Blocking the Development of Violent Video Games
If you read most news articles nowadays you will find that game programming is on the rise despite the fact that the economy is apparently struggling. However, it does seem that even though there are many people who are fighting to get by each day, there is still enough room to purchase video games and consoles. The popularity of video games has increased over the years and this is due to more elaborate game design and advancements in technology. Gone are the days of the simple platform games. The industry has realized that they need to produce higher quality 3D style games that immerse you in the action. All of these games require video game testingwhich is an integral part of the development process. The problem, however is that there seems to be a lot of violent games around at the moment geared towards the slightly older gaming generation of 18 year olds over.In a recent survey, a selection of adults who had children and also those who didn’t were asked about violent video games and the sale of them. A huge percentage at around 72 per cent of adults believed that a law should be in place to prevent the sale of violent and sexual video games on the market as they were not a good influence on children.The survey was conducted with the thoughts and views of over two thousand adults who were interviewed recently. Many adults have a real issue with physically and sexually explicit games that are sold in this country. Children are influenced a great deal by what they see and hear and video games that promote violence as a good thing cannot be helping the situation. The vast majority of the adults questioned were concerned with the impact these were having on their children. This is not great publicity for the gaming industry and their attempts to continue increasing their revenue and profits.The question remains wherever you look about what can be done to safeguard children against violent games that are sold. Many believe that the gaming industry as a whole is not doing enough to protect their children from violence in video games. The government should come down hard on those gaming companies that produce games that have a bad effect on children and influence their decisions when it comes to violence. The truth is in reality that it is unlikely companies will be blocked from designing and developing these games. The real problem lies with the stores that sell these games to those under the age shown. Most of these games are for those over 18 years of old and too often younger children can buy them freely.It has been found that a large number of retailers to put a ban on selling these to those under the age for purchasing this type of video game. However, there will always be some that fall through the net and continue to sell these games to younger children. It is a problem that is unlikely to go away in the years to come unless games manufacturers actually stop producing these types of games.
The Market Approaches a Top – What Can Be Expected?
Previously, I discussed reasons our economy would go through a major downturn.[1] My study of major bear markets[2] indicates that after a market top and drop, such as the one we have experienced since January 26, there is a second top coming within -2.6% and +2.9% of the first. This marks the beginning of a major bear market. Having arrived at the traditional topping range, what can we reasonably expect moving forward?What follows is a summary of market behavior for every major bear market since 1929 that, like ours, was preceded by a correction. There are six of them starting in 1929, 1937, 1946, 1969, 2000, and 2007. S&P 500 data is used for the 1968, 2000, and 2007 bear markets. Dow Jones closing data[3] was used for all bear markets before that.1929
The largest drops for this market were (trading days from the peak given in parentheses) 13.5%(12), 11.7%(13), 9.9%(17), 6.8%(20), and 6.3%(9). The 30-day average change was -1.07%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 15.1%. By day 30 it was 31.0%.1937
The largest drops for this market were 5.0%(18), 4.5%(15), 4.3%(28), 4.1%(24), and 3.1%(20). The 30-day average change was -0.68%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 6.0%. By day 30 it was 19.1%.1946
The largest drops for this market were 2.5%(15), 1.2%(13), 1.0%(30), 0.95%(14), and 0.77%(8). The 30-day average change was -0.13%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 0.9%. By day 30 it was 3.9%.1968
The largest drops for this market were 1.4%(19), 0.92%(3), 0.90%(17), 0.89%(4), and 0.77%(18). The 30-day average change was -0.29%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 2.7%. By day 30 it was 8.4%.2000
The largest drops for this market were 2.6%(28), 1.9%(24), 1.6%(27), 1.5%(19), and 1.4%(10). The 30-day average change was -0.33%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 5.0%. By day 30 it was 9.6%.2007
The largest drops for this market were 2.9%(10), 2.6%(15), 2.5%(6), 1.8%(27), and 1.6%(29). The 30-day average change was -0.24%. By trading day 10 the % loss was 2.6%. By day 30 it was 7.3%.All the bear markets declined gradually for the first week. In fact, it was rare to find a substantial drop during that first week. Except for 1969, none of the largest percentage drops took place during the first week and those were only 0.92% and 0.89%. Markets did begin to diverge during the second week with the 1929, 1937, and 2000 markets dropping 15.1%, 6.0%, and 5.0%, respectively, after 10 trading days.Once the top was reached, there was no turning back. Instead, most markets had a steady decline. The only exception was the exceedingly volatile 1929 market, which declined 35% by the 13th day recovered 19% and subsequently resumed its decline. This is an important point for our market since the S&P 500 had an intraday high of 2801.90 March 13. This placed it within 2.5% of the January 26, 2018 high, just within the window for the second peak topping range. That would have placed that potential second peak historically early for a major bear market with a correction preamble. The fact 24 trading days later we are still waffling back and forth and in a recent uptrend is in stark contrast to