Battle of Sexes Whirls Above the Science Gap

Trận chiến của giới tính quay quanh khoảng cách của khoa học

  

The debate continues over whether physiological differences between men and women or cultural attitudes help men Dominate in scientific and mathematical careers.	Cuộc tranh luận vẫn tiếp tục diễn ra dù sự khác biệt sinh lý giữa đàn ông và phụ nữ hay quan điểm giáo dục giúp đàn ông Chiếm ưu thế trong các nghề nghiệp khoa học và toán học
When Lawrence H. Summers, the president of Harvard, suggested recently that one factor in women’s lagging progress in science and mathematics might be innate differences between the sexes, his comment Elicited so many fierce reactions that he quickly apologized.	Khi Lawrence H.Summer, hiệu trưởng trường Havard, gần đây đã đưa ra một  yếu tố làm chậm sự tiến bộ của phụ nữ trong khoa học và toán học có thể sự khác biệt bẩm sinh giữa các giới tính, bình luận của ông đã gợi ra rất nhiều phản ứng buộc ông anh phải nhanh chóng xin lỗi
But many people were left to wonder: Did he have a point?	Nhưng nhiều người  cũng tự hỏi rằng: Liệu ý kiến của ông ấy có đúng không?
Researchers say there are many discrepancies between men and women - in their attitudes towards math and science, in the architecture of their brains, in the way they metabolize medications	Các nhà khoa học cho rằng có rất nhiều sự khác nhau giữa đàn ông và phụ nữ-ở thái độ của họ với toán học và khoa học, ở cấu trúc não bộ của họ, ở cách họ chuyển hóa dược liệu.
Yet researchers warn that a difference in form does not necessarily mean a difference in function.	Tuy nhiên, các nhà khoa học cảnh báo rằng sự khác nhau về hình thức không có nghĩa là khác nhau về chức năng.
’ We can't get anywhere denying that there are neurological and hormonal differences between males and females, because clearly there are,’ said Virginia Valian, a psychology professor.	‘Chúng ta không thể phủ nhận rằng có sự khác nhau về thần kinh và nội tiết giữa đàn ông và phụ nữ, vì điều đó là hiển nhiên,’ Virginia Valian, một giáo sư tâm lý học cho biết.
The trouble we have as scientists is in assessing their significance to real-life performance.	Vấn đề chúng ta gặp phải là các nhà khoa học đánh giá tầm quan trọng của chúng đối với hiệu suất thực tế.
B. For example, neuroscientists have shown that women’s brains are about 10% smaller than men's, on average, even after accounting for women’s comparatively smaller body size.	B. Ví dụ,  các nhà thần kinh học chỉ ra rằng trung bình phụ nữ có não nhỏ hơn khoảng 10 % so với đàn ông, thậm chí sau khi tính toán kích thước cơ thể tương đối của phụ nữ nhỏ hơn.
But throughout history, people have cited such anatomical distinctions to support hypotheses that merely reflect the prejudices of the time.	Tuy nhiên xuyên suốt lịch sử, con người đã trích dẫn sự khác nhau về giải phẫu để hỗ trợ cho các giả thuyết  phản ánh Định kiến của thời đại
A century ago the French scientist Gustay Le Bon pointed to the smaller brains of women and said that explained the ‘fickleness, inconstancy, absence of thought and logic, and incapacity to reason’ in women	Cách đây một thế kỉ nhà khoa học người Pháp Gustay Le Bon chỉ ra rằng phụ nữ có não bộ nhỏ hơn và giải thích  rằng ‘ tính không kiên định, thiếu kiên nhẫn, thiếu sự suy nghĩ và logic, và không đủ năng lực để lý luận’ ở phụ nữ
Overall size aside, some evidence suggests that female brains are relatively more endowed with the prized neurons, the grey matter, thought to do the bulk of the brains thinking while men’s brains have more white matter, the tissue between neurons.	Nhìn chung, một số bằng chứng chỉ ra rằng não bộ của phụ nữ tương đối Ưu đãi hơn với các tế bào thần kinh ưu tú, chất xám, được cho là làm nên phần lớn suy nghĩ của bộ não, trong khi bộ não của nam giới có nhiều chất trắng hơn, mô giữa tế  bào than kinh
