I went Christmas shopping with one of my daughters and her daughter the other day. This has been an annual tradition for many years. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed and assures that I’ll buy gifts that people need rather than what I decide to buy. Being a typical male, I’m a hunter not a gather; so my style is to park as close to the one store that might have everything I need, go in with a carefully thought-out list and buy what’s on it with little regard to price or anything else. There’s no browsing, no haggling and no attention paid to sale merchandise. Just get in and get out as quickly as possible.
Fortunately my daughter slowed me down and insisted I make some choices, so there’s a good chance that what was purchased won’t be returned the week after Christmas. She always reminds me that size is important for clothing, but consideration must also be given the recipients personal tastes, style, color and other things that let them know that care went into the selection of the gift. With her help, this year’s gifts meet the criteria.
As I walked through the major department stores at the huge mall not far from my home, I noticed that things have changed. It did not happen in one year, but what transpired over several years suddenly became clear to me. The better department stores no longer have departments. Instead the women’s clothes department, for example, consists of a number of boutiques with each sporting a number of different types of clothing items under a single label. So instead of going to the sweater department where all the sweaters were on display, a half-dozen or more sections carried sweaters, all with different brand names. The same is true for blouses, jackets, dresses, slacks, and so on.
Branded-leased departments are not new for items like perfume and various specialty products, but doing this across a vast array of clothing tends to lengthen the time one must spend in a particular store and probably adds to the price tag. Speaking of price, the department stores never recovered from the mass merchants’ everyday low price strategy. To compete, they turned to weekly store-wide promotions; these are the rule rather than the exception. There are coupons, extra discounts for using store charge cards, and price reductions on top of price reductions. It makes you wonder if only fools, and men in a hurry, are willing to pay the full retail price.
Along with promotional discounts came a reduction in sales personnel. Department stores were once known for having each area well-stocked with merchandise and knowledgeable salespeople ready to help customers make selections. Now, you’re pretty much on your own. If you can’t find what you want, try another branded department. Those lucky enough to find something must take it to a centralized checkout counter and stand in line, pretty much like you do at the mass merchants.
Is this the end of service as we pre-boomers remember it or simply the way younger generations prefer to shop? I can’t say, but I’m sure glad I didn’t have to shop alone this Christmas and hope I won’t have to go back to the mall until next Christmas.
Don Potter, a Philadelphia native, was born in 1936 and is a 50 year veteran of the advertising agency business. Now living in Los Angeles, he has written two novels in retirement, frequently writes on marketing issues, and has a blog dedicated to pre-boomers (those born between 1930 and 1945).
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Killer Tips on How to Conduct Free Public Records Searches – Free Search For Records of Public Files
There are many reasons why more people are conducting free public records search; this database just contain too many personal files of individuals ranging from birth and death certificates, divorce certificates, annulment files, criminal registry, claims, inheritance, and so on. For these reasons, this database is widely sought after by thousands of people every day for whatever purposes it may serve them.
One of the best places to go if you want to Because of the convenience and efficiency that the internet allows us to accomplish our tasks, shopping for car insurance online has never been more popular. And there are a lot of reasons for this. Shopping for online is faster and it leaves you with enough time and privacy to come up with a sound decision regarding the type of policy you would get and from which car insurance company you would get your policy from. You are able to save time, energy and money compared to driving around from one insurance company’s office to another. free public records search is to visit the concerned government agency offices that are in charge of maintaining the repository of public files; and this varies per State. Some States delegate the office of the Department of Health to keep the public records containing birth and death certificates; while marriage and divorce files can be retrieved at several courthouses where the certificates were filed.
In other places, free public records search can be done at the Municipal Archive; some of these offices have equipments that allow you to conduct the lookup yourself using the machine. You may even request for the certified copy of your desired files for a certain fee; ranging from $5 to $15 per copy. This method allows you to get the needed documents within the day; as long as you followed certain rules and procedures; and you are able to lodge your request within the cut-off time for the day.
