Category: November 17th

The title of the news article somewhat captures the entirety of the research article, because it only discusses the possibility of eating yogurt to prevent a cold, while the research article discusses probiotics as a whole. The first paragraph of the news article only claims that while yogurt is beneficial, there is not enough research present regarding its cold-prevention abilities. The research article also repeats this, but also claims that probiotics can potentially improve one’s condition during the cold, using an example of an experiment. The entirety of the news article only repeats how healthy yogurt is, but also shows the shortcomings of eating it while sick. The research article, however, dives deeper into how each probiotics in yogurt and other foods can be used to fight the cold, but further research is necessary. The abstract of the research article does the best job of explaining how probiotics do not prevent the cold, but rather should be used depending on the severity of it. While the news article contradicts its own title, the research article effectively shows the advantages and disadvantages of using probiotics to prevent the common cold.

 

News article: https://www.cnn.com/2018/01/19/health/fight-cold-yogurt-food-drayer/index.html

Research article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3560336/

Tosca was my first experience with the opera, though I always had some amount of interest because my grandparents were pretty big opera fans. With my grandparents in mind, I made my way to the opera determined to give it a fair chance. We tried to find our seats as the first act started. Though we didn’t get to our seats in time and stood for the first act, I was immediately blown away by the architecture of the intricate set designs. Most of the show I spent trying to see which Italian words I could actually understand through the singing, although there weren’t many. The rest of the show I spent admiring the set that changed with each act. By the end I found myself completely engaged with the plot of the opera, and I was very glad we had read the play beforehand so that I could follow along without having to stare at the subtitles the entire time. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed the opera and now had something to tell my grandma about when she asked me how school was going.

After not being able to make it to the opera, I had to watch an online version. I obviously do not feel as if I got the full experience, but thats alright and watching an opera for the first time was a interesting experience.  The production and backgrounds were all  nothing like I have seen in a live performance. There was a huge amount of detail put in the backgrounds and the effort that it must have took to create them is admirable.

The opera, not being in english, was pretty easy to follow for me considering we read the script several times so I knew what was going on. Other than that, there where subtitles to read that translated what they where singing. The acting and music was what grabbed my attention the most in the opera. The over dramatic acting and the way they project their voices when they sing is very impressive.  I can’t imagine how much practice hours these people put in to train their voices. The way the music interacts and coincides with the opera is really what kept my attention while watching. Overall, it was pretty much what I expected from an opera without having ever seen one myself.

-Chris Cipollone

Saturday was probably one of the most eventful city days I’ve had in a while. Since I had to visit the American Museum of Natural History for my Geology class, I thankfully had my mom drive me. After about an hour and a half drive we made it to the museum. Upon walking in I bought the tickets and made my way straight to the exhibit I needed to observe. With my luck it was closed off to members only. I am sadly not a member of the museum so I took pictures of the sign and walked back to the car. To cheer me up my mom decided Shake Shack would be a good idea, which I completely agreed with. We slowly ate our burgers and shakes until it was time to go to the Lincoln Theatre.

I thought I was early to the opera until I walked closer and found a small group of macaulay students waiting outside. It was way too cold to be standing still to wait for the tickets so we all went inside. With five minutes to spare Lisa French found us to provide our tickets.  Rushing to our seats I was left with Albina and John seatless. With that said we had to stand until the first intermission.

Though standing for the first hour, I really enjoyed each moment of the Opera. To be honest I did not realize it was going to be acted out in Italian so I was extremely confused at first. I just thought I wasn’t understanding them until I noticed the tiny screen in front of me was used to translate everything allowing me to enjoy it more. The actors did a wonderful job acting with emotion, singing their hearts out, and putting on a show that I am glad I was able to witness. The background also had a massive part to setting the mood for the play. Each scene had intricate details in its setting to create the sense of an older time period which amazed me.

Overall the opera was a great experience that I never thought id have the chance to be a part of. It was a very formal event and from what I was told its even fancier at night. I would’ve liked to been witness at the night show to see if women actually come in gowns like people say they do. But either way we ended the night perfectly with Wendy’s and took the ferry home.

-Mirsade Pelinkovic

The trip to the opera was definitely a new experience. It was much more formal than I expected and therefore it got my expectations much higher.

The opera was performed fairly well, but the problem is that it was not easy to follow. It would have a much better meaning if it was done in English. In that way we would understand it well enough and get the message clearly.