And they use the grey and white matter in different proportions when solving problems.	Và chúng dung chất xám và chất trứng với tỉ lệ khác nhau khi giải quyết vấn đề.
What such discrepancies may or may not mean is anyone's Conjecture.	Những khác biệt như vậy có thể có hoặc không có nghĩa là Sự phỏng đoán của bất kì ai
'It is cognition that counts, not the physical matter that does the cognition, 'argued Nancy Kanwisher, a professor of neuroscience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.	“Nó là sự Nhận thức được tính, không phải là vật chất mà là Nhận thức’, Giáo sư khoa thần kinh học viện Công nghệ Massachusetts, Nancy Kanwisher tranh luận.
C. When they do study cognitive prowess, many researchers have been impressed with how similarly young boys and girls, ranging from 5 months through 7 years, master new tasks.	C. Khi họ nghiên cứu sức mạnh của Nhận thức, nhiều nhà khoa học đã  ấn tượng với cái cách mà những đứa trẻ nam và nữ có cùng độ tuổi từ 5 tháng đến 7 tuổi, hoàn thành nhiệm  vụ mới.
‘We adults may think very different things about boys and girls, and treat them accordingly, but when we measure their capacities, they’re remarkably alike,' said Elizabet Spelke, a professor of psychology at Harvard.	Chúng tôi, những người lớn có thể nghĩ rằng có rất nhiều thứ khác nhau ở con trai và con gái,  và đối xử với chúng theo điều đó, tuy nhiên khi chúng tôi đo lường năng lực của chúng, chúng đặc biệt giống nhau’, Elizabet Spelke, giáo sư tâm lý học đại học Havard nói.
In adolescence, though, some differences in aptitude begin to emerge, especially when it comes to performance on standardized tests	Tuy nhiên, ở vị thành niên, một số  sự khác biệt về Năng khiếu bắt đầu xuất hiện, đặc biệt khi nói đến tác dụng của các bài kiểm tra tiêu chuẩn hóa
While average verbal scores are very similar, boys have outscored girls on math for the past three decades or so.	Trong khi điểm số trung bình bằng lời nói thì tương tự nhau, các bé trai đã vượt qua các bé gái về môn toán trong hơn 3 thập kỷ qua.
D. Nor is the Masculine edge in math unique to the United States.	D. Cũng không phải là sự cạnh tranh Nam tính trong toán học duy nhất đối với Hoa Kỳ.
In an international standardized test administered in 2003 by the international research group Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to 250,000 15-year-olds in 41 countries, boys did moderately better on the math portion in just half the nations.	Trong một cuộc thử nghiệm chuẩn quốc tế được thực hiện vào năm 2003 bởi tổ chức hợp tác và phát triển kinh tế quốc tế (OECD) cho 250,000 trẻ em 15 tuổi ở 41 quốc gia, chỉ một nửa số quốc gia có các bé trai đã thực hiện tốt hơn về phần toán.
For nearly all the other countries, there were no significant differences found between the sexes	Đối với hầu hết các quốc gia khác, gần như không có sự khác biệt lớn giữa các giới tính.
But average scores varied wildly from place to place and from one subcategory of math to the next.	Tuy nhiên điểm trung bình dao động mạnh từ nơi này sang nơi khác và từ môn toán đến các môn học khác.
Japanese girls, for example, were on par with Japanese boys on every math section save that of 'uncertainty' which measures probabilistic skills, and Japanese girls scored higher overall than did the boys of many other nations, including the United States.	Ví dụ, các bé gái Nhật Bản ngang hàng với các bé nam trên mọi khía cạnh toán học, ngoại trừ ‘không chắc chắn ‘  về kĩ năng đo lường và xác suất, và các bé gái Nhật Bản có điểm số cao hơn các bé nam ở các bé trai ở nhiều quốc gia khác, bao gồm cả Mỹ.
In Iceland, girls did better than Icelandic boys by a significant Margin on all parts of the test, as they habitually do on their national maths exams	Ở Iceland, các bé gái làm tốt hơn các bé trai bằng một số lượng dư đáng kể trên tất cả các phần của bài kiểm tra, bởi vì chúng thường xuyên làm các bài kiểm tra toán quốc gia.
