Renal physicians Association and the SGR Essays

Renal physicians Association and the SGR Essays Renal physicians Association and the SGR Essay Renal physicians Association and the SGR Essay The present formula for updating the payment for services of physicians is called as the sustainable growth rate. However the very conceptual bias of this particular system is defective. The SGR was created in reaction to the Reform act and the   Balanced budget of 1997.The Congress   came in to establish the fee schedule as one part of Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989 (OBRA89). This was made to control the bias of inflation existing as a result of the CPR method, rectify distortions in payment module, as well as allow the lead to a yearly update of the payment rates of the fees schedule. This lead to the legislation of a formula which was based on the attainment of the expenditure target. As per the SGR formula the expenditure target is not influenced by the historical volume growth of the earlier formulas. It is founded on the actual GDP per capita as well as various other factors like alterations in spending due to laws and regulations, increase in physicians practice cost. (Stabenow Debbie, September 13, 2006, HIMSS Reports: Senator Stabenow Introduces SGR Formula Fix) The RPA came into being in 1973. It is a national medical specialty association where the members are licensed nephrologists of US, the healthcare providers who are in the subspecialty area of internal medicine as well as those in teaching, medicine, research of renal diseases and disorders The basic and core values of the RPA is to enhance professionalism, ensure that there is greater equality in compensation, provide efficient and ethical advanced renal care as well as to promote leadership. The annual membership dues vary from $375 to $0 depending on the membership category. The RPA is committed towards providing high quality service to renal patients and follows the ESRD Patient Safety Initiative, Clinical Practice Guidelines, provides Clinical Performance Measures and incorporates quality improvement tools. According to the payment module it may seem that RPA is concerned for the advancement of its members however the RPA has shown consistent concern for providing quality servic e to kidney patients. (RPA, 2006, About RPA: RPA,the Advocate for Excellence in Nephrology Practice) According to the Political action Committee (PAC) of the Renal Physician Association the Sustainable growth rate (SGR) approach is impregnated by three basic problems. Firstly it results in severing the connection between the payment and cost of producing services. By utilizing this particular formula updates are produced which completely dissociated from the various factors that influence the changes including the cost involved in producing the services of physicians. If this is not dealt with urgently the updates provide a semblance of budget regulation but in the process they also produce a fee’s that will in the long term endanger the beneficiary’s access greatly. Thus the people including the physicians suffer ultimately. (Hackbarth M.Glenn, February 28, 2002, MedPAC recommendations on physician payment policy, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) Secondly there is an inherently defective volume control mechanism brought into operation as a result of the SGR formula.   This is because sustainable growth rate is merely a national target and doesn’t act as an inducement for the physicians to engage in volume control. This type of formula only helps to project political milestones and has little social and economic significance. Reduction in fees does not necessarily lead to simultaneous and constant sluggish growth in volume. More ever it does not correspond to the increase in the volume of services and to the spending level, which continue to grow. (Hackbarth M.Glenn, February 28, 2002, MedPAC recommendations on physician payment policy, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) This kind of formula propagates inequality because it doesn’t take into cognizance the regional distinctions with regard to individual volume which in turn will influence the behavior of the updates. As a result the SGR formula leads to the production of updates which may excessively low in some cases and excessively high in others. The Congress in the year 2004-2005 intervened in the Medicare Modernization Act (MMA) in a bid to prevent the various updates for negative payment in the same year due to the formula. But each time the Congress intervened to supersede the negative updates the formula mechanically has to decrease the updates in all future application in order to make up for the alteration. Thus it is predicted that yearly updates of 5% will continue o occur or a period of seven successive years. This series of projections can be characterized as unrealistically and impractically low. More ever in context of budget scoring these forecasts makes other substitutes of the SGR seem unrealistically and un-duly expensive. Hence any legislation on the SRG formula is of no consequence. Instead the PAC of the RPA recommends that a distinct course of action should be initiated. (Hackbarth M.Glenn, February 28, 2002, MedPAC recommendations on physician payment policy, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) This course of action should incorporate the various explicit deliberations of objectives of the Medicare program.   The updates should consequently be annually considered so that the services of the physicians are appropriately paid for while at the same time the will ensure that the best quality of health care service remains accessible to the Medicare beneficiaries. Along with this the increase in the volume of the physician services can be taken care of directly. The growth in volume is distinct for different regions. The volume growth is actually dependent on the individual physician’s decision regarding his/her practice. The major question is that if all the care that is being provided actually required. According to certain studies and Dartmouth researches better quality of health care has no connection with greater volume of services. Volume growth cannot be controlled and regulated without addressing the actual causes. The SGR which endeavors to regulate volume by t he global payment alterations and by considering all physicians and services in the same parameter is not a good policy. (Hackbarth M.Glenn, February 28, 2002, MedPAC recommendations on physician payment policy, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) The new system should be concerned with updating payment of the services of the physicians based on the evaluation of adequacy of payment. This should incorporate the projected changes occurring in the input prices on the next year.   This will be a small adjustment for growth in productivity with interaction of multiple factors. Further the updates will not be mechanically or automatically projected and will depict the real image. The various changes relating to the accessibility of beneficiary to the health care services, the aptness of increase in cost and other factors like the quality of services will be reflected in the updates. This will also commensurate with the other Medicare payment systems as well as help in the Legislatures in the various budgets making process. When the projections take the productivity into consideration the physicians are better able to provide high quality service. Once the payment rates are updated appropriately and the issue of adequate payment i s addressed the volume control (significant for both the beneficiary as well as taxpayers) can be addressed. From the perspective of the beneficiary an increase in the volume implies that there is greater cost made from the beneficiary pocket as well as greater cost of payment of supplemental coverage. From the perspective of the tax payers as well there is greater expenditure resulting from increase in volume. Increase in volume also affects the federal budget negatively. Certain volume growth like growth resulting from better technology may in fact be good for the patients. However not all growth is good and this is indicated by the variation in growth in various areas. The variation in certain services is very wide like in imaging and testing. It has been found that variation in volume in various regions is high in discretionary services like imaging and diagnostic testing. In areas where there is greater volume quality of service is found to be less. Volume has been found to dif fer from region to region. The best way to counter the volume problem without resorting to a formula is to adopt a multiple strategy policy. This will includes pre-authorization, profiling, beneficiary education, site inspection, coding edits, privileging and safety standards. At the same time Medicare payment can be linked to quality of service provided. This kind of payment will be budget neutral and will take care of both attainment as well as improvement. This will also help to alter the measurement of quality over time. Hence since higher volume is in no way connected with better quality. This type of action cause will not only ensure that beneficiary’s get better quality of service but also provides incentive for regulating the volume of services. (Hackbarth M.Glenn, February 28, 2002, MedPAC recommendations on physician payment policy, Medicare Payment Advisory Commission) The RPA recommends removal of the physician administered drugs from the ambit of SGR calculation and the inclusion of the entire charge of the new benefits as well as coverage decision within the SGR target. Further it recommends the inclusion of the effect of the alterations in law and regulation. For example the SGR does not consider the down stream services.

