Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Factors Affecting Health Care Costs Essays

Factors Affecting Health Care Costs Essays Factors Affecting Health Care Costs Paper Factors Affecting Health Care Costs Paper Rising health care costs has been a topic for many years, despite all the discussions, costs continue to rise. Here are some of the factors which could affect the rise of health care costs. 1) Health insurance industry – Insurance has grown and has had a great impact on health care costs. As is commonly known, private insurance has not provided sufficient coverage for medical care, particularly in such settings as the home, partial hospitalization, and psychiatric rehabilitation programs. 2) Advances in medical car technology – expensive technologies may not be always applicable to medical care. However, patients are compelled to avail of these technologies because they have this mind set that these technologies provide better and assured service, whatever the cost may be. Of course, state of the art facilities like these are most of the time very expensive. 3) Changes in US demographics – the number of births and deaths, especially the aging population has a great impact on increasing healthcare costs. Elderly patients, who are admitted, have complex discharge problems that often result in a longer length of stay than is typically required, even though their length of stay is decreasing due to pressures to discharge quickly. Moreover, their conditions are more likely to be more complicated thus making their healthcare costs even higher. 4) Government support for healthcare – the government has a vital role in helping reduce the increasing healthcare costs today. Especially in the high costs of pharmaceuticals for example; since patients have to take long term medications and many of these are expensive. Pharmaceutical companies argue that the cost of medications is due to high research and development costs. The government should then do their part to compensate the other finances of medicine to these companies to make it cost reasonably in the market. Professional fees of physicians could also be applied here as well. 5) Consumer expectations – with too much expectation, consumers tend to have discontent on certain medical services thus make them seek for 2nd opinion. These actions make them spend twice and even thrice the cost of the medical services. Discontent on immediate recoveries also applies here (Finkelman, 1997). Reference: Finkelman, A. W. (1997). Psychiatric Home Care. Gaithersburg, Maryland: Jones Bartlett Publishers.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

4 mistakes you’re making with your money

4 mistakes you’re making with your money Managing money is a skill that you have to master over time- no one is born with it. And it’s one that can haunt the rest of your life if you’re not careful when you’re younger and just starting out. If you’re hoping to avoid some of the issues that can be most painful later on, there are steps you can take now to improve your money mastery. Let’s take a look at 4 common mistakes you should get under control before they derail your financial future.1. Not saving enoughThis can be one of the hardest things to do if you’re just starting your career and making your way through entry-level or low-seniority jobs. Saving is especially tough if you live in a big city or somewhere else with high living expenses. At the end of the month, there just may not be much left for a savings account, and it’s easy to say, â€Å"later†¦I’ll do it later.† But later comes up awfully fast, so save what you can and stick to a regular depos it schedule. These savings can be a lifesaver if you find yourself suddenly jobless, given that the average job hunt takes several months.2. Not investingAccording to a Bankrate survey, only 54% of Americans invest money. Among millennials, the numbers are even more dismal, at 18%. It may seem difficult to afford when you’re living on a ramen noodle budget, but the reality is that the time to start is when you’re young- you’ll have time to build your portfolio and time is on your side, given that you’ll be better able to absorb market changes over time. You don’t even have to dive into the stock market- you can start with other kinds of funds. NerdWallet has a great how-to guide for beginning investors.3. Not negotiatingDon’t be shy about negotiating pay raises or a higher starting salary. You’ve probably heard the old saying, â€Å"you don’t get what you don’t ask for,† and it’s absolutely true. If you go about the negotiating process in a smart and informed way, you really don’t have anything to lose†¦ but you could be making more money (y’know, for investing and feeding that rainy day fund).4. Not controlling spendingLiving within one’s means can be tricky in an age where your debit card can bring delicious takeout to your door with the ease of an app, or where a credit card makes it easy to ignore the actual spending that’s going on. Creating a realistic budget and sticking to it is one of the best things you can to do prepare for your financial future. It can also help you build in ways to support your other healthy financial moves, like saving extra money and investing.Think of these as healthy habit-building steps. After all, you wouldn’t expect to lose weight without implementing a diet or exercise plan. And again, although it can be very tempting to file financial steps under the â€Å"I’ll deal with it later† heading, it increases the chances that you’ll never actually take the steps at all. You can start building your financial future with relatively small steps now, so why not make sure you’re making your best possible effort?