Interestingly, in Iceland and everywhere else, girls participating in the survey expressed more negative attitudes toward math.	Thú vị là, ở Iceland và bất cứ đâu, các bé gái tham gia khảo sát đã thể hiện thái độ tiêu cực với môn toán
E. As a result of these findings, many researchers are convinced that neither sex has a monopoly on basic math ability and that culture rather than chromosomes explains any gap in math scores	E. Dựa kết quả của những  phát hiện này, các nhà nghiên cứu tin rằng không có giới tính nào có  ưu thế về khả năng toán học cơ bản và văn hóa đó hơn là nhiễm sắc thể giải thích bất kì  lỗ hổng nào về điểm toán.
According to Yu Xie, a sociologist at the University of Michigan, among Asians people rarely talk about having a gift for math or anything else, if a student comes home with a poor grade in math, he said, the parents push the child to work harder.	Theo Yu Xie, một nhà xã hội học tại đại học Michigan, trong số người châu Á rất ít khi nói về việc có một món quà cho một toán hay bất cứ thứ gì khác, hay một sinh viên trở về nhà với điểm kém, phụ huynh bắt nó phải chăm chỉ hơn.
He adds that there is good survey data showing that this disbelief in innate ability, along with the conviction that math ability can be improved through practice, is a tremendous cultural asset in Asian society and among Asian-Americans.	Ông nói thêm rằng  có dữ liệu khảo sát tốt cho thấy sự hoài nghi trong khả năng bẩm sinh, cùng với niềm tin rằng khả năng toán học có thể cải thiện thông qua thực hàn, đó là một tài sản văn hóa lớn  trong xã hội người châu á và trong một số người Mỹ gốc Á
F. Many people argue that it is unnecessary to invoke 'innate differences' to explain the gap that persists in fields like physics, engineering, mathematics and chemistry, C. Megan Urry. a professor of physics and astronomy at Yale, said there was clear evidence that societal and cultural factors still hindered women in science. Dr. Urry cited a 1983 study in which 360 people — half men, half women - rated mathematics papers.	F. Nhiều người cho rằng không cần thiết phải đưa ra “những sự khác biệt bẩm sinh” để giải thích khoảng cách tồn tại trong các lĩnh vực như vật lý, kỹ thuật, toán học và hóa học, C. Megan Urry, giáo sư vật lý và thiên văn học tại Yale cho rằng có bằng chứng rõ ràng rằng các yếu tố xã hội và văn hóa vẫn cản trở phụ nữ trong khoa học. Tiến sĩ Urry trích dẫn một nghiên cứu năm 1983 trong đó 360 người- một nửa là phụ nữ- đánh giá các bài báo toán học
On average, the men rated them higher when the author had a Masculine name than when the author had a feminine name.	Thường thì đàn ông sẽ đánh giá cao hơn khi tên tác giả là nam hơn là tác giả có tên là nữ
There was a similar, but smaller, disparity in the scores women gave.	Có một sự khác biệt tương tự, nhưng nhỏ hơn ở những  điểm số mà phụ nữ đã cho
Dr. Elizabeth Spelke, said:'It’s hard for me to get excited about small differences in biology when the evidence shows that women in science are still discriminated against every step of the way.’	Tiến sĩ Elizabeth Spelke nói ‘ Thật khó cho tôi  để vui mừng khi sự khác biệt nhỏ trong sinh học khi bằng chứng cho thấy phụ nữ trong khoa học vẫn còn bị phân biệt đối xử  trong mọi khía cạnh.’
The debate is sure to go on.	Cuộc tranh luận chắc chắn vẫn tiếp diễn.
Sandra F. Witelson, a professor or psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said biology might yet be found to play some part.	Sandra F. Witelson, một giáo sư hoặc tâm thần học và khoa học thần kinh hành vi tại Đại học McMaster ở Hamilton, Ontario, cho biết sinh học có thể được tìm thấy để chơi một phần nào đó.
'People have to have an open mind.’Dr.Witelson said.	‘Mọi người nên nghĩ thoáng hơn nữa’, tiến sĩ Witelson nói.