previous major bear market profiles and argues against that being the second peak.Note that, except for the 1929 market, which by that time was recovering, none of the markets had reached bear territory 30 trading days after the market peak. Technically, the 1937 market had dipped into bear territory days before it but was only sitting 19.1% below the peak by day 30. All the other markets were only approaching correction level territory.Given that summary, it is likely that we will also experience a gradual decline with little damage the first week. In fact, with large loss days paling in comparison to those we saw in early January, it may well lull investors into a sense of complacency. Having gone through a long correction already, there will likely be little concern a month and a half later if the 30th trading day arrives with losses still in the single digits. That would be a mistake as the bear relentlessly creeps up on us.[1] It’s Not Over, EzineArticles, April 9, 2018.
[2] The Coast Is Not Clear – Signs of an Impending Major Stock Market Crash, EzineArticles, February 20, 2018.
[3] Wharton Research Data Services (WRDS) was used to gather the Down Jones closing data and in preparing this article.
Business Loans – Information for Business Owners
A business loan provides financial aid to business of all sizes (i.e. small businesses, medium-sized businesses or start-up businesses). It is ideal for business owners who need funding to enhance or expand their business. When you need a loan for your business, you must adopt a strategic approach. Cautious planning is necessary for ensuring success in obtaining business loans.Business PlanWhen you are considering applying for a business loan, it is important for you to take enough time to create a convincing and detailed business plan. Your business plan should include information, which will assist your finance broker as well as the lender/credit provider in providing you with the right type of finance and advice. Here is a list of information you should include in your business plan:>> Your business structure>> The purpose and goals of your business>> Your past and future plans for your business>> The profit and loss projections and cash flow forecasts of your business>> Your marketing strategy (i.e. the products or services your business provides)It is also important to state in your business plan the specific purpose for which you want to use a business loan.Decisions to MakeOnce you have assessed your needs for a business loan, you should investigate which finance products suit your needs for a business loan as each loan has varying features for you to choose. To help with this process, here is a list of things to consider and which you can discuss with your finance broker:>> The loan amount required>> The loan term (i.e. the period in which the loan will need to be repaid)>> Interest rate type and repayments (i.e. fixed or variable)>> Loan fees, and>> Loan security (i.e. the type of security offered by you)Finance ProductsThere is a variety of business loans available to choose from. Here is a brief summary of common business loan products specifically designed by lenders/credit providers for business owners, which can assist your individual situation as a business owner:Commercial Bill FacilityA commercial bill (also called a bank bill or bill of exchange) is a flexible credit facility that can give your business a short-term or long-term injection of cash. The finance provided by the commercial bill can help your business in the event that you may need to solve an unexpected or urgent problem, and you do not have the required cash flow. You agree to pay back the face value of the commercial bill plus interest to the lender/credit provider on a specific maturity date.Overdraft FacilityThe purpose of establishing an overdraft facility is to provide working capital for your business in the short-term, before receiving income. An overdraft facility should not be used for capital purchase or long-term financing needs. The overdraft is a normal trading account facility for your business, whereby the lender/credit provider permits you to use or withdraw more than you have in the trading account. But, only up to an agreed amount and any negative balances typically need to be repaid within a month.Line of CreditA line of credit (also called an equity loan) can provide access to funds by allowing you to draw an account balance up to an approved limit. The loans are designed as a long-term debt facility and are usually secured by a registered mortgage over a property.Fully Drawn AdvanceThis is a term loan with a scheduled principal and interest repayment program. The loan provides access to funds upfront, which can be used for funding long-term investments that will expand the capacity of your business, such as purchasing a new business or even purchasing equipment. Fully drawn advance loans are usually secured by a registered mortgage over a residential or commercial property or a business asset.Short-Term LoanA short-term loan can provide short-term funding needs for your business. You can take out a short-term loan if you want to take advantage of a very quick financial opportunity or to help you get out of a financial cash flow crisis. The loan offers a fixed sum advance and requires a periodical interest charge to be paid by you. Short-term loans typically require a security to be provided.Business Equipment FinanceIf you decide to expand your business operations and take benefits of potential tax advantages, you should consider taking out business equipment finance, as the finance arrangement allows you to buy, lease or hire a new vehicle or specialised equipment (e.g. cars, trucks, forklifts, printing, computing, medical and office equipment as well as plant equipment and machinery). Typical finance arrangements to consider for business equipment finance are asset lease, commercial hire purchase, chattel mortgage or equipment rental.Truly, there are several finance products available in the market to help business owners. When you seek out finance for your business, don’t be in a hurry. Consider all the alternatives in detail and then choose the one that is right for you and your business.
