Women Are Victimized

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According to the big apple Times, there's a true distinction within the premiums paid by men and girls of a similar age for a similar insurance terms. The variations is several many bucks. Even in associate economy that was booming, it might be tough to justify this worth discrimination. however because the North American country seems to be coming into a tougher time and a few individuals area unit even mistreatment the "r" word, the victimization of ladies during this manner ought to be associate pressing priority for the new administration to handle once it takes over the White House in 2009. it is not enough to speak generally terms regarding the rising prices of insurance at a time of rising employment. numerous proposals mouth providing tax credits or alternative help to assist in shopping for or maintaining personal cowl. however this will nothing to handle the historical injustice. Giving a girl a similar step-down as a person merely means that she continues to pay over a person. once challenged, medical insurance corporations tend to say that ladies create additional use of medical services and create higher claims. however the proof shows that almost all medical insurance policies exclude maternity care — in reality, maternity care is sometimes offered for a considerable exaggerated premium. thus what will it return down to? It looks girls take additional care of their health. They visit their doctors additional usually to own regular check-ups, area unit additional conscientious once changing their prescriptions into medication and so really take the medicine. Whereas, men care less regarding their health and resist having treatment. notwithstanding wherever you reside, girls area unit charged higher rates of premium.

The rates vary from one state to subsequent with some corporations rigorous up to five hundredth additional for a similar cowl. thanks to the final issues touching the economy, it becomes all the additional necessary to buy around before selecting a brand new medical insurer or deciding to renew associate existing policy. even as necessary is that the got to be a part of a political campaign to stop health insurers from mistreatment sex as an element once fixing the premiums. There area unit anti-discrimination laws to safeguard individuals within the work and alternative areas of their lives. a similar ought to apply once everybody seeks medical insurance.
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The Insurance Commissioners

As a part of the value for opting out of the laws dominant anti-trust behavior across state lines, the insurance business united to just accept regulation by every state. This pushed each state to make Associate in Nursing workplace or Department of Insurance, each pass a Commissioner appointed by the state to manage the native insurance business. This has light-emitting diode to a patchwork of various rules and practices between the states and conjointly helps make a case for why the premium rates will vary considerably between one state and also the next. for instance, in some Democrat states, there is a sturdy stress on client protection. This pushes up the executive prices for the insurers so produces higher premiums. In turn, this lack of consistency has prompted suggestions there ought to be additional general standards united by the Commissioners. they need a National Association which incorporates all the Commissioners from the fifty U.S. states, Washington DC and also the 5 U.S. territories. this is often a helpful talking search and it\'s made variety of policy pointers and model laws that have gained some acceptance by the policymakers from the individual states. sadly, with none power, the NAIC will do no quite recommend. States don\'t ought to learn from one another.

This is politics as was common. once it involves health, there is a slight distinction in approach with the bulk of Commissioners disputation they ought to have the ability on to regulate the premium rates of their native insurers. the explanation for this is often straightforward to state. within the majority of different countries round the world, the health care service is funded by the state. you\'ll well suppose this is often socialism or communism gone mad, however this is often the means the remainder of the planet believes best. The result\'s that there is either a selected part of the tax burden known as paying for \"free\" access to treatment or the care is provided out of the overall taxation. In the US, all the World Health Organization|people that|folks that|those that|those who} area unit utilized or who have financial gain enough to pay the premiums, gain access to treatment.

But once folks surface while not valid insurance at Associate in Nursing hospital room, the price of treatment is added  into the overheads of the hospital and lined by the bills sent dead set the insurance corporations. So, in effect, those people WHO pay non-public insurance payments are literally paying the equivalent of a tax. If we have a tendency to citizen loathe a organisation for increasing taxes, we are able to vote them out of workplace. Insurance commissioners should have the ability to stop unreasonable will increase in insurance rates. however that\'s not continually the case. for instance Dave Jones, the Commissioner for Calif., has no right to stop health rate will increase. once Blue protect recently proclaimed it absolutely was about to increase rates by up to fifty nine, all he may do was mount a political campaign to steer the corporate to delay the rise. as luck would have it, the general public outcries are enough to steer insurers to not create excessive will increase, however there is not any logic to the present position. Dave Jones will currently refuse will increase for automotive vehicle and householders policies. it isn\'t in any respect clear why insurance ought to be treated otherwise.

Susanna of Bethsaida Part II of II

Central Galilee

All us women had cotton tunics, and bright colored scarves over our heads, we'd wake up and go about so early some days, the streets were empty-for the most part-that is to say, not even a delivery wagon in sight. And here we were, a group walking like a squadron of soldiers, or perhaps we looked more like ducks, walking down the cobblestoned streets.

I loved the chill of the mornings, we were moving out towards the central part of Galilee, to Cana, westward and then south. We three women took no more than the men, the less to carry the better.

I remember on those long walks, or at least the first long walk we took with Salome, I was thinking: what was she so terribly guilty of, I pondered on it, but left it alone, so did Mary, I mean, we didn't want to judge one another, and if Jesus had forgiven her, who were we to look upon her less than us.

Oftentimes, Jesus wore a brown tunic, carried a traveler's bag slung around his shoulders, he was quite: emphatic, quick to justified tempers, yet sympathetic to those in need.

