SUPERSTITIOUS :: essays research papers

SUPERSTITIOUS Human beings are superstitious especially among Chinese. If anyone who claims that he or she is not superstitious is either a liar or a fool. A lot of us believe in certain things that do not have logical explanations. This is especially true in this multi-racial country of ours. Each community has its own beliefs. It would be impossible to discuss all of the beliefs of Chinese; therefore I will just touch on some of them. I still remember a few years ago, some of my friends and I went to a holiday in Bukit Bendera. One of friend decided to take some snapshots. So we all were dressed up and ready to be ‘shot’. We had our individual photographs taken first, and then we decided to have group photographs. But one of my friends gave us a warning that did not made up any group of three. He said that misfortune will befall one of the three if they have their photographs taken together! After listened that everyone avoided being in a group of three. Although I STUDY SKILLS IN ENGLISH SSE 131 never heard of such a thing before but after hearing it, I did not want to take the risk. Actually it spoiled the fun a bit. I felt it was difficult to believe, even photographs can be superstitious. Honestly speaking, I do not know how much truth there is in this illogical belief but I do not dare to test it. After reading this, will you still dare to have your photograph to be taken with two other people? The number three is also taboo among cigarette smokers. On occasions I have seen a group of people lighting up their cigarettes only to a maximum of two persons per lighted match. Actually the light is slowly extinguished after two persons and then person number three will use a new match. This I have to define as the belief that maybe some tragedy will strike the third person who receives a lighted match. Well, here is another belief not to be challenged. When you are having a baby, there are some beliefs especially for the Chinese pregnant ladies such as: Don't use glue when you are pregnant because it will cause a difficult birth. Another thing is if you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.

Boredom †What Can Teens Do About It Essay

I have heard it time and again â€Å"I am bored! â€Å". These words have came from the mouths of many teenagers. Sure, we have the libraries, the parks, the internet cafes, the malls all around us. Yet, we still hear many teenagers around us saying that they long for something completely different than the aforementioned – something that caters more to their interests. So what can we do for these bored teenagers? You see, we have all the facilities etc. From bars to reacreational areas, places offering live music, a countless amount of shopping malls. Yet, teenagers are still bored. Thus I think it is crucial to ask the young people would like to do, then officials can plan their activities and build the venues accordingly. If we don’t, we will face the risk of continually seeing teens loitering around at the back alley or even committing crimes. More town meetings and conferences involving teenagers is vital to planning activities that they will enjoy. To simply assume that these adolescents will benefit from certain activities without asking them first will leave the place with empty centers and businesses that alienate many teens. For example, business catering to teen hobbies could be set up to host events for teenagers. Perhaps they could create some kind of contest, that would offer various skatebored equipments and apparel as prizes. The contest could include what many teenagers would enjoy: Music and Food. This way, instead of wasting money to build expensive venues to provide â€Å"entertainment† to curb teenagers’ boredom, the money could be spent on setting up activities that can guarantee success as they cater to the wants of the teens through the survey, therefore this could be done for these bored teens. As the world grows, the technology advances and companies like Apple come out with creative new devices like iPhones and iPads. When teens get caught up by these addictive trends of using iPad and iPhone, they would love to access them and use the interesting applications everyday. However, eventually their interest does not last as they would get tired of doing the same thing of staring into the iPhone or iPad screen. Instead of investing time into things that are not of much productivity, and does not help them develop any useful skill, they could first try to be creative and explore their artistic side is really great when they have nothing else to do. They could think of what things in life are really exciting or interesting to them, and think of a way they could incorporate some aspect of those things into their alone time. Once they start doing something creative,they can always go back to it, and they will never be bored. For example, they could take some free time to learn how to play a music instrument, in particular an easier one that you could easily learn by themselves at home which would be a guitar. This would help them develop an appreciation for music of they could learn well and it would bring out the more artistic side of them, instead of wasting time and getting bored from blindly following the trends of using electronic devices. Doing anything creative like learning an instrument will be beneficial to your growth as a person, it will broaden your skills and perspective on life, and it will also be fun. It begins with a recognition that every circumstance, every activity, contains within it the potential to yield value, either to us or to someone else. If we insist on always being passively entertained by life, we will find ourselves bored by much of it. On the other hand, if we can transform that expectation into a determination to make an effort to create value at every moment, we can begin to make even the most mundane experience interesting. For example, we can start up a conversation with a friend and know more about them which would enhance the friendship between the both of them. One minute you will be bored ad the next minute you will be busy talking with your friend to kill time. Talking also makes us forget about the time passing without our realisation. This also allows us to be engaged in something rather than staring into space, doing nothing which would benefit them in one way or another. Talking enhances communication skills and at least, one can bond more with her friends which would make one less bored. Engaged in the conversation, new facts about one another rise up to create a stronger bond between them. This would benefit one rather than doing nothing and feeling bored. Another way could be to eliminate boredom by looking for any interesting or purposeful activity in which you will feel energetic and less bored. A question that one may like to consider would be to think of how the activity will benefit one befoe doing something when one feels bored. Communication would make one more open-minded and an extrovert. In conclusion, there are many ways to escape boredom. But the problem here is that teenagers now do not know how to kill time. If they invest enough time to do something worthwhile such as learning how to play a musical instrument or enhancing their communication skills by conversing with a friend, they will not find themselves getting bored. Teenagers should engage in activities that they know will entertain them. For example, an avid reader can find time to visit the library rather than staying at home and watch television or do something unproductive. Thus, teenagers should know themselves and what they like and take part in activities that interest them. This will solve the problem of teenagers being bored all the time.

The Public Health Crisis in America - 1062 Words

The public health crisis in the United States has reached a critical point that demands action. Chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, respiratory diseases and diabetes are the leading causes of disability and premature death in America. While chronic diseases are among the most common and costly health problems, they are also preventable. Three health-damaging behaviors at the center of the issue are tobacco use, lack of physical activity and poor eating habits. Public health campaigns aimed at these behaviors have been in place for many years. However, these pervasive habits continue in America. The best way to address the problem is through government policies that use incentives or penalties to bring about the†¦show more content†¦Fierro says, â€Å"1.7 million deaths or 70 percent of all deaths in the U.S. annually are due to chronic diseases with another 25 million Americans living with a chronic disease that significantly limits their daily activit y† (10).With such startling figures and since so many chronic disease cases are preventable, it is imperative that lawmakers address tobacco use, lack of physical activity, and poor eating habits with proper legislation to encourage immediate adoption of healthier behaviors. History has proven that government penalties, in the form of taxes, deter smoking. The 2000 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report, Reducing Tobacco Use, found that raising tobacco-product prices decreases the prevalence of tobacco use, and tobacco tax increases produce significant long-term improvements in health. From its review of existing research, the report concluded that raising tobacco taxes is one of the most effective tobacco prevention and control strategies (7). Along with price increases, mass-media campaigns and smoking bans have made cigarette smoking pretty much unacceptable in today’s society. â€Å"Today, approximately 22 percent of adults age twenty-two and older are smokers, compared with 33 percent in 1979† (Thorpe 1440). It is clear, from these examples, the use of penalties to deter the unhealthy behavior of smoking is a successful intervention. While this is impressiveShow MoreRelatedHealthcare Systems And The Healthcare System1554 Words   |  7 PagesThe predominant healthcare system problems in America should be conceptualized from the perspectives of the healthcare organization administrators inclusive of the people with business skills as well as healthcare providers. 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