Accounting Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Accounting Law - Assignment Example The Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations 1994 – Schedule 1 provides for the conditions of release of the superannuation funds under Part I, sections 101 to 114 thereof, namely: retirement; death; terminal medical condition; permanent incapacity; former temporary resident under certain conditions; payment to the Commissioner of Taxation under the Superannuation (Unclaimed Money and Lost Members) Act 1999; termination of employment on or after July 1, 1997 where the member’s fund does not amount to more than $200; severe financial hardship; attainment of age 65; compassionate grounds; termination of employment with an employer who contributed to the funds for the member; temporary incapacity; attainment of preservation age; a found lost member with fund balance amounting to less than $200; certain conditions under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997; under s 292-B of the Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997, and; so provided as release conditions unde r  §62(1) (b) (v) of the 1994 Act. In the problem at hand, Jonathan’s primary condition for release of his superannuation fund balance is retirement, which is further defined as a state when the person under gainful employment of another is set to terminate that employment and will never again seek employment either on a full or part time basis. 1 In addition, that employee contemplating retirement must have reached the age of 60 or if below 60, must have reached his or her preservation age, according to s. 7 of the same Act. The problem does not state, however, if Jonathan has reached his preservation age, a condition assumed if a person is born under the following dates: before 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961, if 55 years of age; between 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1961, if 56 years of age; between 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1962, if 57 years of age; between 1 July 1962 to 30 June 1963, if 58 years of age; between 1 July 1963 to 30 June 1964, if 59 years of age, or; after 30 June 1964 , if 60 years of age.2 Fig. 1 Superannuation Interest Tax3 Thus, for Jonathan to be able to able to access his superannuation fund balance, he must have been born between 1 July 1960 to 30 June 1962, since he is now 57 years of age, otherwise he will not be able to access the same on the ground of retirement. Assuming he was born between that period, Jonathan can lawfully access his fund and the tax due on the benefit from the superannuation fund depends on the following factors: age; whether as lump sum or income stream, and; the taxed or untaxed elements present in the fund.4 Figure 1 above illustrates how taxes of superannuation benefits are determined. A superannuation benefit, according to the diagram, may have components, which according to s. 307.120 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (ITAA 97 hereafter), may be a taxable or tax-free component. Superannuation income streams paid on or after 1 July 2007 have tax free components that are usually the â€Å"crystallised segme nt and the contributions† while the taxable component is the amount of the income stream benefit minus its tax free component. A superannuation income stream as a â€Å"regular series of payments: made directly from accumulated superannuation contributions or purchased with a lump sum† (Guide to Social Security Law 2011) while the ITAA Regulations define it as: â€Å"an annuity for the purposes of the SIS Act in accordance with the subregulation 1.05 (1) of the SIS Regulations; or a pension for the purposes of the SIS Act in accordance with subregulation 1.06 (1) of the SIS Regulations; or a pension for the purposes of the RSA Act in accordance with regulation 1.07 of the RSA Regulations.† In addition, it is also â€Å"an annuity or pension within the meaning of the SIS Act; and commenced after 1 September

Virginia Henderson Essay Example for Free

Virginia Henderson Essay Virginia Avenel Henderson, the fifth child of Lucy Abbot Henderson and Daniel B. Henderson’s eight children and a descendant of a chain of scholars and educators was born in Kansas City, Missouri in November 30, 1897. She was known for her contribution as an American nurse, author, theorist and a researcher. Henderson started her early education with her aunts, her sister and at his Uncle Charles Abbott’s community school for boys at Virginia. She proceeded to the Washington, D. C. based Army School of Nursing and later pursued her M. A. degree in nursing education at Columbia University teachers college where she become part of the â€Å"Columbia school† of nursing theory (Barnard, 1990, 15). Henderson’s nursing career began in 1921, at Henry Street Visiting Nurse