Brontotherium Megacerops Facts and Figures

Brontotherium Megacerops Facts and Figures Name: Brontotherium (Greek for thunder beast); pronounced bron-toe-THEE-ree-um; also known as Megacerops Habitat: Plains of North America Historical Epoch: Late Eocene-Early Oligocene (38-35 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 16 feet long and three tons Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; paired, blunt appendages on end of snout   About Brontotherium (Megacerops) Brontotherium is one of those prehistoric megafauna mammals that has been discovered over and over again by generations of paleontologists, as a result of which it has been known by no less than four different names (the others are the equally impressive Megacerops, Brontops and Titanops). Lately, paleontologists have largely settled on Megacerops (giant horned face), but Brontotherium (thunder beast) has proven more enduring with the general public - perhaps because it evokes a creature that has experienced its own share of naming issues, Brontosaurus. The North American Brontotherium (or whatever you choose to call it) was very similar to its close contemporary, Embolotherium, albeit slightly bigger and sporting a different head display, which was larger in males than in females. Befitting its similarity to the dinosaurs that preceded it by tens of millions of years (most notably the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs), Brontotherium had an unusually small brain for its size. Technically, it was a perissodactyl (odd-toed ungulate), which places it in the same general family as prehistoric horses and tapirs, and theres some speculation that it may have figured on the lunch menu of the huge carnivorous mammal Andrewsarchus. One other odd-toed ungulate to which Brontotherium bears a marked resemblance is the modern rhinoceros, to which the thunder beast was only distantly ancestral. Just like rhinos, though, Brontotherium males battled each other for the right to mate - one fossil specimen bears direct evidence of a healed rib injury, which could only have been inflicted by the twin nasal horns of another Brontotherium male. Sadly, along with its fellow brontotheres, Brontotherium went extinct around the middle of the Cenozoic Era, 35 million years ago - possibly because of climate change and the dwindling of its accustomed food sources.

