class. Brown also has some talented wrestlers in its lineup including David Dies at 149 pounds, Sean Jenkins at 165 pounds. and Nick Ciarcia at 184 pounds. Their victories this season have come against Princeton, Drexel, Cal-State Fullerton and Springfield. Cornell’s Mike Mormile, 11-11 on the season, will likely start for the Red against both Harvard and Brown in the 125-pound. weight class. Ranked third in the EIWA poll, he should an advantage over Harvard’s Bren Kakesako and Brown’s Greg Pace. With a 28-1 record and a number one ranking in all polls, Cornell’s Travis Lee should have control of the 133-pound. weight class in both matches for the Red. He will likely be facing Greg Cook of Harvard and Dan Appello of Brown. The 141-pound. weight class will be more competitive than the first two classes. Cornell has been using several wrestlers in this class including freshman Keith Dickey and classmate Ryan Bridge, who was called up last week to wrestle against the Lions. Harvard is strong in this class with Max Meltzer ranked second in the EIWA and 11th nationally. Brown will likely go with Mike Ashton against the Red. The 149-pound. weight class may be the most exciting class to watch this weekend as it will feature three of the top wrestlers in the nation: Jantzen, Sophomore Dustin Manotti of Cornell (ranked fifth nationally) and Dies (ranked 17th nationally). The match between Manotti and Jantzen should be particularly interesting to watch. As Baier said, “That should be the match of the night.” Last season Jantzen posted a 9-1 victory over Manotti, who will be looking to avenge that loss. Scott Roth, who has been solid all year for the Red will wrestle in the 157-pound. weight class. He will likely compete against Harvard’s Brandon Kaufman and Brown’s Michael Savino. The 164 pound. weight class will feature Dan Miracola for the Red, who is replacing an injured Joe Mazzurco. He will go against a tough competitor in Brown’s Sean Jenkins, who is ranked second in the EiWA. Harvard will likely use Bobby Latessa for this class. Cornell junior Tyler Baier, ranked 17th nationally will be the favorite against the Crimson’s Eddie Jones and Brown’s Adam Santee in the 174-pound. weight class. Jerry Rindali of Cornell will tackle some tough competition in P.J. Jones of Harvard and Ciacira of Brown in the 184-pound. weight class. Cornell’s Matt Greenberg, ranked as high as sixth in the nation this week should score points for the Red in the 197-pound. weight class. Harvard will counter with Reggie Lee, while Brown will send out Pete Mosley. The heavyweight division will feature Cornell’s Matt Bogumil going against Harvard’s Bode Ogunwole and Brown’s Lee Beane. The match between Ogunwole and Bogumil should be exciting as Ogunwole ranks third in the EIWA while Bogumil ranks fifth. “We had a great week of practice and we are prepared to win the ivy championship,” said Baier Archived article by Chris Callanan