Association, New York and two years in the profession she proceeded to the Visiting Nurse Association, Washington, D. C. where she practiced for one year until 1924. In the same year Norfolk Protestant Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia, offered Henderson a chance to work as a Supervisor and Clinical instructor in the Outpatient department until 1930. It was here where Henderson took an active role in the state nurses association She proceeded on to join the Teachers College, Columbia University in New York as an instructor and Associate Professor, a career she served competently till 1948. Henderson burning desire for the profession did not end there, in 1953; she joined the Yale University School of Nursing, New Haven, Connecticut, as a Research Associate and the year 1971 saw Henderson become a research associate with Research Associate Emeritus (Reniers, 1941, 89). During her nursing career, Henderson made some national and international achievements that made her to be identified as the quintessential nurse of the twentieth century. She became the recipient of the Virginia Historical Nurse Leader award and a Member of the American nurses Association Hall of fame while at Norfolk Protestant school of Nursing as a full –time nursing instructor She is also respected for proposing the plan for creating districts in the Graduate Nurses association of Virginia currently know as Virginia Nurses’ association and advocating for the psychiatric nursing to be included in the curriculum. She has served in the committees that came up with the course at Eastern state Hospital based in Williamsburg, Virginia in the year 1929. It was in June, 1985 that Henderson was awarded with the first Christianne Reimann Prize by the international Council of nurses and in 1988 she won the Virginia Historical Nurse Leadership award as well as recognition by the Virginia nurses association as one if the fifty-one pioneer nurses in Virginia in 2000. The Library of Sigma Theta Tau International was also named in her honor and she was bestowed with honorary degrees from some thirteen (Reiners, 1941, 96). Henderson has been famed for authoring the her nursing definition â€Å"the nurse has the unique obligation of helping the person who is either sick or well, to perform the activities that contribute to health as well as its recovery â€Å"till a peaceful death† which he was in a position to perform without aid if he was having the required strength, knowledge or the will to do it†. She has been referred to as the â€Å"first lady of nursing† as well as the â€Å"first international true nurse†. This is mainly because of her contribution to the nursing profession where her writing, presentations and research work as well as her contact with nurses made some profound effects to the profession and impact on the care recipients by nurses all over the world (Barnard, 1990, 24). During her teaching career at Teacher College, Columbia University, Henderson was remembered for her outstanding character that attracted so many students from all over the world to study with her. Most nurses in the U. S got the chance to study with her while at their home schools after her revision of Bertha Harmer’s book Textbook of the Principles and practice of Nursing was in wide use. Henderson while in Yale contributed to publication of Nursing Research a Survey and Assessment that was in collaboration with Leo Simonds. In addition to these she directed four volumes Nursing Studies Index, twelve years project that has been used intensively for reference over the years. Nature of Nursing, another Henderson’s book that was published in 1966, elaborated her notion on the essence of nursing which later had a lot of influence to those who went through it. At 75, she focused on the international teaching as well as speaking, enabling another generation to gain from contact with this quintessential nurse of the twentieth century. She described Nursing role to be related to the needs of the patient but not to the general nursing theory. Her work is useful and widely adapted by many nurses all over the world because it is believed to be practical and based on the experience of the profession. Henderson died at the age of 98, at the Connecticut Hospice and was laid down in her family plot of the churchyard, St.Stephen’s church, forest, Bedford County in Virginia (Power, 1998, 35). Work Cited: Barnard F. Hollinger, Outside the Magic Circle: the Autobiography of Virginia Henderson, Alabama, University of Alabama Press, 1990, pp. 15, 24. Power Trace, Lee’s Miserables: Life in the army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox, Carolina, University of North Carolina press, 1998, pp. 35. Reniers Perceval, the springs of Virginia: Life, love and Death at the Waters, Carolina, University of North Carolina Press, 1941, pp. 89, 96.