Hormonal Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hormonal Disorders - Essay Example Also, patients with inherited defects of the body structures that produce steroid hormones, for example, hereditary adrenal hyperplasia and in particular those whose condition falls as inadequately controlled may have a high risk of adenomas. However, most adenomas do not link with an inherited sickness (Neil & Isaac, 2006). Even if adenoma stands as harmless, it has the potential to create severe health complications by compressing other structures through mass effect and by producing prodigious amounts of hormones in an unregulated, nonresponsive dependent behavior. This is referred to as paraneoplastic syndrome (Schwartz, 2002). The changes that occur in humans and cause adenoma are as follows: abnormality which comes as a result of excess production of hydrocortisone, a steroid hormone involved in reaction to stressing and energy steadiness. Adenomas that produce vast amounts of steroid hormones will cause clear symptoms. Huge amounts of hydrocortisone will cause Cushings conditions where too much mineral corticoid causes Conns conditions, and a surplus of male sex steroids creates unhealthy skin plus hair growth. Hardly ever hemorrhage can arise into adenomas and bring the pain in the flanks or back (Schwartz, 2002). Acromegaly refers to a condition that arises from the frontal pituitary gland when it produces excess growth hormones mostly at puberty (Neil & Isaac, 2006). A variety of disorders may increase the pituitarys hormone growth output, though most commonly it includes a hormone producing tumor referred to as pituitary adenoma, derived from a distinctive cell. It is true to say that the patient had acromegaly because of the symptoms the doctors found. The teenager at the age of 20 portrayed same symptoms of a person suffering from acromegaly. These symptoms stand as: enlarged hands and feet, severe headache, vision problem and

Successfully Manage a Radical Change Within a Complex Organisation Essay

Successfully Manage a Radical Change Within a Complex Organisation - Essay Example pany implement re-engineering, reorganisation and cultural transformation, then the entire operational activities face radical changes in three levels. Firstly, changes occur among the personnel who employed within that particular organisation. These changes take place in terms of their attitude, skills, capabilities, attributes and behaviour regarding work place. Top level management should always aware about such behavioural changes which can impact upon the organisational working procedures. Secondly, changes can also take place in organisational structure and system which in turn might transform the existing working culture; procedures reward system and other activities. Thirdly, direct changes can also occur within the organisational culture which might effect upon employees relationship, can develop conflict and can impact on decision making procedures (Government of Jamaica, 2010). In this similar context, changes are completely depends upon business situation and always takes place in order to deal dynamic competitive circumstances. Some of the common changes happen in order to deal with new competitors and new technological innovation. All these changes take place in order to enhance operational efficiency and to obtain long term profitability (Dawson, 2010). By considering the present business scenario, change management is quite significant in every aspect of operational activities. Successful change ensures enhanced organisational ability to perform effectively within the new business environment. The fundamental source of change management is to enhance the capacity of employee to adopt changing working environment. There are some common factors which need to be considered for making a change successful. The first factor is appropriate planning which is... This paper stresses that the transition of an organisation gradually initiates. In this stage, managers try to build a readiness in order to tackle the change. In the awakening stage, the organisation assesses the problems and evaluates the possibilities of change. This can be done with the help of the information gathered from unconscious stage. In reordering stage, an organisation analyse the existing working situation comparatively with the changing scenario. This stage affects largely to the organisational stability and performance equilibrium of an individual personnel. The core idea which has been emerged from the overall discussion is that the major challenges which are coming from radical changes for the organisation is to uphold high productivity while facing transformative changes. The change is considered as an impact which might hamper the overall organisational work structure. Subsequently, on the other hand these changes may lead an organisation towards the high productivity. There are various types of models and principles by which an organisation can successfully adopt the changes into their working environment. It has been observed that the process of changes and transformation is significantly considered as an end and re-birth process where an organisation either shut down its operational activities or attain sustainable competitive advantage. Either cases, an organisation needs to experience and tackle necessary transformational changes in order to survive and grow. Successful change of an organisation effectively depends on personnel capability to incorporate changes in structure and work comfortably within new environment.

Human Behavior in Organization in Global Perspective Essay Example for Free

Human Behavior in Organization in Global Perspective Essay Organizational behavior is a study that investigates the effect that individuals, groups and structures have on behavior within an organization for the purpose of applying such knowledge towards improving an organizations effectiveness. Human behavior in organization defines also on how the employees work in certain organization, on how we build the interpersonal relationship towards to the superior and co-workers, according to the Maslow’s theory the people get motivated by the five categories of maslow’s, this would be help the employee to more productive in his work and contribute to the organization, basically, when we speak human behavior in organization, it is the behavior of the employees inside the organization, on now they act in their perspectives work and on how they do their duties inside the organization. How-ever in some cases people get motivated in money, with this they develop their skills in order to get some incentives, money is also one of the factors that people are motivated but there is a negative side on this, sometimes this are this factors that we are always depend in. Human behavior in organization in global perspective defines that on how the employees work in different company and also the relationship on organization to another organization, it is also the motivating factor of the bout company and the employee on how they interact inside and outside the organization, in order them to build the relationship inside and outside of the organization, it is also make the organization be more effectiveness. One of those motivating factors is the ethics, basically ethics in organization is important to make the employees be more productive to their work, and ethics defines as the character of one person. In human behavior in organization in global perspective is the relationship of one people to another, it is also the relationship of one country to another in order to build a trust, for example the manager of one organization will go in other country to for some proposal of business in order to get the heart of the one country the leader must build a trust to his company first, with this global perspective defines as on how we deal to another. In management global perspective one of the keys to successful management is the ability to understand andapply modern management principles and techniques effectively. Managersmust develop an in-depth knowledge of past and present models, theories andprocesses in order to manage effectively and intelligently. Contemporarymanagement practice is pervasive in every aspect of human life within all typesof organizations

