Graduation Speech: We Are the Future :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Today is our first day of being the leaders, doers, and problem solvers of the future. Those who persevere, who give it their all and approach each day with optimism will ultimately meet success and happiness. Of course, there will be many a failure on that windy road of life, but with dedication, we can do anything and make any dream come true. But, as we grow older and encounter success, we must not forget those who have had it rough, whose lives may have hit some potholes on the way, and we must take care of those who need a helping hand. As each of us leaves our mark on the world, be generous and be happy, and always remember the good times, good friends, and lessons learned at Marefat. Being Marefat's first graduating class to complete all four years, one can say we've acquired a higher level of school wisdom than any previous class. We've formed traditions, we've set records, and we've made a lot of friends along the way. I remember our freshman year when we could use the excuse of being a new school for every shortcoming we encountered. I remember our sophomore year, the last time I cleaned my bedroom, when Marefat had its first senior class, and the school seemed to shrink for some reason. Last year we were the juniors, and we conquered the SAT tests: And made it through those busy days where you hadn't quite found room in your schedule to pencil in a bathroom break, dinner or sleep. Well, this year we were the kings and queens, there was Star Wars, Starbucks, and a certain football team lost its winning streak to the mighty Knights. Looking back we can see our accomplishments and the marks we made. Now, we must take all that we have learned in our years at Mare fat and apply it to our future. Just as we have set traditions here, we must enter the world ready to tackle new problems and work out new solutions. We are the ones who can break all of those records that have been set, and have our names etched in history. It's our turn -- the world is ours and we just have to decide what we want to do with it. Throughout our successful lives, though, we can't forget those who struggle and we can't forget to take care of our families and community.

Psychology of Human Sexuality

65 million people are living with an incurable STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) in the United States. This is an extremely high number which includes many different types and forms of diseases. Some are curable and others are not. So this is a huge problem in the USA and all over the world that I had no idea about or put much thought into. It is incredible the outstanding number of people with STI’s and the growing rate. This truly is in every sense of the word a pandemic as referred to in the book. I will discuss a few things from this chapter about STI’s that I found most interesting besides the STI’s themselves that almost made me hurl due to some of the graphic pictures. Some issues that are related and need to be learned include the lack of symptoms, lack of accurate information, unhealthy sexual emotions and attitudes, poor sexual communication, and substance abuse and its relation to STI’s. All of the above mentioned things I will discuss are important to me because they are risk factors that I needed to learn and be aware of. For example, not all STI’s have symptoms or show signs of physical problems such as rashes or a discharge. Most sexual transmitted infections have symptoms that are often absent. That is scary due to the fact people may not know they are infected and maintain their normal sexual activity with no knowledge of infecting others. This is a huge problem to me because it’s not like people carry their results with them of their last STI test results. In my case I get tested in 3 days due to the fact ignorance is bliss and I don’t want to be irresponsible in my actions. I also think that some people don’t get tested for the mere fact they just don’t want to know even if they have been involved in risky sexual behaviors. Asymptomatic means that symptoms may not be produced at all. Not know if you are infected and affecting others leads to a bigger problem because most STI’s leads to greater health problems down the road. A sexual act of of love or lust can turn into a nightmare. Lack of knowledge is a huge risk factor because the number of our youth participating in sexual activities is indeed increasing. They partake in oral sex and think it is ok because pregnancy can’t occur. However, being one of these ignorant kids’ years ago myself I didn’t know that oral sex increases the chances of STI’s or what an STI was. Especially, these hormone and sexually driven kids don’t care or have the knowledge of knowing the ease at which STI’s can spread through sexual activity and oral sex, or even the lack of knowing how severe this problem can occur. I’ve heard a lot of my friends say oh man I just got tested after I hooked up with that slut and I’m clean, guess I dodged a bullet. It is a complete joke and the severity of these issues is not driven home properly. Sexual emotions and attitudes are something I have learned to be true. I know a lot of girls who were told sex is bad by their parents and they seemed to take it out on their college exploits. Avoiding the safe sex talk and that sex is not a horrible thing when handled correctly can lead to better understanding and decision making by the child. Also, the the fear and stigma of people who have STI’s or don’t want to be tested for fear they might have one creates more issues for them and may lead to them not telling their partner out of shame and embarrassment. This I thought I knew but this chapter justified that thought. I for sure learned that sexual communication is important for a healthy sexual relationship. It is healthy for my relationship and makes things more comfortable and easy. I learned that not just condoms and knowledge are important in preventing STI’s, but communication has an essential role as well. Parents must discuss safe sex with their children and openly discuss sexual matters due to the fact it is normal eventually inevitable. Talking to your partner about being tested or that you have an STI is the responsible thing to do. I knew that substance abuse had to play a role in increasing the chances for the spread of STI’s. it only makes sense due to the fact we all know what it feels like to be under the consumption of alcohol where our morals and principles go at that point. Things become more in the moment as mentioned in the book and risky sexual behavior is more likely to occur. For example, I know a lot about this from attending San Diego State University a big party school in California, but the statistics provided in the book that 1 in 5 teens reports having unprotected sex while under the influence of drugs and lcohol just solidifies that theory. I learned a lot and was shocked about the STI pandemic and all the issues related such as the lack of information and health risks associated with it. This really does scare me to know that my previous partners could have unknowingly passed an STI to me. I was tested before my girlfriend and I started dating but I will get tested again in three days just to be sure. It is really important to do so and people should be made aware of the severity and problems related to STI’s followed by knowledge and prevention methods. I am thankful for this class and my newfound knowledge.