Analysis Of The Teenage Magazine Market Sector

Analysis Of The Teenage Magazine Market Sector The following section of the plan provides a brief analysis of the teenage magazine market sector. In particular, total volume and value of sales is investigated and critically discussed. Furthermore, it is necessary to provide an assessment and analysis of the key competitors in the market sector and the target group of consumers. Advertising expenditures are also explored in this section. In addition, it will be relevant to scan the external environment of the industry which includes political, economic, social and technological factors unified under PEST framework. Thus, this section will attempt to make a contribution to the identification of the potential opportunities, which may be used for a new brand. The following graph illustrates the total yearly subscriptions for the UK magazines by sector. As it may be seen from the histogram, children and teenage magazines constitute the most numerous and dominant sector. They account for as much as 32.7% of the whole magazine market. The second largest sector is womens traditional magazines. Its market share is equal to 12.9%. Other sectors with the market shares ranging from 10% to 11% are TV listings, mens monthlies, sports and music and the remaining sectors. The least popular type of magazines is home interest as they were found to account for only 4.2% of the market. These findings reveal that children and teenage magazines are most popular among the UK readers. The next graph reveals that the total volume of sales of teenage magazines in the UK has fallen in the recent past. It may be observed that in 2008, as many as 47,535,000 units of magazines were sold. The indicator decreased to the level of 41,794,000 units in 2009. Moreover, in 2010, the total volume of sales constituted only 38,040,000. Hence, the market for teenage magazines in the UK has been going down. This reduction of sales may be explained by the growing popularity of on-line media and portals for teenagers. Printed magazines are often substituted by social networking and entertaining web applications. This tendency may be discussed in the light of the standard product life cycle (PLC) curve. As presented by the following graph, the PLC curve consists of the four main stages: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. These stages imply different changes in the volume of sales. The recent fall of the volume of sales of the UK teenage magazines indicates that the product passes through the decline stage. It means that the producers of the UK teenage magazines will not achieve the maximum volume of sales unless the product is improved or changed. Correspondingly, the total value of sales of teenage magazines has reduced recently. In 2008, the value of sales constituted  £99,039,000. The indicator decreased to the level of  £88,245,000 in 2009. In 2010, the reduction of sales value continued and the indicator reached  £86,138,000. The fall of volume and value occurred during the period 2008-2010. Hence, it may be concluded that the UK market for teenage magazines has been shrinking and narrowing. Among the major competitors in the UK market for teenage magazines it is valid to mention Elle Girl, Glamour, GQ, Grazia Magazine, Heat, New!, OK! and Yours. Their relative market shares are reported in the following figure. As it may be seen from the histogram, New!, Ok! and Glamour are the most popular teenage magazine brands in the UK. Their market shares are equal to 15.7%, 15.4% and 13.5% respectively. The market share of Heat constitutes as much as 12.4%. Such brands as Grazia, Yours, Elle Girl and GQ occupy 6.7%, 6.5%, 5.1% and 3.1% of the market. Other brands, which are less popular, account for 21.6% of the market. Critical analysis of these brands may reveal that GQ is the worst performing magazine. Its market share is the smallest among major magazines. This may be explained by the narrow specialisation of the magazine. The target audience of the magazine are males from 16 to 24 years old. Teen girls are more inclined to reading magazines than teen boys. The researchers reported that girls read more screen and confession magazines . On the contrary, the most successful teenage magazine brands are New! and Ok! (these magazines have the largest market share in the UK market). This success can be explained by the proper and suitable content. The teenage magazines include celebrity interviews, dating tips, fashion tips and descriptions and samples of the popular cosmetic products. Such content is highly appreciated by the target audience. Another advantage over the rivals in the market segment is availability of the magazines. Teenage magazines have relatively low prices in comparison with other glossies. Furthermore, these magazines are universal. They are read by teenage girls as well as medium-aged women. Brand positioning of the major teenage magazines in the UK can be presented as follows. Kumar developed a special framework, which differentiates between economy brands, bargain brands, cowboy brands and premium brands. The differentiation is based on the two dimensions: quality and price of the production. The brand positioning framework can be graphically presented as shown below. None of the mentioned magazines refers to the category of economy brands. The major teenage magazines do not combine the two qualities, i.e. low quality and low price, at once. However, New! and Ok! can be classified as bargain brands. They belong to the moderate price category, but have very rich and diversified contents. Grazia Magazine, Yours and Heat are of lower quality, but more expensive. Hence, it allows for classifying them as cowboy brands. Finally, Elle Girl, Glamour and GQ are positioned as premium brands. It has already been mentioned that girls read teenage magazines more often than boys. Hence, the major target audience are teenage girls. The following graph provides a comparison of the percentage of teenage girls and teenage boys reading magazines. It may be observed that 55% of male teenagers are found to enjoy reading magazines. However, the female readers of teenage magazines are even more numerous and constitute 63% of all female teenagers. These findings reveal that the target group for the majority of the magazine producers are female teenagers. Another fact, which proves these findings, is that male teenagers are also inclined to reading other specialised magazines besides teenage publications. The alternatives include sports magazines, technical magazines, PC and IT magazines and others. In accordance with Kaiser Family Foundation all magazines discussed above are targeted at clearly specified groups of consumers. For instance, Elle Girl is targeted at younger sisters of the readers of Elle. Furthermore, it has been revealed that girls from 12 to 17 years old comprise up to 26% of the total number of females reading different magazines. Nevertheless, these magazines can hardly be segmented by their contents. The point is that all of them contain articles about celebrities, fashion, relationships, etc. In addition, it can be stated that the market could not be segmented