Bonnie And Clyde :: essays research papers

Bonnie and Clyde   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker burst upon the American Southwest in the Great Depression year of 1932. At the time of Clyde’s first involvement with a murder, people paid little attention to the event. He was just another violent hoodlum in a nation with a growing list of brutal criminals, which included Al Capone, John Dillenger, Pretty Boy Floyd, and the Barker Gang. Not until Bonnie and Clyde joined forces did the public become intrigued. The phrase “Bonnie and Clyde'; took on an electrifying and exotic meaning that has abated little in the past sixty years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Clyde Chestnut Barrow was born on March 24, 1909, into a family of four children. Ironically when the midwife told a local physician of his birth, the physician incorrectly recorded it as “baby girl Barrow'; in the Vital Statistics volume of the Ellis County Courthouse at Waxahachie.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three additional children followed Clyde’s birth, and the families financial difficulties worsened as the price for cotton bounced up and down. After some years the Barrow’s found it impossible to provide for their children and sent them to live with relatives in east Texas. At one relatives home Clyde developed two interests that remained with him to the end of hid life: a passion for music, and an obsession with guns. Even as Clyde drove along the lane in Louisiana to his death, he carried a saxophone and reams of sheet music, as well as an arsenal of firearms. Clyde loved and named his guns, and regarded them as tokens of his power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the age of sixteen, Clyde dropped out of school to work at Proctor and Gamble. Clyde’s crime streak started with helping his brother steal a small flock of turkeys and transporting them to Dallas to sell for Christmas money. Dallas officers saw the back seat full of live fowl, and pulled them over arresting them both. His brother claimed full responsibility , and they lat Clyde go since he was so small and innocent looking. Clyde soon mat up with a man named Frank Clause. Clyde soon quit his job at Proctor and gamble and began burglarizing small businesses in Dallas, Lufkin, and Hillsboro, Texas. Although Clyde was introduced into the gang by his brother, he soon became accepted and became the leader. Their crime spree started with stealing a couple of cars and burglarizing a few houses.