CONTEMPORARY FORMS OF DISCUSSION

CÁC HÌNH THỨC THẢO LUẬN HIỆN NAY

In this context, the word form refers to the type of format of discussion.	Trong ngữ cảnh này, hình thức từ liên quan đến các loại quy cách thảo luận.
In its most general sense, group discussion is a cooperative thinking effort, usually among twenty persons or less.	Theo nghĩa chung nhất của nó, thảo luận nhóm là một sự nỗ lực hợp tác ý tưởng, thường là giữa hai mươi người hoặc ít hơn.
The basic forms of group discussion are dialogue, panel, and symposium.	Các hình thức cơ bản của thảo luận nhóm là đối thoại, hội thảo và hội nghị chuyên đề.
A dialogue in two-person interaction that may be a simple conversation, an interview, or counselling.	Một cuộc đối thoại với sự tương tác giữa hai người có thể là một cuộc nói chuyện đơn giản, một cuộc phỏng vấn hoặc tư vấn.
If a dialogue is held before an audience and the audience is invited to participate, the interaction becomes a dialogue forum.	Nếu một cuộc đối thoại được tổ chức trước mặt khán giả và khán giả được mời tham gia, sự tương tác sẽ trở thành một diễn đàn đối thoại.
The panel discussions is most often composed of three to seven person pursuing a common goal in and informal climate that aids spontaneous interaction.	Những cuộc thảo luận hội thảo thường được bao gồm từ ba đến bảy người cùng theo đuổi một mục tiêu chung trong không khí thân mật để giúp cho sự tương tác trở nên tự nhiên hơn.
An audience may or may not be present.	Khán giả có thể có hoặc không có mặt.
A panel discussion generally calls for a procedural leader, one who plans, starts, and ends the meeting, and some agenda.	Một cuộc thảo luận hội thảo cần thiết phải có một người dẫn đầu chính thức, một trong những người sẽ lên kế hoạch, bắt đầu và kết thúc cuộc hội nghị, và một số chương trình nghị sự.
A symposium is a small group (three to five) that has special knowledge of different aspects of a broad topic.	hội nghị chuyên đề là một nhóm nhỏ (ba đến năm)có sự hiểu biết đặc biệt về các khía cạnh khác nhau của một chủ đề rộng.
Each individual makes uninterrupted speeches before an audience.	Mỗi cá nhân phải hoàn thành một bài diễn thuyết trôi chảy trước khán giả.
A procedural leader controls the order of speakers and the time limits.	Người chỉ đạo thủ tục hội nghị kiểm soát thứ tự của người nói và giới hạn thời gian.
A forum usually follows, except when an audience is not physically present (as with radio or TV broadcasts).	Một diễn đàn thường sẽ tiếp tục sau đó, ngoại trừ khi khán giả không có mặt thực tế (như với chương trình phát thanh hoặc truyền hình).
Frequently, the symposium speakers then relate to one another more informally in a panel discussion.	Thông thường, những người có bài diễn thuyết trong hội thảo chuyên đề thì có mối quan hệ thân mật hơn với những người khác trong cuộc thảo luận hội thảo.
These forms of discussion may be used for information-sharing, problem-solving, or decision-making, as well as for instructional purposes.	Các hình thức thảo luận này có thể được sử dụng để chia sẻ thông tin, giải quyết vấn đề hoặc đưa ra quyết định, cũng như cho các mục đích hướng dẫn.
Examples of information-sharing groups are staff meeting, study groups, and workshops.	Ví dụ về các nhóm chia sẻ thông tin là cuộc gặp gỡ nhân viên, những nhóm nghiên cứu và các hội thảo.
The overlap among these groups is evident and probably unavoidable.	Sự chồng chéo giữa các nhóm này là hiển nhiên và có lẽ không thể tránh được.
A workshop, for example, may be thought of as a study group that has concentrated its work into a couple of days, or even a few hours.	Ví dụ, một hội thảo, có thể được coi như là một nhóm nghiên cứu đã tập trung công việc của họ trong một vài ngày, hoặc thậm chí vài giờ.
problem-solving groups include committees, conferences, and governing boards or councils.	Các nhóm giải quyết vấn đề bao gồm các ủy ban, hội nghị và ban quản trị hoặc hội đồng.
These discussion groups have the power of decision or at least the power to recommend action based on their collective problem-solving.	Các nhóm thảo luận có quyền quyết định hoặc ít nhất là quyền đề xuất hành động dựa trên tập hợp sự giải quyết vấn đề của họ.
Their group discussions are usually closed to non-members	Các cuộc thảo luận nhóm của họ thường được bí mật đối với những người không phải là thành viên.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish by Steve Jobs