All in all, it was odd, in that no man of the God family had ever lived on earth before, and here he was. It was something I, or we thought about, and being too hard to absorb, we just tucked it away.

I got irritated with all those stones that rolled, somehow rolled out of nowhere into and under my sandals: under my arch, and toes, and into every crevice of the sandal, but after a while you just let them come and go, come and go, lest you get a backache trying to readjust your sandal every mile, or every minute. And I was always wiping perspiration from my face, we all were I guess, it was a fact of life, I mean, it became a fact of our lives, and those blasted mosquitoes, in the nose and ears, eyelids. I laugh at it now, but back then it was a bother, yet I'd do it over again and again just to walk with the Healer.

We were all awestruck for the longest time-us three women, if not curious the times we weren't. To Cana we traveled which is of course close to Nazareth, and I do remember that, they had said-long before this trip-that who did Jesus think he was, I mean, he was to them Joseph's son, a carpenter's son, no more, and here we were heading into the lion's den, as Daniel once did.

On the way to Cana, Jesus told us to call the Father, "Abba," when we prayed, the reason being, that it was special, and it showed adoration and respect, along with love, the love a child might use to a parent, it superseded all other languages. And so I did, and I'm sure Mary of Magdalene did likewise.

And yes, we are back to those pain in the neck mosquitoes, I can't seem to get them out of my mind, they were everywhere for several miles. We slapped our arms and faces and shooed them away from our ears, until we got weary and tired of doing it, then the closer we got to Cana, they up and disappeared, just like that, dispersed. We even got sun burnt faces and arms and back on our necks, in those far-off days.

Bartholomew was from Cana, and when we got to the town, the township was-by and large, was friendly. His reputation had preceded him, although I'm sure when we walked down the streets we were quite the strange sight to them, but they were waiting, and Mary the mother of Jesus was there for an occasion, and that was the best news I'm sure for both Jesus and Mary- to see one another again. It seemed odd to me, he had a mother, not sure why, I guess I felt he was the Son of God, that he just up and left heaven one day, and here he was, whole and visiting earth-I know I'm repeating myself somewhat, but I can't help it.

Anyhow, if I had any value in those days, it was my cooking, I was the best cook, and I can boast of that I think. I liked making lentil soup, and roasted lamb, served with barley.

When Mary Magdalene spoke to Mary, the mother of Jesus in Cana, one early afternoon, Mary seemed more at ease, when she returned, she had mentioned to her-so I'd find out later-of the Immaculate Conception. Before this, we girls-as was previously mentioned figured Jesus just appeared one day, as if on Mount Tabor, and henceforward he came-something like that.

As the Zealots were thinking Jesus was here to take over the world, deliver Israel from the Romans, a rebellion was in the making, how wrong they were. I kind of swayed back and forth on this, not really knowing; Mary knew better on his mission, and I learned: it was not his wish, had he done that, his teachings would not have been adhered to, not even heard: or if heard lost in the pandemonium. He wanted the word of God to stretch across the world, announcing the Kingdom of God is at hand-first and foremost!

The Rise And Rise Of The Machine

Where would we be without the intelligence to develop technology? Where will we be with technology? That's even more the issue when technology morphs into artificial intelligence that rivals our own. We can't exist without technology; we might not be able to exist with technology. If there was ever a coin with two sides, it's the technological 'coin'.

EXPONENTIAL INCREASES

There are ways and ways of increasing the amount of something. The usual way is the linear way per unit of time: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, etc. The other way is the exponential way, usually a doubling, but it could be a tripling or quadrupling. Let's stay with exponential doubling per unit of time: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, etc. Or perhaps the exponential sequence of 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 96, etc. Or perhaps one might start with the sequence 2, 6, 18, 54, 162, etc. There's also flat-lining which means no real increase at all over time: 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, etc.

How are these various growth rates related to biological intelligence, our intelligence and artificial intelligence?

BIOLOGICAL INTELLIGENCE

Biological Intelligence: Over geological time it might be reasonably argued or suggested that biological intelligence has evolved quasi-exponentially if not exponentially. You are today exponentially more intelligent than that first primordial proto-cell or even fully-fledged microbe.

However, no individual biological species has ever experienced exponential growth in whatever passes for their IQ, even in extremely long lived species, like the cockroach. I very much doubt that the cockroach in your kitchen is vastly smarter than the cockroach the scampered under the legs of T-Rex. The first dinosaur that could pass as being a T-Rex wasn't much dumber than the last T-Rex who got a ringside seat to that asteroid, 65 million years ago.

Human Intelligence: Modern humans (as defined as that species having been created in God's image) have only been around some roughly 200,000 years. Our potential intellectual or "I" abilities over those past 200,000 years haven't increased very much, if at all, and certainly not exponentially. Modern human intelligence has not been able to increase modern human intelligence. There's been no magic pill you can take; there's no super-foods for the IQ market; there's no brain surgery that can rewire your neural network.