Blink †Malcom Gladwell Essay

Among the thought provoking topics Gladwell presents in Blink, I found slicing as one the most interesting. The idea that short snippets of information can potentially allow more accurate perceptions of people and situations than longer periods with in-depth study and exposure to information. The awareness of the unconscious realizations occurring much quicker and more accurately than cognitive thought, inspires additional pontificate on ways to cut through the noise that interferes with conscious thoughts. Additionally, his identification of potential noise spurs the mind to ignore the slices offer opportunities to understand potential causes for historical perceptions that have proven to be incorrect. While reading Gladwell’s elaboration on the various methods of slicing, several historical business decisions come to mind. Gladwell’s review of speed dating offers many similarities to my experiences interviewing candidates to fill vacant positions on various teams I ha ve managed. My process for interviewing candidates is a multistep process, where my first interview is normally no more than 30 minutes, containing about 15-20 minutes of my explaining the position being filled and the needs of the company. Gladwell specifically identified the purpose was not to determine if both speed dating parties want to establish a relationship together. The purpose was to decide if each person has enough interest in the other, to at least learn more about him/her. In the 10 minutes where I directly interview candidates for skills and competencies, I am simply deciding if I want to bring this person in to learn more detail about their skills and competencies. Gladwell also identifies that slicing is not always effective, due to noise received by the conscious self, sometimes allowing cognitive thought to challenge the unconscious perception. Although I take detailed notes on each candidate, there are many instances where, despite the notes and the observed mannerisms, my ‘gut’ suggested an opposite direction from the logical choice. In retrospect, I realize that during these initial interviews, as I put significant effort into evaluating skills and competencies as a whole. There was just too much data reviewed, instead of focussing on individual slices of data. In some cases my mind even justified the potential issues, offering undue credit to candidates because of their persuasive discussions and mannerisms, thereby continuing the hiring process with candidates that should not have made it past the first round. During one interview in particular, I was filling a position as Category Manager and my pool of candidates was somewhat limited. My company’s push to hire diversity candidates made the pool even shallower. After bringing candidates in for first round interviews, I decided to post the position online for a second time. The subsequent candidates were not significantly better than the first round. I could not identify a specific reason for my disinterest in the candidates, they just didn’t feel right. Most did not offer the typical image I associated with a successful category manager. As a favor to a colleague, I agreed to interview a wild card candidate for my vacancy. She had no experience with category management, but her career history showed steady progression and 3.8 GPA throughout her chemical Engineering major offered evidence of her intelligence. My colleague spoke very highly of her abilities and during the initial interview her image was consistent with high performing category managers I have known in the past. In reviewing my notes after the interview, I documented her lack of experien ce as being a key opportunity. Although my logical decision should have been to remove her from the list going forward, I followed my ‘gut’ and continued the interview process with her. As the process continued, she was eventually hired for the position on my team. I had somehow convinced myself that she could learn the trade and excel at it in a short period of time. Within a few months of hiring her, we both realized she wasn’t going to meet the requirements of the position and eventually, she went back to her previous company. I couldn’t help but wonder how she could have performed so well during the interview compared to the other candidates, but not be able to perform the duties of the actual job itself. After finishing Gladwell’s elaboration on priming, I gained better insights as to potential reasons why I hired the wrong person. Gladwell offered great examples of priming and how key words can impact an individual’s performance on tests. During the interview process, I normally discuss my educational and career history in an effort to reduce anxiety in candidates. I can’t help but wonder if during my discussions, I primed candidates, thereby pushing them to perform at anticipated levels based on my initial perception as they entered the first interview. Based on this theory, the words I chose during the interview process could have unintentionally encouraged one candidate and discouraged others. I find the concept of priming to be very thought provoking and it will definitely impact my speech at the beginning of each interview. Although Gladwell’s discussion regarding interpretations of slices of time proposes a more accurate perception is achieved by the unconscious mind well in advance of the conscious mind. Key points perceived during the initial moments could potentially shape my perception and thereby cause the subconscious to choose priming words to reinforce that perception. Being aware of this possibility is a key part of addressing it. From my experience illustrated above, focusing on neutral wording during future interviews will be a priority going forward.