Hãy cứ khao khát. Hãy cứ dại khờ

"Hãy sống như hôm nay là ngày cuối đời" Video dưới đây là bài phát biểu xúc động và nhiều ý nghĩa trong lễ tốt nghiệp của các sinh viên trường đại học Stanford, nước Mỹ. Thông qua ba câu chuyện cuộc đời của mình, Steve Jobs muốn truyền tải thông điệp "Hãy cứ khao khát. Hãy cứ dại khờ" (Stay hungry. Stay foolish) đến tất cả mọi người. "Đừng nhốt mình trong những giáo điều - sống với thành quả là suy nghĩ của những người khác. Đừng để tiếng ồn phát ra từ ý kiến của những người khác nhấn chìm tiếng nói nội tâm của chính bạn. Và điều quan trọng nhất, hãy tự tin để đi theo trái tim và trực giác của mình. Hãy sống với câu nói, 'Hãy cứ khao khát. Hãy cứ dại dột.'" 

Watch this famous Steve Jobs Speech. Steven Paul Jobs was an American business magnate and investor. He was the chairman, chief executive officer (CEO), and co-founder of Apple Inc.; chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a member of The Walt Disney Company’s board of directors following its acquisition of Pixar; and the founder, chairman, and CEO of NeXT. Enjoy our Speeches with big English subtitles and keep your English learning journey.

“Stay hungry. Stay Foolish.” Steve Jobs

“I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: “We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?” They said: “Of course.” My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents’ savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn’t see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn’t interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn’t all romantic. I didn’t have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends’ rooms, I returned Coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn’t have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But 10 years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it’s likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backward 10 years later.

Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents’ garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4,000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn’t know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down — that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the world’s first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple’s current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I’m pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn’t been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn’t even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor’s code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you’d have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I’m fine now.

This was the closest I’ve been to facing death, and I hope it’s the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960s, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors and Polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: It was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

Steve Jobs

People Can Change by Katy Perry

Watch this famous Katy Perry Speech. Katy Perry talked about her religious upbringing and called for LGBTQ equality in an emotional speech at Saturday’s Human Rights Campaign gala. Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television judge. After singing in church during her childhood, she pursued a career in gospel music as a teenager. Enjoy our Speeches with big English subtitles and keep your English learning journey.

“Don’t care what people gonna think of you, do what you wanna do and seek just your happiness.” Katy Perry

“Thank you, guys. A little back story. Shannon Woodward, one of my best friends … A lot of my best friends are here tonight because I love them and I’m obsessed with them, and I’m loyal. They’ve taught me pretty much everything I know. Shannon, actually, I used to sleep on her couch. I was couch-surfing on her couch and I used to eat her frozen chicken tenders from Trader Joe’s. They were so good.

Here is the thing about that woman, we’ve kind of like raised each other. I’ll get into it in a second, but basically one time, I said, “I’m not a feminist because I don’t grow hair underneath my arms,” and stuff like that because I really didn’t understand what that meant. She lovingly pulled me aside as the strong woman she is and great friend, and those are great friends, and she goes, “Hey, this is what the word ‘feminist’ means.”

I was like, “What? This whole time? I’m a feminist.”

I love her so very much and I love all my friends that teach me everything that I’ve learned today so thank you so much for this incredible, humbling award. I got to say there is no other community that has done more to shape who I am today, and there is no other community that I believe in more than you.

This community here tonight has achieved more progress toward a more perfect union in a short amount of time as any group in our history. I stand with you and I know that we stand together against discrimination whether it be in the LGBTQ community, or our Latino brothers and sisters, or the millions of Muslims in this country.

I’m just a singer-songwriter, honestly. I speak my truths and I paint my fantasies into these little bite-size pop songs. For instance, I kissed a girl and I liked it. Truth be told: (a) I did more than that and … (b) how was I going to reconcile that with a gospel singing girl raised in youth groups that were pro-conversion camps?