Pigs - The Domestication History of Sus Scrofa

The domestication history of pigs (Sus scrofa) is a bit of an archaeological puzzle, in part because of the nature of the wild boar that our modern pigs are descended from. Many species of wild hog exist in the world today, such as the warthog (Phacochoreus africanus), the pygmy hog (Porcula salvania), and the pig-deer (Babyrousa babyrussa); but of all the suid forms, only Sus scrofa (wild boar) has been domesticated. That process took place independently about 9,000-10,000 years ago in two locations: eastern Anatolia and central China. After that initial domestication, pigs accompanied early farmers as they spread out of Anatolia to Europe, and out of central China to the hinterlands. All of the modern swine breeds today — there are hundreds of breeds around the globe — are considered forms of Sus scrofa domestica, and there is evidence that the genetic diversity is decreasing as cross-breeding of commercial lines threatens indigenous breeds. Some countries have recognized the issue and are beginning to support the continued maintenance of the non-commercial breeds as a genetic resource for the future. Distinguishing Domestic and Wild Pigs It must be said that it is not easy to distinguish between wild and domestic animals in the archaeological record. Since the early 20th century, researchers have segregated pigs based on the size of their tusks (lower third molar): wild boars typically have broader and longer tusks than domestic pigs. Overall body size (in particular, measures of knucklebones [astralagi], front leg bones [humeri] and shoulder bones [scapulae]) has been commonly used to differentiate between domestic and wild pigs since the mid-twentieth century. But wild boar body size alters with climate: hotter, drier climates mean smaller pigs, not necessarily less wild ones. And there are notable variations in body size and tusk size, among both wild and domestic pig populations even today. Other methods used by researchers to identify domesticated pigs include population demography  Ã¢â‚¬â€ the theory is that pigs kept in captivity would have been slaughtered at younger ages as a management strategy, and that can be reflected in the ages of the pigs in an archaeological assemblage. The study of Linear Enamel Hypoplasia (LEH) measures the growth rings in tooth enamel: domestic animals are more likely to experience stress episodes in diet and those stresses are reflected in those growth rings. Stable isotope analysis and tooth wear can also give clues to the diet of a particular set of animals because domestic animals are more likely to have had grain in their diets. The most conclusive evidence is genetic data, which can give indications of ancient lineages. See Rowley-Conwy and colleagues (2012) for a detailed description of the benefits and pitfalls of each of these methods. In the end, all a researcher can do is look at all of these available characteristics and make her best judgment. Independent Domestication Events Despite the difficulties, most scholars are agreed that there were two separate domestication events from geographically separated versions of the wild boar (Sus scrofa). Evidence for both locations suggest that the process began with local hunter-gatherers hunting wild boars, then over a period of time began managing them, and then purposefully or unconsciously keeping those animals with smaller brains and bodies and sweeter dispositions. In southwest Asia, pigs were part of a suite of plants and animals that were developed in the upper reaches of the Euphrates river about 10,000 years ago. The earliest domestic pigs in Anatolia are found in the same sites as domestic cattle, in what is today southwestern Turkey, about 7500 calendar years BC (cal BC), during the late Early Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period. Sus Scrofa in China In China, the earliest domesticated pigs date to 6600 cal BC, at the Neolithic Jiahu  site. Jiahu is in east-central China between the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers; domestic pigs were found associated with the Cishan/Peiligang culture (6600-6200 cal BC): in Jiahus earlier layers, only wild boars are in evidence. Beginning with the first domestication, pigs became the main domestic animal in China. Pig sacrifice and pig-human interments are in evidence by the mid-6th millennium BC. The modern