Michael’s Reflective Paper Essay

* Who am I? What life experiences made me who I am today? Was it my family, my social environment where I went to school, the groups, or organizations that I belonged to, or was it certain life events that shaped me? * This paper is my attempt to show that my family and social environment, my life experiences from childhood to present influenced me to be the person that I am today and who I will be in the future. As I reflect upon my life, at the age of forty-nine, I have come to the conclusion that my family and social environment when growing up, surviving cancer in my twenties, and getting married in my thirties are the main social influences and life events that have shaped who I am today and who I want to become in the future. Every one of these experiences has given me something: learning to be independent from family attitudes; dealing with the state of uncertainty, which comes with the disease; responsibility of marriage; and the importance to find the field of expertise for effective work. All these insights can be described as building effective relationships with people and developing self-understanding on different levels. * To understand my family life, and why I feel that their negative attitudes to me shaped me to be a better person, I first have to give you some background on my family and me. The background of my family clarifies how important for me was to be independent from this alienating environment. My mother died when I was only a year old and my father raised my older brother Kevin and me by himself until he met my stepmother. My father remarried and had my two stepbrothers William and Robert. My father was a strict disciplinarian, racist, drank a lot, and worked as a machinist at a refinery plant. My stepmother was a homemaker as my father did not approve of her working and felt that she needed to be at home taking care of the children. My stepmother came from an orphanage, had polio in her left hand. She was also an alcoholic, meaning that she was nasty when drunk; in addition, she was a chain smoker. Kevin was the oldest son one and a half years older than me (and my father’s favorite one), I was the middle child, William was five years younger than me and was diagnosed at an early age as having severe attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD); Robert was the youngest. Witt and Mossler (2010) quote the longitudinal research study which has shown that the attitudes of parents towards children rather than the practices of raising children shape our personality in adulthood (Ch. 1, p. 11). It is evident that lack of my father’s attention has influenced me a lot, stimulating me to attract my parents’ attention, for better or for worse. The authors also stress on the importance of the environment of growing up, both social and physical (Witt & Mossler, 2010, Ch. 1, p. 13). We lived in a relatively low middle class white community in Beaumont, Texas next door to my father’s brother and his family. The area where we lived in was close to the outskirts of Beaumont and was nestled back in the woods, so the woods were our playground. This could create the feeling of abandonment, but it was also empowering somehow, as I learned by these circumstances to rely on myself. Palkovitz, Marks, Appleby, and Holmes (2002) treat the relationship between parents and children as a complex unit consisting of father factors, co parental factors, mother factors, child factors, and contextual factors (p. 8). It is evident that in my family, there was disintegration in a sense on all levels. It was interesting to discover that, according to the study by Palkovitz, Marks, Appleby, and Holmes (2002), my father’s attitude was shaped by his experience in romantic relationships and then projected upon children (p. 8). I had to develop independence from this painful emotional context. My relationship with my father caused me to be non-racist, disciplined, and extroverted, as my father was a strict disciplinarian, controlling, and racist man. He gave all his attention to my older brother and ignored me unless I did something that angered him. His treatment of me caused me to crave his attention and to seek to please him until I reached my teenage years and decided that I did not want to be like my father. I rebelled against his control upon me. He tried to control what I did after school, how I wore my hair, how I thought, and what I wanted to be when I graduated high school. I was deeply afraid of him when I was a child, and only when I became a young adult did I see that what he was doing to me was wrong. I started standing up for myself. I started seeking attention outside my family and I got a job after school so that I started earning my own money. That allowed me to purchase my own clothes, get my haircut how I wanted, and purchase my first car that gave me the freedom to escape from my dysfunctional family on a daily basis. My first car and earning my own money gave me the ability to distance myself from my family. However, later circumstances of my life taught me that people can also be supporting and self-reliance is not enough. When I was in my early twenties working and going to college, I developed Hodgkin’s disease that has also changed my personality. Hodgkin’s is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. Like other forms of cancer, it is believed to cause the feelings of uncertainty, lack of control, anxiety, isolation, discomfort, and – last but not least – re-definition of goals and roles (Halldorsdottir & Hamrin, 1996, p. 34). On one hand, one feels that he has to re-define his place in the society; on another hand, people care about those with the disease more and help more (at least they are supposed to do so). I experienced how it was not to have the control upon my life, but also how it was to be cared for by others. Anyway, when one is ill and so evidently dependent upon the society, the natural question comes: â€Å"Did I do anything wrong? And what was it? † Often cancer is associated with suppressed anger and a desire to please other (or at least attract attention) (Broderick, 1996, p. 14), and this really could be my case. I must admit that this understanding came along with serious heart problems. Still, illness did not prevent me from shouldering responsibility in work and family life, as well as from the joys of both. I met my wife during my thirties when I was changing my careers from being a technician to a salesperson. Interestingly, psychologists nowadays view professional development of an individual as an ongoing process (not limited to certain age group), the first stage of which is exploration (Smart & Peterson, 1997, p. 59). So, I was engaged in a kind of â€Å"double exploration†, searching for new ways in professional life as well as personal, consciously or not. In addition, like a career, marriage is a serious responsibility that implies both joyful outcomes and stress together with work on oneself. This personal responsibility has changed me a lot, teaching how to meet the needs of another person with whom I have been living day by day for a long time. I find the recommendations given by Witt and Mossler (2010, Ch. 3, p. 37) helpful, though challenging sometimes. People are happy in marriage when they support each other materially and emotionally, not forgetting to be positive, share feelings, thank each other, express affection, and do certain tasks together. In prolonged perspective, my family life and work taught me how to be productive and understanding in relationships with people and how to maintain stability in the changing world around and in the situations when inner conflicts arise. That is why in my future, I want to pass on the knowledge that my occupation as a sales manager has given to me. Perhaps I will start organizing some training sessions. This may also help to deepen my competence in the field of sales and on the level of personal communication, as people may share their valuable experience with me on the trainings. As I reflect upon my life now, from quite a distance, I have concluded that several events were the strongest in making me the person I am at present. They were my family and social environment in childhood, surviving cancer in my twenties, and getting married in my thirties. My family life stimulated me to earn living independently, cancer survival was essential in understanding my own potential and the ability to help of the people around, and marriage has given me the notion of responsibility. The dark years and events turn out to be ambivalent in the sense that they have given me certain experience and understanding of myself. Those main social influences and life events that I described in this paper have shaped my present personality and my thoughts about the future.