How to Get Used Car Finance
Many financial institutions are now offering used car finance. Before anyone can go out looking for a deal, it is important to understand what this type of finance entails. Generally, there are two types of financing offered by financial institutions in this area. First, there is the unsecured finance and the secured finance, which uses the car as collateral. The financing is usually offered with a repayment period of five to seven years. However, the term can be shortened depending on the age of the car you are purchasing. Actually most financial institutions do not offer financing for cars, which are older than seven years.Why finance the purchase of on old car?
It can be a good option to go for an old car if the new one is out of reach in terms of the price with relation to your income. It might also be a wise decision to buy a used car in order to save your self from the automatic depreciation that occurs once you get the vehicle from the dealership. In all these cases, you will need financing, as the cost of the cars is usually high that most of us have in cash.When you want to finance the purchase of an old car, you still need to go through the formalities of a normal loan. This means there are certain areas you need to work on. First, you have to check the status of your credit score. Credit scores can be easily obtained online once per year free. This will make it easier for you to know your score before approaching the lender. The next step is to know how much money is required as down payment. The more you can avail, as down payment will result in higher savings on the loan’s interest. Finally, you will need to check the interest rates offered by different financial institutions. Lower interest rates will results in huge savings in the long-term.Comparing different used car finance option
There are different lenders offering used car financing out there. All these have different policies and finance packages. It is important to compare different financiers in order to get the cheapest option. There are many ways, which you can use to compare used car finance. However, the easiest and most accessible way is through comparison websites such as Get Approved Finance or E-Car Finance.The comparison websites usually look at different options provided by different institutions taking into consideration the loan repayment time, the duration it will take before approval, interest rate, loan terms and loan company fees. They will also establish if you get fee breaks if you are able to complete payment early. All these factors are very hard to compare on your own. Finally, the comparison websites provide you with information on all the extras offered with the loan such as car insurance, disability, unemployment and death credit protection. This will ensure that you have the best, used car finance option without considering the interest rates only.