according to the social classes of the teenage reader. It may be explained by the fact that teenage readers have mostly the same interests at this age regardless of the social background of their family. It is argued by Form (1995) that segmentation theory deals with the problems of coordinating huge entities like institutions, sectors, strata, or society; it holds that individual groups generally place their inter ests above those of the groups with which they interact, creating problems of intergroup coordination (Form, 1995). Relying on this statement, it may be argued that there are no many conflicts between the segments of the teenage magazine market in the UK. The point is that the difference between the demands and interests of teenage girls is not very large. It has been mentioned that they have similar interests. Hence, the majority of magazines can be easily substituted with other types. As it may be seen from the following graph, the publishers of teenage magazines use different media for advertising their production. Newspaper advertisement comprises as much as 29%. It may be stated that such a considerable percentage of newspaper ads cannot be justified since teenagers are expected to spend more time in the Internet than reading newspapers. However, if their parents subscribe to newspapers, teenagers can see the advertisement in the papers. Radio ads, TV ads and internet ads comprise 22%, 22% and 18% respectively. Outdoor advertisement constitutes only 9% of all advertising. The costs of advertising are summarised in the graph below. The figure has reported that the total teenage magazine advertising expenditure has been reduced recently. In 2008, the UK publishers of the teenage magazines spent about  £14,593,000 on advertising of their production. In 2009, the indicator decreased to the level of  £12,043,000. However, the advertising expenditure was equal to  £11,452,000 in 2010. The reduction of the total advertising expenditure may be explained by the overall decline in the market. It has already been stated that the total number of units of magazines produced yearly decreased too. Furthermore, the influence of the global financial crisis could have additional pressure on companies and make them reduce advertising costs. The advertising to sales ratio constituted 0.28 in 2005. In other words, the UK magazine publishers spent on average  £0.28 on advertising a  £1 worth magazine. It is understandable that premium brands and cowboy brands had different advertising budgets. Nevertheless, the indicator illustrates the average ratio. As it may be seen from the graph, the main types of retail outlets where teenage magazines are sold are supermarkets, other multiples and independents. Another important thing, which should be grasped from the histogram, is that the percentage of sales in each type of outlets has changed recently. In 1997, supermarkets were the least popular outlet for selling teenage magazines. Only 19% of all teenage magazines were sold there. Nevertheless, in 2007, supermarkets contributed to the sales of up to 32% of all teenage magazines. The percentage of teenage magazines sold in other multiples in 1997 and 2007 changed insignificantly. The indicator had fallen from 34% to 33% by 2007. However, the sales by independents had reduced from 42% to 37% by 2007. Delivery to retail outlets is the final stage of the teenage magazine supply chain. Today, supermarkets are becoming more and more popular as teenage magazine retailers as the graph above has revealed. However, supply chain of teenage magazines is much more complex than it may seem from the first sight. The timing of the average teenage magazine supply chain is presented in Appendix.

France Essay -- essays research papers

France is a beautiful and captivating country full of art, culture, and an important historical background. It is in the heart of Europe and is sometimes called "The Hexagon", Because of it’s shape. It is the largest country in Western Europe and covers about 211,200 square miles. Four different waters surround the French coastline, this includes; the North Sea, the English Channel, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Atlantic Ocean. The capital of France is Paris, on the banks of the Seine River. Sometimes called the "The City of Lights", Paris has been admired and loved by millions for centuries. It is an industrial center as well. Paris is world renowned as a cultural and intellectual center which holds many masterpieces. The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889, and today is 1,052 ft. high. It welcomes tourists from all over the world. The revolution of 1789 was a very important part of history. The people could be divided into three groups, the Nobles, the Clergy, and the rest. At this time the peasants owned 80 percent of the land, but had no rights at all. To add to their misery, the food was in short supply. It is estimated that on the eve of the French Revolution one-fifth of the population had no resources at all. World War I broke out August 1914, setting France, Russia, Britain, Belgiumand Serbia at war with Germany and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Everyone assumed the war would be over in a few months. Instead, the war lasted for four years. Germany finally agreed to sign an armistice on November 11, 1948. (A kind of peace agreement). The death toll had been the largest of any previous wars. France had lost over 1.4 million men and in all of Europe over 8.5 million were killed. People said it was the war to end all wars. Only twenty years later France was plunged into another war with Germany. On June 22, 1940 France was forced to sign an agreement with Germany. By 1942 France was totally occupied by the Nazi army. This was a very hard time, Jews were persecuted and thousands were sent off to concentration camps. Eventually, in the summer of 1944 France was freed, and the occupation was over. The President is head of the government and is elected by the ... ...s developed a number of ways of producing energy. Such as dams, Solar energy, hydroelectricity or "white coal", hot springs, and tidal energy. France has had an important nuclear power program since 1967. Two-thirds of the country’s electricity is produced by atomic energy. France’s transportation system centers on Paris which is the heart of a network that stretches to all parts of France. Trains are an important source of transportation throughout France. The latest in a line of new fast trains, which includes the mistral and the Turbo trains, is the high-speed TGV. This train averages 133 miles per hour. The French railway of SNCF has a reputation for being fast, efficient, and reliable. It is also punctual. So much emphasis is placed on punctuality that is an engineer does not keep on time, he is fined. Also roads, air, and water travel is important to France. Communications are expanding widely in France. Mainly in ways such as telephone, television, radios, and newspapers. The national language of France is French. French was once the language used by diplomats all over the world. In this study, I have learned a lot about France and I hope to visit there someday.

