Thornton Academy – AP Language 2018-2019

George H.W. Bush served in office during the deadliest AIDS epidemic of American history, and his actions, or lack thereof, will remain with him, even after he has been gone for some time.

The death of former president Bush on World AIDS day is as close to a definition of irony as you can get, and while some may accuse such words as insensitive when directed towards someone who has passed, it seems like just a fine time to talk about the disastrous results Bush’s inaction had in the time of the AIDS epidemic, a crisis that did not occur too long ago.

While Bush served as Vice President to Reagan, he took part in an administration that refused to speak about, no matter take action against the scourge that had a devastating effect nationwide. When he became president himself, Bush only continued the trend of ignoring the epidemic, which came to be dubbed the “gay plague.” Mass homophobia brought incredible stigma towards the idea of AIDS, a disease that was thought to be concentrated in the gay community, and the majority of society did not care enough about the vast numbers of gay men afflicted with AIDS to fight for them. Federal funds were detracted from AIDS research and treatment under both Bush and Reagan, both administrations continually making attempts to stamp out the severity of the problem. The lack of time put into finding solutions, or rather, the outright neglect to do so resulted in the death of tens of millions.

It seems to be a trend to hail figures that have committed atrocities against minority groups, posthumous accolades being thrown forth without any concern of actions with greater gravity. We need to remember Bush’s inaction during the aids crisis, and we need to remember the multitudes of individuals lost because of it.

          Ever since I was a little girl, my favorite food has been chocolate. If someone had asked my three year old self what my favorite food was, chocolate was always my response. Adults would laugh after hearing my answer and follow up by saying “Chocolate isn’t a food, Makaila!” I knew it wasn’t considered an actual food item; it is more so considered a candy. However, me being the wise young girl I was, I always argued with adults that chocolate was good for you despite how many times I was told it would make me sick and get diabetes because that’s what candy does. My “proof” I had was chocolate helped me focus, and it made me less cranky. Little did I know that dark chocolate actually benefits your health when eaten in appropriate quantities at appropriate times. 

          Dark chocolate is made from the seed of a cocoa tree making it one of the best sources of antioxidants on the planet. Quality dark chocolate with a high cocoa content is very nutritious due to containing fiber, RDI for iron, RDI for magnesium, RDI for copper, RDI for manganese, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, and selenium. All of these healthy ingredients contribute to lower blood pressure levels and improved blood flow. Nitric oxide, produced when dark chocolate is consumed, sends signals to the arteries to relax which lowers the resistance to blood flow. Along with healthy arteries comes the reduced risk of heart disease. The LDL (low-density lipoprotein) oxidizes which generally causes much less cholesterol to lodge in the arteries. A study was done with 470 elderly men who regularly consumed dark chocolate in moderation over a period of fifteen years. Study results showed the risk of death from heart disease become reduced by 50 percent. Another study revealed that eating chocolate two or more times per week lowered the risk of having calcified plaque in the arteries by 32 percent. Chocolate may have a bad reputation due to being classified as a candy; on the other hand, studies show that dark chocolate has many health benefits. 

          Now that I know how healthy dark chocolate can be, I can now say that my favorite food is indeed healthy and nutritious. Of course, I have to justify that statement by saying it has to be eaten in moderation and in small increments. I will no longer have people always telling me how unhealthy it is because I now have the knowledge to counteract their statement. Dark chocolate still has a high sugar content, but it is much healthier than milk chocolate or white chocolate, and I have the facts to back it up. 

Of all blessings ever presented to humans, delicious food is among the most significant. Food has served beyond its natural function of providing energy and therefore, sustaining life. For example, food helps to foster powerful connections among people.

Food represents a universally applicable and easy topic for conversations. Products distributed on a global scale, such as Nutella and Cheetos, are present in accounts from different countries in the world. My first time trying Nutella was when I spread it across my crepe. Meanwhile, a close friend of mine, who has been a long-time fan of this chocolate hazelnut spread, recently shared a memory associating with Nutella; when she travelled to England, she discovered Nutella cookies, in which she regarded with gentle delight. We have found a common element amidst our distinct life experiences.