Artificial intelligence however can increase artificial intelligence once artificial intelligence has been programmed with all of the engineering data it needs to do the basic "new and improved" design work.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: THE RISE AND RISE OF THE MACHINE

In less than 200 years, seemingly out of the blue, AI has grown exponentially until we find ourselves on the cusp now of The Singularity (no direct relation to the singularity of quantum gravity) where AI will exceed human IQ and then accelerate away from us at a rapid rate of knots ever widening the gap. No doubt AI will morph eventually, probably sooner rather than later, into sentient AI.

There's certainly no question about humanity embracing technologies, always new and improved technologies, to the point that if God somehow were to snap His fingers and delete all technologies from our grasp, it would be a disaster akin to what happened in Exodus. Talking about wandering aimlessly in the wilderness! Technology has become an absolute extension of our biological selves.

Everyday examples of embracing technology to the point where technology becomes a voluntary extension of our mind and body are not hard to find. An obvious example is sports - the golf club is an integral extension of the golfer; or the baseball player whose bat, ball and glove are as much a part of him as are his arms, hands and fingers.

The teenager playing a video game is totally immersed mind, body and soul in his virtual reality landscape.

The woman so engrossed in text messaging she is totally oblivious to anything, anyone and in fact just everything in her surroundings that it's not uncommon to see her totally ignoring her luncheon companions; bumping into people; stepping in front of a moving bus (I've seen that happen) and of course getting removed from the gene pool because she wasn't paying any attention to her driving. We've all seen those 'funny' videos of Ms. Text Messaging falling down the stairs or falling into a fountain pool in the Mall all because she was oblivious to her surroundings - not a good survival strategy.

Another obvious common example is the driver who just about 'wears' his vehicle. The human driver and the vehicle become as one entity - the vehicle responds to the driver and the driver gets this sense of empowerment from the vehicle (often resulting in road rage incidents). That driver/vehicle unity applies equally to the captain of his ship and the military fighter pilot or the tank commander. The ship, the jet aircraft, the armored tank becomes a 'living' extension of whoever is in the command seat. Ditto that to the soldier and his assault weapon.

We've all seen people wearing their headphones and listening to the music stored on their iPods instead of 'listening' to all of the music already stored in their wetware - their brain.

Then there's the social phenomena of the 'next big thing'; the 'must have'. Your current iPhone works just fine but you MUST immediately buy the next updated model even if you have to stand in a queue for hours, even days. We've all read the hype about the next version or model of this gizmo or that gadget. Be the first on your block to own... And so it goes on and on and on.

Then there are all those hundreds of quasi-non-addictive gizmos we're all quasi-addicted to from espresso coffeemakers and dozens of other kitchen 'must have' gadgets (even if you never use them you've got to have them to keep up with the Smith family next door), to your word processing software, to your HD TV that takes up nearly an entire wall plus your surround-sound home theatre. And where would we be without our digital watches and clocks? Even your rind in comfort lawnmower qualifies. Speaking of comfort technologies, you must have electric heaters and air conditioners and electric blankets and infrared lamps in the bathroom plus a fridge to keep your beer cold and a stove to keep your soup warm.

The latest Big Thing in retail is the self-service checkout. Machines calculate your bill and take your credit card details or dish out your change (for those retrograde enough to still pay by cash) without you, the customer, having any need to interact with a staff member in the process.

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU!

The next Big Thing in retail is being tracked via you smart-phone as you go from store to store with records being made of what you actually look at, handle, or try on. That's all the better to now target you with personalized ads as you wander the mall and pass by the billboards that usually just feature an advertisement directed at the general population at large. If you're a woman shopping for shoes you don't need a general ad featuring the mall's Food Court. If you're a male like me you're more likely to be attracted to a targeted ad featuring the latest sci-fi DVD instead of a general one featuring feminine hats.

That's already a feature of the Internet where you often now get targeted with personalized ads based on your search and browsing histories. And it doesn't matter what your country of origin or host country (where you actually sit at your PC) is. I'm likely to get a British advertisement when I'm on an Australian website if I previously browsed a British retail website. I'll get Australian ads on an American website based on what I've previously searched for or browsed on Australian websites.

In fact your PC, tablet and smart-phone are the perfect spies for spying on you! The whole wide world knows about you, or could if it wanted to, often because you yourself enter personal data about yourself for the whole wide world to see - if they wanted to which more often than not they don't. Mothers are often misguided into thinking that the entire global population gives a damn about the minute-to-minute, hour-to-hour, day-to-day activities of their little brat(s). Mums are deluded if they really think that.

Of course the odds that someone somewhere has read your emails and digested your digital life is rather high, even if you're little miss nobody. The recent NSA surveillance is but the tip of a very, very large iceberg. People sticky-beak; agencies peek; hackers hack and your data is worth something to someone. The best rule of thumb is that anytime you are on the web or traveling with your smart-phone, always assume that someone is looking over your shoulder. It may not stop Big Brother, but it might help eliminate nasty unplanned surprises.

Of course we're now all used to security cameras on the buses and trains and in taxies and in the airport and on buildings and in the shops and on the street corners and tracking our speeding on the highway and photographing our license plate data for stolen vehicles or maybe we're in the unpaid speeding fines database. Facial recognition software helps not only identify those responsible for criminal activity but identifying missing persons

Okay, all of the above hardly qualifies as artificially intelligent (AI) technologies, apart perhaps from your smart-phone, but wait, there's more. Let's fast-forward to the not too distant future.