Domain Age – Hardly Matters For Good Rankings On Google
I don’t really think Google now gives high weight-age to domain age. Had been they so, Facebook, Digg, Technorati, etc would not have good SERP. Instead what I think is the popularity and traffic of website that really matters. People always measure the popularity in terms of PR. This is again myth because Google webmaster does not think so. They are of the opinion of not thinking too much about PR. In a fast changing Google’s algorithms inclined more towards universal search, being rigid over the PR as a strong measuring tool for your website shows an outdated thought.I reiterate that domain age as ranking factor is just a hype made by people who are into domain buying and selling business. To make sure their business will run smoothly and there remain many buyers and sellers, they have promoted this and have populated articles, blogs, etc across various websites with such misleading opinion.Someone argues that domain age does matter because Google considers this as a measuring tool to authenticate a web site. Longer be the domain age registration, higher trust value Google assigns to such site to avoid SPAMMING sites which are booked for a short time. This is hype and unfortunately many SEO firms have begun believing this.I don’t know about couple of years back whether Google was giving weight-age to domain age or not, but my observation says NO. Google seems to have dropped this in its algorithm.I often hear that many SEOs argue that the age of a domain has its impact on their rankings. This is not true – Seriously!The line of thinking here is Google looks at domain registrations (they do) and they use what they find to influence rankings (they likely do.) They believe Google considers the length of time your domain is registered for as a sign of how serious you are about your business. I mean many believe you will rank better if you register your domain name for 4, 5 or even 10 years rather than for a year at a time.These SEO folks believe Google emphasizes more on longer registrations because the giant search engine perceives a shorter registration period as a sign of a company who operates with throw away domains. They think spammers who are registering throw-away domains aren’t going to pay for more than one year’s registration, so Google lends more credibility to those who do.While I have no definitive proof that Google doesn’t consider length of domain registration as part of their algorithm, rather I use my intuition to explain my observation why it would be a silliest thing for them to consider when it comes to determining rankings.As people behind search engine algorithm gain more and more ability to tailor the algorithms, their ultimate goal is to help the search engines make choices the way that people do. And I again reiterate the fact that search engine is going more semantic these days. Signs have already begun appearing.Google only hints at a few factors that are advisable for better SERP. SEO is not rocket science rather it’s an experiment and analysis. The whole paradigm of SEO in web 1.0 (institutional library indexation as Search Engine would view) is taking a shift to Social Engine Optimization – SEO (community’s participation on websites) because horizontal search’s popularity is getting down over vertical search engines. That’s why Google, in order to display unbiased search results, is going universal including the popularity of vertical results. And these days we talk a lot that Google is frequently changing its algorithm.As said above, SEO is an analysis and is an experiment what works or what not on the basis of our general understanding and testing some of the results. The analysis and experiment is quantitative. Ninety percent of the time, we use our common sense, statistics, experiments, analysis while optimizing a web site.Indeed, we need to ask ourselves if domain age is a good indicator of a quality site!As a human being, all of us will be keen to know about how long a company has been doing business over the years rather than how old a company is. Not necessarily a company old enough may be doing a good business compared to a company with relatively newer one and vice versa. As a student of management I have seen how NIRMA which was popular in 80s is not popular today. Does anyone buy NIRMA just because it’s an old product given to us various new substitutes?Today, consumers are smart and intelligent. A consumer like me will be interested in knowing how much companies have grown over the years and have expanded to meet growing customer demand. Applying this to online, this refers to new content and new offerings. Consumers today are interested in the word of mouth (WOM) recommendations they might hear from friends, peers, colleagues, and relatives. For a website, this translates positive customer reviews and bookmarking, recommendations. However, those who still care for Google’s PR despite the fact that it’s losing its ground, just for personal satisfaction, must believe now that PR these days depends on PR (People’s Recommendation what I call WOM).How many times have you as a customer found yourself browsing through a company’s domain registration or age to make sure they own their domain for at least 3-5 years, you’ll buy the product and services? I think NONE of US.If not, then why should Google care?Domain registration comes very cheap these days. If I book a domain for xyz.com for a period of 10 years to gain rankings, will Google really care? Can’t SPAMMERS book for the same?True, people generally book domain for longer period for doing serious business so that they might not loose the domain name. People don’t register domain for rankings but for their own convenience. Has Logix really booked the domain for ranking purpose?Registering a domain for a longer period of time because many think it will help them improve their rankings seems hard stuff to digest.If still not convinced, book a domain for 10 years, it’s cheap now days. Will search engine like Google start giving a better raking to your website? If yes, try and dare for the sake of rankings!
What are anti-ligature blinds?
Anti-ligature blinds are becoming increasingly popular in a range of different settings. The way these blinds differ from traditional blinds is that they are designed to prevent suicide by hanging.
Initially, uptake for this type of blind was largely restricted to high-risk environments such as psychiatric hospitals and prisons, where suicide is common. In mental health environments and detention centres, suicide via hanging is common and preventative measures must be implemented. A huge range of objects could be used to create a ligature point, meaning anti-ligature systems are highly important.