On the other hand, food serves as a potential drive for debates in daily life. For example, baklavas were claimed to originate from Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. Many people of these cultural descents would argue for baklavas to come from either of these countries; ultimately, they are promoting the pride in their cultural heritage. Similarly, pizza lovers display identical sentiments. For instance, some people hold strong views of whether pineapples should be on pizzas or not. What often spark debates are such personal preferences.

Last but not least, food is a present to the giver and the receiver. Specifically, the giver receives the bliss from helping others, while the receiver is able to survive. There is a saying in Vietnamese that can be loosely translated to, “A small piece of food that appears when you are hungry resembles a big piece of food that appears when you are full.” A small portion of food can mean the world to those in needs.

The holocaust can be defined as one of the world most horrific events that would forever scar the generations of the present and future. It cost thousands of people their lives and tested the strength of a religion. The situations Jewish believers were placed in were not even fit for livestock let alone human beings as many died as victims to a variety of different diseases.

To fully understand the events of the holocaust and how it rapidly took the world aback one must look at life before this gruesome and merciless slaughter of Jews. Any lived in the nations of Europe, living in peace, falling in love, having families and growing old. Most of all, they practiced their faith,but life was good. However, this soon all of this would be taken from them as Hilter attempted to “purify” the world and rid Jews of their existence. Soon he had taken control over the government, and the process had begun.

He isolated and cut off all Jews, first in Germany, then reaching out to other countries. Many Jews were fleeing as Hitler’s grasp upon their lives grew tighter. Although countries showed empathy and allowed for Jews, many limited the intake and be granted the documentation was a rigorous and rare process. This lent many to Hilter, who proceeded to slaughter them one by one through a variety of ways.

Concentration camps were of such atrocious conditions that many died of disease. On the other hand, life had become of little value to them as they had been condemned because of their religion and striped of their life and rights. This pushed them into despair, and hundreds took their lives. Still more were killed, some by gases that would kill them within fifteen minutes.

It goes without saying that this was a prosecution of great magnitude. Although evil attempted to “purge” the world of a religion and its people, many had enough faith and love of their religion to continue their practices and hope for eventual rescue. Although so many died it was the pulse of Jewish faith, although weak had lasted persecution and brought salvation still to many more.

There are roughly 8.7 million species of animals in the world. Their shapes and sizes range greatly from species to species. They live in a variety of habitats ranging from towering forests to underwater caverns and anywhere in between. I am going to highlight a species that has not had much attention. Today, I am going to explain about the smallest carnivore on the Island of Chiloé. The Darwin’s Fox, Pseudalopex fulvipes, lives in the temperate rain forests of Chile and on the Island of Chiloé off the coast of Chile. It was named after the man who discovered the species, Charles Darwin, in 1834 and is an omnivore that feeds on fruits, mammals, reptiles, beetles, and other invertebrates. The Darwin’s Fox is similar to the grey fox, but the Darwin’s Fox has shorter legs, darker grey fur, a different jaw shape, and a few more distinctions between the two species. The Darwin’s Fox is endangered and is the wildlife species most at risk in Chile. It is also known as an “umbrella species” which means if the habitat it lives in is protected, it will protect many other species of wildlife as well. The primary threats to this species are habitat loss and non-native species. Dogs pose a great threat to the survival of the Darwin’s Fox because of the diseases dogs carry and by dogs attacking them directly. The Darwin’s Fox was originally critically endangered, but later became endangered due to scientists discovering that the species’s range was larger than they initially thought. This is a species that is not well known, but needs human’s help in order to survive. Hopefully I have shed some light of this amazing animal and you will spread knowledge of this animal’s existence with everyone you know.

Family of origin refers to the biological or adoptive family in which we grew up. It is made up of people who raise us and who we spent most of out childhood with. It can be viewed simply as family members like parents and siblings, it can also be seen as a societal environment. The importance of an individual’s family origin can be profound and tremendous. A family’s environment is mostly created by parents, therefore, parenting shapes a child’s beliefs and values of himself or herself and his or her understandings about meanings and purposes of life and being a human. The family of origin influences children’s perspectives of the society and the world, and it teaches children about how to act, how to interact and communicate with others, and how to manage their emotions. These qualities and characteristics of a family will be passes down from one generation to the next, following a family cycle. A person’s fate, basically, depends on his or her family of origin.