Free Essays on The Psycholgy Of Colors

Red is extremely dominating. It Can elevate blood pressure and respiratory rate. It has the effect of stimulating people to make quick decisions and increase expectations. Red is an attention grabber. Restaurants often use red as a decorating scheme because of its appetite stimulant function. but rooms with a red accent can cause people to lose track of time, thus are favored by bars and casinos. resulting in excessive stimulation of the eyes, causing eye irritation. It also speeds metabolism. Paint a room yellow, you will make babies cry and grown-ups lose their tempers in it. Furthermore, yellow is not a good color for notepads and monitor background. Although it can alert our brain and enhance concentration, it is hurtful to our eye. A softer tint, however, will make it more pleasant to look at. Dingy yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, jealousy and duplicity. Choice of shade is important when it comes to yellow. A softer tint, however, will make it more pleasant to look at. Dingy yellow represents caution, Yellow, the cheerful sunny yellow, is an attention getter. It is the most visible color of all the colors, it is the number one attention getter. Yellow is a spiritual color that is a symbol of the deity in many religions. Blue is one of the most popular colors. To American consumers of both genders, blue is the favorite color. However, be careful when using blue in association with food - it is a natural appetite suppressant and can be repulsive in some instances. Blue relaxes our nervous system. It has a sobering effect on the mind and can cause people to be more contemplative, which is the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue, which is a good color for bedrooms, causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Darker shades of blue, however, can feel cold and depressing. People retain more when reading information written in blue text. Blue represents solitude, sadnes... Free Essays on The Psycholgy Of Colors Free Essays on The Psycholgy Of Colors Red is extremely dominating. It Can elevate blood pressure and respiratory rate. It has the effect of stimulating people to make quick decisions and increase expectations. Red is an attention grabber. Restaurants often use red as a decorating scheme because of its appetite stimulant function. but rooms with a red accent can cause people to lose track of time, thus are favored by bars and casinos. resulting in excessive stimulation of the eyes, causing eye irritation. It also speeds metabolism. Paint a room yellow, you will make babies cry and grown-ups lose their tempers in it. Furthermore, yellow is not a good color for notepads and monitor background. Although it can alert our brain and enhance concentration, it is hurtful to our eye. A softer tint, however, will make it more pleasant to look at. Dingy yellow represents caution, decay, sickness, jealousy and duplicity. Choice of shade is important when it comes to yellow. A softer tint, however, will make it more pleasant to look at. Dingy yellow represents caution, Yellow, the cheerful sunny yellow, is an attention getter. It is the most visible color of all the colors, it is the number one attention getter. Yellow is a spiritual color that is a symbol of the deity in many religions. Blue is one of the most popular colors. To American consumers of both genders, blue is the favorite color. However, be careful when using blue in association with food - it is a natural appetite suppressant and can be repulsive in some instances. Blue relaxes our nervous system. It has a sobering effect on the mind and can cause people to be more contemplative, which is the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue, which is a good color for bedrooms, causes the body to produce calming chemicals. Darker shades of blue, however, can feel cold and depressing. People retain more when reading information written in blue text. Blue represents solitude, sadnes...

10 Facts You Didnt Know About Sicily

10 Facts You Didn't Know About Sicily Population: 5,050,486 (2010 estimate)Capital: PalermoArea: 9,927 square miles (25,711 sq km)Highest Point: Mount Etna at 10,890 feet (3,320 m) Sicily is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is the largest island in the Mediterranean. Politically, Sicily and the smaller islands surrounding it are considered an autonomous region of Italy. The island is known for its rugged, volcanic topography, history, culture,  and architecture. The following is a list of ten geographic facts to know about Sicily: Geography Facts About Sicily Sicily has a long history that dates back to ancient times. It is believed that the earliest inhabitants of the island were the Sicani people around 8,000 B.C.E. Around 750 B.C.E, the Greeks began to form settlements on Sicily and the culture of the native peoples of the island gradually shifted. The most important area of Sicily at this time was the Greek colony of Syracuse which controlled most of the island. The Greek-Punic wars then began in 600 B.C.E as the Greeks and Carthaginians fought for control of the island. In 262 B.C.E, Greece and the Roman Republic began to make peace and by 242 B.C.E, Sicily was a Roman province.Control of Sicily then shifted through various empires and people throughout the Early Middle Ages. Some of these included the Germanic Vandals, the Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans. In 1130 C.E., the island became the Kingdom of Sicily and it was known as one of the richest states in Europe at the time. In 1262, Sicilian locals rose up against the government in the War of the Sicilian Vespers which lasted until 1302. More revolts occurred in the 17th century and by the mid-1700s, the island was taken over by Spain. In the 1800s, Sicily joined the Napoleonic Wars and for a time after the wars, it was unified with Naples as the Two Sicilies. In 1848, a revolution took place which separated Sicily from Naples and gave it independence. In 1860 Giuseppe Garibaldi and his Expedition of the Thousand took control of Sicily and the island became a part of the Kingdom of Italy. In 1946, Italy became a republic and Sicily became an autonomous region.The economy of Sicily is relatively strong due to its very fertile, volcanic soil. It also has a long, hot growing season, making agriculture the primary industry on the island. The main agricultural products of Sicily are citrons, oranges, lemons, olives, olive oil, almonds, and grapes. In addition, wine is also a major part of Sicily’s economy. Other industries in Sicily include processed food, chemicals, petroleum, fertilizer, textiles, ships, leather goods, and forest products.In addition to its agriculture and other industries, tourism plays a major role in Sicily’s economy. Tourists often visit the island because of its mild climate, history, culture,  and cuisine. Sicily is also home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These sites include the Archaeo logical Area of Agrigento, the Villa Romana del Casale, the Aeolian Islands, the Late Baroque Towns of the Val de Noto, and Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica. Throughout its history, Sicily has been influenced by a variety of different cultures, including Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Norman, Saracens,  and Spanish. As a result of these influences, Sicily has a diverse culture, as well as diverse architecture and cuisine. As of 2010, Sicily had a population of 5,050,486 and the majority of the people on the island identify themselves as Sicilian.Sicily is a large, triangular island located in the Mediterranean Sea. It is separated from the mainland of Italy by the Strait of Messina. At their closest points, Sicily and Italy are separated by just 2 miles (3 km) in the northern part of the strait, while in the southern part the distance between the two is 10 miles (16 km). Sicily has an area of 9,927 square miles (25,711 sq km). The autonomous region of Sicily also includes the Aegadian Islands, the Aeolian Islands, Pantelleria, and Lampedusa.Most of Sicily’s topography is hilly to rugged and wherever possible, the land is dominated by a griculture. There are mountains along Sicily’s northern coast, and the island’s highest point, Mount Etna, stands at 10,890 feet (3,320 m) on its eastern coast. Sicily and its surrounding islands are home to a number of active volcanoes. Mount Etna is a very active, having last erupted in 2011. It is the tallest active volcano in Europe. The islands surrounding Sicily are also home to a number of active and dormant volcanoes, including Mount Stromboli in the Aeolian Islands.The climate of Sicily is considered Mediterranean. As such, it has mild, wet winters, and hot, dry summers. Sicily’s capital Palermo has a January average low temperature of 47ËšF (8.2ËšC) and an August average high temperature of 84ËšF (29ËšC).