RIGHT OR LEFT AT OAK STREET? MAYBE BOTH

There are two ways that artificially intelligent machines will rule the roost in the near and distant future.

RIGHT: The first is the ever continuing merging of biology with technology. A common example from the past is the peg-leg or the hook-hand from pirate lore. A recent and current common example is the use of hearing aids. Vital organs have been replaced in part or in total with artificial replacements and that trend will continue. In the near future nanotechnology will feature micro-robots coursing through our body's river and [blood] streams to "exterminate, exterminate, exterminate" all those nasty little biological agents that want to make a meal of us. The ultimate of course will be the downloading of our [software] minds into hardware bodies.

That has all sorts of ramifications. Once your mind has been downloaded into a hardware (silicon and steel) body, you can always upgrade to the next and newest model. I see the spawning of a robotic fashion industry! The 2050 you wouldn't be caught dead inside a 2045 robotic model! The other ramification is that you can 'clone' yourself (or rather your mind) by downloading your mind as many times into as many robotic hardware forms as you wish. Perhaps one robotic form that's designed for undersea exploration; one designed for mountain climbing; another that's small enough that it can explored the most claustrophobic of cave systems. If your mind exists simultaneously in many different robotic bodies, then you have more than just a single self-awareness, simultaneously.

That form of 'cloning' means you can reproduce without having to dilute your 'genes' with the genes of another person. Of course there still would have to be a sperm & egg bank to ensure population growth, if that were deemed by society desirable. It might not be if everybody can reproduce themselves as many times as they wished. But assuming real flesh-and-blood humans were conceived in a test-tube and raised by robots with human minds, sooner or later their time would come too to be downloaded into the robotic model(s) of their choice and cheat their biological death.

By now one might be hard pressed to think of the bioengineered and genetically engineered human, with all that tinkering that leads to this downloading of mind into machine, as still being Homo sapiens but perhaps rather as something akin to Homo robotus.

LEFT: The second way is the purely artificial intelligence scenario. The software is artificially programmed; the silicon and steel hardware is artificially constructed to house the software. Your PC or tablet or smart-phone is an example. Did I mention exponential growth? Your PC of 2014 has more 'smarts' than the PCs that went with the Apollo astronauts to the Moon and your smart-phone has a 1000 times more 'smarts' or processing power than the monster vacuum tube processors that took up entire floors in buildings at major universities in 1964.

Of course crunch or number-crunching power isn't the same as intelligence. Computer chess software programs can beat any human on the planet now in chess, but through sheer number crunching ability. However, recall that 60's sci-fi show Star Trek where the captain and crew talked to their onboard computers. Can you carry on a conversation WITH your smart-pone today (Note: with your smart-phone, not of necessity with a person on the other end of the phone line)? Yes you can!

Speaking of the cinema, recall those films Westworld and Futureworld plus those versions of The Stepford Wives. And there's a lot more 'entertainment' in a similar vein to those robotic themed pictures.

So wouldn't it be nice to have an artificially intelligent robotic 'friend' who would do all the household chores and shopping you didn't want to do, who would go away when you wanted to be alone without feeling slighted or insulted, who would share all your interests at your level of understanding (your 'friend' wouldn't be an Einstein unless you were an Einstein too), and who would always see things your way (if you so wished) and never argued.

This 'friend' would never get tired or ill or otherwise get up on the wrong side of the bed as it were, your 'friend' wouldn't age or ever grow smarter than you, and would always be your best 'friend' and give you 'likes' and also serve as a guard 'dog' for your home.

Best of all, your 'friend' might also supply sex. One could have sex with a robotic 'life' form since an artificially intelligent robot could be constructed to whatever functional appearance was required. Lovemaking with the male or female of your dreams who wouldn't turn over and go to sleep on you after-the-fact! So that's another distinct possibility not easily dismissed. A robot could be programmed not only to do what another human might not be willing to do, but be able to do it longer and better. A robotic partner could also be programmed never to have a headache, or be too pooped to puff! And the other advantage is no little bundles will eventually get delivered by the stork!

I suppose there could be all manner of types of sexual liaisons between robots programmed in for the visual enjoyment of the flesh-and-blood human as well. Sex and the sex industry could possibly be a driving force behind applications that require or are highly desirable of an artificially intelligent robot, but I digress.

And wouldn't you like a robotic version of your mother-in-law or your horror boss or even The President (POTUS) that you could boss around! Alas, I rather suspect though that actual look-alike copies of actual people might be frowned upon if not declared downright illegal.

One more important application immediately comes to mind, the artificially intelligent robotic nurse or bedside companion that can not only monitor but give comfort in a way no automated monitoring equipment can. Their main purpose would also serve as infinitely patient round-the-clock nursing companions for the cry ill, bedridden, elderly and those who are severely mentally handicapped. These 24/7 one-on-one robotic nursemaids could of course summon real human assistance as required. Even the very lonely might welcome a robotic companion quite apart from the applications given earlier.

