My First Kiss :: Personal Narrative

My First Kiss â€Å"Kissing a watermelon? No, I’ve never been THAT desperate.† My sister Amy went on to tell me about her friend who dared to do such a feat. â€Å"Did it help?† I asked. â€Å"We don’t know! She hasn’t kissed a real guy yet!† Amy and I burst into a fit of giggles, and I realized how being in the company of my younger sister regressed me to her awkward, girlish high school age. I had forgotten, until this bedside 2:00 a.m. conversation, how I used to be obsessed with popularity and sports cars, and how I daydreamed of my first kiss. But Amy had much more â€Å"experience† than I did at her age. She and her friends had passed their adolescent initiation of first kisses—at least the kind on the lips. â€Å"In the back of the CHURCH van? With everyone watching? Where did he kiss you?† â€Å"On the LIPS!† she squealed. Amy’s excitement and anxiety about kissing ignited a rush of memories. How I used to romanticize about first kissing someone! I thought that I would be in a long flowing gown, and the handsome young man would bring me flowers, and ask to court me. Our kiss would be done on the porch, under an encouraging moon and a harmony of stars. Or maybe I would be in a MacDonalds, and the most good-looking guy I’d ever seen would come to my table, buy me a hot fudge sundae, and he give me a kiss when he walked me to my car. Ah, the kiss was exciting to think about as well. I had no idea what it would be like, but I knew it would feel wonderful. This quick pucker and follow-through would be my initiation into womanhood, somehow setting me apart from other girls who could barely fill a bra or who, as rumors went, practiced kissing by mutilating fruit. A rite of passage, a first romance, yes. But my girlish head had set itself upon one quest: I would be truly in love with the young man I first

Examine the Reasons Why Some Sociologists Choose Not to Use Experiments When Conducting Research

Examine the reasons why some sociologists choose not to use experiments when conducting research One of the main reasons why many sociologists choose not to use laboratory experiments for research is one of impracticality; the absolute control of conditions required for a lab experiment is nigh impossible to achieve in fields of sociology, as that level of control over variables would require a completely artificial environment which would require an inordinate amount of money and resources to construct effectively.If an experiment took place in an environment less controlled than this, then even identification of all the relevant variables would be ridiculously difficult, and manipulation of variables to study a behavioural reaction completely impossible. Even assuming that it is possible to create a controlled environment for sociological experiments, there are still many practical issues with experimental methods.Firstly there is no possible way for experiments to research past so cial trends, which immediately reduces the range of data available to a sociologist, for instance it would be impossible to try and find changes in society through experimental methods unless a sociologist replicated exactly a social experiment conducted in the past to compare the data.Secondly, again assuming a laboratory environment has been constructed for sociology, this could only be used to study a limited sample and therefore would not create very reliable data, and so would not be easily generalisable, which then appears to defeat the point of using a laboratory experiment.Finally it is argued that the artificial environment of an experiment would provoke the â€Å"Hawthorne Effect†, in which a person with knowledge of their observation modifies their behaviour, in an attempt to second guess what the observer expects or wants them to do, which would not give very valid data and also, as only some people would succumb to this effect, would also not give very reliable d ata. An apparent solution to this would be observing people without their knowledge, however this causes a lot of ethical issues; a general principle of sociological research is that a person must give their informed consent to be studied.Informed consent can be difficult to obtain with certain groups, for example children, as this would also require their parent or guardian to give consent, making obtaining data even more difficult and time consuming. Misleading people as to the nature of the research is therefore also considered wrong, as it violates the principle of informed consent. Finally, social theory and perspective means that interpretevist sociologists will not regard experiments as valid. A laboratory approach is possibly the most scientific of all sociological research methods, and therefore the one that interpretevists would argue to be the least valid.A key element of interpretevist theory is that human behaviour is not a simple matter of cause and effect, as humans h ave a wide variety of emotions, moral values and choices, and therefore attempting to use a small sample to generalise about society is not possible, as every person is different and will react differently to circumstances. As interpretevists are fundamentally concerned with validity of research, their ideal research methods will take place in the actual areas and situations in which people reside, as opposed to an attempt to reconstruct these with a far more limited range of variables.