What I did know is that I was curious and even then I knew sexuality wasn’t as black and white as this dress. Honestly, I haven’t always gotten it right, but in 2008, when that song came out, I knew that I started a conversation that a lot of the world seemed curious enough to sing along to.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane for one second. My first words were mama and dada, God and Satan. Right and wrong were taught to me on felt boards and of course through the glamorous Jan Crouch crying diamond teardrops every night on that Vaseline-TBN television screen. Make some noise if you know who I’m talking about.

When I was growing up, homosexuality was synonymous with the word abomination and hell, a place of gnashing of teeth, continuous burning of skin and probably Mike Pence’s ultimate guest list for a barbecue.

No way, no way! I wanted the pearly gates and the unlimited fro-yo toppings. Most of my unconscious adolescence, I prayed the gay away at my Jesus camps, but then in the middle of it all, in a twist of events, I found my gift and my gift introduced me to people outside my bubble and my bubble started to burst.

These people were nothing like who I had been taught to fear. They were the most free, strong, kind and inclusive people I have ever met. They stimulated my mind and they filled my heart with joy and they freaking danced all the while doing it. These people are actually magic and they are magic because they are living their truth. Oh my goddess, what a revelation … and not the last chapter of the bible. Suffice to say, it’s been a long road for me and I’m sure a long road for many of you out there.

I know it doesn’t always feel safe to live out who you are, but here’s the thing though, I would have not chosen a different road. Priceless lessons have been learned. The path of discovery has made me, has tested me and forever changed me. You don’t get to choose your family, but you can choose your tribe. Many of the people I admire and trust, and work with belong to the LGBTQ community. Without them, I’d be half of the person I am today. My life is rich in every capacity because of them.

They are trusted allies that provide a safe space to fall, to not know it all and to make mistakes. These are the people I hold dear. See, I hope I stand here as real evidence for all that no matter where you came from, it’s about where you are going and that real change, real evolution and real perception shift can happen if we open our minds and soften our hearts. People can change. Believe me, it would have been easier just to stay the whipped cream tit, spring, poppy, light, fluffy, fun, anthems by the way of animal totem singing girl who was basically somewhat neutralist in a stance and just thought more hugs could save the world.

No way. No longer can I sit in silence. I have to stand for what I know is true and that is equality and justice for all, period.

That’s why the HRC is so important and I am so grateful for them being on the front lines every day from civil union legislation, to repealing ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’, to getting rid of DOMA at the Supreme Court which paved the way for marriage equality across the country and continuing to fight for trans equality amongst all things.

I don’t have to tell you that we have a lot more to do. We have to create a safe space for us to ask questions of ourselves and others and to keep the conversation going because the loudest voice in the room or on your TV set isn’t always right, but that little voice inside of you, pushing you to discover who you are is a trusted friend.

None of us have the answers, or all of them at least, but it’s time to lead with empathy and grace and compassion now more than ever to find the unity we need now.

I’ll never cease to be a champion, an ally, a spotlight and a loving voice for all LGBTQ identifying people. Whatever your sexuality, your gender, your preferred pronouns, blossom to be, we all know it ain’t so black and white and I will continue to champion the people that have been a champion for me.

Many friends and loved ones from the LGBTQ family have raised me into the woman I am today and I want to dedicate this award to one of my greatest champions of my life, my manager, Bradford Elton Cobb III.

I think it’s almost, like, 15 years because he believed in me before it all. Secretly paying my rent for years and bringing me leftovers from hamburger [inaudible 00:09:36]. He really did! I know we really connected on a soul level though because we came from the same upbringing where it was difficult to be our authentic selves. We had similar struggles breaking out of our suppressive shelves but we kept inspiring each other, challenging each other and retiring our past frame of mind.

We broke the cycle and now we’re living our best most authentic lives. I love you, B. Cobb. There will be obstacles, but we all know everything good takes work, but we can’t let our past get in the way of our brilliant future.

These days, I get an incomparable high from finally knowing myself and it feels more real than any story I was ever told on a felt board. It feels sparkly as fuck. Truth be told, I think a lot of that has to do with the magic that has rubbed off on me from all of you.

Thank you so much.”

Katy Perry