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Nollywood Entertainment Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Nollywood Entertainment Company - Essay Example The popularity of the show business has shifted view to include commercially performing arts. These arts include musical theatre, film, comedies and music. These varieties of entertainment are produced and distributed to the masses (Allen 2005, pp 30). Background of the Company All my focus will be shifted to the film industry and specifically Nollywood. Nollywood is a Nigerian cinema company largest in Africa that grew quickly in the 1990s and 2000s.It is one of the best film industries in the world. A British daily newspaper The Guardian has rated Nollywood as the third largest in the world in terms of earnings and estimated the industry to bring in 200 million US dollars per year. This success can be attributed to Ghanaian movies too. Nollywood is an African success story (Ukadike 2003, pp20-40). Nollywood is termed to be second to only India’s Bollywood in distribution. The Nigerian film industry is popular throughout Africa and the Diaspora. Production Line Unlike music, production of movies does not take place in the studio. Movie shooting takes place in hotels, homes, and offices rented by their owners and appearing in the credit. Most popular locations are major cities and towns like Lagos. However, distinct regional variation appears between different movies. Nollywood mainly produces African films stared by African actors. Actors from other countries and continents do appear though not very often in some movies. These films range from, soap operas, comedies and even action movies television programs. The production arena is majorly towns in Nigeria though some movies have been shot in other towns in Africa as well as other continents. Operations Nollywood provides visuals about Africa for the world to see. These features include weddings, birth ceremonies, colorful fabrics, visuals of a culturally vibrant continent .Nollywood movies have tackled topics on issues such as resource control, armed robberies, corruption, HIV/AIDS and other matters t hat have a far reaching impact on the continent (Jumoke 2012, pp60-70). Nollywood most prolific auteur is Chico Ejiro who has managed to direct 80 films in a period of eight years. He even brags to be capable of directing a movie that can be ready in three days. His brother is the best-known director of the films outside the country. Many other Nollywood talents include actors and designers of the films (Wasko 2003, pp 40). The scriptwriters are also not to be forgotten. The films are produced with interest of the consumer at heart. Supply chain While Nollywood is largely separate from global cultural industry networks of production inputs and distribution it is an industry that is still globally liked in a number of ways (Madichie 2013, pp 604). Nollywood industry is constantly evolving with innovations and ideas to suit and fit the market. Once movies are produced, they need a perfect channel of reaching the market. While majorities of Hollywood films are shown in theatres and cin emas around the country, Nollywood movies are released to the internet daily to be watched free. The most popular place to watch Nollywood movies in the internet is a popular video sharing site called You Tube. There exists a channel dedicated to Nollywood movies started by Jason Njoku called Nollywood Love. The channel has dedicated itself to providing links to the best and latest Nollywood movies for its users. Lately, the Nollywood market has shifted over to the Africans in the Diaspora. The challenge is to how to curb every customer in the west, which has turned out to be the largest Nollywood market. Today though a majority of Nollywood movies

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Biography of Paulo Coelho Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Biography of Paulo Coelho - Essay Example His first works were widely performed by Elis Regina but he received much of his artistic and commercial success on collaborations with Raul Seixas. Writings- Although Coelho had written many works in the 1970s his breakout work was The Pilgrimage in 1987. This autobiographical work outlined his spiritual journey wherein he walked the 500 mile Way of Saint James in Spain. His follow up book, the Alchamist (released in 1987) helped cement him as one of the great writers of this generation. Philosophical and spiritual views: In an interview conducted on his own blog, he identifies that although he was once an atheist and a Buddhist he has since returned to Catholicism. He identifies that he has tried everything that there is and stated that all religions have the same objective. File Sharing- Coehlo is a big proponent for file sharing technology as a means of spreading his work. He releases much of his personal work on his blog and had permitted personal translations of his works to be republished. Current life: He founded the Paulo Coelho Institute which provides financial assistance to needy people and has aided in a number of charitable causes. He lives in Rio de Janiero and occasionally in Europe. He is married to Christina Oiticica whi is a Brazilian Artist. Summary: Paulo Coelho is a Brazilian Lyracist and writer. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, and he was given a traditional Jesuit education as a young man. Because of prolonged disagreements with his mother over his future career path he subsequently spent a portion of his youth in an insane asylum. According to an interview that appeared on his blog (2007) he identified that he had been committed to an insane asylum three times for his non-conformist beliefs. Although he had a brief stint at law school he ultimately dropped out to work as a lyricist in which he received commercial and artistic notoriety working with artists such as Elis Regina and Raul Seixas. It is upon this foundation