Non Objective Art, Impressionism and American Art Essay

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: * The art movement that Composition with red, yellow and blue was created in was Surrealism. * After returning to Holland in 1914, Mondrian was fascinated by abstract paintings. * With the war outbreak in Holland, Mondrian was forced to stay in Holland, where in 1916-1917, he helped form the Neo-Plasticism movement. Neo-plasticism impacted and brought out the best in a number of people, where it broke down the forms of nature, reducing the form to a pure, abstract design. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ART WORLD: * Mondrian attempted to represent the world through vertical and horizontal lines which to him represented the two opposing forces: the positive and the negative, the masculine and the feminine, the dynamic and the static. * possesses a sense of simplicity whilst simultaneously comprises of complexity TRIVIA: * Mondrian has used oil on canvas as his materials and has created the artwork to a size of 72.7 cm by 69.2 cm. * Composition with red, yellow and blue is currently located at the Tate Gallery. * Mondrian painted for thirty years and never made a curved line. http://pto.hawthorn73.org/downloads/PTO_Art_Adventure_Grade4_Lesson1.pdf http://www.markedbyteachers.com/gcse/art/composition-with-red-yellow-and-blue-composed-by-piet-mondrian-from-1937-1942-possesses-a-sense-of-simplicity-whilst-simultaneously-comprises-of-complexity.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian IMPRESSIONISM HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: * Claude Monet worked on WaterlilyPond from 1904 to 1905. * In 1883 Monet moved from the north-west of Paris to Giverny where he lived until his death. Adjacent to his property was a small pond which he acquired in 1893, where he created a water garden with an arched bridge in the Japanese style. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ARTWORK: * The meaning of the painting is to inspire nature and give great beauty to whoever views it. * It is one of Monet’s larger paintings, meant to show off the beauty of the scene it captures. * The sunset color reflecting off the water is one of the many aspects of his choice to make the meaning of this painting beauty and inspiration TRIVIA: * Monet’s brush stroke — precise and pristine in the paintings of 1899 — took on an expressive vitality that was unprecedented in any of the earlier works. * In 1900 he exhibited a series of ten canvases of the pond, showing a single subject in differing light conditions. http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/claude-oscar-monet-the-water-lily-pond http://www.metmuseum.org/Collections/search-the-collections/110001575 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_Lilies_(1919) http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/artwork/claude-monet-giverny-paintings11.htm AMERICAN ART Cliff Dwellers HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: * In 1913 George Bellows painted a work titled â€Å"Cliff Dwellers.† Bellows was part of the Ash Can School, a group of artists who were influenced by every-day life and often depicted scenes in urban centers. * SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ARTWORK: * â€Å"Cliff Dwellers† is the name Ash Can School painter George Bellowsgave his 1913 depiction of lower Manhattan tenement life. * depicted the â€Å"crudity and chaos† of city life in the immigrant neighborhoods. TRIVIA: * The name of the painting comes from the title of a book about life in the new tall apartment buildings popping up in big cities. * The people were called â€Å"Cliff Dwellers† because they lived high up in small, cramped quarters like the ancient Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. http://secondat.blogspot.com/2010/08/cliff-dwellers.html http://ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com/tag/george-bellows/ http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=record;id=12254;type=101