Overall I liked the opera and the way it was set up. A lot of events were taking place at once and it was all done in an orderly fashion.

Overall It was a great opera, but maybe next time we can watch it in english.

Kerolous Shehata

The experience at the opera was certainly something that I did not expect. The setting was much more formal than I thought. Although I knew it was formal, I did not anticipate that it formal enough that if I came a minute late, I would have to stand for the entire first act. When I got there at 1:01 I was immediately taken aback by the background and the detail. The scene in the temple was incredible and I could not get over it. The acting was I expected, which was basically second to the singing which I thought was amazing. I could not distinguish the words in Italian but the language on the screen was very helpful. I was very surprised at the appearance of Floria because in the play she was described as a beautiful blond woman but in the play she had black hair. The first part was amazing and I enjoyed it much more than I thought I initially would. The second scene when it opened I was once again stunned at the background. The acting was great again and the character of Scarpia was played and appeared just as I have imagined. The third part of the play was another show stopper. I loved the scenery and that was hands down my favorite part of the play. The part when they shot Angelo was amazing and I could not undertsand how they got the shot to look so realistic and and have blood. Overall, the experience the experience was better than I expected/

My day started with almost missing the train to the ferry because of severe traffic. So naturally, I turned into Vin Diesel and decided to speed my way to the train station. When I finally arrived, my friends and the train were waiting for me, in my mind that is perfect timing. The adventure into the city with my friends was interesting as always, my favorite part was the singing group in the ferry terminal.

When I finally arrived at the Lincoln Theatre it was 2 minutes past the start time. My friends and I picked up our tickets at the front and went inside. We were told we were not allowed to get to our seats because that opera had begun already. Therefore, we stood until the first intermission which took about an hour. For some reason, before arriving I did not realize that it was going to be all in Italian until I heard the first lines. Luckily I was able to understand the plot based on the translations and from the reading in class. I found the actors to be very talented. They clearly were very good at what they do. I was very impressed by the notes they were able to both hit and hold for substantial amounts of time. Even though the opera is not my cup of tea, I appreciated what I saw. As for what I did like very much was the scenery. There were three different backgrounds in the show. One took place in a beautiful church, then what I assume was part of a castle, and finally on a rooftop. It was absolutely astonishing to me how detailed and amazing the scenery was. The church had marble floors and looked exactly like an old Italian church. I was also deeply impressed within just 25 minutes, the stage crew completely changed the theme of the background.

In conclusion, I enjoyed my visit to the Lincoln Theatre to see Tosca. I do not think it is something I would do on my own time, but I am glad I can now say I have been to the opera, and it is not just for the old and rich. This show changed the way I previously viewed operas from which I thought I could never sit in front of and watch.

– James McKendry

Honestly after all the stigma around operas, I was surprised to see that it was actually pretty entertaining. It was certainly over-dramatic and stylized, but that gave it an appeal which helped it stand out from any other kind of production I’ve ever watched. Personally I thought it dragged on for a lot longer than necessary, but I’m still shocked I found myself enjoying it.

The set design and singing really stood out to me, and I did appreciate having the sub-titles at the seat too. But all the sets were really simple yet elegant, and they looked very well put together; set design is something I usually entirely ignore, but even I was enamored by it. The singing was definitely of high quality as well, even if it was a bit over the top.

As far as first experiences at an opera goes, it wasn’t half bad. I don’t know if I’d ever go see one again, but at least I can say I saw one. And maybe if I ever get into an argument and someone calls me uncultured, I can hit them with the fact I’ve actually been to an opera.

Going to the opera was a very pleasant surprise. When I first heard when we were going to see an opera I honestly did not know what to expect. I had been to different shows in the city but never an opera. After seeing La Tosca, I would definitely recommend it and would consider seeing another opera sometime in the future. What I really enjoyed the most was the pit band, since I myself play an instrument. The combination of their phenomenal playing and the wonderful acoustics of Lincoln Center led to an incredible experience. Another thing I thoroughly enjoyed was the set design. I found it amazing how they could set up such detailed, life-like sets on the stage. The church scene in the beginning made me feel as if we were a fly on the wall in a real church. Also, the fact that they were able to change the entire set in about twenty to twenty-five minutes is something that must receive recognition. For the opera itself, the actors were extremely talented. Classical, operatic singing is some of the hardest to master but they made it seem effortless. Overall, I would say I had a great experience at the opera and I really appreciate the opportunity we had to go.

– Michael Crescente