The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2014/03/)
By ANNIE BUI
Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday to discuss what host Chuck Todd described as being the “single biggest issue” driving American politics: healthcare. Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 appears on NBC’s Meet the Press to discuss healthcare issues (Courtesy of NBC).
By TYLER ALICEA
Astronomer Carolyn Porco, who is responsible for a variety of famous photographs of space, will address Cornellians during a talk on April 9, the University announced Monday. PORCO
By ANNIE BUI
An agonizing wait for high school seniors and applicants to Cornell ended at 5 p.m. Thursday, when the University notified 14 percent of its more than 43,000 applicants that they were accepted to the Class of 2018. The University’s overall acceptance rate — which takes into account both the number of early and regular decision acceptances — marked a record low, down from last year’s 15.2 percent for the Class of 2017 and 16.2 percent for the Class of 2016. Cornell admissions representatives Reba McCutcheon ’96 and Angela Herrera ’03 welcome the Class of 2018 during the Countdown to Cornell event in the Robert Purcell Community Center Thursday. (Michelle Fraling / Sun Staff Photographer)
By AIMEE CHO
Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel, will address students on April 8 about how Israel “maintains a thriving democracy amongst its Middle East neighbors and improve[s] the world with new technologies,” according to Rachel Medin ’14, co-president of the Cornell Israel Political Affairs Committee. According to Hal Ossman, executive director of Cornell Hillel, Olmert’s appearance is co-sponsored by Caravan for Democracy, an initiative of Jewish National Fund and Media Watch International that brings different speakers from Israel to discuss “the issues affecting Israel, how it is covered in the media and its unique role as the only democracy in the Middle East.”
Olmert served in the Israeli military and the Knesset, which is the legislative branch of Israel’s government, before becoming prime minister from 2006 to 2009, according to the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. He was also the mayor of Jerusalem from 1993 to 2003 and served as Israel’s Minister of Finance in 2007, the website said. Alana Askari ’17 said she is looking forward to Olmert’s visit so she can learn more about the political situation in Israel. “I think it is amazing that the Hillel has such a large presence on this campus to bring in such an important figure in the Jewish Community,” Askari said.
Ezra’s Oracle welcomes inquiries from members of the Cornell community about anything and everything related to the University. We seek out answers to campus mysteries, research rumors, and investigate issues of relevance to Cornellians. Questions can be submitted via email to [email protected]. What’s the story behind Happy Dave at Okenshields? Is he a Cornell alum?
By KAITLYN TIFFANY
Riley Yuan / Sun Staff Photographer
By RYAN QUINN
After a brief, two-game home stand at Schoellkopf, the Red will hit the road again as it reenters Ivy League play against Princeton on Saturday. Cornell (4-4, 1-1 Ivy), coming off of a three-game losing streak, will look to reinvigorate its offense against the Tigers (5-3, 1-1) after failing to score more than nine goals in the last two contests. Enoch Newkirk / Staff PhotographerJunior attack Lindsay Toppe had a strong offensive showing in the Red’s last contest.
By BRITTANY CARSON
Healthy. The word we say and hear without apprehension; we use it regularly, in many contexts and it is thrown about the news, talk shows and every new advertisement. But what is “healthy?” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, healthy is to be “in good health,” but what is that exactly? And, is there one state of good health or many? Such an abstract concept is often applied widely to society as if there is one state of good health, as opposed to multiple, personalized forms. But who decides what is healthy and what is not?
By RIE SEU
Andrew Weber, assistant secretary of defense for nuclear, chemical and biological defense programs, said there are numerous emerging biological threats worldwide due to the easy accessibility of materials involved in the production of biological weapons during a lecture Thursday. “Today, there is a lack of need for infrastructure that only a nation state would have,” he said. “[Ingredients are] available at Home Depot.”
With regard to terrorist groups, Weber said he was concerned that al-Quaida has asked for brothers with degrees in microbiology or chemistry to develop weapons of mass destruction. He also said he was concerned about the location the Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo produced their biological weapons used in the Tokyo Metro attack in 1995, where cult members punctured packets of the neurotoxin sarin on the Tokyo subway system, leading to hundreds of injuries and lasting medical conditions. Weber
By EMILY KLING
What do you get when you give an inventor a mirror, a book about art and 1825 days to figure out one of art’s greatest mysteries? Well, you get Tim’s Vermeer. Tim’s Vermeer, directed by the performer Teller, produced by his stage partner Penn Jillette and Farley Zielger, tells the story of Texas-based inventor Tim Jenison’s efforts to duplicate the painting techniques of Johannes Vermeer. What puzzles Tim, and has puzzled art historians for centuries, is how Vermeer was able to create photo-realistic paintings in the 1600s, a century and a half before photography was invented. The documentary reveals elements of this mystery, as X-rays of Vermeer’s paintings show no sketches underneath and Vermeer’s ability to capture certain elements of shadow with such precision that is just about impossible by the human eye.