Another option is to go online and use the paid services of several independent companies that also maintain similar databases as the ones kept by your local government agency; except that their repositories are more complete because it is a compilation of all the databases of every Sate nationwide. This option shall only cost you less than $47; but this is only minimal compared to the vast benefits of instant results, exceptional quality data, and utmost convenience and privacy.
Nevertheless, it is your choice on which option to take for your public records search. You may opt for the free services but with fewer details; or get the cost-effective method using the paid online services with outstanding results and other unmatched benefits.
Marriage records would be one of the oldest documents on file in any state although they might have been done only at county level in the old days. Today, every state has a central repository for their archives. The Virginia Office of Vital Records which reports into the State Department of Health maintains more than 7 million vital record files to cater to public requests. They comprise 4 main record categories: Marriage, Divorce, Birth and Death.
Virginia Marriage Records from 1853 to the present are available for public retrieval at this office. However, only the subjects of the files and their immediate family members are eligible to requests them – parent, grandparent, spouse, child and sibling. Valid photo-identification such as driver’s license, passport and Military ID is required. Information cannot be released to aunts, uncles or other relatives and so forth unless they have become public information by law 50 years subsequent to the date of marriage.
Although the public can obtain free public marriages records from government agencies in Virginia, there is an admin fee of $12.00 per certificate/search which is not refundable or transferable in the event that no information is found. If there’s information located, a report will be prepared for collection in 1 to 2 week’s time. If it’s known, the records can also be extracted directly form the Circuit Court where the marriage occurred. Full name of groom, full maiden name of bride and the time and location of the marriage must be provided to activate the request.
Virginia Marriage records can be requested in 3 standard ways at the Virginia Record Office: walk-in, mail and express delivery. Walk-in has the fastest turn-around. Same-day is often possible. The waiting time for mail requests is 5 to 10 business day and that is the quoted processing time. An expedited option is the express service via the VitaChek Network but it comes with a price-tag of $49.25 plus additional fees where applicable.
At a basic level, free public marriages records derived from government departments contains the personal particulars in varying degree of the people involved namely the couple, their parents, witnesses and the conducting official of the ceremony. Other information surrounding the event such as the time and place and documents like marriage license and certificate are also included. Multiple marriages, as long as they took place in Virginia will all show up.
If you are having problems hunting for marriage records in Virginia or just find it too troublesome, there’s always the commercial record providers to resort to. They can save you heaps on time and efforts but you must engage the right one. A neat way of doing that is to start with the recommendations of specialist or review sites on the net and go on from there. It should be safe as most of the highly rated providers are retailed through secure agencies like Clickbank and they always come with money-back guarantee.
Should a person get an MHA or an MBA as his or her advanced degree in health care?
A number of students have been asking that question as they contemplate their future. Physicians who want more management knowledge and skills have also been wondering the same thing.
Is there a definitive way to gauge which choice is best for a particular situation?
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The simple answer is — it depends. It depends on your current level of knowledge about health care and it on how you intend to use the degree. While there are no hard and fast rules, a few simple guidelines might help in deciding which route is the best one for you to take. Here are five:
1. Current Health Care Knowledge. How much do you already know about health care? Is it already a fair amount, having spent the past ten years in the industry or are you new to the industry and want to break in? A master in health administration (MHA) program is likely going to have most, if not all, of its coursework specifically related to health care. Thus, even a financial management course is going to teach you the principles of finance in the context of health care. For some people, that immersion in health care is important; for others it may not be all that crucial. Not surprisingly, a “traditional” MBA program is not going to have that industry focus (unless it’s specifically designed for health care).
2. Health Policy. MBA programs generally don’t tend to spend much time on health policy issues, while most MHA programs either have specific classes in that area or cover the same material in a variety of different classes. Health policy is significant for health care professionals for several reasons. First, so much of health care is scrutinized and regulated by government entities. Second, policy decisions often wind up driving business decisions. Thus, the more knowledgeable one is on the complexities surrounding health policy, the better one should be in making executive decisions.