The phrase “Family of Origin” is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Family of Origin nowadays is regarded as a kind of original sin that it has inevitably influenced many people’s entire life in a negative way. Lots of people hate their original family because of the pain and negative elements, both physically and mentally, brought to them by the family. The painful moments may be forgotten as time goes on, but most of the time they are imprinted in the person’s mind forever as adverse childhood experiences. This kind of pain does not stop at one person or one generation. People who underwent those pains ultimately find out that they act the same way as the family of origin, where they got the pain from, even though they may not realize that, even though they don’t want to, it is like deterministic cycle. For example, if a father always gets drunk and abuses his wife or children, his children would probably grow up like him, because this father created a violent family environment for the children when the children were still learning about the world. When the children grow up and have their own descendants, influenced by their father, they may lose control of themselves and do the same thing that their father had did to them.

The cycle needs to end. People have to admit that there is no such an ideal life that contains no pain at all. Pain always exists, and people just need to choose a wise way to deal with it. Some people may not have a childhood worth remembering, but they have the chance to live with a better future and provide their children better lives.

      As the temperature drops and the final months of the year draw near, U.S. citizens in states across the country bundle up in protective gear to stay warm. Unfortunately, in the United States, there are 70 million stray domestic animals who are unable to layer clothes or return to an insulated home (onegreenplanet.org.) As a result, they are left in the cold all winter long. Finding ways to survive in freezing temperatures is a matter of life or death for strays, and there are things that humans can do to help the animals survive.

      Finding shelter is a crucial aspect in staying alive for any animal who lives outside during the winter, especially if the climate is prone to blizzards and snow. Whether it be under a porch, in a shed, or even under the hood of a car, most strays are fortunately able to find a place to hide. For those who don’t, the consequences can be fatal: every year, cats and dogs are found frozen to death outside, especially after below freezing temperatures and snow storms. In some cases, strays may live, but lose a limb or other part of their body to frostbite. Despite the challenges stray animals face in the winter, there are steps that you can take to help stray animals survive the cold and snow.

    If you see a cat or dog outside, the Humane Society recommends you write down what you see and report it to animal control, local no-kill shelters, or authorities (humanesociety.org.) Alternatively, setting out food and water or shelter (Mother Nature Network suggests a cardboard box with straw) provides the animals with resources to help them survive in freezing temperatures. Inevitably, winter will be difficult for the millions of cats and dogs in the U.S. without homes, but with little effort, it’s possible to make their journeys a bit easier.

It wasn’t until this year that I truly began scrambling for a purpose.

There had always been internal pressure. The kind that wells up within the minds of children dreaming of the path their small feet cannot yet walk. For me, the youngest of three, my path was well worn. Desperate to overcome the tracks of my sister and brother, I entered every classroom, every team, every relationship, with a bang. Better smile. Better attitude. Better me.

The goal was simple then: be better.

Now, things have changed. I still feel the same drive that pushed me from beneath their shadows and onto the stage—both in a figurative and literal sense. But as the sheltered confines of high school slip into my peripheral, the path that was so clearly defined by my siblings has disappeared. And for a girl who is incapable of making important decisions, the millions of possibilities displayed before her are petrifying.

My heart.

My lungs.

Just as I have, they forget their purpose, stopped in their rhythm by a simple question: “What do you want to do?”

As a junior, the paralyzing inquiry is everywhere. It isn’t whispered by shaded figures with sinister intent and a malicious smile. It comes with curiosity from parents, peers, grandmothers, all in broad daylight, unaware of the churning in my stomach that refuses to be quelled by their good intent. A gentle laugh, and I dismiss the question with an answer I pretend does not bother me nearly as much as it does, “I don’t know”.

I crave the safety of stomping along my brother and sister’s trail. The future is laden with possibilities. Nearly all of it’s paths have been trodden by those of the past, widened by each person tweaking the specifics until it is their own. I can only hope that I pick the right one.