The Distinctive Features of Thatcherism and Reaganomics Essay

The Distinctive Features of Thatcherism and Reaganomics - Essay Example It also tries to find out whether the ideologies introduced by these systems are still applicable in the current time economies. Features of Thatcherism Thatcherism is a collection of policies regarding political, social and economic matters that were formulated and implemented during the reign of Margaret Thatcher as the British Prime Minister. She stayed in power from 1979 up to 1990 and was the first woman to be elected as a British Prime Minister. Thatcherism ideologies mainly composed of privatization of property, deregulation and authoritarian system in social policies. Thatcherism is mainly characterized by a conservative system of governance that dominated much in the period of between 1979 and 1990. This system is also characterized by the solid base it created in terms of governance and how much it had influence on the subsequent governments even after its reign came to an end. The system was solely led by one Mrs. Margaret Thatcher who was the overall coordinator and all t he others under her operated in accordance with the system. Thatcherism borrows some of its features from the political and economical cultures that were used during the previous regimes. Some of these political and economical ideologies include the middle opinion, neo-Marxist and the Thatcherite (Manfred 2008, p.40). The Thatcherite was instituted by the conservatists in a bid to put inflation under control. They argued that massive changes needed to imposed otherwise governing Britain would became a nightmare. However, they failed to realize that the agreements made after the war contributed handsomely to the deterioration of Britain’s economical status and its decline in credibility on the international stage. Later, attention shifted from curbing inflation to rebranding Britain’s image on the international scene, regaining the general public’s trust in the government and making Britain’s economy more competitive. All these were arguably achieved thank s to Mrs. Thatcher’s determination and non-despairing attitude. Middle opinion involved a section of the Conservative party criticizing the Thatcherite project. They argued that despite the Thatcherite project being a success; it injected very huge costs into the economy of Britain which was unhealthy for the economic growth of the country. The neo-Marxist was an elaboration of the complaints raised by the Middle opinion. They appreciated the successes attained by Thatcherism but they went ahead to study the policy to find the negative effects, if any, that it brought with it (Manfred 2008, p.45). Successes of Thatcherism Despite all the negative criticism this policy has been subjected to, it also had its share of positive contributions to the British economy and its citizens. First, many have argued that Thatcherism contributed significantly into economic recovery of Britain after the war. This is mainly visible in its quest to control the rate of inflation which was a succ ess. However, this success has been criticized for the huge level of unemployment it brought with it. The policy also managed to instill competition in the economy which facilitated growth of the economy. This was necessary to salvage the image which was heavily dented on the international scene. With these efforts, the conservative party had managed to win back the trust of its citizens. Thatcherism also