Then there could be robotic 'pets' in nursing homes and associated institutions where it might not always be possible to have real animals. We all are aware of the comfort companion animals can provide, and perhaps the robotic versions could have enough AI such that the patients couldn't tell the difference. Many a lonely person on their death bed would find cuddling a 'pet' in their final moments comforting.

Quite apart from being a perfect housemate, sex object, torture victim, or nurse, other immediate applications come to mind. There are industrial, military and law enforcement applications of course for robotic beings that can think for themselves. In fact, any dangerous environment is perfect for AI.

We currently have relatively unintelligent, therefore human controlled, drones (for military; law enforcement; and other civilian applications), space probes on the Moon and Mars, probes that can explore the innards of sunken ships like RMS Titanic or claustrophobic caves, and in general boldly go where human's can't, at least without putting them in harms way.

All of these applications would be more efficient if the drones or the probes had some degree of artificial intelligence programs installed so that they could make decisions in real time without consulting or the need to consult their human masters. That's especially true when the communications lag time is significant, like with those rovers on Mars. But don't think for a moment that intensive military and industrial R&D into artificial intelligence and relevant applications isn't currently underway. Robotics and AI are big business.

Other, if more trivial applications could include having a smart-fridge that alerts you to when stored products are closing in on their expiry dates, or products you were getting low on or were now used up (and could automatically order more stock for you). Then there's the smart-toilet that will automatically chemically analyze your waste products for anomalies and automatically alert your GP if any abnormalities were detected. We've already got GPS navigation system software installed in our cars that can direct us how to go to where we want to go. Autopilots have been around for quite some time now in aviation, so all we need now is a smart-car that will drive itself and get you to where you want to go and thus remove the need for the 'nut' from behind the wheel.

THE TURING TEST

The Turing Test basically involves trying to tell the difference in the responses given between biological intelligence and artificial intelligence when you give each the verbal third degree and you can't see either. If you can't pick which is which, then the machine becomes the intellectual equal of the human. That hasn't quite yet happen - yet.

Ramifications: If an artificial intelligence passes the Turning Test, doesn't it then qualify to receive all the rights and benefits and responsibilities that human intelligences receive? I mean things like freedom of speech and the right to worship and a right to citizenship and to vote and to participate in and enjoy all of the other intellectual facets enjoyed by (at least a democratic) society.

EXTRATERRESTRIAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

As far as SETI, the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, is concerned, the 'biology' part as in exobiology or astrobiology or the 'life' bit as in extraterrestrial life, might be ultimately irrelevant if the accent is on the "I".

So my ultimate question is, if Moore's Law applies way more to AI than IQ (biological intelligence) and given how quickly AI levels will run away from flat-lined biological intelligence once the graph lines intersect, then the ETI in SETI is vastly more likely to be ET AI. How does searching for ET AI change the general SETI strategy, if it changes it at all, but especially as you might be just as likely to find ET AI between the stars relative to orbiting around the stars?

BOLDLY GOING

We've known since the Year Dot that we need a machine if we are to travel into space, to the Moon, the planets, the stars and eventually to the galaxies and beyond - if there is a beyond. So the traditional picture, even in sci-fi, is that the biological intelligence needs to be transported inside a machine traditionally called a spaceship or some variation thereof.

Fast forward from the Year Dot to the early 21st Century - what could we accomplish today when it comes to boldly going? We certainly have achieved escape velocity from the Earth (about 11 km/sec), even launched probes that will leave the solar system. So we've achieved velocities roughly around the 30 km/sec mark. I pick that figure since the ultimate velocity is 300,000 km/sec - the speed of light. So we can roughly achieve 1/10,000th light speed even today. It takes light about 100,000 years to cross our galaxy. So, it would take us about 1,000,000,000 years (one billion years) to accomplish the same with today's technology. Actually it would be a bit less since we're not on the very edge of the galaxy but roughly one-third the way in. We could cross to the remote side of the galaxy in about 0.7 billion years. Extraterrestrials in the centre of our galaxy (the more populated galactic CBD) could reach the outer edges with our current technologies in roughly 0.5 billion years.

Now one billion years sounds like an awful long time, even 0.7 billion years is on the lengthy side, even 0.5 billion years isn't trivial. But even one billion years is but a quarter the age of Planet Earth and there was terrestrial life on Earth one billion years ago. One billion years is only about one-tenth the age of our galaxy. So, even with today's technology, had we started out a billion years ago, the entire galaxy would now be the explored domain of Homo sapiens! Of course we weren't around a billion years ago, but other advanced (to our level) extraterrestrial civilizations probably were. As the saying goes, if we can do it in our future, then somebody else has already done it in our past. The odds that we are the first kids on the galactic block as opposed to the new kids on the galactic block are well and truly in favor of the latter.

Payday Loan Companies

Next time you are in dire need of some cash, and you want to get it quickly, you can consider payday loans. This type of loans is relatively new on the market.

So far, the traditional ways of procuring a loan were mainly through credit cards or by applying for personal loans. Certainly, these are well accepted and appreciated options for anyone, but they do come with their own limitations. When using credit cards, you are prompted to spend a lot more than perhaps you could afford. In fact, they were designed exactly for this purpose, as they allow you to pay a specified minimum amount, and thus extend the payment of your dues for a long time to come.