Diagnosis and Treatment

For many Americans it is difficult to come to terms with any type of medical diagnosis. Some may know the warning signs and simply ignore them. Unfortunately mental disorders have plagued many people for years. Going without diagnosis and treatment can have devastating effects to themselves and their families. According to the National Institute of Mental Health â€Å"Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder† (NIMH, 2009). These disorders come in several forms and can have many different warning signs. For some these signs or symptoms can be mild and for others the signs are immediately noticed. â€Å"Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state sometimes referred to as affect.† (Psychological Disorders, 2010) Because everyone has their own mental capacity it can be difficult for a professional to diagnose. Some people can’t cry unless it is a highly emotional situation, others can cry at the first sign of emotional distress. While others may show anger in a stressful situation and some may feel the tendency to laugh. These are all nature human behaviors; each of these emotions can also be signs or symptoms of mood disorders. Because these signs and symptoms are so broad and are also specific to several different mood disorders they can be misdiagnosed for years. The range of mood disorders can vary but there are significant signs and symptoms to look for. For some with mood disorders they have extreme highs and lows, meaning that they are extremely happy one minute and can be extremely sad the next. In patients with depression you may see that the â€Å"person feels overwhelmed with sadness; they may have loss of interest in activities and display other symptoms such as guilt or feelings of worthlessness.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) According to the National Institute for Mental Health â€Å"Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44† (NIMH, 2009) These patients usually have experienced the loss of happiness in everyday life. They may be your co-worker, family or friend who has issues with concentration, sleep, or has become reclusive. Even though depression is a mood disorder in itself, there are several forms of depression. Generalized depression is the person who has become withdrawn from life; they may sleep too much or not enough. Another form of depression is clinical depression; this form is much more severe and can be deadly. Unfortunately â€Å"depressed people may be plagues by suicidal thoughts or may even attempt suicide.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) Apart of the signs and symptoms of clinical depression is that the down feel does not go away after time. Those with clinical depression stay depressed; they are unhappy and have moments of extreme depression. â€Å"Some depressions can be so intense that people become psychotic-that is, they lose touch with reality.† (Psychological disorders, 2010). This form can make people believe in a false reality. They often feel as though everyone is out to get them or that they are being subjected to inhuman activities. Depression can be treated in many ways depending on the severity of the disease. There are many drugs out on the market today to help with the symptoms of depression. Generalized depression has become a popular trend in commercial marketing. The signs and symptoms are often discussed and the public is educated on talking to their physician if they may have any of the signs of symptoms that are listed in the commercials. Because of the frequency of these commercials more and more people have followed the trend and are speaking to their physicians about the possibility of depression. According to the CDC â€Å"approximately 15.7% more people were diagnosis with depression or related diagnosis in 2006 compared to 2005.† (CDC, 2006) Some studies may suggest that the increase in diagnosis is directly related to the public awareness brought forth by the commercial campaigns to promote new medication to treat depression. The treatment for many forms of depression is through various forms of medication. These forms of medication are often referred to as antidepressants. The compounding for these drugs are typically neurotransmitters or inhibiters. Some help to produce or block particular chemicals in the brain that are possible causes for particular forms of depression. Counseling can also help those that are suffering the effects of depression. For some counseling may be prescribed with or without the assistance of medication. Speaking to a medical professional about the diagnosis of depression can help each patient to be individually treated for the symptoms of the depressive disorder. Even though the public has a higher level of awareness when it comes to depressive disorders it is still important to seek advice from a medical profession. Reference http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml Diagnosis and Treatment For many Americans it is difficult to come to terms with any type of medical diagnosis. Some may know the warning signs and simply ignore them. Unfortunately mental disorders have plagued many people for years. Going without diagnosis and treatment can have devastating effects to themselves and their families. According to the National Institute of Mental Health â€Å"Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder† (NIMH, 2009). These disorders come in several forms and can have many different warning signs. For some these signs or symptoms can be mild and for others the signs are immediately noticed. â€Å"Mood disorders are characterized by disturbances in mood or prolonged emotional state sometimes referred to as affect.