3. Peer Learning. Some of the best learning takes place between and among students. The usual advantage of being enrolled in an MHA program is that you are surrounded by peers who are either currently employed in health care (and thus bring a different perspective than yours) or who have a strong interest in the industry. Either way, there’s much to be gained from interacting with your peers. And while peer learning will also take place in any MBA program, the knowledge gained is more diffused.
4. Commitment to Others. Most MHA programs have a history of service to others, which goes back to the early days of non-profit hospitals and other medical services. And while more and more health care services are being run either as a for-profit venture or like one, there is still that “service to people” thread that weaves through the industry and MHA programs. MBA programs are actually playing catch-up in that regard as they now offer courses and programs dedicated to social entrepreneurship. Still, if you are most attracted by money and wealth, the MBA is probably the best place to go.
5. Competitiveness. There a lot more people applying to get into a top MBA program at a top school than those trying to get into an MHA program. For example, more than 1,200 people will compete for openings in the MBA program at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Meanwhile, on average, about 120 students apply to the residential MHA program. If you’re worried about your chances of getting in or you are looking at the odds, then you might look at the MHA degree. Of course, some students wind up getting a dual MBA/MHA degree, but those are rare and require a much greater commitment of time and energy.
Each situation is different. Perhaps where you live the MBA program is your best bet because it’s high quality, affordable and convenient. On the other hand, perhaps the MHA is your best route because you clearly intend to be the CEO of a health system and you need all the knowledge and skills you can find in health care to be considered for the job.
Whichever degree works best for you, get that degree. An advanced degree (whatever it is) will likely do more to boost your career, especially in the early years, than anything else you can do. It’s become the required listing in most executive-level job searches.
History
In the past 50 years, many confrontational psychodynamic approaches became popular and almost the expectation of substance abuse and addiction treatment. There was the idea that substance abuse was a symptom of an underlying disorder (Weegmann, 2002). Once the disorder was treated, the secondary substance abuse would clear up on its own. As Weegmann discussed, research has shown that highly confrontational methods often instilled an ever deeper sense of resistance in the client. The percentage of successful outcomes within the field of addiction have been tossed around and range a great deal, however they have always seemed pretty dismal in comparison to the length and cost of many treatment programs. A new approach is necessary and an approach that is more accessible to those in need of it would be highly valuable in the field.
Addiction and Substance Abuse
According to Miller (1998), addiction can be described within two conditions: (1) a behavior that persists even though there is apparent risk or harm to oneself or others and (2) to an outside observer the individual demonstrates diminished, but retrievable, capacity for self-regulation of the behavior. Miller also discusses “symptoms” of addiction which include: giving inordinate priority to the addictive behavior; avoidance of situations where the behavior is inaccessible; and giving a high priority to the behavior after a period of abstinence, among others. Miller suggests that the problem of addiction is simply competing motivations. Motivation for the behavior currently outweighs the harm and perceived value of available alternatives to that behavior.
So how does an addicted individual escape addiction? Miller (1998) argues that there can be a sudden shift in how the person perceives the pros and cons of their behavior. This is often seen over time as the suffering directly attached to the addiction increases and the ratio of pros and cons shifts. Through motivational interviewing, Miller suggests that therapists and other helping professionals can lend clients another perspective, a mirror image of themselves, so as to increase the client’s conception of the consequences and saliency of their behavior.
Adolescence and Young Adulthood
Within efforts to utilize motivational interviewing within adolescence, motivational interviewing offers several advantages over other treatment options. According to one article (Tevyaw & Monti, 2004), motivational enhancement and other brief interventions have the highest effect sizes among all treatments for alcohol abuse and dependence and evidence similar efficacy rates. Motivational techniques also provide a more flexible continuum of treatment ranging from abstinence to harm reduction within cases where abstinence is not necessary, which is often the case with adolescents with short histories of substance abuse (Tevyaw & Monti, 2004). Adolescents also often end up in a treatment setting due to a decision made by an authority figure such as their parents or the justice system and concerns are often not shared by the adolescent. They are often characterized by resistance to change and a lack of understanding of the consequences of their behavior. Motivational techniques provide clinicians with an attractive method to increase rapport and commitment to change from clients that have been deemed as resistant in the past (Tevyaw & Monti, 2004).