Are You An Informed Citizen? Essay

Let’s just start out by me explaining my political views and how well I am informed. I have to be truthful and say that I am not a very political nor am I an â€Å"Informed† citizen. I know this is crazy but after researching and doing a lot of reading, I have been enlightened and what I have read has been very interesting. â€Å"An informed citizenry will benefit from applying both creative thinking and critical thinking in solving the challenges of our society†, at first I was like what the heck does this even mean? Well, I have informed myself and I must say I feel I will be able to vote Tuesday feeling more informed about the issues that concern this country. In a democracy, public misperceptions carry an enormous cost and I would hate to be one that contributed to this. The main goal of citizenship education is to produce citizens who can make informed decisions on matters pertaining to the operation of government. Do you know that a very high percentage of citizens make their decisions based on appearance on television? I don’t fall into that category although I may fall into the category above that. Because in the past I have based my decision on commercials. I never educated myself to learn the facts from the opinions or lies one might say. A lot of powerful groups and interests in the country try to manipulate public opinion and they are very good at it. An essential element of critical thinking is learning how to ask questions that will uncover the information needed to make an informed decision. Many decisions that citizens make have direct impact on their day to day lives. People who possess higher level of critical thinking skills are able to face society’s moral dilemas with the confidence that they will be able to find answers that will solve the problem. Let’s go back to how people decide who to vote for. Several recent studies indicate that candidates who simply look more capable or attractive are more likely to win elections. It also states that people who watch a lot of television will base their decision on the candidates appearance and are likely not educated on either candidates. Also naive students based their decision on just a black and white photo. I feel like it would be a great idea to have a political course taken in high school. That way students know the importance of having knowledge and being â€Å"informed†. Teaching them the importance of having sufficient and sufficiently reliable information or knowledge to be able to understand a  subject or situation and make appropriate judgments or decisions regarding it. Teaching them how to search for information, digest it, and actively participate in society putting their knowledge to a good collective use. It’s very important that we do not allow others to think for us. That we should be able to think and make decisions for ourselves based on the information that we know and have researched. We have so many underlying issues that have to be dealt with in the country. For us to not be educated on each issue and just base our decision on someone looking the part, well we might as well just do a coin toss. Seems more interesting and â€Å"creative† to me. We have job issues, environment, education, healthcare, budget for the country, same sex marriage, economic, taxes, abortion, gun control, immigration, social security, welfare/ poverty, the war, and the list goes on and on. It is embarrassing for me to admit that I was the percentage that made my decision on the media when the only thing they are thinking of is entertaining and making money. If we want this country to be built back up and to be strong like it once was we have to become educated and educate the young, because they will be running this country one day. I would like to go through some of the things I mentioned above and let you know what I have learned just by having to write this paper. Because I believe I have become more educated just from this one assignment and to think how much more I would know if I had started researching years ago. First would be Same sex Marriage/ Adoption that is interesting. I have always believed in every human lives their life the way they want as long as they are not harming themselves or any one else. Who cares what someone else does in their life. If they are happy and a good person, let them be. A gay couple should be able to adopt. A baby that is with a loving gay couple will benefit more than staying with someone who will not give it as much love. Gay couples are just as deserving. Romney believes in marriage only between man and woman. Who is he to judge? One that I am un- decisive on is taxes. I honestly can see both sides. Why is it fair for one who goes out and works hard to make a great living have to pay so much more in taxes to give to some that just live off the government? But the I can see where jobs are hard to get and some people of disabled and they would love to be out there working and making money. That is just one that I will have to do more reading on to be able to see what my beliefs are there. I feel everyone  should have healthcare and no one should be turned away for pre-existing medical issues conditions and insurance companies should not be allowed to drop you if a patient has been diagnosed with a terminal disease. There are so many issues and debates that its overwhelming and stressful, this is one reason I have never been a very political person. I see now why it is important to be an informed citizen and to know the facts. No matter how good our leadership, if we don’t have discriminating citizens, this nation will not work very well.

Patient Satisfaction and Retention Strategies in Hospitals Thesis

Patient Satisfaction and Retention Strategies in Hospitals - Thesis Example This paper illustrates that the performance of any hospital is dependent on the patient satisfaction and retention strategies for hospitals. Studies have been conducted on how hospitals can improve their patient satisfaction and retention strategies, as well as, how hospitals can attract patients. However, the studies did not explain explicitly the tactics that can be implemented to help attract patients and retain them at the same time. Therefore, the need to understand and analyze various factors that can help in improving patient satisfaction and retention in hospital settings. Although studies have been conducted to establish why different hospitals perform better than others, employee satisfaction has always satisfaction has always been a very important tool for medical staff. Staffs who are content will be more productive than discontented staff and will also have the low turnover of staff. The question of why some hospitals perform better than others is asked by many and by co nducting a research on the patient satisfaction and retention strategies on Sheikh Khalifa some of the questions will be answered. Though sickness is not something that can be wished for it is foolish or naà ¯ve to ignore the fact that people fall ill. It is in this context that SKMC tries to understand that treating a patient does not necessarily mean he or she is satisfied with the services offered. SKMC was built in 2005 due to the merger of publicly managed health care providers in Abu Dhabi. It encompasses several ‘Centers of Excellence’ and it is run by the Cleveland Clinic. It functions as the leading institution in SEHAs system. It is overseen by its obligation to practice modern health care services to high standards as high as the world’s best medical facilities. SKMC’s broad healthcare services provide for the priorities of the people of Abu Dhabi. It ensures both the finest levels of patient satisfaction and care and promotes overall health th rough awareness and education. SEHA is standing for Abu Dhabi Health Services and Company. SEHA is the Arabic word for health. It was launched in December 2007 and it is owned and run by the Abu Dhabi government. SEHA was launched by the government has plans to reform the healthcare sector in Abu Dhabi and represent a positive milestone in the provision of the best healthcare services in the world by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa.