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay Example for Free

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Essay Trfles’ By Susan Glaspell I believe had several small defining moments leading to the one larger defining moment, which brings together all of them together. The defining moment is the discovery of the dead bird hidden in the pretty red box, this leads back to smaller points such as her sewing and the bird cage. â€Å" Here’s some red. I expect this has got sewing things in it. (Brings out a fancy box.) What a pretty box. Looks like something somebody would give you. Maybe her scissors are in here. (Opens box. Suddenly puts her hand to her nose.) Why—(Mrs. Peters bends nearer, then turns her face away.) There’s something wrapped up in this piece of silk.† â€Å"It’s the bird† † (Glaspell, 2011, p. 144), I believe that the two main characters in this play are Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters, the sheriff’s wife. At first is seems they are part of the background story, that they are there but not part of the main action. When the ladies first sit down in the kitchen they are uneasy about being there and how the situation is making them uncomfortable. They feel as if they are judging Mrs. Wright about her house and the way things are. As the ladies discuss her situation they begin to speculate on her guilt. Initially they don’t consider Mrs. Wright as having the personality or ability to commit the crime she has been arrested for. However, as the story continues, signs begin emerging that point to the possibility of her guilt, yet they still are in disbelief. When the author introduces the quilting, it is easy to assume a mental picture of a woman under stress using it to calm her. Once the ladies find the bird cage, at first consideration, as certainly the author intended, is â€Å"what happened to the bird? Did a cat get it? Did it get ill? What could have happened?† Then, given new information about the door to the cage is broken, as if someone yanked it open. It still could have been a cat trying to get at the bird, but then Mrs. Wright didn’t like cats, so that possibility is out. The ladies begin discussing Mr. Wright and how he was a hard man to be around. Here the author begins to give readers more background story of the couple, and plants seeds for reasons to take sides with Mrs. Wright. They describe him as a good man in the way that he didn’t drink and paid his debts but was a hard man to be around, and how she was different before she became Mrs. Wright. Comparing her to a songbird, how she liked to sing and be involved in town things like church, giving her a likeable personality prior to her marriage. As they talk and pass time they are looking for her sewing things to take her so she can pass the time, they discover a pretty red box in with her quilting patches. Thinking it is a box for her scissors, they instead find the dead bird. Not just dead but someone has wrung its neck, a violent end to a tiny life. Mrs. Hale knows that Mrs. Wright was going to bury the bird in the pretty box and begins to think about the bird and how the bird would have kept her company and the beauty of its singing. Their thoughts turn to Mr. Wright and how he would have hated the birds’ singing because he killed Mrs. Wright’s singing. Mrs. Peters recounts a story of when she was a child and had a cat that was killed in front of her and how it could have, would have, hurt the person that killed her cat. At this point both ladies begin to understand a little more of what happened in the house and why. What do they do though, the men are looking for evidence. Mrs. Peters says â€Å"It was an awful thing was done in this house that night, Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him† (Glaspell, 2011, p. 145), and as she says this Mrs. Hale compares the similarities between the bird and Mr. Wright’s deaths. Mrs. Peters reiterates that they don’t know who killed Mr. Wright. As the women sit and talk they begin to think about what it would have been like for Mrs. Wright to have that little bird to sing to her and then have silence again. Mrs. Peters relates to Mrs. Wright’s situation by sharing her story of having lost a child before, knowing the silence or sadness that comes with a loss like that. Mrs. Hale begins to blame herself for not being a better friend and seeing what was going on, And how she could have been a better neighbor she might have been able to change things. Knowing that they should be blaming themselves for what happened there. Mrs. Peter’s comments on what the men would think if they could hear them getting carried away with a dead canary the way they are and how absurd they must sound. But would they find it as absurd as they think or would it be the evidence they are looking for? As the men come back downstairs Mrs. Hale decides to try and hide the dead bird but it won’t fit in her pocket, at the last second Mrs. Peters puts it in her purse and hides it from the sheriff and attorney that enter the room. With this action, readers are lead to believe that the women have decided that Mrs. Wright in fact did kill her husband while he slept, and that they sympathize with her. Perhaps they haven’t been in the same situation but in a way they empathize with her hopelessness and sadness, and stand unified to protect her. It is interesting that the women find evidence in the case as where the men are looking and can’t seem to come up with anything, to serve as a motive. Another example of how women were perceived in this story is how instead of asking the opinion of the women or if they found anything all they ask is if the women decided if she was going to quilt-it or knot-it. â€Å"Well, ladies, have you decided whether she was going to quilt i t or knot it?† (Glaspell, 2011, p. 144) Reference: Glaspell, S. (2011). Trifles. In D.L. Pike and A.M. Acosta (Eds.) Literature: A world of writing stories, poems, plays, and essays [VitalSource digital version] (pp. 139-145). Boston, MA: Pearson Learning Solutions. Acosta, David L. Pike and Ana (). Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays, and Essays VitalSource eBook for Education Management Corporation [1] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved from http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9780558711825/S1.4/54