This design works to the benefits of the companies that issue credit cards, as they keep earning interest on the late payments made by you. Personal loans generally make a better option, but qualifying for such loans is quite cumbersome, needing a lot of time and a detailed check of your credit score before any answer is given.

This new product comes to the rescue of people who are unable to qualify for credit cards for whatever reasons, or who want to avoid the hassle of getting one. Though the reputation of payday loans is bad, they make a good substitute for traditional lending. They are highly popular with certain sections of our society. Here are the main benefits of payday loans:

• The process of getting a payday loan is very easy, comfortable and fast. You may apply for a loan and expect the funds to be in your bank account in a matter of hours. No traditional bank can match that speed of sanctioning a loan. This is possible due to the online procedures for getting and disbursing the loans. The borrower simply needs to fill up an online application, giving some personal details, and then wait for the loan that will come through very soon.
• Since these are short-term loans, you don't need to face the problem for a long time. These loans are meant to help you overcome your financial problem for a short time. It is comforting to know that you won't be under debt for long. However, most people tend to believe that you'll land up in a big mess if and when failing to make your commitments; you should know that this is not true most of the time. The lenders offering payday loans do realize that there will be some defaulters, and they have accordingly designed their plans. Instead of taking any other action, they will just ban the client from utilizing the facility in the future.
• Your chances of getting a loan from the businesses offering payday loans are certainly higher as compared to other financial institutions, like banks. The reason is that payday loans are available for small amounts of money, for shorter periods of time. Since the lenders realize that the associated risks are small, they can provide financial assistance to a larger number of consumers.
• All the terms of the loan, including the fees and the interest to be charged by the lenders are clearly stated beforehand. So the borrower is well-informed on the amount he is liable to pay back. There are no hidden charges. This business is now highly monitored and controlled due to the bad publicity it has received in the past.

By Waheed Honey

What Is Life Without Payday Loan Companies?

Life goes on even if payday loans will cease to exist one of these days. Our forefathers lived with their lives without it. In this current situation, where conditions are volatile and make every one vulnerable to its effects and consequences, people should clearly have other options to solve their financial problems other than the usual payday loan or cash advance service. But or the sake of discussion, let us suppose that the U.S. Federal government finally has decided to outlaw these types of companies. What happens then? Here are some possibilities.

1. People will need not march on the streets to recreate situations similar to Occupy Wall Street. But they will definitely appeal and ask their representatives to lobby for reinstituting this type of credit. It is also highly possible that in some countries, credit companies of this kind will be forbidden as well due to reports of exploiting the poor and the fact that some agencies will actually lead people to sink deeper into credit pits instead of alleviating their monetary predicaments.
2. People will suffer financial problems with not much hope of payment because they do not have easier options when it comes to borrowing money. Due to worsening economic conditions in some states and countries, banks and other lending institutions will implement more rigid rules on credit application and more people will not have access to it. As a result, more people won't be able to pay their bills, solve emergency financial crisis, and end up with bad credit ratings.
3. One positive development when this scenario happens though is that people will be more financially conscious and find ways to make ends meet. In other words, they will tighten their belts further. They will resort to budgeting and savings to tide things up monetarily. Some will give up an expensive lifestyle or habits and reduce spending on unnecessary items such as junk foods, fashionable products, and sleaze magazines, among others. Many will also make necessary adjustments in order to cut down on gas such as commuting, biking, walking, or car pooling; lowering utility bills by lessening consumption of water, electricity, and the like; and cutting down expenditures on night outs, shopping, dining out, and travel.
4. Others will be forced to use their creativity in terms of preparing food and recycling wearable clothes. Yes, recycling will be the order of the day. And with proper ingenuity and creativity, people will make use of their old properties and even personal belongings and reinvent them to accommodate new functions and uses. In addition, garage sale will be frequent in the neighborhood to earn more money and get rid of useless items stuck in the attic.
5. Some people will apply for additional jobs with meager earnings just to earn extra money. While they previously spend idle time enjoying hobbies, without payday loans companies, they will use their time looking for ways to augment their income instead. In relation to this, a small home based business such as buy and sell online or freelancing through freelancer sites are good ways to earn additional income.
6. Lastly, payday loan providers will not be deterred. Expect that a few days after the laws are enacted, they will still be back in business, and this time with another term to use for their services. They will innovate usual service description, rename their business, change the features, and redo processes, among others. Definitely, it will be the same dog but with a different collar.

By Maria Marilyn Madrid

3 Great Principles For Wealth Creation

Most of the prominent millionaires today would say that they were able to achieve their position today because of their rebellious streak. Most of them would say that their unique vision paved way to their success. Embracing change also helped in achieving success, that's what most of them would say. Of course many successful people today achieved their wealth by following proven techniques, but those who took the risk and stepped out of their comfort zones were the ones who really made it big. For those who embraced change, creating wealth does not only mean growing and saving money, it also means going beyond boundaries.

Many financial advisers and consultants today try to help their clients build their wealth by providing effective principles. Investors today should learn how to apply strategies that would help in building their wealth. For people who are open minded and ready to accept change, achieving financial freedom is possible. If you are open to learn new information, accept advice, learn strategies, then you are ready to build your wealth today.

