academic life cornell

ROSENBAND | When Hospitals Become Our Battlegrounds

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When 7 p.m. arrives, my neighbors gather on their porches, banging pots and pans and cheering for doctors, like my dad, as they arrive home. It’s a sweet tribute. But in this period of social distancing, when every pursuit is a solitary one, I pinpoint those moments of camaraderie as my loneliest ones. I wait for 7 p.m., and when it rolls around I welcome a dispirited substitute for my father, void of his trademark optimism. I quickly scan him up and down — he has a face shield and mask in one hand and a bag of pomegranate licorice in the other, a blank face, a few drops of dried blood on his sneakers, a loosely tied Cornell sweatshirt hanging from his waist  — and then I continue to stir a pot of butternut squash soup.

Columns

JEONG | Politicizing Our Superheroes

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However, it is because these superheroes represent the greater values of our society that they can become symbols of our politics. It is interesting that superhero movies have become modern political allegories. Most people don’t go to the movie theaters for profound philosophical discussion on Locke and the social contract. Rather, most summer flicks are a few hours of escapism in the form of uncomplicated Hollywood drama.

Arts & Culture

Too Brave of a New World?: Heroes Reborn

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By BRYNN RICHTER

After much anticipation, Heroes Reborn has finally arrived. There was a great deal of hype surrounding the premiere as NBC announced which members of the original cast would return (a slim number, since many of the actors have gone on to bigger projects) and what new actors would be joining the cast. Because the first season of Heroes was excellent, I had hopes that whoever decided a Heroes reboot was necessary after the show greatly declined and was ultimately cancelled, would bring that quality to Heroes Reborn. Heroes Reborn picks up five years after the original series ended, opening on the Odessa Summit, where people with powers, “evos” are accepted. Minutes later, however, a June 13 terrorist attack on the summit destroys all pro-evo sentiments, leaving evos no choice but to go into hiding.