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Desktop Computer :: computers technology Technological Essays

The Desktop Computer When you mention the word "technology," most people think about computers. Virtually every facet of our lives has some computerized component. The appliances in our homes have microprocessors built into them, as do our televisions. Even our cars have a computer. But the computer that everyone thinks of first is typically the personal computer, or PC.A PC is a general-purpose tool built around a microprocessor. It has lots of different parts - memory, a hard disk, a modem, etc. - that work together. "General purpose" means that you can do many different things with a PC. You can use it to type documents, send e-mail, browse the Web and play games. On the Inside Let's take a look at the main components of a typical desktop computer. Central processing unit (CPU) - The microprocessor "brain" of the computer system is called the central processing unit. Everything that a computer does is overseen by the CPU. Memory - This is very fast storage used to hold data. It has to be fast because it connects directly to the microprocessor. There are several specific types of memory in a computer: Random-access memory (RAM) - Used to temporarily store information that the computer is currently working with Read-only memory (ROM) - A permanent type of memory storage used by the computer for important data that does not change Basic input/output system (BIOS) - A type of ROM that is used by the computer to establish basic communication when the computer is first turned on Caching - The storing of frequently used data in extremely fast RAM that connects directly to the CPU Virtual memory - Space on a hard disk used to temporarily store data and swap it in and out of RAM as needed Motherboard - This is the main circuit board that all of the other internal components connect to. The CPU and memory are usually on the motherboard. Other systems may be found directly on the motherboard or connected to it through a secondary connection. For example, a sound card can be built into the motherboard or connected through PCI. Power supply - An electrical transformer regulates the electricity used by the computer. Hard disk - This is large-capacity permanent storage used to hold information such as programs and documents. Operating system - This is the basic software that allows the user to interface with the computer.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Memory Keepers Daughter Literary Analysis Essay