† (Psychological Disorders, 2010) Because everyone has their own mental capacity it can be difficult for a professional to diagnose. Some people can’t cry unless it is a highly emotional situation, others can cry at the first sign of emotional distress. While others may show anger in a stressful situation and some may feel the tendency to laugh. These are all nature human behaviors; each of these emotions can also be signs or symptoms of mood disorders. Because these signs and symptoms are so broad and are also specific to several different mood disorders they can be misdiagnosed for years. The range of mood disorders can vary but there are significant signs and symptoms to look for. For some with mood disorders they have extreme highs and lows, meaning that they are extremely happy one minute and can be extremely sad the next. In patients with depression you may see that the â€Å"person feels overwhelmed with sadness; they may have loss of interest in activities and display other symptoms such as guilt or feelings of worthlessness.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) According to the National Institute for Mental Health â€Å"Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44† (NIMH, 2009) These patients usually have experienced the loss of happiness in everyday life. They may be your co-worker, family or friend who has issues with concentration, sleep, or has become reclusive. Even though depression is a mood disorder in itself, there are several forms of depression. Generalized depression is the person who has become withdrawn from life; they may sleep too much or not enough. Another form of depression is clinical depression; this form is much more severe and can be deadly. Unfortunately â€Å"depressed people may be plagues by suicidal thoughts or may even attempt suicide.† (Psychological disorders, 2010) Apart of the signs and symptoms of clinical depression is that the down feel does not go away after time. Those with clinical depression stay depressed; they are unhappy and have moments of extreme depression. â€Å"Some depressions can be so intense that people become psychotic-that is, they lose touch with reality.† (Psychological disorders, 2010). This form can make people believe in a false reality. They often feel as though everyone is out to get them or that they are being subjected to inhuman activities. Depression can be treated in many ways depending on the severity of the disease. There are many drugs out on the market today to help with the symptoms of depression. Generalized depression has become a popular trend in commercial marketing. The signs and symptoms are often discussed and the public is educated on talking to their physician if they may have any of the signs of symptoms that are listed in the commercials. Because of the frequency of these commercials more and more people have followed the trend and are speaking to their physicians about the possibility of depression. According to the CDC â€Å"approximately 15.7% more people were diagnosis with depression or related diagnosis in 2006 compared to 2005.† (CDC, 2006) Some studies may suggest that the increase in diagnosis is directly related to the public awareness brought forth by the commercial campaigns to promote new medication to treat depression. The treatment for many forms of depression is through various forms of medication. These forms of medication are often referred to as antidepressants. The compounding for these drugs are typically neurotransmitters or inhibiters. Some help to produce or block particular chemicals in the brain that are possible causes for particular forms of depression. Counseling can also help those that are suffering the effects of depression. For some counseling may be prescribed with or without the assistance of medication. Speaking to a medical professional about the diagnosis of depression can help each patient to be individually treated for the symptoms of the depressive disorder. Even though the public has a higher level of awareness when it comes to depressive disorders it is still important to seek advice from a medical profession. Reference http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/the-numbers-count-mental-disorders-in-america/index.shtml

How to Cancel Your ACT Scores

How to Cancel Your ACT Scores SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Think you did horribly on the ACT? Need to cancel your scores? Or are you just wondering what you would do if you ran into an emergency on test day? In this guide, we'll cover three actions you can take to deal with a bad ACT score: canceling scores, stopping college score reports, and deleting existing scores. Likely you would only need to use one or two of these methods if you run into trouble, but we will cover all three to make sure you know all of your options. Option 1: Canceling ACT Scores If you don't think you did well on the ACT, your first option is to cancel your scores. It's the most drastic option you can take if you think you did poorly on the ACT, and it stops your exam from even being graded. What Does Canceling Your Scores Do? If you cancel your scores, this means your test won't be graded and you won't get a score report. Students usually