There are a lot of principles that you can use as guides in building your wealth. Here are a few of the principles applied by many investors today:

1. Saving up won't be enough these days. Previously, people were taught to save a portion of their salaries. This gives security in case an emergency happens in the future. Every payday, people would save a certain percentage, so they can be prepared in case an accident happens. This usually worked before, but today, saving up a portion isn't enough anymore. Simply relying on your salary won't do, it isn't the best thing, and sometimes, it causes more harm than good. Today, a better alternative to be prepared for the future is to make the right investment. Although this seems a bit aggressive and bold, you could expect huge returns in the long run.

2. Investing could help you settle your debts. You might be thinking "how can I invest if I still have debts to pay"? But this is what a financial consultant would tell you - with your investments, you could get high returns that could help you settle your debts faster than the usual. So investing in a property is the best strategy you can use to manage your loans or debts.

3. Save by spending. What does this actually mean? If people are spending, how can they save up for the future? According to financial experts, doing the opposite would help you build wealth easier and faster. Of course wise spending is necessary. For example, you could spend money smartly by investing in the services of an expert financial consultant.

By Della Katz

The Alternative to Conflict Diamonds

An engagement ring is a symbol that exemplifies the essence of a timeless and lasting union, something that most people strive towards, and this timeless essence should be present in the lyrical structure of the ring's design, making the aesthetic a source of truth and wonder. Consequently, getting diamond engagement rings is a priority for those looking to ask the most important question of their lives, and the process by which they choose their engagement ring is typically fraught with pressure. At the same time for the retailers, the demand for these rings is often so tempting that they may rely on dubious sources for obtaining the gems they require, a fact that has led to the establishment of an at times thriving conflict-diamond industry.

The prevalence of blood diamonds is not something centralized to one country, and its effects have rippled throughout the entire world, with many people looking for a perfect engagement ring, feeling conflicted about the origin of their purchase and how the diamond was procured. This is why there are so many people in the jeweling industry looking for alternatives for acquiring diamonds, and in some cases these alternatives are even moissanites. This means that people mining diamonds are facing heavy scrutiny, forcing them to either abandon such practices or conceivably lie about the origins of the gems to avoid losing profits. Still, in terms of the integrity of the jeweling industry, the damage of the blood diamond trade has been done.

Otherwise known as blood diamonds, these gems are tainted by the fact that they are typically taken from countries embroiled in conflicts and civil wars, wars which run on diamonds, which warlords and generals collect in order to generate revenue, revenue which pays for weapons and men. Sometimes these diamonds are used to undermine already installed governments and begin civil wars, leading to avoidable bloodshed. Of course, in some situations the diamond miners are not in cahoots with the military or political bodies, in these cases the warlords simply conquer the diamond mines and use them for their own purposes. The warlords run these mining camps like prisons, and conscript citizens into slave labour.

Ultimately, this sort of shady diamond trade put a black mark on the whole industry, changing how and with what countries, jewellers did business as they sought to avoid contributing to the problem. Still, problems persisted and several countries still supported the blood diamond trade with a renewed effort. One of the countries that started the trade and kept it going was Angola. Once a Portuguese colony that earned its independence in the year 1975, Angola instantly dipped into civil war, a war that lasted until 2001. During this time one of the groups that were vying for power in the country sold about $3.72 billion in diamonds to finance their war and increased the violence in the area substantially. When all was said and done, the UN discovered that several groups in the country had used conflict diamonds to fund their war and consequently the UN established legislation making the sale of diamonds to fund wars in countries like Angola illegal.

The story of Angola exemplifies why retailers choose their diamonds carefully and how the diamond engagement ring was viewed by consumers, at the time. Ultimately, this affected the market quite intensely, with people asking specific questions regarding the origin of each diamond. Consequently, it is difficult to find a diamond retailer, which has not had some sort of reaction or connection to this movement away from the blood diamond trade. To combat this sort of negative press many prominent engagement ring retailers had begun to offer moissanite rings, which are equal in beauty and in sheen as their authentic counter parts. This has helped to make the industry more sustainable as an awareness of the people that are still suffering in certain eras working the minds and collecting diamonds.

To help further slow the prevalence and distribution of so-called blood diamonds, the UN commenced a thorough investigation into the effects of the blood diamond trade on countries in Africa stuck in zones of conflict. An example of this type of conflict was found in Liberia and Sierra Leone where, after the civil war started in 1989, several warlords were locked in vicious fighting, looking for a way to pay for their armies in the field and recruit more soldiers. Near the end of the conflict in 2000 the UN brought charges against the leaders of the Liberian Revolutionary United Front for trafficking in blood diamonds and as a result they were exiled. This set a precedent for going after the leaders directly, and prosecuting them to extent of the UN's ability.

Another place where the fight against the trafficking blood diamonds has helped to rid the market of tainted gems can be found in Côte d'Ivoire and the way the diamond mines were appropriated violently. A simple diamond mining operation In Côte d'Ivoire started in the 90s, but after a coup, which toppled the government sparked a civil war Côte d'Ivoire became the place where some of the diamonds sold in Sierra Leon were trafficked and these diamonds became the core of one of the main blood diamond trafficking systems. Later, the UN imposed severe sanctions that reduced the level of diamonds exported out of the country, but one of the consequences of pushing back against this trade was the withdrawal of much of the foreign investment in these countries.