Kim Edwards shows through the whole book that we are only human, the themes that life is beyond our control and through the connection between suffering and joy. Edwards uses plot to set up a sort of life schedule. It goes in order into the future but occasionally skips years ahead. She also cleverly sets the book up so that each year, or â€Å"chapter† has both sides of the story, that of Caroline who is raising Phoebe and then the life of Norah and David raising their son Paul. As the book starts off it is that of a happy tone with Norah giving birth and then leading to a depressing and melancholy tone as Dr. Henry lies to his wife telling her that their daughter has died, to save her from the pain of their daughter having down syndrome. Norah gains more and more depression as the years go on, always wondering â€Å"what if†. With all the depression going on in the story line of Norah there is a gain of strength in Caroline’s story line as she raises Phoebe. This shows the theme of suffering and joy. The idea that even though the character is suffering they are the one with the most joy. Norah Henry has it all: the doctor husband, money and a healthy son but still wants what she never had; her daughter. Caroline has struggled with at first the decision to keep Phoebe and raise her as her own, then struggling with actually raising this baby girl with down syndrome alone and with no one, but she is joyful in the book never having the depression that plagues Norah and her marriage with David Henry. When Caroline finally sees David 18 years later, she says: â€Å"You missed a lot of heartache, sure. But David, you missed a lot of joy†. In the theme that life is beyond our control the author Kim Edwards has the book move through the years rapidly and at a fast pace in order to demonstrate how life flys by. Throughout the book Edwards uses photography as a metaphor showing the character David’s growing obsession with taking photographs as a desperate attempt to make time stand still: â€Å"Photo after photo, as if he could stop time or make an image powerful nough to obscure the moment when he turned and handed his daughter to Caroline Gill†. Life may also feel as it is out of their control with there being a constant aura of uncertainty or â€Å"what if† quality. That being said, the characters in the end will always wonder what life would have been like if David had never given his daughter away, but find it exhausting to wonder once they are brought together in the end after the death of David. As Paul reflects at the end of the novel: â€Å"His mother was right; he could never know what might have happened. All he had were the facts†. Life was also seeming to be out of anyone’s control with the struggle of the melancholy tone through the novel with Norah becoming more and more depressed becoming that of a drinker in Paul’s young life and then being so unhappy with her marriage with David for him being so distant that she has an affair with a man while she is on a trip to Aruba with her job. Even with the tone the author seems to have it progress in a rapid fashion just as the years fly by in the story line. Life is inevitable, people make mistakes, and the mistakes people make have great impact and effect not only them, but the people around them; just as David Henry’s mistake haunted his life and tormented that of his wife’s. In day to day life there are always the people that make mistakes with good intentions. The authors point wasn’t to completely make David the antagonist in the story but yet he was that one person who’s mistake was made with half hearted good intentions, he wanted to spare his doting wife the pain of having to raise one child with down syndrome, he didn’t want her to think that it was her fault in anyway. David just wanted the problem to go away not fully realizing that the problem wasn’t his daughter it was him having to deal with his own past. David Henry’s sister died at the young age of twelve and she had down syndrome as well, it is really sad that this character couldn’t deal with his own past so much that he ruined his present and his future. He knew the pain that his sister having down syndrome had left on him and her death that not only was he trying to spare his wife the pain of having a daughter with down syndrome but yet the author was trying to convey to the reader that he also did it to protect his son from it as well. Norah becomes the character you feel bad for not a protagonist but yet just that good character who’s life unfolding before her is the result of decisions from those around her. She is constantly depressed from thinking she lost her daughter, then she is also gaining more and more eternal sadness with her husband not letting her gain any sort of closure with this or even to simply tell her the truth of his actions and what he had done. The relationship between Norah and David grows further and further apart with him setting himself more distant from her as time goes on due to his guilty conscious eating away at him. Then on a happy note you have Caroline, she turned her whole life around for the life choices of David and that of herself. She raises Phoebe alone at first always fighting for more advanced learning abilities for down syndrome, she gains a man in her life named Al who helped her in the very beginning get to shelter when she had decided to keep the baby but then her car wont start in the middle of a blizzard, he becomes her knight in shining armor. Al becomes a big character having sought out Caroline after years and years of that first encounter with her and stays in her life loving and caring for both her and Phoebe, he becomes the father figure Phoebe never got to have. Kim Edwards set up all the right kind of characters for this plot and in every right way to develop the novel. In the end the themes of life being out of our control and the connection between suffering and joy are evident throughout the story. Kim Edwards used immense characterization that helped to develop those following themes with having the right selection of types of characters. The plot definitely has to do with developing the story, for it ties in with the life is out of our control theme having time go by so rapidly demonstrating that life is always constant and never stopping or standing still like a photograph for anyone or anything. Photos represent memories in life, David became enthralled with taking photographs in an effort to make time stop, maybe capture the memory he had when he made the decision to give his daughter away. The metaphor of David and his taking pictures ties into the Title â€Å"the memory keeper’s daughter† for he was the memory keeper, the keeper of the biggest life secret and lie. Kim Edwards made everything tie together with literary elements of metaphor, characterization, and Plot.