Changes in Australian Employment Relations Essay

Changes in Australian Employment Relations - Essay Example This essay consists of four sections which shed light on the interference of the Australian government in the employment relationship. The first section will observe the prevalence of employment relations in Australia. The second section analyzes the past trends in Australian government interference in employment relations. The next section discusses the changes in the employment relationship. The final section provides an overall evaluation of the interference of the Australian government in employment relations.The employment relationship is described within many contexts, including economic, political, social, cultural, technological and global arenas. â€Å"The employment relationship is the legal link between employers and employees. It exists when a person performs work or services under certain conditions in return for remuneration. It is through the employment relationship, however, defined, that reciprocal rights and obligations are created between the employee and the empl oyer†. Political parties played a major role in the interference of the government in employment relations. â€Å"The State influences the employment relationship directly through laws on wages (e.g. minimum wages), working conditions (e.g. on hours of work) and many other issues, and through its role as the employer of public sector workers. It also has a series of indirect influences†. The laws made by the State are effectively implemented by the government. The term State and government are often used interchangeably. In Australia, laws have been implemented by the State regarding the employment relation. The employment relationship in Australia has an old history in which political parties played a major role. The employment relationship is often associated with industries and is sometimes known as industrial relations.  

Wonhyo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Wonhyo - Essay Example He did much of his work in reforming and taking Buddhism to people who did not know about it. He lived a religious life. His major focus was based on harmonizing spiritual principles with the real daily life in order to attain targeted goal. In interpreting the meaning of Buddhism he used dance, music and literature. The three were the things which were cherished by a majority of the Koreans, hence decided to incorporate them in his mode of spreading Buddhism to the Korean people. He believed that if he used the things people interacted with most in their daily activities he could be able to reach them easily. Indeed he successfully achieved his goal of spreading Buddhism in Korea. This shows that his approach was excellent. He influenced many people hence the religion of Buddhism extensively spread in Korea. His impact in Korean Buddhism religion is remembered up to date. 1 1 De Bary, William Theodore. 2008. Sources of East Asian tradition. New York: Columbia University Press. His l ife spanned through three empire reigns. At the start of the united Silla, he played a very significant responsibility in the welcoming and acclimatization of the wider extent of traditional practices which entered the Korean Penisula at that time. He was the first person to arrange and schematize Buddhism of Korea introducing the many doctrines and harmonized them to suit both common people and philosophy scholars. The idea which was significant to his work of harmonizing Buddhism practices was the theory of insight which revolves around the world but not beyond it. He enlightened Korean people on the Buddhism religion. He is a legendary among the ten Sages of the old Kingdom of Korea. His legendary was due to his work that he did especially in transforming Buddhism in Korea. He cherished the religion of Buddhism to an extent that he could endure unfavorable conditions to spread the it and convince both scholars and lay persons to be united in Buddhism norms and traditions. The phi losophy of Wonhyo is positive because of the effect of Taoism. He had inherited his Budhism teachings from Madiyamika. Different from Nagarjuna, who refused the development of all traditions, Wonhyo assimilated them into a single structure. The ultimate goal of the two was the same irrespective of having different concerns in harmonization. The perspective of hermeneutic of wonhyo is developed on a thorough wide-ranging understanding which incorporated the norms of Taoism and Buddhism of Indians. Wonhyo collaborated with other Chinese counterparts and introduced the religion of Buddhism to the court of the Kingdom of Kuguryo. At this time, Siila, Baekje and Silla were the only kingdoms in Korea. Wonhyo formed a group of people who were responsible in spreading Buddhism to other two kingdoms; Silla and Baekje. The propagation was very efficient in that he and his group had learnt how to convince and attract people to adopt the religion of Buddhism. He thought them the traditions, nor ms and practices of Buddhism. He thought them the importance of obeying the norms and traditions and the consequences they would face if they violated them. He merged the gap which existed between the learned men such the philosophers, writers and commentators and the common layman people. The philosophers were responsible in studying the religion and advocating for traditions and norms which to them seemed to be correct and right and could benefit the community of Buddhism. Initially, the relationship which existed between the Buddhism philosophers and layman people was cold. This could be a great impediment in the adoption of religion and implementation of its norms. Wonhyo thought that clearing the bad relations between the two parties could enhance the