do this if something unexpected happens during the test– for example they get suddenly sick or an emergency pops up. Canceling your scores does not come with a refund, so we only recommend doing this in an extreme situation. You should only cancel your scores if you can't finish the test. Don’t cancel your scores just because you feel bad about your performance. Why not? Since you already paid for the test, if you were able to finish it, you might as well wait and see your test scores.Lots of students walk out of the test center feeling like they bombed the ACT, but they're often pleasantly surprised by their scores. You might be one of them. Plus you can learn about your performance from the score report, which is helpful if you decide to retake the ACT. And if your scores really are terrible, you can delete them later on (a process we'll explain later in this post). Finally, know that most schools do not require you to send all your ACT scores. In fact, you will need to send individual score reports to each school. You can take the ACT up to six times, and you don't need to send your lower ACT scores to schools. Our advice if you think you did poorly would be to wait for your score report but delete your college score recipients, which we will explain below. How Do You Cancel Your ACT Scores? You can only cancel your ACT score on the day of the exam, while you're still at the test center. In order to do this, tell the exam proctor to void your scores before you leave the test center. This will stop your test from being graded, and you won’t get a score. Again, only do this in extreme or unusual circumstances.If you don't tell the proctor to void your score before you leave, there is nothing you can doto stop your test from being graded. Once you’ve broken the seal on your test booklet, that test is yours and you either need to complete it or cancel the score. If an emergency comes up right before the test, just don’t break the seal and you will be able to move your registration to a different date. You can also do this if you can't make it to the test center the day of the ACT. (You can switch your test date online using your ACT student account. You will have to pay the test date change fee, but that's cheaper than a whole new registration.) Option 2: Getting Rid of Your College Score Recipients Once the reports are in the mail, it's too late. One thing you absolutely should do if you feel shaky about your ACT performance is to get rid of your college score recipients. This is different than canceling your score reports. While your ACT will still be graded, you can make sure no colleges see your scores. You can always send the score reports later if it turns out you did well (although you'll need to pay for those score reports). The ACT will send up to four score reports out to colleges of your choice for free as part of your test registration. You can cancel these reports up to the Thursday after your test. If you’re worried that your performance was bad, simply log onto your ACT Student account and delete those college score recipients. This guarantees no scores will be sent to anyone, unless you choose to send the scores later on. You have until the Thursday after the ACT to edit or delete colleges from that list. After that, the score reports will be sent no matter what. So if you complete the ACT but think you did poorly, simply delete the colleges off your score sending list so they won’t see your score. Option 3: Deleting Test Records If you end up with an ACT score you’re not happy with, aside from making sure it’s not sent to colleges, you can also delete the scores from the ACT’s records. You can do this by submitting a written request to ACT. Send a letter with your name and address, and state that you want to delete a test date record. Mail the letter here: ACT Institutional Services P.O. Box 168 Iowa City, IA 52243-0168 USA The ACT will then send you back a form that you can use to delete the test record. This can permanently remove a bad test score from your record. However, if you took the ACT as part of state or district testing, it can’t be deleted. This only applies for testing you signed up for and paid for yourself. Bottom Line If you’re feeling really sick or an emergency pops up the morning of the ACT, the smartest thing to do is to no-show and use your test registration for a later test date. If you start your test but are unable to finish, void your scores before you leave the test center to make sure a score report isn’t created. If you don’t void your scores, make sure to delete your college score recipientsby the Thursday after the ACT to make sure your score isn’t sent to colleges. And finally, if you get your score and decide you don’t like it, it can be deleted from ACT’s records. As long as you're aware of these options, you can make sure colleges only see the scores you want them to. What’s Next? Need to prep for the ACT, ASAP? Read our guide to making massive point improvements in just 10 days. Need more help on the ACT? Get a guide to must-know ACT Vocab and learn how to write an ACT essay, step-by-step. Also read a guide to each section on the ACT: English, Math, Reading, and Science. So there's no guessing penalty on the ACT, but that doesn't mean you should guess wildly and without a strategy. Read our guide to guessing wisely on the ACT to maximize your score. Disappointed with your ACT scores? Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.