Over the years, anti-ligature blinds have been supplied to hospitals, schools, student accommodation and even hotels.
How do they work?
There are a range of different systems on the market, but the most reliable could well be the magnetic anti-ligature system. YewdaleKestrel® products utilise load release magnets which separate when a downward force is exerted on the product. This means that the product falls to the ground safely and prevents suicide via hanging.
The magnetic systems used in Yewdale’s products are highly reliable because magnets don’t lose their strength for hundreds of years, guaranteeing a lifetime of lifesaving functionality.
Anti-ligature blinds usually have a magnetic connection point above the blind’s barrel. The blind is easy to reconnect to the magnetic bracket after it has fallen to the floor.
If you are considering an anti-ligature blind, Yewdale is a highly recommended company. Based in the UK, Yewdale produce a wide range of anti-ligature products, commercial blinds, and healthcare products including hospital cubicle tracks and medical curtains.
Yewdale produce other anti-ligature products too including a soft, lightweight en-suite door and other accessories such as soap dispensers, toilet roll holder, shelves and artwork. You can see the full range on the website using the link below.
Complete weight loss strategy
For those who want to lose weight
Research on the causes of obesity, knowledge about weight loss, and various diets for weight loss are updated every year. However, with the update of knowledge and the release of diet pills one after another, the obesity rate continues to rise every year, and there is no sign of wanting to decline. I used to be very, very fat, and I am also a person who is prone to obesity.
So I understand the voices of fat people, I really want to lose weight, but I tried many ways to lose weight at that time without success.
I have tried the common boiled meals on the market, eating less and moving more, but it was not until I tried other diets that I managed to lose weight. After I lost weight, I began to study the essence and method of losing weight, and wrote him in this weight loss strategy article, hoping to help you.
A few key myths about losing weight
The weight loss myth of eating less and moving more
The phrase “eat less and move more” is actually true, but most people do it wrong. Many people think that they should eat less of everything, so they limit their calories to a very low level, and it feels a bit like eating an ultra-low-calorie fairy meal. Then, for the hyperactive part, the first thing that everyone thinks of is aerobic exercise such as running, cycling, etc., but in fact, this is a very short-term and easy way to regain weight, mainly because eating too little is an easy way to lose weight. The reason for the loss of muscle mass, coupled with the fact that aerobic training is not helpful for muscle mass growth, causes the metabolism to drop too much.
Maybe you can lose 5 kilograms in this way, but if your metabolism declines, you will easily regain the weight. And it’s all the fat that gets back up, not the muscle you lose that makes you look fatter than before. This is what we call the yo-yo effect, lose weight, get fat back, get fatter than before, lose weight, get back on Fat, get fatter than before.
Stop taking diet pills and meal replacements
At this time, you may start to seek other ways, eat weight loss meal replacements, taking diet pills, and so on. But believe me, most diet pills will inevitably hurt the body, especially the gastrointestinal tract. You may actually lose weight in the moment, but when your gastrointestinal tract is damaged, you will be fatter than before.
The key to understanding how to lose weight
You must have thought, why some people will not gain weight no matter what they eat, while some people will gain a kilogram the next day after eating a little bread? What is the cause of obesity? This is not a simple answer that can be solved!
You can see the link to the picture below, mainly talking about the influencing factors of obesity, which are very, very complicated.
Image source: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296290/obesity-map-full-hi-res.pdf
In the middle of this picture is the heat balance
So we can know that calorie balance is very important
But this article doesn’t keep preaching that calorie balance is the key to losing weight like other sites
If you don’t know what calorie balance is, you can probably imagine that our body has calorie consumption (exercise, thermogenesis, basal metabolism), and calorie intake (eating).
When calorie consumption exceeds calorie intake, the weight will drop, so the truth of weight loss is to eat less and move more, very simple. In the short term, it is really possible to simply achieve weight loss by eating less and moving more, but simplicity is not simple, because the operation of the body is very complicated. Many people think that they can control their calorie consumption, that they can achieve a lot of calorie expenditure by running all the time, and that eating fairy meals (low-calorie meals) can reduce calorie intake and then easily lose it.
However, according to research, 90% of people who use calorie control, eat less and move more to lose weight will fail or regain the weight.