Still, even with all of the effort put into ridding the industry of blood diamonds, more needs to be done. This is why many forward thinking jewellers have begun to offer moissanite options, and why many customers have asked for alternatives. These alternatives can involve paying a bit more for diamonds that are guaranteed to have been extracted from more responsible mining operations. This can be the more expensive choice but ultimately a good way to mitigate the prevalence of conflict diamonds on the engagement ring market.

By Kanto Thomas

Bitcoin - A Secure Investment for the Future

Bitcoin is an online digital currency, just like a dollar or a pound but with a few exceptions. Introduced by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, Bitcoin engages in a peer-to-peer payment system where no intermediaries exist and goods can be securely transferred between any two people on the planet. It is associated with a heavy network of computers and the unit of currency for the Bitcoin system (appropriately called Bitcoin) can be simply acquired by joining the vast network. Bitcoin provides a fast cheap and secure transaction alternative but few are willing to take the jump for it. So the one million dollar question still lingers, is Bitcoin a secure investment?

Bitcoin is only a few years old, an interesting creation that has awed many and for the record, has attained a name in the top financial charts. Its popularity has spanned and it has led some of the top businesses like Virgin Galactic to consider it as an acceptable source of payment. Bitcoin prices increase at rates of up to 10% and continue to dominate as the alpha of the market and this has made many interested in investing in it.

Another special feature of Bitcoin is that it does not have a central bank and neither does a central government control it. It's a global currency and its creation and existence lies behind a complex and geeky mathematical algorithm that enables it to shadow government related mishaps. Cases of political instability and government absurdities that plunge the economy down to shame and lead years of investments in a currency down the drain do not occur in the crypto-currency system. This creates a secure and friendly investment opportunity with low inflation risks.

The Downside

With an ever-amazing upside, crypto-currency also has its downs. As mentioned, this thing is still taking baby steps; and with that comes great uncertainties. Bitcoin prices are volatile; currently increasing sharply and can fluctuate at 30% to 40% in a month. The world is still surprised at its emergence and there exists very few Bitcoin holders and Bitcoin. This leads to unanswered questions and cold fear among people as investing in a new unpredictable 'gold mine' can yield devastating effects. Its newness brings forth lack of regulations and scares off potential investors.

The enigma surrounding the Bitcoin system is a major factor to be considered. Anything can happen and everyone participating in the Bitcoin market is on a high alert. China in December 2013 eliminated the use of Bitcoin and this led to a drastic drop to its value from $1240 to $576 in just three weeks. Programmers also determine the functionality of this global currency and many question the thought of risking their finances for some group of geeks. This prevents many from venturing into the system and increases the risk of Bitcoin investment ever so highly.

By Guillermo Perry

As idealistically as we would like to look at public service, politics and political campaigns run on money.

If you are new to the political scene, getting some help here is essential as quantities and prices of materials almost invariable provide a shock treatment to the neophyte. When you first begin your campaign, plan on spending about three quarters of your time on fund raising. When you contact voters, you will need literature and other campaign materials including signs, possibly media buys if appropriate. All this costs money. If you don't have supporters, you won't have too many votes either. Keep in mind you complementing these people by asking for their advice and financial support. When you have the check in your hand, ask if they have 2 or 3 friends or acquaintances with similar values that might also want to help you accomplish whatever goal you set out in your materials. In addition to their financial support, ask if you can list them publicly as endorsing your candidacy. While you are pursuing the large donor track, ask other like minded people to host what is commonly called a "meet 'n greet" in their home or business. It's good to have bumper stickers, literature, yard signs, etc. available as election day approaches. Don't be afraid to ask these people to host a party of their own. Politics is a people business.

This may seem like a lot of effort for a few small checks, but these small checks represent the backbone of your campaign effort. The people that write these smaller checks will tell their friends about you... and they too have an emotional interest in you victory on election day. Send them campaign updates, event schedules and invitations. If I was standing in the Social uproar leader's post, I would keep my hands off the Security and State issues. I would not mention whatsoever the Peace process, the Palestinian issue and even the scattered illegal Bedouin villages. Upon running the party's census via the Web, full transparency and intense public approval can be achieved. That way, the middle working class will actually pay from its own sources in the frontal confrontation versus the old, lame and faltering current political system.

The present situation is pending Prime Minister Netanyahu's moves. The essence of the civil protest will stay among us. The basic idea that it is time to change direction will not be easily forgotten by the mass. None of the present political players can get off the hook. Additionally, some poll point to the fact that a "social uproar" party can reach somewhere between 20 to 40 parliament seats. Even if the Security situation goes down the hill all of a sudden, dragging the social movement away, its potential still remains, and crisscrossing political rivalries. Also, this constant information feed keeps us distracted with details. For example, the Occupy movement-founded and largely occurring in the United States, but with worldwide reverberations-empowered financial regulators and the politicians whose jobs depended on catering to now politicized-voters to increase enforcement efforts. Recently, our firm encountered a less-than-pleasant letter from New York's Department of Taxation and Finance.