It is often not necessary for adolescents to admit to or acknowledge having substance abuse problems in order for them to benefit from a motivational approach. Motivational techniques also do not rely on diagnostic labels allowing for the client to benefit at any level of readiness to change. It can raise awareness during the pre-contemplation stage, can help in decision-making during contemplation, can enhance a person’s resolution to change during the action and maintenance stages, and after a relapse it can provide an opportunity for reassessment (Ford, Oliver & Whitehead, 2006).
Within young adulthood, motivational interviewing provides similar advantages over other treatment options, however the ability to utilize brief interventions becomes incredibly valuable at this stage. Young adults are at a much higher risk of the drastic effects of substance abuse due to their distance from home and authority. As Monti and Tevyaw (2004) point out, young adults in the 18 to 25 age range consistently engage in high rates of risky behavior such as heavy substance abuse and unprotected sex. These individuals are less likely to be confronted by family due to their distance from them or by friends due to the general acceptance of this behavior during this life stage. It is therefore important to utilize brief motivational interventions within areas where young adults present themselves such as the emergency department, college counseling and health centers, and within employee assistance programs. Motivational interviewing provides a simple, trainable technique that can be used in any of these settings in a brief period of time.
Outcomes
Each study agreed that motivational interviewing provided at the very least a comparably effective option for substance abuse treatment. Within one study (Schneider, Case & Kohn, 2000), clients who were placed with counselors practicing motivational interviewing showed higher satisfaction rates with their experience. In another study among heavy drinkers on college campuses, brief interventions of motivational interviewing results in lower self-reported rates of alcohol consumption and lower blood alcohol levels than individuals who simply received feedback (Monti & Tevyaw, 2004). Students mandated into a campus alcohol program were more likely to seek further assistance with their drinking following a brief motivational intervention than students who simply completed the program in one study (Monti & Tevyaw, 2004). In one final study, older adolescents presenting at an emergency department following an alcohol-related event were randomized to one session of motivational interviewing versus typical care. At a 6-month follow-up, those who had received the motivational interview showed a significantly lower rate of drinking and driving, traffic violations, and other alcohol-related problems or injuries (Tevyaw & Monti, 2004).
Conclusion
Motivational interviewing is a simple, highly trainable, and effective technique that approaches addiction in a unique way. It provides a theoretical framework that falls more in line with social work values and ethics than many others. It allows for self-determination, respect, and validation of the client’s strengths. An emphasis is on giving the client something new. Especially within substance abuse, the client has heard from multiple authorities and trusted family and friends that their behavior needs to change. The framework also allows for brief interventions that can take place in almost any setting and do not require a professional therapist to initiate. This allows for more manageable, accessible, and cost-effective treatment.
Miller described addiction as when an observer sees the behavior as too high a cost and diminished control within the individual. Motivational interviewing allows for the client to become that observer of their own behavior.
References
Ford, C., Oliver, J., Whitehead, B. (2006). Treating Drug Users: A Collaborative Method. Therapy Today. 17, 2, 17-20
Miller, W. (1998). Toward a Motivational Definition and Understanding of Addiction. Motivational Interviewing Newsletter for Trainers, 5, 3, 2-6
Monti, P., Tevyaw, T.O., Borsari, B. (2004). Drinking Among Young Adults. Alcohol Research and Health, 28, 4, 236-244
Schneider, R. J., Casey, J., Kohn, R. (2000). Motivational versus Confrontational Interviewing: A Comparison of Substance Abuse Assessment Practices at Employee Assistance Programs. The Journal of Behavioral Health Services and Research, 27, 1, 60-74
Tevyaw, T.O., Monti, P. (2004). Motivational Enhancement and Other Brief Interventions for Adolescent Substance Abuse: Foundations, Applications, and Evaluations. Addiction, 99, 63-75
Weegmann, M. (2002). Motivational Interviewing And Addiction: A Psychodynamic Appreciation. Psychodynamic Practice, 8, 2, 179-195
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