Because eating less and moving more for too long, metabolism will easily drop, hormones will easily become imbalanced, and muscle mass will easily be lost. Even if you lose 10 kilograms, you will easily regain weight.
When losing weight, the body is like a factory
For me, the key to long-term weight loss and maintaining good posture is the environment in the body, such as hormones, the level of inflammation in the body, and the gastrointestinal system.
Think of the body as a factory
-Your hormones are the managers and workers of factory operations
-Inflamed condition is how good factory machinery and hardware are
-Calorie intake is wages for factories as well as fuel
If the manager of this factory is an idiot, or if the hardware in your factory is completely rotten, then no matter how it works, it will create a pile of waste. Just as our hormones are already out of balance and the level of inflammation in the body is very high, no matter how much you eat, if you don’t solve the existing problems, it will easily accumulate into fat. It may be easier to understand with a few examples.
Hormones vs Weight Loss
This study looked at the effects of sleep and weight loss
Research source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20921542
Both groups of humans were calorie-restricted, but one group slept 5.5 hours a night and the other 8.5 hours. Both groups lost weight, but the group that slept less lost 55 percent less body fat and 65 percent more muscle mass than the group that slept more. It is equivalent to losing weight, but most of the loss is muscle mass, which reduces metabolism and makes it easy to regain weight later.
There is such a big difference mainly because poor sleep has a negative impact. The imbalance of the secretion of these things will easily increase fat and reduce muscle.
This next study looks at the effect of insulin sensitivity on body composition!
Research source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19471290
Basically, many chronic metabolic diseases, obesity, and poor muscle-building effects are closely related to low insulin sensitivity. Insulin is an anti-catabolic hormone whose main function is to store nutrients in cells. For example, after heavy training, our muscles will be more sensitive to insulin, and the nutrients we eat will be more easily absorbed into the muscles. When insulin sensitivity is low, the nutrients we eat are more likely to be stored as fat rather than absorbed into muscles.
We can simply say that the nutrients in the food eaten by people who are insulin insensitive are more likely to be stored as fat, and the relative fat mass will be much higher than the muscle mass.
To put it simply, the key to losing weight is actually to improve hormones, improve inflammation in the body, and add an appropriate calorie deficit. It is not difficult to achieve a calorie deficit. What is more difficult is how to choose the type of food that suits your body to improve hormones and achieve a long-term good body.
If you only pursue short-term weight loss and rely on a lot of calorie deficits to achieve the effect of weight loss, and then the hormones are still the same after the loss, then I can guarantee that you will gain weight very easily.
With so many ways to eat on the internet, which diet should I try?
When talking about losing weight in Taiwan 30 years ago, everyone would definitely want to use boiled meals
When it came to losing weight five years ago, everyone might think of using a low-sugar diet. When it came to losing weight in the past two or three years, everyone might directly think of the ketogenic diet.
I lost 30kg in 3 months on a low-sugar diet myself for the first time, so I used to believe that a low-sugar diet was the best way to lose weight
But after my long-term understanding of weight loss-related research, genetic cognition, and observation of students, there is no diet that is most suitable for everyone! Although it is said that high-carbohydrate foods will most stimulate insulin secretion, which in turn promotes the storage of nutrients into fat, some people are naturally good at metabolizing carbohydrates, so they can still be healthy and strong after eating high-carbohydrate throughout their lives.
For example, this study compared the responses of people with high and low insulin sensitivity to high- and low-carb diets.
Research source: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1038/oby.2005.79
The study concluded:
-For people with high insulin sensitivity, eating high-carb and low-fat to lose weight is very helpful
-However, people who are insulin insensitive use a high-carb low-fat diet to lose fat, but the weight loss effect is not so good.
But on the contrary, studies have also shown that people with low insulin sensitivity have a very good weight loss effect on a low-carb high-fat diet, which shows that improving insulin is very important for weight loss, and it also shows that people with insulin insensitivity are more suitable
Lose weight with a high-carb diet.
So if you have been obese for a long time, you know that you eat carbohydrates easily, or you know that you have diabetes in your family and want to lose fat, then I would suggest that you can start by reducing carbohydrates, which is what we call low carb diet!