Mandarin character for home or family consists of a pig in a house; the earliest representation of this character was found inscribed on a bronze pot dated to the Shang period (1600-1100 BC). Pig domestication in China was a steady progress of animal refinement lasting a period of some 5,000 years. The earliest domesticated pigs were primarily herded and fed millet and protein; by the Han dynasty, most pigs were raised in small pens by households and fed millet and household scraps. Genetic studies of Chinese pigs suggest an interruption of this long progress occurred during the Longshan period (3000-1900 BC) when pig burials and sacrifices ceased, and previously more or less uniform pig herds became infused with small, idiosyncratic (wild) pigs. Cucchi and colleagues (2016) suggest this may have been the result of a social-political change during the Longshan, although they recommended additional studies. The early enclosures used by Chinese farmers made the process of pig domestication much faster in China compared to the process used on western Asian pigs, which were allowed to roam freely in European forests up through the late Middle Ages. Pigs Into Europe Beginning about 7,000 years ago, central Asian people moved into Europe, bringing their suite of domestic animals and plants with them, following at least two main paths. The people who brought the animals and plants into Europe are known collectively as the Linearbandkeramik (or LBK) culture. For decades, scholars researched and debated whether Mesolithic hunters in Europe had developed domestic pigs prior to the LBK migration. Today, scholars mostly agree that European pig domestication was a mixed and complex process, with Mesolithic hunter-gatherers and LBK farmers interacting at different levels. Soon after the arrival of LBK pigs in Europe, they interbred with the local wild boar. This process, known as retrogression (meaning successful interbreeding of domesticated and wild animals), produced the European domestic pig, which then spread out from Europe, and, in many places replaced the domesticated Near Eastern swine. Sources Arbuckle BS. 2013. The late adoption of cattle and pig husbandry in Neolithic Central Turkey. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(4):1805-1815.Cucchi T, Hulme-Beaman A, Yuan J, and Dobney K. 2011. Early Neolithic pig domestication at Jiahu, Henan Province, China: clues from molar shape analyses using geometric morphometric approaches. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(1):11-22.Cucchi T, Dai L, Balasse M, Zhao C, Gao J, Hu Y, Yuan J, and Vigne J-D. 2016. Social complexification and pig (Sus scrofa) Husbandry in ancient China: A combined geometric morphometric andiIsotopic approach. PLOS ONE 11(7):e0158523.Evin A, Cucchi T, Cardini A, Strand Vidarsdottir U, Larson G, and Dobney K. 2013. The long and winding road: identifying pig domestication through molar size and shape. Journal of Archaeological Science 40(1):735-743.Groenen MAM. 2016. A decade of pig genome sequencing: a window on pig domestication and evolution. Genetics Selection Evolution 48(1):1-9.Krause-Kyora B, Makarewicz C, Evin A, Girdland Flink L, Dobney K, Larson G, Hartz S, Schreiber S, Von Carnap-Bornheim C, Von Wurmb-Schwark N et al. 2013. Use of domestic pigs by Mesolithic hunter-gatherers in northwestern Europe. Nature Communications 4(2348).Larson G, Liu R, Zhao X, Yuan J, Fuller D, Barton L, Dobney K, Fan Q, Gu Z, Liu X-H et al. 2010. Patterns of East Asian pig domestication, migration, and turnover revealed by modern and ancient DNA. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107(17):7686-7691.Lega C, Raia P, Rook L, and Fulgione D. 2016. Size matters: A comparative analysis of pig domestication. The Holocene 26(2):327-332.Rowley-Conwy P, Albarella U, and Dobney K. 2012. Distinguishing Wild Boar from Domestic Pigs in Prehistory: A Review of Approaches and Recent Results. Journal of World Prehistory 25:1-44.Wang H, Martin L, Hu S, and Wang W. 2012. Pig domestication and husbandry practices in the middle Neolithic of the Wei River Valley, northwest China: evidence from linear enamel hy poplasia. Journal of Archaeological Science 39(12):3662-3670.Zhang J, Jiao T, and Zhao S. 2016. Genetic diversity in the mitochondrial DNA D-loop region of global swine (Sus scrofa) populations. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 473(4):814-820.